Today marks 52 consecutive weeks of this newsletter. One lesson stands above the rest: numbers turn stories into proof.

If your story feels strong but isn't sticking, numbers might be the missing piece. Vague claims ask people to trust your instincts. Specific metrics show them evidence.

Today's issue reveals how to quantify your story so attention turns into action as well as:

Enjoy building with proof…LG

Here's what one year of showing up looks like, and what it means for your story.

Numbers don't replace your story. They make it believable.

They turn claims into evidence, vague promises into measurable progress, and interest into action. Without numbers, you're asking people to trust your instincts. With numbers, you're showing them proof.

This week marks a one year of publishing this newsletter - 52X. Every Tuesday at 6:03 a.m. That streak showcases a point all business owners should count on:

The founders who win aren't just the ones with vision. They're the ones who can measure it, track it, and communicate it with precision.

One year in, this newsletter has 3,330 subscribers, a 65% open rate, and 0.77% churn. Those numbers tell a story about relevance, consistency, and value, the same story every founder needs to tell about their business.

Here's what one year of showing up looks like, and what it means for your story.

Here's what 52 weeks of consistent founder focused storytelling produced:

Building Reach

Zero to 3,330 subscribers. That's not just a list. It's distribution. It's proof the idea resonates. When I tell a potential partner "3,330 founders…", they understand the audience instantly. (well maybe not all founders ‘-)

97,343 emails delivered. That's 97,343 chances to help someone tell their story better.

Earning Engagement

63,996 opens translates to a 65% average open rate. Most newsletters hover around 20-30%. This number says the content isn't just sent, it's read and wanted.

1,252 unique clicks at a 1.96% click-through rate. Readers didn't just consume. They acted. They followed links, explored tools, went deeper. (and I can do much better here – or so I’ve been told ☺). 

Demonstrating Reliability

52 consecutive issues, every Tuesday at 6:03 a.m. Reliability creates habit. This number tells collaborators I can ship on deadline. It tells sponsors the platform is stable. It tells readers they can count on me.

Unsubscribe rate at 0.77%. Low churn means relevance. It means the content delivers value week after week.

Learning What Lands

The three most-read issues:

The 1,000 Photo Rule showed tactical advice wins. The Benioff piece proved founders want to learn from giants. The crawfish story confirmed scrappy origin stories inspire. The data told me what to make more of.

Validating the Work

82% of readers say they love the newsletter. 6% say it needs work. That gap keeps the bar high. Quantified feedback is a roadmap. It also shows me I’ve got work to do as I’d prefer that number to be in the 90’s.

Numbers aren't decoration. They're story beats.

Deliveries show reach. Opens show trust. Clicks show action. Subscriber growth shows momentum. Churn shows relevance. The streak shows reliability.

If February I switched from Kajabi to Beehiiv and it completely changed what metrics I was able to access via the Beehiiv dashboard. In turn it enabled me to make better decisions. Which topics to revisit. Which subject lines landed. Which channels to fuel. Numbers not only empower me, they frame it so others can see what I’m doing.

Numbers reduce uncertainty. Reduced uncertainty opens doors.

Let me show you the difference numbers make:

Weak: "Our newsletter helps founders tell better stories."

Strong: "We've delivered 97,343 emails to 3,330 founders with a 65% open rate, proving founders want inspiring stories and structured storytelling advice they can apply immediately."

Same value proposition. One is a claim. The other is proof.

Weak: "We're building a loyal audience."

Strong: "We've published 52 consecutive issues with a 0.77% unsubscribe rate and 82% reader satisfaction, demonstrating sustained relevance."

Same idea. Different impact.

This works for any founder story. Product adoption. Revenue growth. Customer retention. Time saved. Money earned. If you built it, you can measure it. If you measured it, you can share it.

This newsletter started as a side project to see the potential of this as a content asset. It's now what I’m going to use as part of the foundation of a media brand I’m building. 

The data from this first year makes the case for what comes next: step-by-step courses on founder storytelling, richer case studies, and a membership that helps you ship better stories faster. The newsletter will remain the heartbeat, feeding a broader platform designed for entrepreneurs who know their story is one of their most important assets.

Imagine if I didn’t have these numbers. Would I still have the confidence to expand? Would partners want to collaborate? Would prospective subscribers still want to join? Hard to tell. With them, I’m overflowing with confidence. #truestory 

Huge thanks to Baldo Garza for being the backend operations maestro who kept the engine humming. To Matt McGary and the GrowLetter team for clarity, process, and a blueprint for building a durable newsletter (and for helping on this next phase of my journey). To Beehiiv for turning a weekly email into a bonafide newsletter and the dashboard to measure it’s impact And to the creators who inspired this newsletter: James Clear, Tim Ferriss, Justin Welsh, and Sam Parr.

52 down. Looking forward to sharing what happens after 104 are published. #LFG

Try This in Your Own Startup

You don't need a year of data to start using numbers in your story. You need five metrics and one sentence.

Here's how:

Open a Notes doc or Google Sheet. Title it "Story Metrics."

List 5-numbers and update them every week or month:

Now turn those five numbers into one sentence:

"We've grown from 0 to 3,330 subscribers with a 65% open rate and 0.77% churn across 52 consecutive weekly issues."

Use that sentence everywhere. Your bio. Your pitch deck. Your LinkedIn headline. Your next email intro. Your website. Let the numbers do the credibility work.

Update it every month. Watch it compound.

Specificity creates trust. Trust creates opportunity. Opportunity creates momentum.

A 2024 study in the Quarterly Journal of Economics found that when numbers are wrapped in a story, people recall them about 2.7× more than if you share the statistic alone. Think of it like this: a lone number is a puzzle piece. A story is the picture on the box that shows where that piece fits.

In my former life as an electrical engineer I developed a love affair with numbers. So I made this video “Why It's Important to Use Numbers in Your Founder's Story”  in my ‘story shed’ to show how numbers supercharge stories. You’ll see how a single stat can grab attention, establish credibility, and speed up understanding. I share simple ways to quantify experience, impact, and milestones so your message lands fast and sticks.