Everyone told me to use Substack. "It's so easy," they said. "Just focus on writing," they said.

But here's the thing – I didn't want easy. I wanted control.

The Real Reasons I Built My Own Platform

1. Data Ownership

When you use Substack, they own your subscriber data. You can't export it easily, and you're at their mercy for pricing changes, feature updates, or even platform shutdowns.

2. Revenue Control

Substack takes a cut of your paid subscriptions. That's fine when you're starting, but when you're building a $1M business, every percentage point matters.

3. Brand Control

Your newsletter looks like every other Substack newsletter. There's no way to differentiate your brand or create a unique experience for your readers.

4. Technical Flexibility

I wanted to add features like the leaderboard, custom analytics, and integrations that Substack doesn't offer. Building my own platform gives me unlimited flexibility.

Was it more work? Absolutely. But building a $1M business isn't about taking the easy path – it's about building something that can scale and adapt to your needs.