Assume People Aren’t Broke

During a recent conversation with a friend, we discussed monetizing the Olive Tree Writing Club. He pointed out that my taboos around money are influenced by my recent college experience. In college, I was involved in multiple student clubs that regularly organized events on campus. Because we’re all broke college students, these events were typically free.

However, post-graduation, things are different. People make real-world money now. Most of my friends and peers generally have high incomes too and are willing to spend money on high-quality events. This is particularly true in New York City. We’re no longer on a college campus. The competition on any given night is also quite high. Real estate is expensive here and it costs a lot of money and time to host an event. Running a community in a city like NYC requires a much different playbook than in college. One of my mindset shifts is not assuming that everyone is broke, it’s quite the opposite.