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I was bouncing between Miami and London the last two weeks to have the same conversation in two very different rooms (and climates!).
The question: Why are some of the most creative, the most entrepreneurial people leaving their traditional roles - and what if they didn't have to choose?
This isn't just about media or journalism. It's about every industry watching talent walk out the door to build their own thing.
Because the people leaving aren't running from work. They're running from a situation that makes them choose between doing great work for the organization and owning their future.
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The Pattern You're Probably Seeing
Your best correspondent wants to start a newsletter.
Your top engineer wants to launch a side project.
Your most creative designer is building a personal brand on Instagram.
And that can be fear-inducing for leaders, especially.
We’ve worried that letting people build their own audience dilutes the organization’s brand. That non-exclusivity is a threat.
So we make them choose: Us or them. Full-time or nothing. Loyalty or independence.
The choice itself is the problem.
What I'm Watching Happen in Real Time in Journalism
A third of journalists now describe themselves as freelance or self-employed.
Not because they stopped caring about truth, or rigor, or impact. But because the institutional model no longer worked for them or with them.
Yes, some left because of layoffs. But many left because they could see the future - and their institution couldn't.
They wanted to report without interference. Build direct relationships with their audience. Own their work. Move fast.
And the institution said: That's not how we do things.
So they left. And started building.
On Substack. On beehiiv. On YouTube. On their own terms.
Creating loyal communities. Connecting in wholly original ways.
The Model
After spending decades in traditional media businesses and the last 6 months or so at beehiiv, here’s a model for innovative leaders to consider:
▹ Find your best people - the ones with expertise, passion, and an audience that already trusts them.
▹ Let them stay on your platform…in your business. Give them that institutional credibility, that scaffolding and infrastructure.
▹ But also: Let them build their own business. Their own newsletter. Their own speaking gigs and podcasts. Their own sponsors.
▹ Editorially, you relax the exclusivity. Financially, you renegotiate the terms.
In exchange?
You get additional reach and revenue, or create a new compensation structure that’s mutually beneficial. A new community. Continued relevance. Oh, and you keep your best people.
They get to be entrepreneurial while maintaining institutional support.
That's not losing control. That's building the future.
Why This Matters Outside Journalism
This isn't just a journalism problem. Every industry is watching this happen:
Consultants leaving big firms to go independent
Engineers leaving tech giants to build their own products
Executives leaving corporations to start their own ventures
People with skills, audiences, and vision are choosing independence over institutional constraints.
And companies are responding with: "If you're not all-in with us, you're out."
That worked when institutions had a monopoly on reach, credibility, and resources.
It doesn't work anymore.
Because now? Individuals can compete with institutions. They can build followings, generate revenue, and create impact - on their own.
The question isn't whether this shift will happen. It's already happening.
The question is: Will institutions fight it or figure out how to work with it?
The Real Risk
Legacy thinking tells you: Control everything, or you'll lose everything.
The truth? The bigger risk is staying rigid.
While you're protecting the old model, your top talent is leaving to build the new one.
Without you.
And the longer you wait to adapt, the harder it gets to catch up.
The institutions that survive won't be the ones that held on tightest.
They'll be the ones that figured out how to let go - without letting their best people leave.
What Gives Me Hope
In Miami and London, I had conversations with people and organizations building what comes next.
✓ Independent journalists creating sustainable businesses.
✓ Platform builders designing infrastructure that serves creators.
✓ Leaders reimagining what collaboration could look like.
And you know what?
They're showing us what's possible. What are you creating? How can I help you reimagine the future?
What I’m Watching & Reading:
Because good stories matter.
📺 The 2026 Olympics
📖 The Science of Scaling by Benjamin Hardy
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