I’ve always thought that you shouldn’t have big regrets in life. We’re not here for long enough to worry about what we should have done, and hindsight is the most useless tool available.
There’s the small stuff. I wish I’d ended that conversation slightly differently; I knew I should have ordered what Dave is tucking into; why didn’t I replace my Magic Mouse sooner? But when it comes to the massive events in life which appear to change the course of your existence, or which have significantly negative side effects, regret is never going to help. That’s why I can’t name one big thing in my life that I regret, and I’m rather proud of that.
It’s also why I struggled to list five regrets I’ve amassed so far as a full-time creator. But I have, somehow, and I have a feeling they might help you if you want to follow in my footsteps.
I’ve picked five mistakes I’ve made over the last three and a half years which have had varying impacts on the growth of my business and its audience. Given the chance, I’d make all of them again, simply because I learned so much from each one.
Let’s get into it.
1. Choosing GoDaddy for website hosting
This probably sounds like a rather mundane way to start this list, but it’s by far the biggest mistake I’ve made since starting Mark Ellis Reviews because it relates to my most important asset - my website.
In 2020, I built markellisreviews.com myself. Having spent many years fiddling with WordPress to varying degrees and understanding the basic principles of web design, I knew I could do it. The design you see today is, largely, no different to what emerged after a few late nights in 2020. It’s a blog-based website, so it doesn’t need anything particularly fancy and there’s no consumer journey of which to be cognisant. Why shouldn’t I do it myself ?
Doing it this way cost me in my own time, but saved me a heap of money when I was just starting. I’d recommend it - if you can find the time and have a basic understanding of web design. What I don’t recommend is using a consumer-focused web hosting company like GoDaddy. While you need to get going with something, those hosting platforms are always going to reveal their weaknesses once your audience starts to become significant. The problem is exacerbated if you use GoDaddy because they are relentlessly shit.
The number of issues I’ve had with the site since going live, from slow page loads to warnings of takedown due to viruses that weren’t there, and - worse still - countless episodes of downtime, have been a nightmare to deal with and I dread to think how much traffic and ad revenue has been lost as a result.
Thankfully, we’re now up and running with WP Engine which has been immediately fantastic. Lesson learned.
2. Not building a team sooner
In September, I hired Niall, who took on the role of General Manager. His introduction to the business has been game-changing, but I can say the same for Max, Richard, Jen, Heather, Almir, Kallum, Alex, and several others who work closely with me these days.
This is a classic case of hindsight being a wonderful yet ultimately useless tool, but I now see why I should have outsourced tasks sooner. I was the chief cook and bottle washer for far too long. It enabled me to build robust processes and learn a significant number of new skills, but it was exhausting and not the most profitable use of my time.
I’m still investing more time than I ultimately want to in the business, but there is light on the horizon. I’m able to finish a bit earlier to get home and spend time with my son. Weekends where I don’t work no longer feel like missed opportunities. More impressively, stuff happens without me getting involved at all. Great stuff; stuff that grows the business and is capable of doing so at a scale I simply couldn’t alone.
3. Relying so heavily on Medium
In August, I revealed my new strategy for Medium, following a colossal fall in views, engagement, and revenue on that platform. Aside from a hit taken following a Google algorithm update a couple of months ago, the Medium saga was the biggest challenge I’ve faced in this business. It confirmed that you cannot rely on one platform alone.
Thankfully, I never have - I’ve always ensured this business has multiple income streams from multiple audiences. Regardless, Medium was a large part of that pie and had been for a long time. When the numbers began tumbling, it was genuinely frightening, because as much as I had those other channels, I realised that I was far too comfortable earning decent revenue via Medium.
A drop in revenue from any source is always concerning, but when it hits hard, it’s time to take a look in the mirror and ask why it has been so important to you. There should always be a backup or an idea in the can that’s waiting to be unleashed to counter the loss.
For me, that was Substack, and I’m hosting a couple of free live webinars next week to talk more about it:
4. Prioritising revenue growth over audience growth
Ask any YouTuber what one of the hardest parts of the job is, and I think they’ll tell you it’s striking the right balance between growth content and sponsored content.
I’m referring principally to paid dedicated videos for brands. That’s where the big bucks lie for creators and they are, consequently, hugely important. The problem is that they’re usually more of a marketing strategy for the brand in question, and while they typically get the result they’re after (eyes on their product), the creator usually suffers. Views are, inevitably, low on such videos, and one’s credibility always comes into question (regardless of how many times you confirm that the brand has had zero input on your opinion of the product in question).
I still haven’t mastered this, at all, but I know that whenever I publish growth videos (i.e. those that often aren’t sponsored and which focus on a product in which my audience always has significant interest) every meaningful number attached to the business skyrockets.
I need revenue. But I also need an audience that is growing consistently. At the moment, I think we’re doing a fairly decent job of balancing the two, but I’ve leaned far too heavily on sponsored content in the past.
5. Overlooking my health
I’ve had a couple of health scares while running this business, and while I can’t attribute either of them to my work, I’m fairly convinced there’s a link to how much time (both mentally and physically) I put into it.
As you get older, more stuff breaks or stops working entirely. You also realise how important sleep is. And exercise. And switching off from work entirely to spend time with your family.
I know that now, but there have been multiple occasions in the past where I’ve worked too hard, and, with hindsight (oops - there it is again), I’m not convinced it paid off at all. This is the biggest lesson I’ve learned so far and one I do not take lightly.
That was rather cathartic - I hope you’re able to take away some key learnings from my own mistakes. We’re all in this together, after all.