Welcome to the Creator Economy NYC newsletter, your weekly dose of insights and strategies to help you build, monetize, and scale as a creator.

This week: Is your creator business working with your life, or constantly pulling you away from it? There's a difference between working hard on things that compound and just staying busy.

Let's talk about how to tell which one you're doing.

But first: we're hosting a virtual event with Stan on Tuesday, February 18th diving into Reels strategy with creator Oren John. RSVP details below.

Let's get into it.

— Brett

$100K to post for 30 days straight

We talk a lot about consistency being the way to grow. This month, I'm practicing what I preach.

I'm committing to posting on Instagram every single day for 30 days straight as part of Stan's Dare to Post Challenge - and I'm inviting you to do it with me.

Here's the deal: Post once per day on Instagram for 30 consecutive days (February 17 - March 18). Complete all 30 days, and you earn a share of the $100,000 prize.

Seriously.

This is about showing up. Building the habit. Proving to yourself that consistency actually works.

Stan's providing daily prompts, community support, and accountability throughout the challenge. You're not doing this alone.

See you out there 👊

Building for integration, not interruption

I was on a call with NYC creator, Terry Rice, last Friday when he said something that forced me to paused…

He'd recently pulled back on his coaching business, restructured the whole thing, because he realized it was interrupting his life instead of integrating with it.

We've all been there. The business we built to give us freedom becomes the thing demanding we drop everything. The creator career that was supposed to work with our lives ends up working against it.

I hung up that call and immediately started thinking about my own setup. Where am I building for integration? Where am I accidentally building for constant interruption?

The reality check on your situation

Here's what I know about most of you reading this: you're creating content alongside a full-time job. Filming between meetings. Writing newsletters at 6 AM. Editing after everyone's gone to bed.

Or maybe you went full-time, thinking you'd finally have freedom from a 9 to 5, only to realize you just traded one demanding schedule for another.

The question isn't whether you're busy. The question is: is your creator business integrating with your life, or constantly interrupting it?

What integration actually looks like

Let me be clear: this isn't about working less or having an easy schedule. Some of the most integrated creators I know work their asses off. The difference is what they're working on and why.

Interruption is work that pulls you away from what you're building. Revenue that requires constant firefighting. Opportunities that derail your actual goals.

Integration is work that compounds. A demanding schedule that's demanding in service of something you care about. Being exhausted because you pushed hard on things that matter, not because you spent three days on revisions for a brand you don't even like.

Here's how to tell the difference:

Your calendar: Full because you're building something, or full because you haven't set boundaries? You can work 60-hour weeks with focus and momentum, or 20 hours feeling constantly interrupted because nothing connects.

Your income: Custom work for brands that align with your goals, or taking everything because you haven't built predictable revenue? There's a difference between "this requires effort but moves me forward" and "I hate this but need the money."

Your energy: Hard work makes you tired. That's normal. But there's a difference between exhaustion and depletion… between tired because you pushed toward something meaningful and drained because nothing aligns.

Your opportunities: Do they build on what you've created, or start from scratch every time? Integration means effort compounds. Interruption means every opportunity is a one-off.

A filter for what comes next

This conversation with Terry made me realize I need better questions before saying yes to things. Not rules exactly, but more like a way to catch myself before adding chaos to my calendar.

Here's what I'm thinking about now:

Does this create or eliminate chaos? A brand deal with 47 revisions and weekly check-ins creates chaos. One with clear deliverables and a single point of contact integrates smoothly. Not all opportunities are equal, even if the money looks the same.

Can this scale without me doing more? If the only way to double income is double hours with nothing lasting to show for it, you're building a trap.

Does this build the business I actually want? Early on with CENYC, I said yes to everything because I thought that's what building looked like. I was working hard on someone else's version of success, not mine.

Would I still do this if it paid 50% less? Uncomfortable question, but it matters. If money is the only reason you're considering something, you're probably setting yourself up for resentment down the line.

What this looks like in practice

You don't need to blow up your whole business. But you can start asking better questions:

Kill: Obligations that don't serve your goals. Coffee chats that go nowhere. "Opportunities" that don't connect to what you're building.

Restructure: Stop custom everything for every client. Build systems. Create clear offers. Let people say yes or no to what you've built.

Protect: Capacity for work that compounds. The newsletter you ship weekly. Content that builds your audience. Partnerships that open real doors.

Build: Revenue and systems that support focused effort. Not working less per se, but working on things that build on each other.

The permission you're looking for

Working hard is great. Working hard on things that don't align with where you're going will break you.

The creators who last aren't just the ones working hardest, they're the ones where hard work actually compounds instead of just keeping them busy. And believe me, it’s hard work to figure this out!

Terry is figuring this out. I'm still figuring it out. Maybe you're at the beginning too.

Start asking: is this creating integration, or interruption?

Because years from now, you'll either have a business where effort builds on itself, or you'll have built a really successful trap.

And speaking of building with intention: My guy Terry Rice is hosting Live from the Lighthouse on February 27th in Brooklyn. It's an invite-only event for 75 creators.

He's diving into authority-building and designing a creator business that actually works with your life. Some guest speakers too, like MJ Jaindl who has 61K on LinkedIn, helped scale Buddy Media to a $750M exit, and built his own startup to $3M in 18 months.

The room is going to be stacked. If today’s piece resonated, apply right here.

VIRTUAL EVENT (2/18): Winning on Instagram Reels in 2026

Want to win on Reels in 2026?

Most creators are still guessing.

So we’re hosting a live virtual fireside chat with the legendary creator Oren John (aka @orenmeetsworld) to break down what’s actually working right now.

Oren has grown to 600,000+ followers on Instagram and has posted 1,000+ days in a row.

We’re getting into:

• What’s driving real reach

• What to stop overthinking

• The formats that are converting

• How to approach consistency so it compounds

This is in partnership with our friends at Stan as part of their 30-Day Dare to Post Challenge – with a $100,000 prize split between those who post every day for the duration of the challenge (Feb 17, 12am PST - March 18, 11:59pm PST)!

This event is designed to kick off day 2 of the challenge with clarity and strategy!

📅 Wednesday (2/18) at 1pm ET

To attend, you’ll need to sign up for the Dare to Post community - that’s how you’ll access the event.

Scroll down and add your info to sign up. You'll be notified when we're going live with the virtual event in there! You don't want to miss this.

If you’re a creator who wants to level up in the new year, start here

F*ck It, Create It is the resource I wish existed before I started Creator Economy NYC.

It’s not about growth hacks, content calendars, or chasing algorithms.
It’s about removing the mental friction that keeps creators frozen:
overthinking, perfectionism, and the constant “I’ll start when I’m ready.”

This is short, actionable, and built specifically for creators who’ve been sitting on an idea for way too long.

Two free tools top creators use to keep themselves moving

The Creator Goal Setting Guide (FREE): A simple but powerful document to help you declare who you want to BECOME in 2026.

The Creator Accountability System (FREE): Your visual companion for consistent creation in 2026.

Thanks for reading! If integration vs. interruption is something you're still thinking through, you're not alone, most of us are figuring it out as we go.

And don't forget to join Stan’s Dare to Post challenge with me here!

F*ck it, create it,

Brett