BowTied Opossum
About the Company
BowTiedOpossum is centered around a paid newsletter on Substack, offering expert insights and guides on eCommerce and digital business. The newsletter provides actionable tips, not just surface-level advice, helping subscribers build and understand online businesses effectively. Opossum also engages with readers directly, offering advice tailored to their specific challenges, making the business customer-centric.
The newsletter's success is notable for being entirely bootstrapped, with no advertising spend or social media presence prior to launching. Opossum leveraged his experience working with both large and small companies in digital spaces to ensure that his advice would resonate with his target audience.
Idea Behind Company
Opossum’s journey began when he was 24, helping his father create an online business. Despite the initial success, personal circumstances led him to pause that venture. Over time, Opossum shifted from engineering to eCommerce, eventually discovering the BowTied community on Twitter. Inspired by their philosophy and frustrated by misleading digital marketing advice found online, he saw an opportunity to offer real, valuable insights to others.
Opossum also appreciated the anonymity of the BowTied community. By staying anonymous, he could experiment with growing his Twitter account and building his business without risking his career in Corporate America. This became the foundation for his eventual foray into creating a paid newsletter.
Creating the Company
The formation of BowTiedOpossum was organic. Opossum started by engaging with the BowTied community on Twitter, tweeting actionable eCommerce advice. A breakthrough came when BowTiedBull retweeted one of his threads, catapulting his follower count and making him realize there was a demand for practical digital business guidance.
With a consistent flow of visitors to his blog, Opossum transitioned to Substack, deciding to monetize his content. He pivoted from offering free content to launching a paid newsletter focused on helping others navigate digital business challenges, especially those outside mainstream advice.
Launching the Business
Launching the Substack newsletter was straightforward, as Substack provided a simple user interface and built-in traffic potential. Opossum was intentional about ensuring his content was always insightful and actionable, rather than superficial or repetitive.
Retaining subscribers required constant engagement and understanding customer needs. Opossum emphasized the importance of communication with readers, as their feedback inspired much of his content. His growth strategy was heavily reliant on Twitter, where text-based interactions helped attract the right audience.
Earnings
The newsletter's earnings quickly grew to $3,000 per month. New subscribers joined sporadically, but Opossum was able to identify growth trends and leverage specific strategies to maintain momentum. Looking ahead, he planned to invest in search engine optimization (SEO) to generate organic traffic, helping him scale further.
He also considered expanding into buying small websites, using them as case studies for his readers. His strategy involves reinvesting profits into business growth, ensuring long-term success rather than settling for short-term gains.
