2022 Annual letter
A recap of the last year and a look forward to what's next in 2023
I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year! Before we speed into 2023, I’d like to thank everyone who has joined the Maverick community, whether you are new to the newsletter or have been reading since the beginning. As your support means the world to me, I would like to share a few things about what Maverick has accomplished in 2022, some personal updates, and what to expect with the newsletter going forward.
What a year
While 2022 brought us back to some sense of normalcy since the COVID-19 pandemic began, it was anything but the ordinary. It felt as if 2022 was constantly being battered left and right each day with new headlines: the Russian invasion of Ukraine and fears of escalating geopolitical tensions, inflation and the subsequent raising of interest rates and recession concerns, the crypto collapse, and much more.
As I sat in a Pret a Manger in London brainstorming the first ideas of the Maverick newsletter just one year ago, I could have never imagined how the next 12 months would shake out. And that’s saying a lot for someone who can be quite cynical at times.
I saw an opportunity to document my learnings about search as I reflected on my experiences throughout fundraising. It was not like I was doing anything that challenging, but there was no place to find those practical nuggets of advice.
Also, selfishly, I had wanted to write a newsletter for some years. I had begun journaling back when I was in San Francisco and commuting daily on the Apple bus from the city to Cupertino and found it deeply therapeutic. As I was going through a difficult time in my life, journaling was my medium to organize my thoughts and get them all out of my mind. It allowed me to reflect and slow down, something I really needed at the time. I thought doing something similar throughout my search process would yield similar benefits.
But I was too afraid. I never enjoyed sharing my written work with others, probably because I always had mediocre grades on my essays in school. Who would listen to some guy who’s never acquired a business before? ‘Surely he won’t know what he’s talking about,’ they might say. Fortunately, my wife, Sanchita, encouraged me to block out the noise and start working on Maverick, and I did precisely that.
Fast forward to today, and the Maverick newsletter has become a resource for budding and current searchers to reflect and gather ideas about how they can achieve their ETA goals. It has also become a community where we can learn from each other and grow. Connecting with many of you in 2022 has proven to be my biggest reward for starting Maverick, especially as I go through the search phase solo, and I look forward to developing more and deeper relationships with you down the road.
Survey results
Many of you took the time to participate in a brief survey the other week. I am adamant about improving the newsletter through feedback. The results showed a consistent theme about our community and the types of content you look forward to seeing on a bi-weekly basis. Here are the main takeaways:
¾ of respondents were current or prospective searchers, 44% current searchers and 31% prospective
Engagement is high – while participating in a survey is somewhat self-selecting, most articles receive over a 70% email open rate
Practical search advice is hands-down the most favored post topic
Search tools and videos are other forms of content you’d like to see
What’s in store for 2023?
Heading into this year, I am excited to build upon the resources that have begun to help out many prospective and active searchers. While you should expect to see much of the same content, you will notice throughout the year that some things will change:
More practical search advice
Professional editing on legacy posts
Testing new forms of content
Testing new topic ideas related to private investing and SaaS
Updated branding
Premium content for paid-subscribers
We will be shifting to paid subscriptions for certain premium content, as I will be investing in the newsletter to make it more of an evergreen resource for the next generation of searchers.
Final thoughts
I would like to thank everyone again for your continued support of the Maverick newsletter. I could not have done it without each and every one of you. I thoroughly enjoy my Saturday and Sunday afternoons writing these posts and hope that I can connect with more of you in the next year.
As I look to build out more content for the following year and take a pause, Maverick will be on a break until late February. Expect a few changes when we return (some things at White Cedar), but all for the better.
Here’s to 2023!