Year in Review 2024: What Worked (& What Flopped) in My Business this Year

The accelerator "flop" & the $20,000+ win

Hey Substacker,

I've been staring at my screen for the past hour, looking through my 2024 analytics. It's been quite a journey, with some massive wins and a few embarrassing failures that I want to share with you.

Why am I sharing this with you? For authenticity and full transparency. I know sometimes it seems like these Substackers have it all together, all the time. And that’s the farthest thing from the truth…

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Let me take you back to May 2024.

I remember scrolling through my LinkedIn, proud of my growing following but frustrated that it wasn't translating into anything meaningful. Sure, I was getting likes and comments, but something was missing.

I was also super burnt out. I’ve been running my 1on1 service business for a decade, and with any 1on1 business, you get burnt out. If you take a sick day or a week’s vacation, you don’t get paid. It’s just the nature of the game.

And my first attempt at Substack in 2023? Let's just say it gathered more digital dust than subscribers.

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But here's where things get interesting...

2024 brought some breakthrough moments I never expected:

1. My LinkedIn following grew to over 120,000 followers (still amazes me to type that number)

2. After completely rethinking my approach, I relaunched my Substack and grew it from barely 100 subscribers to over 3,300 in less than 6 months

3. I crossed $20,000 in digital product sales (from literally $0 the year before) since this summer

But it wasn't all wins and champagne...

I also launched a "remote dream job accelerator" program a few months ago that totally flopped. Crickets would have been an improvement. And don't get me started on the countless LinkedIn posts and Notes that flopped so hard, I wanted to crawl under my desk and never write again.

Here's the thing though - those failures taught me something crucial about growing on these platforms. I discovered that success isn't about posting more content or being everywhere at once. It's about understanding how to create a flywheel effect between platforms.

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Once I cracked that code, everything changed.

LinkedIn posts that once died in obscurity started driving consistent Substack growth. Substack posts began fueling LinkedIn engagement. And most importantly, I figured out how to turn that momentum into actual revenue through digital products.

The best part? This system works even if you're starting from zero. I know because I essentially started from zero twice (remember that failed first Substack attempt?).

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The Solution to 10X Substack Growth

Tomorrow, I'm going to break down exactly how one specific LinkedIn post pattern I discovered led to over 500 new Substack subscribers in a single month. It's probably not what you're expecting - I know it surprised me when I first stumbled upon it.

Stay tuned because this coming week, I’m opening up my new LinkedIn-Substack Flywheel Masterclass where I break down my growth strategy, step-by-step. If you’d like to get first access to the masterclass, just hit “reply” to this email (or comment below), and I’ll get you on the list.

-Wes

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Six-Figure LinkedIn Growth Masterclass (& Playbook)

If you can’t wait until next week and you need some help TODAY, I’ve reopened doors to my Six-Figure LinkedIn Growth Masterclass.

This is the class where I share all my “secret hacks” for how I’ve growth to 120K+ followers on LinkedIn.

I also share how I’ve been running a six-figure business through LinkedIn for nearly a decade. This business lets me work remotely from anywhere in the world and make more income than my former corporate job.

The masterclass is reopened for the next 48 hours. If you’d like to join 200+ students inside the class, click the button below, and I’ll see you on the other side:

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PS - What’s your proudest 2024 moment? What have you accomplished?

I’d love to hear more about what you’ve been up to this year. Hit “reply” to this email or comment below. I read every email & comment and try to reply to as many as I can.