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Let’s get this out of the way - I didn’t go viral.
I wasn’t featured on some creator thread.
And no, I didn’t “build an audience” by posting for free on LinkedIn or X.

I just built something locals actually wanted - Vaughan Brief, a local newsletter.

What started as a small side project - a newsletter for families, couples, and seniors in Vaughan, Richmond Hill, and Markham - grew to 11,000 subscribers in six months, with 52% opens and 10% clicks.
I even cut 2,500 inactive readers, keeping only those who actually read and click.

Budget: $25 a day.
No team. No magic funnel. Just experimenting, testing, and stubborn patience.

Resources You Need to Know About:

Met Sandra Macele on LinkedIn.
Most people design to look good — she designs to make you think.
Her Authority Sprint is where smart professionals stop blending in and start owning their voice.

🔑 Phase 1: Finding the Right “Small Pond”

You can’t beat the math.

A 1–2% success rate from 10,000 people is real traction - while 1–2% from 1 million is a pipe dream.

That’s why I picked a smaller pond.

I researched local newsletters that were screaming for better quality - and decided to give it a shot.
Started Meta ads at $25 CAD/day, tossed up a few creatives, and waited.
Within a week, 221 subscribers.
No content yet. Just a promise to make life easier for locals.

The biggest trap? Starting broad — “news,” “events,” “local life.” Nobody cares.

I’m a family guy, so I know what moms and dads actually look for.
The real insight: people want convenience, not content.

So Vaughan Brief became a shortcut to living locally — not another info dump.

The structure:

• For Families (parents with kids under 15)

• For Couples (weekend plans)

• Golden Age Readers (60+, low-cost events)

• Local Aroma (restaurants & food)

• The “Trust Me” Recipe (short, viral recipes)

That segmentation wasn’t fancy - it was survival.
It helped readers find their section fast. Parents saw kids’ events. Seniors saw free stuff. Everyone found something worth clicking.

Lesson:
👉 Don’t chase demographics. Build for behaviors.
Make your reader’s life easier, and you’ll earn clicks — and loyalty.

Phase 2: Growth on $30/Day

Everyone loves bragging about “zero-cost” organic growth. Cute.
I prefer numbers that compound.

And honestly? I didn’t have time to chase every Facebook Group thread for hours (I tried).

I started with Meta Ads - not because I love Facebook, but because moms still use it (and moms run households).

Targeting: Vaughan + nearby cities, women 35–50, interested in events, food, and local life.

My best ad?
A single Canva post that said:

“Too cold? Too hot? Too lazy? Vaughan Brief still finds fun for you 😉”

That line cost $25-50 and brought in 45-64 subscribers in one day.

Every ad had one job: get the right people, not everyone.
I tracked cost-per-lead daily, killed weak ones fast, and recycled winners every two weeks.

And yes - ad fatigue is real. Keep an eye on it.

Lesson:
👉 $25–50 CAD/day is enough if you test like an operator, not a dreamer.

Phase 3: Monetization From Day One

Here’s where most creators mess up - and me too.

I started with SparkLoop. It’s simple, built right into the signup flow, and helped cover my daily Meta spend.

Then came the real question: “Okay, growing fast - but how do I make money?”

Here’s what I’m working on (and what might work for you):

1. Increase frequency.
   I publish weekly with 5 ad slots - manageable. If demand overloads, I’ll test twice a week.

2. Add paid local guides.
   Small “tripwire” products ($5–9):

   • Best Birthday Party Places in Vaughan

   • Best Pools in Town

   • Axe Throwing, Paintball & Karting Spots

   • Preschool Guide or Neighborhood Real Estate Report

   • Caribbean Food Spots

3. Affiliate promos.
   I tested financial partners paying $40–60 CPL.
   It’s not a jackpot, but steady and low-effort.

4. Seasonal specials.
   Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Christmas Markets — people buy during rhythms, not randomly.

5. Local contractor guide.
   A printable directory of local pros — sold as a tripwire or bundled ad.

It’s work. It’s back-and-forth. But it’s moving.

Once you stop seeing yourself as a “traffic generator” and start acting like a business partner — helping clients with ad copy, timing, and message — things change.

Lesson:
👉 Monetization is hard. But once you have attention that converts, you have leverage.

Phase 4: System Over Chaos

After 3 months, I hit the wall.
Too many manual tasks.

So I automated:

• Event sourcing: Scrapers for FB, Eventbrite, AllEvents, VisitVaughan.

• Click tracking: Beehiiv analytics + ChatGPT summaries.

• Sponsor management: Airtable pipelines.

• Publishing: Beehiiv automations.

What took 6 hours now takes 2.
That freed time for partnerships — not spreadsheets.

Lesson:
👉 Automate what repeats. Human-ize what sells.

🧱 Phase 5: Turn It Into a Business

What’s next?
Keep hustling — but build smarter.

Once I crack monetization consistency, I’ll expand.
I live in the GTA - surrounded by 300K+ cities (and Toronto).
That’s next. Different scale, same system.

Lesson:
👉 Build systems before scaling. Otherwise, you’ll drown in your own “success.”

💡 Want a second opinion on your monetization?

If you checked anything but “no blockers” - we should talk.

🔑 1:1 Strategy Session

Book a 60-minute call where we will:

• Audit your current monetization plays

• Spot where revenue is leaking (or can be added fast)

• Build a plan you can implement tomorrow

If it’s not helpful, you get your money back.

Simple. Honest. No pressure.

🛠️ DIY Path: Launch & Systemize in 10 Days

My course — Newsletter in 10 Days: Start. Launch. Engage. — is built to help you set up systems fast.

In 10 days (for $87.53) you’ll:

• Never scramble on deadline night again

• Publish consistently with ready-to-use templates for content & sponsors

• Launch with strong deliverability baked in

If it’s not useful, I’ll refund you. No questions asked.