Five Years and Two-Hundred Posts Later.

Five years.

Two hundred posts.

Two web design positions.

Multiple open doors.

One person.

These are some of the statistics that could easily be rattled off that I have managed since starting ZachsThoughts on August 8, 2020. They may not seem like a lot, but in the age of dwindled attention spans and the desperate need to get ahead which leaves hobbies behind, this endeavor has grown larger than I anticipated.

And maybe, just maybe, grow larger than me and myself.

So please enjoy this tale through time as I go over what I did to make ZachsThoughts… the jerry-rigged boot-strapped entity that we all know and love or loathe today!

In the beginning, the whole concept started as a therapist's idea.

It was summer 2020, and I, like many other people globally, were suffering from the downers as a result of being couped up from the COVID-19 Pandemic. During one of my biweekly telehealth calls, my therapist gave me a list of hobbies that I could choose from, and I had to do two of them prior to the next one.

For one of the ideas, I chose blogging. What the other idea was? I could only guess, but it is irrelevant.

However, don't think I started the idea immediately — I didn't. I let it simmer and salter for at least a week or two. Then, I got figured out when my family went up to New Hampshire for the second time that summer. I received the domain, had WordPress set up, and configured the site. A little while later and voila! My first website out into the ether! The first post was specifically about the said trip to New Hampshire.

Unfortunately, that first site never had a picture of itself taken, which is probably a good thing in retrospect, as it wasn't the prettiest thing ever. But that's beside the point. More posts were written, and eventually, the design of the site changed to make it look nicer and nicer.

This period was probably one of the most "meta" ones in terms of my writing, as I was trying to determine what stuck in terms of reviews, and what didn't.

At the same time, I began promoting it on social media to a moderately interested audience, and the cycle continued.

So on and so forth.

Sooner than later, the Summer of 2021 approached, it was once again the fretful time to find something to keep myself busy. I was able to join a local web design and management agency as an unpaid intern (paid within a few weeks), for which I am still incredibly grateful for.

This particular internship started out slow — merely doing backend updates and data entry. Which isn't the most existing, but well worth it looking back. After all, who else can say they helped add 200+ food items to a caterer's site?!

I was also able to update my website to the Mesmerize theme, and customized it more to be even more professional and well-done.

At the same time, more and more posts were being written. While they weren't the fanciest ones, they definitely contributed to my growth as a writer and allow me to further the philosophy concepts that I now stand by firmly today.

On the marketing and audiential side of the brand, growth was slow but steady. I found some success through Discord, but otherwise remained quiet and humble as I managed the editorial and design portions better.

Then my social network grew exponentially within two years, and everything changed.

Instead of just my peers and local neighbors seeing my writing, I was having international acquaintences and those the state or two over. This was major and allowed me to experiment my promotional and writing strategies to appease to a larger portion.

Speaking of writing: I began to expand my outlook beyond simple reviews, and began writing a form of commentary that is more so a blend between blog posts and op-eds. This strategy worked well and allowed me to expand onto Substack and begin working on my email audience — which then has brought me to a dual-platform situation with the former and beehiiv as well.

We continue the cycle, zooming past the 100th post and heading toward new advancements.

So on and so forth.

My admittance to American University and the introduction to its community allowed me to gain resources, physical, digital, and personnel-wise, that ensured the blog's growth. During this time, I completed a 1st-year internship at another agency, which introduced me to some ideas in digital marketing and such. But also allowed me to learn more on web design, which was incorporated into the site.

As a Public Relations major, much of my work involves ensuring that you are producing the best known product out there, and people in the creative sectors need a web presence. I was ahead of the game in this regard, and eyes were pointed at me. The only one who worked in web design and had any idea how to do anything in a world of technology.

Ironic for a generation addicted to said technology, wouldn't you say?

This thought process gained me connections to many individuals who not only were eager for my knowledge, but were thrilled to introduce me to many figures in the Washington PR scene; something that I am still grappling about to this day.

The editorial style during this time was sporatic — but also not. I posted frequent reviews, but then went silent. But it was during my time that I published my most acclaimed posts, which are the most shared posts on the site in its five years of existence.

After the acclaimed post, there was a tiny bump, with a dozen "micro-posts" compiled and released. But they still counted. The content has become a mixture of pop culture reviews, and editorial commentary. It may seem odd, but it works in my book, and I implore you to, if you're ever in the same boat as me, to not put yourself into a niche.

You never know where the next a-ha moment will strike.

This blog is truly one of a kind. As far as I can see and are aware of, there is not another Gen-Z guy who's not only a hapless writer, but web designer as well. This combination of skills, alongside content, has created something that I am immensely proud of. Not only because of my writing prowess, but also that others took a chance. Many people look at me, and the site, and balk. But there are those who read every post, support me with insightful ideas, and allow me to shine as a person. This blog is just a fancy looking suit that I can put over myself at a moment's notice.

Now, because I sincerely doubted I would have made it this far, I feel like I have some people to thank.

My professors — When I first went to school, I was concerned of my lack of conventional thought process that many of my peers expressed, however, my professors showed enthusasm in their lectures and implored me to think beyond the box. Something that, while for their own subjects, has shaped me and my writing for the better.

Gordon Multimedia — Thank you for allowing me to join your team for over three years. It was an honor to work with professionals and be able to gain practical experience behind the design and manage of one's web identity from the ground up. In addition, thank you for providing my web hosting and ability to use Divi, my design tool. The thing I love and hate at the same time. I couldn't have gotten to where I am in my professional prospects if it wasn't for you.

My therapist — If there was one person that made the blog what it was other than me, it would be my therapist. Who gave me the original idea of creating the site in the first place. I also have them to thank for being practically on-call whenever I needed it, including en-route from Germany to Poland.

The readers — While writers do write for themselves first, they also do it for you. Thank you for reading my insane rhetoric and thought processes. I sometimes have an eccentric way of thinking, and have been known to keep bouncing between post ideas and things that I wish I could do for both the blog as an editorial structure, but also for the brand; yet you have stayed with me through it all. Some of you are old, others are new. No matter where you are on that scale, thank you for sticking with me through this all.

My parents — The ultimate champions of my life. Everything they have done for the past twenty years has begin to improve and better my life. I am eternally thankful and grateful for them, alongside being my initial patrons for bringing the blog to life and on life support for the first year of its existence — especially when it may likely have not survived. Not only that, but nuturing my love for the arts, something prevalent in my more recent commentary. I love you.

By this point, you are likely wondering what I will say on the future. There are many ways that we can go from here. I like to think of Rick and Morty's "Central Finite Curve" for this situation. There are an infinite number of possibilites with a certain preset, yet another infinite with another. We are on the side of said curve where the blog exists, so there are infinite directions.

Due to my notorious inability to follow through on more exciting with the ventures, I'll keep staying mum until something is absolutely ready. New posts will be released on a (somewhat) frequent basis, and we will continue growing the editorial brand into something possibly bigger.

Something that I tried to get off the ground, but failed to do, was a collaborative effort that would have seen ZachsThoughts change its name and allow other writers to have a say. We're not there yet, but I'd like to, one day. It would be a perfect exit method if we were to ever get as big as the hot shots.

Well? What are you waiting for. We continue the march onwards. I'm pleased to share a rough outline for Late August/Early September 2025 in terms of content:

Chances are that the schedule will change, but hey, it's a start!

Thanks for reading, see you (hopefully) soon!

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