Beyond Grad Annual Letter 2018 – 2019

On February 20th, Beyond Grad completed one year.

So, as our shareholder (reader), I want to share with you the behind-the-scenes numbers, hits, failures, and challenges. I also want to share my deepest gratitude to BG readers and subscribers. Thank you for your support and encouragement.

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Let’s start with the theme I had for the website last year.

I have zero experience of being an entrepreneur, building a website, or writing articles. So everything was made from scratch. There were many growing pains, which is why the wins, even if they seem small, mean a ton.

It was fascinating to see readers from over 10 countries. I am not sure how they landed on the website.

I published 10 pieces of content (9 articles and 1 big a** ultimate guide). The post that made me the most proud is helping my friend earn an 8.3% raise. I am already working on sharing more case studies this year. I also wrote a guest post for Growth Lab and was featured in an article on The Muse. Although they are more than what I expected, this number will have to go up significantly if the site has to grow.

Email subscribers are the biggest asset for an online business. To throw a number out of thin air I set a goal of 1000 subscribers by the end of a year. I’m way off the mark so there are two key learning here.

Consistency in creating content that is valuable to readers is key. If a reader finds something of value, then they read, share, and subscribe. Word-of-mouth is crucial for the organic growth of an online business.

At one point, all the people who know you will know about your project. The challenge of growth is how to reach people who don’t know you or are outside your network. It is tough. I didn’t want to do sponsored ads as the business is not generating any revenue (I lose money on web hosting, courses, domain, etc). I also tried writing guest posts but didn’t see much success. So I have invested in learning how to get guest posts at major publications.

A final challenge I faced is balancing time between family and this side-project. My family has been my biggest supporter, especially my wife. So I feel guilty when I have a fulltime day job and then I have to take time out in the evenings (or early morning) to work on Beyond Grad. One rule that helps — no work on weekends!

So having opened the curtain on the last year of Beyond Grad here is the theme for 2019 – 2020.

Specific goals for the business are:

1. Publish two in-depth free guides for BG subscribers. Here’s what I’m thinking right now:
   1. 3 Ways To Signal Your Top Performance At Work
   2. How To Take A Lateral Position (The Key To Getting Promoted)
2. Write a bi-weekly valuable article for the BG readers
3. Share 12 interviews with industry experts for the BG readers (Power Lunch Series).
4. Publish at least 6 guest post articles
5. Stretch goal: Launch a course on How To Be A Star Employee or Negotiate A Raise

Wish me luck. Thanks again for supporting and promoting Beyond Grad.

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P.S. If you have feedback about one way the website can be better then I would love it. Please email me at varun [at] beyondgrad [dot] com

P.P.S. If you are interested in the guides or courses I mentioned above then let me know via email and I would love to talk to you about it (no selling).

P.P.P.S. Here are the links to all the articles mentioned in this letter:

• If you want to be a FREE BG subscriber, sign in: You will get a PDF copy of Ultimate Guide, bonus PDF, all posts via email, bonus content, and subscribers only will be able to join future courses.
• The Ultimate Guide To Negotiating A Raise
• Case Study Raise Negotiation: Paying Attention Helped Me Earn 8.3% More
• Ever Argued With Your Partner?
• Power Lunch Interview With Chris Thomas
• Why Do Grandparents Adore Their Grandkids?