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1000 Days of Love #8: WE DID IT!!! π
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Hi [FORMATTED_SUBSCRIBER_NAME GOES HERE], Soundarya here, author of 1000 Days of Love. WE DID IT!!! π 25 days since launching, we crossed our $25,000+ Kickstarter goal and reached 2400+ pre-orders sold across the U.S. and India. If you pre-ordered already, THANK YOU. If you're planning to: the campaign is still open for 5 days. Do it soon :)
Now, let's go! A short storySo, as of yesterday, we crossed our Kickstarter goal of $25,000+, reached βΉ9,00,000+ in India, and sold 2400+ pre-orders worldwide (thanks to people who also purchased bulk orders). None of this would have happened without... community. Without you. So for today's story, I'm going to talk to you about how we mobilized our community to help us, and how you can do the same. Make them feel part of your visionYes, it's a feeling. I've had it. You've had it. When your favorite player wins Man of the Match; when your favorite artist wins the Grammy; when your favorite actor comes out with a new blockbuster. You act as if in some weird, inconceivable way, their victory is yours too :) We did this by organizing something called "Heart"-storming sessions (yes, I'm very creative thank you). My godfather, Rajesh, and I hosted five such sessions with almost 100 people total with our friends and family. In each session, we welcomed everyone, played a 90-second video sharing the vision of the novel, and asked them: Tell us your crazy ideas. By the end, we had a document with over 200 crazy ideas. But mostly, hosting this gave our friends and family a chance to come be part of this, so now they carry a piece of the project. (Fun fact: one member suggested creating a WhatsApp group with everyone, and it's now called Heartstormers ;)) Get used to persistent, consistent, mundane workOver the past 8 weeks, I have messaged over 300 friends personally on WhatsApp (twice), another 3000+ connections personally on my social media, and sent dozens of emails to 40,000+ across the world (including you, my friend). Not just me. Everyone on my little team has had to do unglamorous, repetitive, mind-numbing work. But real growth, as I continue to realize, lies in this unglamorous, repetitive, mind-numbing state. Not in the burst-of-inspiration-I-can-do-anything initial state. It's the difference between the β¨ twinkly stars β¨ you feel on a first date and the hard work it takes to make a marriage work. If you can find joy in this mundane work - or really, the question is are the people you work with giving you joy? - then you can do anything. Become a super-connectorRajesh once told me that he makes 700 connections a year. It baffled me. "What does that even mean? Are you making two connections a day?!" Now, I get it. When you're building a community, you have the privilege of being the hub of that tiny wheel. You're interacting with people, constantly. You're getting to know what people care about, which means, you have information that others don't. Use this to make connections! The easiest value you can add is at the end of your hand; your fingertips. These days, I make 3 new connections a week. (Someday, I'll get to 700!) So yes, that's how we reached the goal :) And, you still have 5 days to come participate in the campaign!
Tomorrow's FINAL Secret SessionTomorrow, I'm hosting the FINAL Secret Session for a while. βFor this last one, I'm bringing back the person who started it all: Rajesh Setty, my godfather, teacher, and inspiration behind my novel. βWe'll return to the question we opened with 30 days ago: how do you find the right mentors, build a real support system, and create the kind of relationships that make life feel a little less lonely?
A question for youQuestion: If you were to create a community (online or offline), what would it be about? Hit reply and tell me. I read and respond to all emails. Last week, I asked you about the time you really pushed yourself. My favorite response came Shins (paraphrased): I quit my 9-to-5 in Data Science after having my kid to get back to Bharatanatyam.
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Friends criticized endlessly: a new mother and new US resident cannot carve out a space of her own. They kept saying, take a job, earn good dollars, build a single-family home, that's what brings peace to a family. But, I practiced while my daughter napped, and she's watched me struggle and build something of my own. In one year, I have 13 Bharatanatyam students and 7 Folk students.
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My family has been my rock: my spouse carrying the financial load, my mom and sister always encouraging me to become what I've always wanted to be - an entrepreneur.
π Winner: Haseen πHaseen won a free copy of 1000 Days of Love (pre-orders opened on August 16. Book comes out early 2027). π Like before, this week's surprise is NOT hidden in the newsletter. Rather, we're gonna pick one person from everyone who responds to the Question in the newsletter. So go ahead and hit reply π Quote of the week: Weβre kept from our goal not by obstacles; but a clear path to lesser goals. ~ Robert Brault |
Soundarya Balasubramani
Get a weekly letter on love, friendship, and ways to deepen human connection. Each letter has a hidden gift. 6,500+ curious souls read it! π
Hi [FORMATTED_SUBSCRIBER_NAME GOES HERE], Soundarya here, author of 1000 Days of Love. :) π We did it. We crossed 2000+ pre-orders for 1000 Days of Love, within three weeks of launch. None of this would've happened without the support of this community. Thank you, thank you, thank you! π NOTE: We're also closing initial pre-orders in exactly 10 days along with the "gift box" worth $300+. Come join and be the part of the final lap we reach our goal of 3000 pre-orders! Pre-order 1000 Days of...
Hi [FORMATTED_SUBSCRIBER_NAME GOES HERE], Soundarya here, author of 1000 Days of Love. :) I almost didn't send the newsletter this week due to exhaustion, but thanks to a nudge from a friend, here we go! Big news: The first 1000 people who pre-order 1000 Days of Love will unlock a "gift box" worth $300+ that I put together the past week. Take a look. It's for free e-books, discounts to tools (Notion, Wispr Flow, Readwise), guides on career growth, and a rare course on "how to network right."...
Hi [FORMATTED_SUBSCRIBER_NAME GOES HERE], Soundarya here, author of 1000 Days of Love. :) It's happening! Pre-orders for 1000 Days of Love are FINALLY live. This book existed in my head for so many years that it truly feels like a miracle to say this to you... you have no idea. We've already crossed 800+ pre-orders in less than four days. Come join and be one of the first 1000 to ever order the book. Everyone who orders now will also get a free digital copy of Unshaken by Rajesh Setty (my...