
## The Big Idea
Reaching milestones is gratifying, but the growth that comes from sharing your work is the real difference maker.

---

## Milestones, Growth & Putting Yourself Out There
This week, 💌 Tiny Improvements hit 1,000 readers!

It's a milestone I couldn't have imagined when I sent my first dispatch to just 21 friends in 2020. The first newsletter went out _months_ after I set up a mailing list, and it was almost 2 full years before I started sending them regularly.

<Image
  publicId="newsletters/lessons-in-growth-from-21-to-1000/stats"
  alt="The very first Tiny Improvements Newsletter, from 2020, went out to just 21 people"
  caption="The very first Tiny Improvements Newsletter, from 2020, went out to just 21 people"
/>

Growth has been uneven - spurts, plateaus, and lots of introspection - but every new dispatch and reader is a reminder of why I started sharing my work.

Here's what this journey has taught me:

1. **It takes guts to start.**
   Sharing your work feels vulnerable at first. My first newsletter sat in drafts for months before I hit send. But once I did, the real growth - for the newsletter and for me - began.

2. **Feedback is fuel.**
   Hearing from readers is always validating, whether it's close friends or strangers. If you've ever hit reply to one of my emails, know that your words mean more than you think.

3. **Writing changes you.**
   This newsletter has made me more thoughtful-about my own work and about the content I consume. I notice lazy clickbait more than ever but also have a deeper appreciation for simple, impactful writing.

One unexpected highlight lately has been Bluesky. It's a refreshingly open and real space right now, and I've been connecting with incredible new people there. (Follow me: [@mikebifulco.com](https://bsky.app/profile/mikebifulco.com)).

---

### Why This Matters
Whether it's an article, video, app, or something else - sharing your work can feel daunting, but it's a great way to grow. Your journey will be different from mine, but every step will be valuable.

If you've been waiting for the “right time” to start, this is your sign: start today.


<Aside>

  📢 If you're working on something you're proud of, [hit reply and share it with me](mailto:hello@mikebifulco.com)! I'll give it a signal boost and cheer you on.

</Aside>


### Closing Thoughts
To each of you: thank you for letting me into your inbox. I'll keep writing, learning, and sharing, and I hope you'll do the same.

---

## Some Other Things I've Shared Recently

- [Migrating from next-sitemap to sitemap.ts](https://mikebifulco.com/posts/migrate-from-next-sitemap-to-app-directory-sitemap) I've been starting the process of migrating my personal site from Next's lovable Pages directory to the new App directory. While doing so, I put together a guide on migrating your sitemap, if you're looking to do the same.

- [APIs You Won't Hate: Mr. Bluesky](https://apisyouwonthate.com/newsletter/mr-blue-sky/) the latest newsletter from APIs You Won't Hate is all about Bluesky, and has some great articles about the platform and its API. You can find [APIs You Won't Hate on Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/apisyouwonthate.com), too!

- Speaking of lumpy growth and uneven solutions - I recently published a video series on [using Posthog to improve conversation rates](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nWcB1a8M1s&list=PLhd5wwaTOKLuI6UNjGpBnPKxWiUW4iBhg) for 💌 Tiny Improvements signups. It was a fun experiment, and results were mixed! All part of the journey.

---

## Where I've been learning

- 📕 [Good Services](https://hardcover.app/books/good-services) by _Lou Downe_ - as recommended by my friend and colleague Niki, Good services is all about building services businesses, looking after customers and employees, and building systems that benefit both.

- 📗 [Supercommunicators](https://hardcover.app/books/supercommunicators) by _Charles Duhigg_ - This was a great lead in the run up to the election - coming to a better understanding of how great communicators listen to people and make connections. If you have challenging relationships at work, with family members, neighbors, or friends, this book has the capacity to be transformative.

- 🎙️ [Getting Ready to Interview Trump - an exercise](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gx7IDERbRWk) is the latest episode of the podcast _Question Everything_ from Brian Reed, who you may know from podcasts like _S-Town_ and _The Trojan Horse Affair_. Question Everything is an ongoing analysis and inspection of Journalism's role in society. Each episode so far is well-worth a listen.


From 21 to 1000 - Lessons in Growth

Milestones, Growth & Putting Yourself Out There


Perspective is an interesting thing. Starting on a fresh project will have you standing at the bottom of a mountain of competition. It's easy to feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of the work ahead.

Having a mountain to climb can be inspiring at first - many people hit the ground running with a new project, full of energy and enthusiasm. But as time goes on, the reality of the climb sets in. Instant success is rare, and the reality of the long, slow grind can be disheartening.

I (sadly) do not have a silver bullet for this problem. **But** I can tell you what works for me - a shift in perspective. Instead of looking at the mountain, I find it helpful to look at the path ahead, and milestones along the way that I can work toward.

## Find your way to the top 20%

Did you know that **most podcasts don't make it past 7 episodes**?
(source: [Tom Brook on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrAyZYIneUg))

Or that to get into the top 20% of all podcasts, you only need to average 1000 downloads per episode?
(source: [Podcast.co](https://blog.podcast.co/reach/podcast-download-numbers))

Maybe you're building a YouTube channel - there's loads of great milestones to look forward to: your first video with 50 views, your first 100 subscribers, and so on. You can use tools like [Social Blade](https://socialblade.com/) to see how you stack up against other creators in your niche.

For my pals building SEO driven sites, you can use tools like [Ahrefs](https://ahrefs.com/) to see how your site stacks up against the competition. You might be surprised to find that you're only a few backlinks away from the top 20% of sites in your niche.

## 10% of the top MILLION sites are dead

I was inspired this week Craig Campbell's _incredible_ article from 2020, [10% of the Top Million Sites are Dead](https://ccampbell.io/posts/10-percent-of-top-million-sites-are-dead/). How crazy is that? 10% of the top million sites are dead. How crazy is that? 100,000 websites are top ranked and also abandoned. That speaks to the scale of the opportunity you have to grow.

This is the power of consistency. By setting small, achievable goals, you can build momentum and keep yourself motivated. It's a lot easier to keep going when you can see the progress you're making.

## Milestones I'm working toward

- At [Craftwork](https://craftwork.com), we're working on empowering our teammates with automations and tools that make it easier for our painters to deliver a great product. Success here is measured in time saved for our team, and the quality of the work we deliver.

- For [APIs You Won't Hate](https://apisyouwonthate.com), I'm working on growing our audience and building a community of developers who care about building great APIs. Our next goal is to hit 3000 newsletter subscribers, which should happen in the next couple months.

- For my YouTube channel [@mikebifulco](https://www.youtube.com/@mikebifulco), I'm definitely time-challenged. The truth is that I rarely have time to make videos - so my goal here is to _just keep enjoying it_ when I get the chance. Maybe that's not measurable, but it's a helpful litmus.

## What's your next milestone?

So, what's your next milestone? What's the next goal you can set for yourself that will keep you moving forward?

For this little newsletter, my goal is to connect with more people. Do me a favor and hit reply - I'd love to hear what you're working on, and what challenges you're facing. I'm here to help if I can.

---

## Recent work

Here's some of my work that's gone live the past couple weeks which I hope you find interesting:

### 🎥 Your skills will NEVER catch up with your tastes

I recently published a [video based on Powerful advice gleaned from a quote by Ira Glass](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ym6HQopqe-4) - no matter what you do, your taste will always outpace your skills. I explain my strategy for using that as a benefit.

### 🌱 Seed Your Supabase Database with this simple pattern

This one's for my developer friends. I wrote up a post explaining [my strategy for seeding a Supabase database](https://mikebifulco.com/posts/seed-your-supabase-database) - it comes in handy for spinning up new developers on your projects, setting up test environments for CI, and giving yourself a repeatable starting point for building new features.

### 🎙️ Building an API for Global News

In [this episode of APIs You Won't Hate (the podcast)](https://apisyouwonthate.com/podcast/building-an-api-for-global-news/), I talk to Artem Bugara, CEO and cofounder of Newscatcher API. Artem shares his experience building a api-first product that provides global-scale insights from news sources around the world.

---

## Some links you might like

- As mentioned above, this post was largely inspired by Craig Campbell's article [10% of the Top Million Sites are Dead](https://ccampbell.io/posts/10-percent-of-top-million-sites-are-dead/). I recreated his experiment a few days ago, and found that the number is now closer to 20% now! Wild.

- I recently came across this cheeky and informative post from David Gerells on [how to save $13.27 on your vercel bill](https://dgerrells.com/blog/how-to-save-13-27-on-your-saas-bill). If you're fearful of hosting fees, this one's for you.

---


You're 8 episodes away from being in the top 20%

🎥 Your skills will NEVER catch up with your tastes

🌱 Seed Your Supabase Database with this simple pattern


We've all felt it: you're working on something new. It may be a job interview, or a creative project, or a new role at work. You're excited, but there's a nagging voice in the back of your head.

It whispers in your ear -- quietly at first, then louder and louder until it's all you can hear.

Maybe you're not good enough. Maybe you're a fraud. Maybe you don't deserve this. What's worse -- maybe _everyone_ else already knows.

**Impostor syndrome** is a psychological pattern in which a person doubts their skills, talents, or accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a fraud. It's a monster that lives in your head, whispering lies and sowing doubt.

Impostor syndrome is a common experience, especially among people who do creative work, are in high-pressure roles, or are in a new environment. It can be debilitating, holding you back from taking risks or pursuing new opportunities.

We all feel imposter syndrome at some point. That nagging doubt that we're not good enough, despite evidence to the contrary. It's a universal experience that transcends industries and roles.

Imposter syndrome comes and goes, often rearing its head during times of growth or new challenges. In many ways, it's a sign that you're pushing your boundaries and stepping into new territory. It's both a curse and a signal of your ambition.

## Head down, power through

Friends, I feel it too.

It is a monster I am always beating back. My latest hit of imposter syndrome centers around a YouTube video I filmed and edited but never released. There's just _something_ keeping me from hitting `publish`.

Frustratingly, some of getting over imposter syndrome is just... getting over it. It's about recognizing that feeling this way is normal and pushing through the discomfort. It's a fun consequence of being human, and it's a sign that you're growing and challenging yourself.

## 3 simple steps to beat the monster

1. **Recognize it**: The first step to overcoming imposter syndrome is recognizing it for what it is -- a psychological pattern, not a reflection of reality. When you feel that doubt creeping in, take a step back and remind yourself that it's just your brain playing tricks on you.

2. **Talk about it**: Imposter syndrome thrives in silence. When you keep those feelings bottled up, it will grow and fester. Talk to a friend, a mentor, or a therapist about what you're feeling. You'll be surprised at how common this experience is and how much better you'll feel when you share it with someone else.

3. **Take action**: The best way to beat imposter syndrome is to take action. Do the thing that scares you. Apply for the job, start the project, hit `publish` on that video. The more you push through the discomfort, the easier it becomes.

<small>

(Don't just take my word for it: [Cleveland Clinic](https://health.clevelandclinic.org/a-psychologist-explains-how-to-deal-with-imposter-syndrome), [Psychology Today](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/neuroscience-in-everyday-life/202308/overcoming-imposter-syndrome-6-evidence-based-strategies), and [BetterUp](https://www.betterup.com/blog/what-is-imposter-syndrome-and-how-to-avoid-it) all have great, science-based advice on overcoming imposter syndrome.)

</small>

## Go do it

One of the greatest gifts this newsletter has given me is the opportunity to meet and talk to so many people who are in the early days of their journey. Tiny Improvements readers include creators, developers, and startup founders (and more) who all share a common thread: we're pushing ourselves to grow, to learn, and to create.

Overwhelmingly, I feel like so many of the people I talk to are teetering on the very edge of _doing the thing they want to do_. Consider this your sign to hit the `publish` button: you've waited long enough, and you'll only get better if you _do the thing._

Oh, and by the way - [I hit publish this morning](https://youtu.be/Q7ZMlgbrZxQ).

---

## The push you need to get started

My **favorite blog post of all time** is Chris Coyier's [There is no bar](https://chriscoyier.net/2022/06/27/there-is-no-bar/). It's true -- when you're at the wheel as a creator, there is no bar to clear. You set the bar by doing the work, and the only way to get better is to keep doing it.

You may also enjoy my previous newsletter [There's no right way to do it](https://mikebifulco.com/newsletter/no-right-way-to-do-it) - a reminder that a change in perspective can be the push you need.

I've also writren a treatise on [The trick to publishing online](https://mikebifulco.com/newsletter/today-is-your-day-to-start). You'll be surprised how simple it is.

---

<Image
  publicId="newsletters/impostor-syndrome-is-a-monster/show-us-your-songs"
  alt="Show us your songs"
/>

## Send me your projects

I want to see what you're working on! [Hit me up on Threads @irreverentmike](https://threads.net/@irreverentmike), and send me a link to your latest project, article, video, whatever it is - I'd love to give your work a signal boost by sharing it with my network.

Go on, show me what you've got!


Impostor Syndrome: The monster in your head


Last week, I went to VidCon - the annual summit for video creators, which was in in Anaheim, California. It was my first time as a creator at the event. Though most of my published work is in written format rather than video these days, it was an exceptional experience.

As part of the creator track, I attended a number of panels and workshops. I also had the opportunity to meet with a number of creators and industry professionals.

Here are my top takeaways from the conference:

## Everybody's people, and people are amazing

I was _shocked_ at how many YouTubers / TikTok...ers, and other creators I met who were just... hanging out in the convention center in Anaheim and happy to talk shop. In particular, my wife Natalie and I had a wonderful conversation with Nick Cho, who you may know better as [Your Korean Dad](https://www.youtube.com/@yourkoreandad). Not only was he happy to be approached, but he was also incredibly kind and generous with his time.

He gave some great advice about building a fanbase. He starts every video with "I'm your Korean Dad!", which is an unexpected and memorable way to introduce himself. His videos are also very personal, and he's not afraid to be vulnerable.

He also has a very clear mission: to be a father figure to his audience.

Nick was kind enough to spend 5 or so minutes giving Natalie feedback on her channel [Primary Focus](https://youtube.com/@primaryfocus), and bid us farewell with an unexpected "please keep in touch!" -- an absolute class act.

## Stop plastering your logo on everything

I also went to a talk by [John Green](https://www.youtube.com/@vlogbrothers) and his DFTBA colleagues Brandi Jessup, Sierra Schultzzie, Fraize, and Brandi Jessup, where they talked about the intention and strategy they put into designing and selling physical merchandise for their fanbases. The top nugget here: the best things they sell to their fans are high quality products that don't _scream_ "I'm a fan of this thing". They rarely have a brand name or logo on them, and they're often subtle references to the in-jokes or memes that their fans love.

Stop designing t-shirts with your logo on them, and start designing _things_ that your fans will love because they make them feel like they're part of a community.

---

## Tools and feature launches for creators and community builders

Many of the sessions I attended at VidCon were focused on how to build and foster community, both tactically and technically. Here are a few of my notes that I wanted to share:

### Patreon support for digital goods and free membership tiers

[Patreon launched free membership tiers](https://www.theverge.com/2023/6/21/23763815/patreon-free-tier-shopping-digital-goods-subscription) -- which sounds like something that should have _always_ existed. It's a great way to offer your community members an inside look at your process, and to upsell them to a paid tier when they're ready.

They also added support for selling digital goods - like ebooks or exclusive downloads - which makes it even easier to offer your community members something of value.

### An acronym as a tool for marketing

[The AIDA Model](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIDA_(marketing)>) is a helpful tool for brainstorming and structuring a marketing strategy. The acronym stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action: these are the steps which people tend to go through when deciding to make a purchase.

### The indexifembedded keyword

Here's a quick and hyper-specific SEO tip for my all my fellow web-building dudes: the [indexifembedded](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/robots-meta-tag#indexifembedded) keyword can be used to tell Google to index a page if it's embedded in another page in an iframe. This is particularly useful if you want to mark a YouTube video as unlisted on your channel, but still have it show up in search results when embedded on your website.

---

This all has me thinking quite a bit about the role video plays in my life - I would love to find more time to share stories and learnings from my startup journey in video format. I'm not sure what that looks like yet, but I'm excited to explore it.

If you want to follow along, you can subscribe to my YouTube channel [@mikebifulco](https://www.youtube.com/@mikebifulco).

<br />


Takeaways from VidCon's creator track

Everybody's people, and people are amazing

Tools and feature launches for creators and community builders

Patreon support for digital goods and free membership tiers


I have spent _quite_ a few hours over the last few years publishing tutorials, podcasts, newsletters, and videos in an effort to share my knowledge and expertise with the world. I've done my best to be intentional about establishing who I am online and in the working world, and I've tried to do it all in a way that feels natural to me. Fundamentally, my goal has been to build a personal brand that reflects who I am and what I care about, and attracts the kind of people I want to work with.

In doing so, I've learned a lot about what it means to build a personal brand, and it turns out I've developed some strong opinions on the subject.

By sharing your working expertise with the world, you can differentiate yourself from others in tech and gain recognition for your work. One of the best things about this strategy is that you don't need anyone's permission - this is especially helpful if you don't have a fancy college on your resume, or you are moving into a technical career path for the first time.

Boiled down to its absolute core, this is my advice for you:

**Figure out what feels most natural to you, and do that.**

Whether you're writing articles or a newsletter, building demos or tutorials, producing videos, making memes -- the medium doesn't matter. What matters is that you are consistent and authentic in your approach. If you're not sure what that looks like for you, consider this approach:

1. Keep a list of people whose voices you value, whether they're in your field or not. What draws you to them, and not someone else? What do they do that you identify with?
1. Start writing down things that interest you day to day - when you find yourself going on a deep dive in wikipedia or google, make a note. That can be a great seed for something to write about.
1. Set a publish date for yourself (when I started, it was every Friday morning). Smash some words onto the page (or whatever makes sense for your medium of choice), and hit publish. It doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be out there.

You'll get better with time, and you'll find your voice. You'll also find that you'll start to attract the kind of people you want to work with. That's truly one of the best things about putting yourself out there.

## Resources I use to manage my menagerie

As you might imagine, one consequence of me publishing _stuff_ all over the web is that it gets a little complicated to manage it all. I have done my best to be super intentional about keeping my processes minimal and functional - I don't want to spend a lot of time managing the information I share. I want to spend my time creating it.

Here's some of the things I use to keep an eye on what I'm making:

- [Detailed SEO Extension](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/detailed-seo-extension/pfjdepjjfjjahkjfpkcgfmfhmnakjfba) - this is a Chrome extension that I use to do a quick audit of the SEO metadata for web pages. It's super helpful for checking the SEO of new articles on my site before I publish them.
  cop

- [Sketch](https://www.sketch.com/) - I use Sketch to create all of my the images and illustrations I use on my site. It's a great tool for creating vector graphics and it's super easy to use. If you're not a mac user, or work on a team[Figma](https://figma.com/) is a great alternative.

- [Squoosh](https://squoosh.app) is a utility I use all the time for reducing file size for images. It's a drag-and-drop web interface that can help you shrink big images [by as much as 95%](https://www.tiktok.com/@irreverentmike/video/7173745190220336426)!

## Brand-related thingies from me this week

- 👾 Do you have a README set up on your GitHub account? Do you have a personal website? This week I shared a tutorial on how to [sync your GitHub profile page with your next.js site](https://mikebifulco.com/posts/next-js-github-bio-about-page), so that you can have a single source of truth for your `About me` brand.
- 🎙️ My philosophy on creating a personal brand: I spoke with my Pals CJ Avilla and Colin Loretz on their podcast [Build and Learn](https://buildandlearn.dev/) this week. We talked about how I built my brand, and how I think about building a personal brand. You can [listen to the episode here](https://buildandlearn.dev/11) and subscribe in your podcatcher of choice.


Building your brand in the developer community


Hey friend,

Earlier this week, I had a discussion on Polywork with [Brian Green](https://www.polywork.com/brian_green), who is the founder of a learning platform called Curricular. He posed a question that I think we can all identify with:

> How do you know when your work is ready to publish?

I feel like this issue is at the heart of _everything_ I create, but it's particularly spicy when it comes to video. I can publish articles all day long, and go back to update them on a whim if the need ever arises.

Video is much more final - at least on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, because those platforms don't let you edit your videos after they're published.

After some thought, here's my answer to the question:

**Imperfection is part of the brand.**

Showing some scuffs here and there, and the vulnerability it takes to let those things out into the world helps people connect with you. It also gives you wiggle room to improve over time.

If you're constantly aiming for perfection, you'll never publish anything, and because of that, you'll never get any better.

It's a balance, of course - you don't want to be so imperfect that your work is incoherent or unprofessional. But a few scuffs along the way show that you're a real person, trying your best.

In fact, I think that I grow a much deeper personal attachment with creators who let me see into their process a bit. Things like editing, deciding on a voice, and what to deliver all make the brand feel more real, and more relatable to me.

There's also a subconscious element to it - I feel like I'm getting a peek into the creator's brain.

The secret sauce seems to be leaning into the bumps and bruises, and pointing out from time to time "hey, this isn't perfect, but I see that too".

When things feel _super_ polished all the time, it creates a veneer of false authenticity that just feels like... marketing? I think most people don't want to be sold to; they want to feel like they're a part of something genuine.

So, in short… here's what I think: don't be afraid to put something out there that's not perfect. It'll be more relatable, you'll meet more interesting people, and you'll have more fun with it.

To me, that's something people can get behind.

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>
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## What I'm reading

I've had a few connections ask me which newsletters I read regularly, so I thought I'd some of my favorites:

- 🗞️ If you're publishing a newsletter, you have to check out the [Growth Currency newsletter](https://www.growthcurrency.net/?utm_source=MikeBifulcoNewsletter). It's a weekly newsletter by Dylan Redekop providing highly-actionable tips, tactics, and resources to help you grow, improve, and monetize your own newsletter.
- 🏙️ For all my Urbanist / NUMTOT pals - my friend Barry Greene has been sharing his thoughts on Urbanization and public transit in his newsletter [Density Dad](https://cutloose.substack.com/?utm_source=nl_tinyimprovements). His perspective on responsible growth and planning for cities is refreshing, and I always learn something new.
- 🖍️ If you're a parent of an elementary-aged youngster, you should check out [Primary Focus](https://newsletter.primaryfocus.tv/), a newsletter by Miss Natalie, a 10-year veteran of the classroom who also happens to be my best friend and partner. She's been sharing her thoughts on education, parenting, and the future of learning in her newsletter for a while now, and it's a great read.

## Oh and BTW - I've been publishing videos, too

Despite publishing Tiny Improvements weekly, I've taken the last few weeks to recharge my cells a bit. It's a funny time for me - I'd love to be outside enjoying the weather even though it's cold out, but a recurring injury means I really need to take it easy. It's probably a good thing, honestly.

I've been making ~60s tutorials for creators and developers, and publishing them both on [YouTube](https://youtube.com/@mikebifulco) and [TikTok](https://tiktok.com/@irreverentmike).

If you're active on either platform, I'd love it if you checked them out and subscribed.

That's it for now - thanks so much for reading, and if you're in the US, enjoy the holiday.

Until next time,

Mike


Put a fork in it - how to know when your work is ready to publish

Oh and BTW - I've been publishing videos, too