“When are you going to get a real job?”
I heard this a lot in the early years—from my parents, my peers in Silicon Valley, even a partner at a consulting firm who tried to recruit me out of college.
I had stepped away from stability into uncertainty. I’d always had a job since I was a 15-year-old working at a pet store, but now, I was building something that most told me wasn’t financially sustainable.
But I pressed on.
It wasn’t blind faith—I had already been running Mongabay for four years, and the site was generating revenue. Not a lot, but enough to glimpse a path forward. And I had savings to weather the early years.
It took time for others to accept my choice. External validation helped. But looking back, I see a few key reasons why Mongabay grew into what it is today.
Here are six lessons that shaped those early years:
1️⃣ Perseverance matters more than perfection.
↳ The first years were hard. Managing my workload and pushing through uncertainty built resilience.
2️⃣ Find where your work adds unique value.
↳ I focused on original stories and underreported issues, carving out a niche others had overlooked.
3️⃣ Resourcefulness beats resources.
↳ I did what I could with what I had—being scrappy was a necessity, not a choice.
4️⃣ Iterate relentlessly.
↳ Success didn’t come from a perfect plan. It came from trying, learning, and adapting.
5️⃣ Impact outlasts metrics.
↳ While Mongabay started with an ad-driven model, I always prioritized the real-world impact of our journalism. That approach proved more sustainable than chasing traffic.
6️⃣ Right time, right place—but also, hard work.
↳ I was lucky to start Mongabay at an opportune moment. But luck matters most if you’re prepared to act on it.
It’s been over 25 years now. Thanks for being part of the journey.
