A thought partner for the business side of going independent.
Coaching with Project C pairs you with a senior media strategist who helps you grow the business without becoming the bottleneck in your own operation.
Nobody hands you a playbook when you go independent.
You became a creator journalist because you love the work. You wanted to report, to create, to own it, and to feel real agency over your own career.
But now you're also running a business, and odds are nobody taught you how to do that part. So you're exhausted from figuring it all out alone, second-guessing yourself and shouldering everything.
Project C's coaching gives you a senior-level thought partner to help you make decisions, gain confidence, and figure out how to make it all sustainable. It's the launchpad for becoming the founder your work deserves.
Blair Hickman
Blair is a people-first media executive, strategist, and coach who spent nearly two decades leading innovation, transformation, and strategic growth inside fast-growing newsrooms like Vox and ProPublica. She's designed content strategies that reached hundreds of millions of people, led strategic planning and brand refreshes, and built Vox's consumer revenue program from the ground up.
She's an expert in design and product thinking, and believes deeply in building a business that can support your life. She's a co-founder of Going Solo, and at this point has coached nearly 100 creator journalists on launching and sustaining independent businesses.
You'll also get occasional sessions with Project C founder Liz Kelly Nelson, who led innovation at The Washington Post and Vox before building the 200+ member Project C community. Her ongoing research and reporting into how journalism and the creator economy intersect informs everything we do here.
Between the two of them, you're working with people who've actually built the kinds of things you're trying to build.
"Working with Blair has been incredible. I really felt she understood where I was coming from, where I wanted to go, and what I was capable of. I looked forward to the positive, encouraging energy I knew she would give during every meeting and the smart, personalized feedback I'd receive on my work in between. I wholeheartedly trust her input, and cannot recommend her highly enough!"
You might be a good fit if…
You want to keep the business running while reclaiming the joy of actually making the work you care about.
You need to hire, or just did, but have never managed anyone before and aren't sure where to start.
You're wrestling with a lost sense of identity after leaving the newsroom, and it's getting in the way of building what's next.
You're making money but have no idea if your business model is sustainable, or how to grow it without burning out.
You have too many ideas pulling you in different directions and need help figuring out which one to actually pursue.
You're ready to stop winging it. You want real strategy behind the business side of what you're building.
Four months of real work together
This isn't a course and it isn't a quick fix. It's four months of working closely with someone who understands what you're building and can help you make real progress on the things that feel stuck.
- Two 60-minute coaching sessions per month
- A sounding board for the decisions that keep you up at night, from pricing to editorial direction to whether it's time to hire
- Resilience and capacity coaching for the hard stretches when you're questioning all of it
- Async support between sessions via Voxer and email, so you're not waiting two weeks when something comes up
- Access to our resource library and our trusted network of freelancers for when you need hands, not just strategy
What we work on together
Our style blends intuitive coaching, teaching, and strategic advisory. You lead the sessions, and we adapt as you grow. We prioritize action, iteration, and sustainable progress.
Ruthlessly prioritize
Stop chasing six different ideas and get clear on the one thing that moves your business forward right now.
Grow audience & revenue
Look at your business model with fresh eyes. Find the opportunities you're too close to see and build a realistic plan.
Build systems that last
Create processes that keep running even when you step away, so your operations are actually sustainable.
Gain confidence to lead
Whether you're managing contractors or doing everything yourself, learn to lead your business instead of just reacting to it.
Deal with the burnout
Break big ambitions into steps you can actually take. Make space for the parts of your life that aren't work.
Experiment and play
Not every session is about optimizing. Sometimes the most useful thing is permission to try something weird.
FAQ
Still have questions? Email us and we'll talk it through.
The next version of your business starts with one conversation.
We'll chat about where you are and where you want to go. Sometimes it makes sense for us to peek at your work during the call (we call it a First Impression Audit). But mostly this is an honest conversation to figure out if we're a good fit for each other.
Let's talk →