Why I acquired Brandzine (and what's coming next)

Hey Creator,

I'm Dane, and I just acquired the Brandzine newsletter.

Let me tell you why...

Over the past year, I've been watching the creator economy explode. Everyone's talking about "building your personal brand" and "monetizing your audience."

But here's what I keep seeing:

Creators with 50K, 100K, even 500K followers... but when you look closer, something's off.

They're posting every day with amazing content and engaged followers, but when it comes to actually selling something, they seem lost. The monetization feels like an afterthought rather than part of a clear business strategy.

The heartbreaking part? They're working harder than most business owners but making less than minimum wage for their time.

Sound familiar?

As someone who's built and sold two businesses, I recognized the problem immediately:

They're thinking like content creators, not business owners.

They have audiences but no systems. Great content but no conversion processes. Viral moments but no sustainable revenue.

That's when I found Brandzine.

Here was a newsletter actually teaching the psychology and strategy behind building real creator businesses. Not just "post more content" or "find your niche" - but rather, content strategy with actual business fundamentals.

The problem? Even with great insights, most creators still aren't building systematic, scalable businesses.

They're getting smarter about marketing but staying stuck in the "hustle and hope" cycle.

I knew I could help fix that.

See, here's what I learned building and selling two businesses over the past ten years:

• Audience doesn't equal income

• Marketing tactics don't equal business strategy

• Viral content doesn't equal sustainable growth

• Having followers doesn't equal having a business

Most creators are amazing at the first part of each equation, but struggle with the second.

That's exactly what I want to help fix.

When I was building my physiotherapy practices over the past decade, I made the same mistakes I see creators making now. I thought more social media followers automatically meant more income. I confused being busy with being successful. I worked harder instead of building systems that worked for me.

The breakthrough came when I shifted my thinking from just providing value to thinking like a business owner.

Same skills. Same expertise. Different approach. Completely different results.

I see creators making the exact same mistakes I made.

They're thinking like content creators when they need to think like business owners.

Over the coming weeks, I'll be sharing:

• The business fundamentals most creators never learn

• How to build systems that generate consistent revenue (not just viral moments)

• The difference between being a content creator and being a business owner

• Real strategies I used to make my businesses valuable enough that other companies wanted to buy them

I'm not here just to teach you the latest Instagram hack or how to go viral.

I'm here to help you build something sustainable. Something valuable. Something you could actually scale or even sell one day if you wanted to.

Because that's what real businesses do.

What to expect from the Brandzine newsletter going forward:

• Same high-quality insights you've come to expect

• More focus on business fundamentals and systems for creators

• Practical frameworks you can implement immediately

• Less theory, more actionable strategy

I know change can feel uncertain. But I'm committed to making Brandzine even more valuable for you.

This isn't just about creating content anymore. It's about building businesses.

Looking forward to this journey together.

Dane

P.S. I read every reply to these emails. If you have questions about my background, the direction of Brandzine, or what you'd like to see covered, just hit reply. I'd love to hear from you.