Chris Best - Co-Founder of Substack Speaks on The Power of Subscriptions

The Casey Adams Show

Listener.com Podcast Network

Business, Entrepreneurship

4.8 • 637 Ratings

🗓️ 3 April 2023

⏱️ 38 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Chris Best is co-founder and CEO of Substack, a subscription publishing platform for independent writers. Founded in 2017, Substack creates a better future for writing by letting writers own their work and their relationship with their audience. Before Substack, Chris was the co-founder and CTO of the mobile messenger app, Kik. From 2009 – 2017, Chris helped scale Kik and build a product used by over 300 million users. Sign up for Substack: https://substack.com Follow Chris Best Substack: https://substack.com/profile/2-chris-best Twitter: https://twitter.com/cjgbest?lang=en - Subscribe to The Casey Adams Show on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-casey-adams-show/id1328795944 Follow Casey on social media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/casey Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/CaseyAdams TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@caseyadams YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CaseyAdams - Follow The Casey Adams Show on social media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caseyadamsshow Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/CaseyAdamsShow TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@caseyadamsshow YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CaseyAdamsShow - [00:00:86] - The beginning of Substack. [00:03:87] - Second-time founder [00:06:13] - Teamwork is essential for startup success [00:09:44] - Build A Valuable Audience [00:12:05] - Build relationships, earn revenue [00:15:95] - Validate idea with customers [00:19:45] - Active listening to understand needs [00:22:84] - "Talk to users, build, grow." [00:25:87] - Curiousity drives success and failure [00:28:95] - Build with hindsight [00:32:67] - Building ambitious ideas [00:36:69] - The future of Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome back to the Casey Adams show. Today I am joined by Chris Best, the co-founder and CEO of
0:07.3	Substack. Thank you so much to come on the show, Chris. Thanks for having me. Absolutely. So I've been
0:13.7	familiar with Substack and I've just loved, and not only love what you built, but you've created
0:19.7	such an incredible company since you
0:22.0	founded it in 2017. And for those that might not know what Substack is, I'd love for you to give
0:27.3	a quick high level overview of what it is that you and your team have built. Totally. So
0:32.2	Substack is a platform where you as a writer or as a podcast or as other creator can publish to the world
0:42.3	and make money from subscriptions.
0:45.2	Love that.
0:46.3	Absolutely.
0:46.8	And as I mentioned, you guys launched a company in 2017.
0:49.9	That's right?
0:51.5	Yes.
0:52.5	And previously to Substack, you were the co-founder and CTO of KIC.
0:58.2	That's right.
0:59.0	So where, like, where did your drive for entrepreneurship stem from when it comes to the early
1:05.7	days of KIC?
1:06.3	Like, what were your early days of growing up when it comes to business, entrepreneurship,
1:12.3	and where did that spark come from?
1:13.4	Because you've built some incredible companies.
1:17.1	I think I was always a bit of a misfit.
1:20.2	I didn't know what I wanted to do.
	...

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