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Lessons from a Creator Biz, 6 Years In ✏️
Inside Amanda Rach Lee’s stationery business
Good morning. Another Barstool podcast announced plans to go solo this week. Former NFL players Will Compton and Taylor Lewan will now run their Bussin’ With The Boys podcast independently, taking their IP and production staff with them. New year, new you contracts.

How Amanda Rach Lee Built a Sustainable Creator Business

Amanda Rach Lee (left) is hosting an NYC pop-up for her stationary brand, ARL, on Saturday / Amanda Rach Lee, Shop ARL
Artist and bullet journal creator Amanda Rach Lee launched her stationery brand, Shop ARL, six years ago—about five years after she started vlogging and making coloring videos on YouTube.
Now, 12 years into her creator career? More of Lee’s income comes from Shop ARL than YouTube.
Lee told us the tactics she’s used to build a sustainable creator-led business →
Set a rhythm: Lee’s business is seasonal—people buy planners at the same time every year. So, she’s developed a routine to maximize efficiency. Lee designs in Q1; focuses on photoshoots, launch strategy, and bulk shipments over the spring and summer; and launches in October in time for ARL’s busiest sales season.
“Every year I don’t always get it right, but there’s always next year’s planners—it’s a grounding thing for me to always have something to be working towards,” Lee told us.
Stay lean: Lee designs everything herself, including new products like totes, stickers, and tape. She works with a marketing manager to help plan launches, outsources customer service, and recently hired a social media intern, but she still manages all business operations. “I am probably doing a lot more than I need to, but I enjoy it,” Lee said.
Lean on community: “I think the only thing that has kept me going is the community,” Lee said. “Seeing people use the products, hearing stories of how the planner has helped people write a book, go through school, go through hard times…it makes it real and motivates me to keep designing them.”
Lee is hosting her first ARL pop-up in NYC on Saturday, featuring local sticker creators like Martina’s Tiny Store and Mugobunni.
“Community building is so important not only as a creator, but as a brand,” Lee said.

Cleetus McFarland Preps for NASCAR Debut

Cleetus McFarland aims for the Daytona 500 / Cleetus McFarland
Racing creator Garrett Mitchell, known as Cleetus McFarland, will compete next month at one of the top motorsport events in the US—the ARCA 200 event at the Daytona International Speedway. It’s a prequalifying event for the Daytona 500, Mitchell’s ultimate goal.
How he got here →
Over the last decade, Mitchell has grown a following of over 4 million YouTube subscribers and 1.7 billion views making videos of turbo-charged jet boats and modified cars.
In 2020, he purchased the Desoto Speedway in Bradenton, Florida, and renamed it the Freedom Factory.
He’s since grown a strong presence in the racing community, hosting events like the New England 900 and competing in six professional racing events through Stadium Super Trucks.
Mitchell will represent Rette Jones Racing on February 15 at Daytona International Raceway, “ripping this bad unit with my mullet flowing in the wind,” as he put it.
Zoom out: NASCAR is only part of Mitchell’s creator business. He purchased a share in a drag strip this week; he bought a private airport in Florida last year; and he runs a high-performance auto parts company, a clothing brand, and a racing streaming service.

Sponsored by CES
How Creators Shaped the Story of CES® 2025
This year’s CES® was a major moment for creators.
By the numbers: Nearly 1,500 creators drove 182.5 million impressions and 6.5 million engagements about the event.*
Fueling all that buzz? The CES® 2025 Creator Space, presented by Sony.
The dedicated hub provided creators with unprecedented access to showcase the world’s biggest tech event. It brought together creators from different niches, from mobility and digital health to artificial intelligence and business.
Curious about how the Creator Space set a new standard for creator-driven events? Dive into this recap of CES® 2025 to learn more.
*Data according to CreatorIQ.

Fortnite Pays Creators $352 Million

Fortnite showcases creator-made islands in its game / Fortnite
Fortnite parent company Epic Games recently reported that it paid $352 million to Fortnite creators in 2024—up 11% from 2023.
The number of Fortnite creators tripled last year to 70,000.
36.5% of total Fortnite playtime took place in games made by creators.
Big picture: Like Roblox, Fortnite has encouraged creators to make their own versions of the game, like Dude Perfect’s Fortnite map Dude Perfect Dodgeball and MrBeast’s in-game version of Beast Games.

🔥 Press Worthy
Comedian Nathan Barnatt is raising money for a short film based on his “dad” character.
Artlist is your ultimate all-in-one platform for video creation. Learn how they're continuing to level up in 2025.*
Addison Rae is on the cover of Rolling Stone.
Substack launches a $20 million creator accelerator fund.
Food creator Britney Wang aka Chef Bao Bae is hosting a dumpling pop-up in LA.
MrBeast joins investors in an all-cash bid to buy TikTok.
*This is sponsored advertising content.

📚️ Thank You For Pressing Publish
The content we’re looking forward to reading, watching, and listening to this weekend.
Read: How did Joe Rogan and Logan Paul influence the election exactly? Bloomberg runs a detailed report on podcast creators’ political content—and how much it contributed to President Trump’s victory.
Watch: Henry Drayton unpacks the psychology of content thieves and how they make money posting other creators’ videos.
Listen: For those looking to improve their running this year, world record-breaking runner Paula Radcliffe is releasing a 16-week run club pod to help with training.
