Hey everyone. Good to be here. I'm Derek, a writer and creator based in Manchester. I run the Irresistible Writer which delivers practical writing tools to paid subscribers every week. I came to this the way most people do. Writing on the side, posting into silence, not entirely sure I hadn't missed my window. I kept going anyway. Now I run paid cohorts and live masterclasses, and earns enough that I handed in my notice. That part still catches me off guard when I think about it. The thing I'm probably most proud of sits outside the subscriber count. I landed paid commissions from national magazines and got radio work, without a platform, without contacts, just by understanding how to pitch. I've since built a programme teaching exactly that. Writing, for me, has always been the engine. Every piece you publish is a small asset. It finds people, builds trust, opens doors you didn't know existed. That's what I'm here to talk about. Looking forward to learning from everyone here.

Which best describes your current stage: just launched, under 500 subs, 500–2,000, or 2,000+?

This is a community for creators who want to turn Substack into a real portfolio of paychecks – not a n occasional side project. I’m Carrie, Substack Strategist & portfolio business architect. I publish the 9‑to‑Thrive newsletter and the weekly Creator Economy Recon Report, where I break down what is going on in the larger creator economy and how it impacts you and your business. Why “Secret”? Because this is where I share the insights, systems, and behind‑the‑scenes lessons most creators never talk about publicly, and it's based on my lived experience running multiple businesses plus 18 years running marketing for a Fortune 500 company and a private franchise. The goal is to put you miles ahead on growth and monetization – so you’re not guessing, copying random playbooks, watching outdated YouTube videos and learning everything the hard way. Inside this community, we focus on three things: - Growing your Substack with smart, sustainable audience‑building - Monetizing with paid tiers, digital products, offers, and sponsorships - Using AI workflows to keep it all solo (no team required) What you get for free here - A creator community where you can ask questions, get feedback, and share wins - A classroom full our courses to help you make fast progress - Your free welcome gift - The Substack Launch Kit — 25+ growth strategies, a monetization checklist, and a 15-minute launch guide. Grab it in the Classroom. What lives in my paid programs? I offer the full “how‑to” systems – step‑by‑step implementation, templates, and the $20K Offer Stack Academy and my premium program. This community is where you get clarity, direction, and momentum – and where you’ll have access to what to do next if you want deeper support. Start here with 3 quick steps 1. Introduce yourself in the Introductions category with your Substack URL, niche, and your #1 monetization goal for the next 90 days. 2. Ask one question in the Monetization Questions category – something that’s blocking your progress right now. 3. Download your free Substack Launch Kit from the classroom

I've been experimenting with it lately. No guest, no discussion, just teaching direct to screen. Had someone upgrade to paid last week and they said it was because they felt like they could trust me. Watching me think out loud on camera did something a written post couldn't. With so much AI content around, I wonder if this is underrated. People want to know there's a real person behind the writing. Here's one I did recently if you want to see what I mean: https://derekhughes.substack.com/p/800-in-seven-days-heres-the-video Curious whether others are trying this.