The Monitor Is Going All In (And We're Hiring)

"I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy living, or get busy dying." – Andy Dufresne, The Shawshank Redemption

First, I owe you guys an apology.

Five months ago I launched this site, and you showed up in a big way. A month ago we put up the paywall, and you showed up again. That, along with all the encouragement you've sent my way, is something I'll never be able to repay.

Then, almost exactly a month ago, we hosted a Chamber Coffee at Common Ground, my favorite downtown meeting place, and it was legitimately one of the most gratifying experiences of my adult life. I came away feeling like we were on the cusp of something really special for this community. Curtis Major, my amazing co-publisher, and I had a whole list of new things to try and coverage areas to explore.

And then I...froze.

Right when I felt like we were about to take this thing to another level, I burned out. I should have seen it coming and prepared for it. I didn't, and it hit me like a brick wall.

You guys backed my play, and I feel like I flaked out on you. For that, I want to apologize.

Curtis has done an amazing job keeping the stories coming (and putting up with my special brand of ADHD and OCD) while I recuperated, but it's time for me to get off the bench and back in the game.

More importantly, it's time for the Monitor to live up to its FULL potential: more reporting, faster reporting, more consistency, and a product you can feel proud of supporting.

"Get Busy Living, Or Get Busy Dying"

As I mentioned when the paywall went up, I approached the Monitor as a one-year experiment and took out just enough funding to last a year. That way, if it didn't show promise, I wouldn't end up living the sequel to How I Nearly Bankrupted My Family At Age 39.

Well, we're at the six-month mark, and it has shown promise. LOTS of it. So it's time to go all in. To steal a phrase from one of my favorite movies, it's time to get busy living, or get busy dying.

To do that, we need your help (and yes, we'll pay you for that help). Here's the plan:

1) We're Hiring (For Real This Time)

I wrote about this in an op-ed several weeks ago, heard from several amazing folks (several of whom I'm still in touch with), and then got analysis paralysis over funding.

Meanwhile, we haven't scratched the surface of what I want the Monitor to cover. The County is basically a full-time beat. So is the City. And that doesn't even touch my biggest regret: our nonexistent coverage of FSCC, which has been a fountain of news that we haven't had the manpower to touch.

On top of that, we need WAY more feel-good stories. Part of what burned me out was feeling like we'd become The Dysfunctional Local Government Gazette instead of the "I Believe In Bourbon County" beacon of hope I meant the Monitor to be.

So we're hiring paid freelancers. More info will on that will be shared this week over Facebook, email, and other local media.

2) We're Actually Going To Do Some Marketing

We would not have launched without our founding sponsors. They were the proof of concept that got us our startup funding in the first place, and they deserve to be recognized as such.

Since launch, several other local businesses have approached us about advertising, but I got so consumed with reporting that I completely neglected our key revenue stream.

The good news: thanks to Curtis, traffic on both the website and the Facebook group stayed strong even during my month of regrouping.

So if you're a local business, you'll be hearing from us very soon.

If you've reached out about advertising before, you'll definitely be hearing from us soon.

If you have my cell number saved, please don't block it as soon as you read this.

3) Give Us Your Feedback, Win A Gift Card

The Monitor wouldn't exist without the survey I put out last December. Your responses shaped this first version of the Monitor, and they'll shape version 2.0 when it launches later in October.

Friday morning we'll launch two surveys, one for free subscribers and one for paid. Both close at midnight Sunday. One randomly chosen person from each pool will win a $50 gift certificate to the Bourbon County business of their choice.

We need to know what you like and what you don't. Where we've lived up to your expectations and where we've let you down. Whether my articles are too long-winded (okay, I already know the answer to that one). What it would take to get you to tell a neighbor about us, or, if you're a free subscriber, to take the plunge on a paid one.

Six months ago, you took a chance on a guy with a laptop and a hunch that Bourbon County deserved its own newsroom. Now it's my turn to earn it.