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Murdoch owned the presses. Turner owned the networks. If you wanted to speak at scale, you needed steel towers and trucks. That world’s gone. No barricades were stormed, no tycoons toppled. The “means of production” in media simply moved.
Today it’s an email list, a calendar, and something worth saying.
You don’t need millions of readers. You need the right 5,000.
The problem
You think it’s “too late” and the internet is for the kids.
You assume you need a viral audience and a YouTube face.
The tools feel intimidating like you’re missing a secret degree in “creator ops”.
You’re worried it won’t work, and you’ll look like a dick for trying.
Here’s the thing: you’ve already done the hard part. You’ve spent years making decisions with consequences. That’s called judgement. And judgement is exactly what people will pay for.
The heavy machinery is gone. The new means of production fit on your laptop and inside your head.
The solution
You, yes, you, can be a one‑person media company. Decades of hard‑won judgement, packaged and distributed without anyone’s permission. The thing you’ve built a career around can be productised and sold by you.
No, you don’t have to be MrBeast (Youtube star). You’re not making pranks for teenagers. You’re building a specialised research-and-communication product around your expertise.
And it works:
Ben Thompson, Stratechery. Solo analyst to seven‑figure subscription business. Free daily digest; paid deep dives.
Lenny Rachitsky, Lenny’s Newsletter. Product management niche to paid newsletter, podcast, community, jobs board and courses.
Polina Pompliano, The Profile. Curated profiles to paid subs, a book and speaking.
Their unfair advantage? Not fancy gear. Credibility and consistency.
Credibility first. Formats second.
Why “the right 5,000” is enough
Do the boring maths. A few thousand right‑fit readers in a valuable niche can sustain a serious solo business through a mix of subscriptions, consulting, workshops and courses. You don’t need to be famous; you need to be trusted by the people who make decisions.
But… isn’t this for the kids?
No. The kids don’t have what you have: a portfolio of past performance. Case studies. Scar tissue. You don’t have to start from scratch, you just have to re‑version and repackage what you already know.
Experience compounds. Fame is optional.
But… what if it doesn’t work?
Then nothing happens. You learned, you shipped, you iterate. That’s it.
But what if it does? A sustainable, solo business with ongoing income and leverage you own.
The downside is embarrassment. The upside is autonomy.
The lightweight one‑person media stack
These tools are replacing the printing presses and cable networks of the past. Most have free tiers. Pick one per category and start.
Creation
Writing and notes: Notion, Obsidian, or Kortex
Publishing: Ghost or Substack
Polish: a copy‑editor or an AI copilot
Audio/Video (optional)
Recording/editing: Riverside
Visuals: Canva or Figma
Distribution
Email + payments: Ghost/Substack with Stripe; or ConvertKit/Beehiiv
Social: LinkedIn (primary for exec/pro audiences); YouTube for reach/SEO; podcast directories; be selective with Threads/Bluesky/X
Tool overwhelm is procrastination in a nice outfit. Pick one. Ship.
Try this
Define your “right 5,000”: job titles, industries, problems, budgets.
Write a one‑sentence promise: “I help [who] solve [what] so they can [outcome].”
Choose your stack: one notes app, one publishing platform, one distribution channel. Setup deadline: this weekend.
A simple launch plan (no drama)
Publish a weekly letter for six weeks.
One problem. One insight. One practical move.
Repurpose each letter into a LinkedIn post/thread.
Add a simple lead magnet: a 3–5 page “field guide” that solves a painful, specific problem.
Invite founding members (20–50 people) to a paid tier with a clear promise: private Q&A, templates, office hours.
Collect questions. Turn the best into deep‑dive posts, workshops or a short course.
Start small. Publish consistently. Show your work.
What you already have (and the kids don’t)
Case studies that map to real value.
Pattern recognition from a thousand reps.
A network that will take your call.
The ability to speak like an adult to adults.
That’s an advantage. Use it.
Try this
Make a “career capital inventory”:
10 problems you’ve solved repeatedly
10 frameworks/mental models you actually use
10 people who would vouch for you (ask for a two‑sentence testimonial)
Turn the first problem into this week’s letter. Ship it.
It isn’t too late
The old gatekeepers are gone. The new ones are attention and trust both compounding assets you can build with a calendar and a point of view.
Start small. Keep your cadence. Improve in public. Build the kind of media product you would’ve trusted when you were on the other side of the table.
If you want a hand, reply with the niche you’re considering. I’ll pick a few for review and maybe a private Q&A.
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