End of the year review
Sharing my thoughts on doing the newsletter full-time after a year, looking at some of my favorite moments, the future of the blog, and more.
I’ve been really looking forward to writing this letter. Last years review received great feedback and it helped me understand where to take the blog in the new year. I also found it was a great way for me to let you in on what’s happening behind the scenes of SNL, so let’s do it again this year.
At the end of next week I’ll be taking a much needed break before getting back to the content in 2026. Before that, we do have two very special letters left before the end of the year:
Top 100 Items of The Year — last years was an absolute movie so make sure you check that out before the 2025 edition drops next week.
The Boxing Day Sales Report — pretty self explanatory. So make sure you subscribe to not miss out on the best deals of the year.
This year marked my first year working on the blog full-time and to say I learned a lot is an understatement. I got let go from my marketing position at a video game company in September of last year, which gave me the opportunity to do SNL full-time. It was definitely not an easy decision because this shift would mean that almost all of the money I made would come from this newsletter—something that was already a weird thing to think about, because I never imagined what started out as a passion project turn into something that I can actually do for a living.
I’ve never been in a situation where I could get paid for my own work, so it was definitely a risk that I wanted to try. I was super fortunate with the support of the existing readers that I already had established, and that really helped me make my final decision.
One of the best parts of running this blog is having no outside funding or pressure to do deals I don’t want to. I’m truly free to write about anything I want. There is pride in saying no to work that I know doesn’t fit the blog, and because of that I can focus on making content that’s honest and good.
With that being said, when the pendulum swings to the other side and all of a sudden the growth you’ve had for months gets slashed in half, and the money coming in to support yourself and the blog starts declining, you have no choice but to start getting worried.
That’s what happened to me for about 4 to 5 months this summer. Instagram’s algorithm stopped favoriting my content and that caused a sharp fall off in traffic, more and more unsubscribes cited that money is tight and they needed to cut on extra spending—this totally makes sense because what is going on with prices of literally anything right now?
A drop off that lasts this long can start getting to your head, and it did. At one point I wasn’t sure if doing the blog full-time was in my foreseeable future. I had to pause working with a paid intern I hired to help me create more content, which honestly helped me a lot at the time. I’m hoping that I can rehire them soon because having an extra mind to help you build on ideas is extremely valuable.
I will say that the most valuable lesson that I learned throughout this so far is the importance of continuing to do exactly what you were doing before. Do not change your vision. Everyone is going to experience a drop off in their journey, especially when building their own thing. When that time comes that’s when you’re tested on whether or not you truly believe in the thing that you’re making, and how far are you willing to go to continue to create something that’s true to you.
Luckily I started noticing a bounce back in traffic and my subscribers, which has definitely made things a little easier. Traffic on instagram ended up hitting all time highs thanks to an interview post with Mac DeMarco. I was back on the algorithm again, which meant more people read the newsletter.
The item series is probably one of my favorite segments on this letter. I’ve only done a few of them but I really want to expand it in the new year. What makes them truly special is I take all of the photos myself, and that means I’m fortunate enough to travel to wherever I need to go to meet the people I want to feature on the blog. To be able to hear the stories behind the items they pick is special. This allows me to create much more meaningful content that actually lasts—I’m not interested in making the same content everyone else makes.
I’d love to hear who you’d love to see me interview next year, so drop your ideas in the comments below.
Something else I realized recently is while I enjoy making the content I make now, the stuff that really moves and keeps me excited for the future of the blog is connecting with people in order to create content that’s organic and is actually thought out.
Majority of the money that I make from this blog goes right back into making better content. If the newsletter is not making money then I can’t make better content, which sucks. I could tap into some outside resources that would help me make that content happen, but I don’t want to risk giving up creative control because someone else is funding the idea.
I’ve been stuck with the thought about raising my subscription from $5 to $6/month—after paying fees to both Substack and Stripe I don’t even get the full $5. The change isn’t really much, but that extra dollar goes a long way and allows me to keep this blog independent. Right now, I’m doing everything myself. From researching, buying products, writing, the graphics, etc. I feel like I’m starting to stretch myself thin and that doesn’t help when new ideas present themselves that I have to turn down because I don’t have the time or the money to make it happen. While I want to continue my focus on writing, my goal is to expand SNL by offloading some of these tasks by hiring people who are better than me in these fields.
Not paying them isn’t an option. I’ve heard way too many writers, photographers, graphic designers, stylists, and other creatives tell me their stories about how underpaid they are. My dream is to create a team that’s recognized for their talent and is compensated for it properly.
I’ll be honest, I still haven’t decided if I want to raise the price of my subscription. I’ve never raised it since I started this newsletter in 2022, but I have been looking around at what other writers are charging and I’m seeing prices around the $10/month mark—which is my own way of justifying the very minor raise in price. I don’t know. I might raise it or maybe I won’t. If I do, I’m not going to raise it again for years, and that’s a promise.
With all of this said, I do want to thank everyone who reads, paid or not paid. The support has been amazing. I love getting messages and questions from you, and it’s awesome to see our community continue to grow. So please, don’t stop, keep hitting me up, I love connecting and being able to talk about clothing with you.
Also a big big thank you to the brands, the people behind them, and friends of the blog who continue to show love to SNL. I couldn’t continue to do this without your support.
I’m excited for the future and I hope to continue to evolve in order to create better content in 2026.
MY FAVORITE LETTERS
This year we clocked in about 100 letters that were filled with thousands of recommendations, interviews, brand stories, shopping guides across the world, and more. Substacks search bar is kinda funky and that means a lot of great content just gets lost, and because of this, I wanted to re-highlight some of my favorite letters I’ve written this year:
How to develop your sense of style
Figuring out your style within fashion is a journey that may feel daunting at times, but in reality, it's the most exciting part of the process. In this letter we explore the idea of why you shouldn’t care about clothing too much, and how obsessing over your own interests leads to developing a better sense of style.
We can all learn something from the past
All the good clothes were already made years ago. In this letter we dive back into the past by going through the archives to explore vintage varsity gear from the mid 90s and how we can repurpose these styles right now.
I may never shop in North America again
I went to Japan for the first time ever this year. All thanks to you. The trip was absolutely amazing but it did shift my entire perception of the in-person shopping experience. In this letter I share 5 stores that changed the way I think about shopping.
Your work bag doesn’t have to be ugly
We all use a bag, but owning one that’s stylish and is functional is a whole other problem. In this letter I let you in on styles you can wear to work, hiking, and everything in between.
Where to shop in Japan
During my trip I went to a lot of stores and areas to create a mega-article dedicated to the best shopping you can do in Japan. The list also includes a vintage shopping guide as well as a list of bars, restaurants, and general things to hit next time you’re there.
How to dress when you’re doing know what you’re doing
A guide you can use if you’re looking to restart your wardrobe from scratch. We’ll take a look at the importance of building out a basic capsule wardrobe that can serve as a foundation as you continue to expand your style.
5 films with great style
Movies are a great way to find outfit or general style inspirations. Here are a few of my favorites that have incredible swag throughout, but are also just amazing movies everyone should see at least once.
How to deal with fashion trends
Dressing accordingly while avoiding NPC status. In this letter we explore the idea of online trends and how they are detrimental towards our own style journey. Since we can’t escape trends online, we must learn how to navigate them, and in this letter we explore the idea of how to find the perfect balance of online trend consumption.
Recent purchases I can’t stop wearing
I wrote a decent amount of letters this year dedicated to my personal pickups. This one is my favorite and has a lot of stuff I can’t stop wearing right now.
If it helps $6/month for this sub is a steal
Totally fine with an increase. Never once second-guessed the bill. This sub is exactly the kind of quality worth paying for.