The Nathan Barry Show
Episode 124: I built a $100K Newsletter Business (Here's How)
Date: April 16, 2026
Host: Nathan Barry
Guest: Marissa Lovell (Editor, From Boise)
Episode Overview
In this episode, Nathan Barry interviews Marissa Lovell, the editor and driving force behind From Boise, a thriving local newsletter turned $100K business. Together, they explore the journey of building a newsletter with deep community roots, detailing the strategies, experiments, and lessons that transformed it from a side project into a full-time, revenue-generating enterprise. The conversation dives into audience building, monetization approaches, community impact, and the new landscape of creator-driven media.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Origin Stories: Why Boise & How From Boise Began
- [01:34] Marissa shares her backstory: raised on an Oregon wheat farm, moved to Boise for college at Boise State, fell in love with the city while working downtown in PR.
- [02:30] Nathan: Born and raised near Boise, never left for more than six weeks, and always considered Boise home.
- [04:22] Nathan: Inspired by a friend’s newsletter (Capital Daily, Victoria, BC) to start a local version in Boise. Created the format, wrote a job listing, and found Marissa through a mutual connection.
"Everyone probably thinks that Marissa started From Boise. Actually, I started it... But Marissa was the person who completely stood out and was like, this is a great idea you have. Here's what it should be, and kind of took charge from it."
— Nathan Barry [04:22]
2. Shaping Voice, Brand, and Audience
- [05:59] Marissa: Early career writing about Boise, including for local blogs and clients, which served as a foundation for her voice and approach.
- Emphasis on highly personal, letter-style emails to foster real connections.
"If you get From Boise, it's like it's actually from me. And it just felt like such a natural way to write the newsletter because it is for me and I'm writing to you."
— Marissa Lovell [10:20]
- [11:26] Nathan: Highlights Marissa’s “Just Trust Me” link as a recurring, highly-clicked playful feature.
- [11:43] Marissa: Borrowed “Just Trust Me” from writer Anne Helen Petersen and made it her own.
3. Community, Influence, and Engagement
- [13:02] Marissa: About 20% of the audience lives outside Boise—parents, alumni, would-be residents all eager for updates.
- [14:42] Nathan: Explains the difference between an “audience” and a “crowd,” noting Marissa’s true influence.
"It's this idea of building an audience versus a crowd. ... What you have is like a real audience where people engage. They show up to events, they reply to all of the emails."
— Nathan Barry [14:50]
- [15:32] Marissa: Readers report back after events, share feedback, and form real relationships—demonstrating a high level of true influence.
4. Experiments & Monetization
- [17:33] Marissa: Every new idea is treated as an experiment—Dinner Club (groups of 6 strangers dining out), discount cards, dinner meetups, and other creative initiatives.
- Dinner Club rapidly became a huge hit (96-120 attendees, often sold out).
- [22:04] Monetization avenues:
- Dinner Club (event tickets)
- Discount cards (local business punch cards)
- Merch (t-shirts, stickers)
- BFFs meetup club (subscription)
- Reader donations
- Sponsorships (core revenue)
"It's mostly sponsorships, which are ads in the newsletter or sponsored content on social media ... Then I also make a little bit off of dinner club and BFFs ... [also] readers donate to us every month."
— Marissa Lovell [42:05]
- [23:15] BFFs: Informal, paid monthly or annual membership for local meetups (podcast, trivia, outings)—eventually folded into Dinner Club for better scalability.
5. The Power of Iteration and Play
- [24:17] Marissa references Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act: “We're not playing to win, we're playing to play. And ultimately playing is fun.”
- Emphasis on continuous experimentation and creativity, not rigid adherence to a fixed business plan.
"Even from the get go, it's all an experiment and I really am just playing to play. Like, there's no winning in it... It's, am I providing real value and doing cool, fun, new stuff and am I enjoying my day to day?"
— Marissa Lovell [24:34]
6. Boise as a Community & Launchpad
- Boise’s supportive, collaborative nature is cited as essential for growth.
- Community rallies around new ideas: “I’m going to do this,” “Cool, I’ll support you.”
"There's something in Boise, like this community... people just rally around like cool new ideas. And it's so special. And I think it's what draws people to Boise."
— Marissa Lovell [26:01]
- [27:46] Shouting Out Local Projects: Idaho Film Society, Cat's Eye Creative Reuse, Catalyst Arts Collaborative—all examples of “just do it” ethos.
7. Newsletters vs. Traditional Media & Audience Connection
- From Boise deliberately avoids hard news in favor of things to do, culture, music, and history.
- [29:49] Marissa: Avoids negative news, focusing on joy and curation.
"People need to know that there is still fun to be had. And that was really a huge part of it."
— Marissa Lovell [29:52]
- Audience values a personal, consistent writer more than anonymous feeds; shift in media consumption is about human connection.
"We really just want connection with humans and that... has always been part of who we are."
— Marissa Lovell [31:08]
8. Hitting $100K: Business Growth & Unlocks
- [34:42] Revenue milestone only reached after focusing fully on the newsletter (2025), hiring freelancers and help to scale operations, and refining the business model.
- Revenue sources firmly established after initial years of experimentation.
- Brand and website were only developed after initial traction; recent branding and web presence marked a turning point.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
Timestamps for Key Segments
- 01:34 — Marissa’s move to Boise and early career
- 04:22 — Genesis of From Boise newsletter
- 09:41 — Milestones: Hitting 24,000+ subscribers
- 13:02 — Audience: 20% out-of-city, various reasons for reading
- 15:32 — Real influence: Community engagement and feedback
- 17:33 — Dinner Club experiment launches
- 21:23 — Discount cards as a monetization experiment
- 22:04 — Overview of all revenue streams/monetization
- 24:17 — Creative play and the importance of experimentation
- 26:01 — Boise’s unique environment for community projects
- 29:49 — Focus on “things to do,” not traditional news
- 31:08 — Shift in media; personal newsletters’ rise
- 34:42 — Reaching $100K revenue, business inflection points
- 38:20 — Branding, website, and elevating the project
- 42:05 — Breakdown: core sources of revenue
- 42:49 — Longevity and what keeps the newsletter going
- 44:00 — Escape velocity and Seth Godin's quote
- 47:46 — Marissa’s curation and research process for each issue
Audience Q&A Highlights
- How do you pick stories? Combination of pitches, personal curiosity, and feedback and tips from readers. [39:49]
- Revenue breakdown: Primarily newsletter and social sponsorships, events, products, reader donations. [42:04]
- What sets From Boise apart? Stubbornness, deep love for the project, and endless curiosity. [42:49]
- Curating events: Uses Notion to maintain a comprehensive list, combines web research with personal taste and broad audience consideration. [47:46]
- Ownership & structure: From Boise is an LLC, Nathan and Marissa are 50/50 partners. [50:16]
Final Thoughts
This episode offers a detailed blueprint for anyone interested in building a sustainable, community-centric newsletter business. Marissa and Nathan openly discuss wins and challenges, highlight the importance of experimentation and genuine engagement, and advocate for creative tenacity and local connection. Listeners come away with actionable ideas for monetization, growth, and building influence in a way that feels authentic and rewarding—for both creator and community.
Subscribe to From Boise:
FromBoise.com
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