Hi friends!
It’s my goal to write to you every week and share some behind the scenes of the stories we are publishing. Since we are taking the next couple of weeks to get ready for the new year, I thought I’d share some behind the scenes of Fenix itself.
One of our own reporters runs a newsletter for freelance journalists, and I had the pleasure of chatting with her about what relaunching during a pandemic was like and if I think our new business model could be a game-changer.
Take a look below for an excerpt of the Q+A with Britany Robinson and One More Question:
What was it like to relaunch a business in the middle of a pandemic?
So, I think in some ways the pandemic was helpful to my work habits. Before we were on lockdown, I was working by myself all the time. I think a lot of freelancers will relate to this. I went to coffee shops and co-working spaces and sat at my kitchen table writing emails and making plans. But without the solid work-day structure that comes with a 9-to-5, it was really hard to stick to a schedule.
The lockdown changed that. Now, my husband was also working from home, and because he had an organization that was setting his schedule, I was able to sort of tag along. It made me incredibly productive.
Of course, I still went through moments of unbearable stress. Being in New York for the beginning of the pandemic was one of the scarier moments of my life just because we knew so little about the virus and how it worked. Like so many, I also think my work stress was amplified because I didn't have a place to disengage or the ability to gather with friends. I can't wait for those things to be back.
I think the biggest lesson I've learned from re-launching a company in a pandemic has been about perspective. Fenix is so important to me that it can feel like life-or-death, but it's not. 2020 has shown what it looks like to have a job that really is THAT important. Fenix is not it. I'm thankful for that because it means I can take some of the pressure off and focus my energy on creating something worth people's time and attention. I would 10/10 recommend grounding yourself like that and remembering what really matters and what doesn't. It's liberating.
Do you think this business model, going by credits instead of subscriptions or relying on advertisers, is part of a greater shift in the journalism industry? Do you think it could be a game-changer?
I hope so! Lol I've put all my eggs in this basket, so to speak. The truth is I'm not sure how it will play out. Everyone is looking for the silver bullet in this game. Everyone wants to solve the media problem. But the landscape is much more fractured than that because our attentions are much more fragmented. I don't think media will get solved with one solution in the same way that I don't think we'll ever have mega pop stars like Britney Spears again. There will be more diversity in the solutions (and in the pop stars), and that's a good thing! I hope Fenix will be one of many, many solutions to the media problem.
Thank you all for subscribing to this newsletter and following the Fenix journey. After two weeks of moving full-steam ahead with Fenix, I’d love to hear from you and what you think about the future of journalism. My inbox is always open, and as always, if you know someone who believes in journalism the way we do, please share this newsletter and Fenix with them!
Until next week,
Mariana