15 years ago, I quit my job at a TV station, moved to Biloxi, Mississippi, set up a basic website, and started publishing stories about the five-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. I was my own reporter, editor, photographer, publicist, IT team — I did it all. The end result was a fellowship, which led to more reporting in Springfield, Missouri, and then that led to my gig at BuzzFeed.
I bet on myself, and I certainly wouldn’t be where I am today if I don’t make that bet.
But not all bets are big. Inbox Collective was barely a few weeks old when I went to a journalism conference in New Orleans in September 2019. I told my wife that I wanted to host a happy hour for readers of my newsletter. I didn’t have any idea how many people would show up or even if any would show up — but my bet was that if I met some people, something good would come from it.
50 people RSVPed. A few no-showed, a few brought an extra friend. I ended up spending about $400 on drinks. (Thanks to everyone who bought happy hour beers and not full-priced cocktails!)
But most importantly: I landed five clients from that one happy hour.
Anytime I feel stuck, I try to remind myself: Keep betting on yourself. Place small bets, and place big ones. It’s worked before; it may work again.
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I took that photo in 2010 in Pass Christian, Mississippi. It’s of a bust of W. Dayton Robinson, whose $2 million donation helped City Hall expand after Katrina.