OMG, I Just Pivoted My Substack!

And here’s why and how

Photo by Mohammad Amiri on Unsplash

It was a dark, rainy day when I decided to redesign my Substack completely...

Just kidding! It wasn’t a snap decision. In fact, I’d been thinking about it for days. Or weeks.

I officially started taking this Substack seriously in March 2024. It was called Grow Your Global Brand, and my posts were for non-native English-speaking entrepreneurs like me.

At that time, I had major imposter syndrome. I’d only written my first English post in July 2023. I didn’t feel like I belonged in this BIG online world. Despite 15 years of social media and creator experience in my home country, stepping out into the global market, I felt small and unseen.

Since I love writing, it made perfect sense to create content for it on Substack. I needed 6-7 months to get my first traction online, and people started to ask me, how can they do the same in their careers. I created a coaching program for bilinguals called From Local to Global.

And it worked.

Incredible ESL speakers reached out to me just weeks in. People started recommending me as an expert in personal branding and content strategy for bilinguals.

I had been in their shoes not long before—feeling lost and unsure, trying to build a global brand on my own. I knew how challenging that step was, and I wanted to be the person who could tell them, "It’s normal to feel this way. Keep going, it gets better."

The Why

But as my confidence grew and the world seemed less intimidating, something shifted. I met amazing people, made new friends, and slowly started to feel like my niche was becoming a box.

Niching down is fantastic when you’re starting out. It helps you stay focused, go deep into a topic, and get known for something.

But people evolve. And in the past year, I’ve changed so much. I’m no longer the person who doubted her English skills or felt like no one would care about what she had to say. My mindset has shifted from "I’m not good enough" to "I can be pretty damn good."

I want to show up as 100% me, not just 20%.

People are complex, and being a non-native speaker is just one layer of who I am.

Now, you might be thinking, “But wait, you’ve built something here, and now you’re making a change? Won’t you lose everything?”

I don’t think so.

Here’s my new rule: Don’t niche down your personal brand—niche down your offers.

I’ve been a solopreneur for 10 years and I pivoted several times, but my audience followed me on this journey because I’ve built a personal brand and not a business.

So, there’s no better time to update my brand. I’m giving myself more space to talk about the things I love, the things I know, and the things that can truly help.

The How

What was the first step to redesigning my Substack and brand? Journaling.

Writing is thinking, and it helps me clarify my thoughts.

I wrote about

• what energizes me,

• the things I’ve accomplished as a professional,

• and what my clients usually say about me.

But most importantly, I imagined what would make me truly happy in the future—how I want to live, who I want to work with, and what I want to work on.

But there was one more question that I kept asking myself:

Why me and not someone else? Why would people choose to read my Substack or wanna work with me?

I tend to overthink things, so at this point, I had to remind myself that I didn’t need to reinvent the wheel. The key was to find what makes me unique and lean into my strengths.

According to Human Design, I’m a Generator 6/2:

“The kind of person who inspires others to think and be extraordinary. People look up to you as a role model because you embody extraordinary qualities they seek to have. As a storyteller, you have a knack for painting a beautiful vision of the future that’s hopeful and inspiring. You’re a natural-born leader and have the capacity to move others towards a greater purpose and potential.”

So, I listened to my heart.

After 10 years as a solopreneur and 15 years as a content creator, I’ve learned how important energy is. You have to stay true to yourself—not just hustle, but also learn to understand the signals your body and mind are sending you.

Another thing I’ve realized is how hard it can be to truly be yourself and hear your inner voice in this crowded online world. When I started blogging 15 years ago, there were only a few of us crazy enough to do it, and I couldn’t rely on templates, courses, or copying what others were doing.

I had to figure everything out on my own. And it was a fantastic creative flow that built my career as I had never thought before. While I believe templates can help you get started (we don’t need to start from scratch), it’s crucial to make things your own. We need to give ourselves the freedom to create and live creatively.

It doesn’t matter if everyone says, “Make videos!” if you prefer writing. Or if you have a brand-new idea that no one’s tried before—that doesn’t mean it won’t work. And if you’re someone who needs more breaks from sales and business, build a content ecosystem that supports your goals.

Please welcome Ditch The Templates!

Weekly newsletter for energy-aware entrepreneurs and freelancers who want to create authentic content and build a career based on their strengths and lifestyle, without burning out.

As I mentioned, helping non-native English speakers build a brand is still one of my goals, and you’ll see content about that. But I also want to share my other layers.

Aligned business building, energy-aware entrepreneurship, and authentic content creation are my main passions. These are the things I care deeply about, and I’m excited to explore them with you here.

I hope you can share in my happiness because, as I mentioned on Instagram, this is a new chapter in my life where I’ve finally given myself permission to be 100% me.

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If you have any questions, send me a DM or write a comment.