From A Substack Comment To Croatia: The Story of Building Rare Finds
How one comment turned into a collaboration, a friendship, multiple livestreams, and the refinement of two Substack publications.
Three months ago, I answered a comment on a Substack Note.
Today, that same person has become a client, a collaborator, a friend, and the creator of two growing Substack publications.
→ We’ve gone live from Europe.
→ We’ve built two publications together.
→ We’ve spent hours refining audience, positioning, branding, and strategy.
And it all started because I decided to answer a comment from someone who needed help.
This is the story of Robyn Levin, Finding Your Edge, Rare Finds - Luxury Travel, and what actually happens behind the scenes when a publication starts becoming something real.
This Started in The Comments
This all started in March.
At the time, I had only been running Unstuck to Published for about a month.
I was preparing for Round 3 of my From Unstuck to Published Workshop, which was scheduled for March 21st.
Like many creators, I was doing what I now teach people to do:
I was showing up.
I was publishing.
I was answering questions.
And I was looking for the people who were already looking for me.
On a Sunday evening, I posted a Note that said:
“I’ve built 10 publications and 3 became Substack best-sellers. Ask me anything! I’m here to help.”
The Note kept getting engagement into Monday afternoon, so I stayed in the comments answering questions from people who were stuck, confused, or trying to figure out how to build their publications.
One person stood out.
Her name was Robyn Levin.
The Comment Section Wasn’t Working
Robyn was new to Substack.
She had questions.
I had answers, but somehow, we kept talking past each other.
I could tell she wasn’t totally clear on the difference between a Substack article, a post, and a Note. And because of that, neither one of us was fully getting our point across in the comments.
So I messaged her privately and told her I’d help her in the DMs.
That helped a little, but not enough.
We were still going back and forth, and it was clear this would be much easier to explain out loud.
So I did something I almost never do.
I gave a random woman from Substack my phone number
I basically said:
Call me.
FaceTime me.
Zoom me.
This will be so much easier and faster to explain on the phone.
Robyn called me right away.
And, the rest was history.
The Three-Hour Phone Call
We ended up talking for over three hours.
The time flew.
At first, I was giving her a mini Substack masterclass, but about an hour into the conversation, we realized we both lived in Florida.
Then I found out Robyn had been a competitive figure skater since she was two years old.
That immediately caught my attention because I grew up playing competitive travel ice hockey.
So now we had the Florida connection.
Then, we had the ice connection.
And then the story got even crazier.
Robyn told me that back in the 1990s, she bought an abandoned ice hockey rink in South Florida called Light House Point, which she renamed to Gold Coast Ice Arena, which was renamed again to Glacier Ice Arena five years later after she sold it.
At that point, I was freaking out because I realized I had just met the woman who bought the abandoned hockey rink in South Florida.
I was young at the time, so I barely remembered the details, but I knew my dad would know exactly who she was.
In her early thirties, Robyn bought the abandoned rink, turned it into an NHL training facility for the Florida Panthers, and then flipped it five years later.
So now I’m sitting there thinking:
Wait.
I thought I was helping her with Substack, but I just accidentally met a superstar.
Finding Your Edge
The first publication we worked on was Robyn’s Substack called Finding Your Edge.
We started with the foundation:
Her profile bio.
Her publication positioning.
A clear one-liner.
Who she helps.
What makes her different.
Together, we landed on this one-liner:
“Helping growing entrepreneurs increase visibility and get featured in Forbes, WSJ, Inc. and more through strategic storytelling and AI search.”
And then it hit me.
Robyn helps growing entrepreneurs.
She helps people increase visibility.
She helps people get featured in places like Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Inc., and more.
And I’m sitting there thinking:
Wait a second.
I’m growing.
I’m technically doing this entrepreneurial thing.
This woman can probably help me way more than I can help her press buttons on Substack.
That was the moment the relationship shifted.
It was no longer just “Jessica helping Robyn with Substack.”
It became:
Robyn has expertise I need.
I have expertise she needs.
And we both started helping each other!!
That’s when the collaboration really began.
March 21: Workshop Day
On March 21st, Robyn attended my From Unstuck to Published Workshop.
From there, we decided to keep working together.
Not as a one-time thing.
As collaborators and as creators.
As two people building in public and figuring out what this could become.
April: The Substack Lives Begin
Here’s the funny part.
Before Robyn, I hated going live.
I had no intention of doing regular livestreams.
I liked writing.
I liked building.
I liked helping people behind the scenes.
But going live?
No thank you.
When Robyn suggested we go live, I was like:
“Live? Me??”
Robyn had to push me a bit, but I just showed up even though I wasn’t embracing video, yet!
That’s when Robyn and me decided to do it.
On April 3rd, we went live on Substack for the first time.
And then we decided to turn it into a regular Friday show called:
Unstuck to Finding Your Edge
Here’s the timeline:
→ April 3: First Substack Live together
→ April 10: Creating Your First Paid Offer
→ April 17: Getting Your Brand Featured
→ May 1: Live from Italy
→ May 11: Live from a Floating Houseboat in Croatia
→ May 18: Travel Tips When Things Go Wrong
→ May 22: Live to promote my Nurse in the Market stock market workshop
What started as a random comment became a recurring show.
A collaboration.
An exclusive content series.
A case study.
A relationship.
And honestly, a reminder that you never know where one conversation can lead.
Then Europe Happened
While all of this was unfolding, Robyn spent 22 days traveling through Europe.
→ She went to a conference in the UK.
→ She spent two nights in Costa Brava, Spain, where she was invited to experience a five-star adults-only beach retreat.
→ Then she went to Lake Maggiore and Lake Garda in Italy.
→ Then Croatia.
And while she was traveling, we kept going live.
At one point, we went live while Robyn was on a floating houseboat hotel in Split, Croatia.
Tiny gangplank.
Private deck!!
Jacuzzi.
Storms!!
Lost luggage stories!!
Luxury travel.
Real-time content.
It was the kind of thing you can’t manufacture in a content calendar.
And that’s when Rare Finds started to make even more sense.
Enter Rare Finds Luxury Travel
Once Robyn came home, we shifted our attention to her second publication:
Rare Finds - Luxury Travel
This wasn’t a quick tweak.
This was a full foundation refinement.
We started from the bottom:
Publication name and publication logo.
Audience.
Testimonials.
About page banner and email header and footer.
Branding.
Paid subscription strategy.
Substack collaboration opportunities and cross-posting.
This is the part I want paid subscribers to really pay attention to because most people think building a publication means picking a name and writing posts.
It doesn’t.
Building a publication means making decisions…over and over again.
Who is this for?
What problem does it solve?
Why should someone care?
What makes this different?
What should be free?
What should be paid?
What should wait?
What should be simplified?
What should be removed?
That’s the real work.
My 1:1 Build Session with Robyn For Rare Finds
Step 1: Clarifying The Name
Robyn’s travel publication had the essence already, but we needed to clean up the presentation and make the name feel clear, elevated, and aligned with the audience.
We refined the name to:
This immediately made the publication easier to understand.
It tells readers:
→ This is travel.
→ This is elevated.
→ This is curated.
→ This is about finding something special.
Step 2: Refining The Publication Short Description
Then, we worked on the publication description.
We wanted it to feel specific, polished, and clear without sounding generic.
We landed on:
“Rare Finds Luxury Travel uncovers extraordinary hotels and under-the-radar destinations, personally vetted by Robyn, a six-continent traveler.”
Then we refined it even further into a more active, reader-friendly version:
“Follow Robyn’s adventures uncovering extraordinary hotels, meeting the people behind them, and discovering places before the crowds.”
Then Robyn refined it once more to make it more tailored to her:
“Luxury travel discoveries for people who want exceptional hotels, insider access, and destinations before they become mainstream.”
That line matters because it gives the reader movement.
It tells them what they’re following.
Not just luxury travel.
→ Adventures, hotels, people and places before the crowds.
That’s the difference between a generic travel newsletter and a publication with a point of view.
Step 3: Defining The Audience
Robyn’s audience has multiple layers.
She’s speaking to:
Seasoned travelers.
Solo travelers over 50.
Luxury travelers.
People who want under-the-radar destinations.
Travel brands that want more visibility with this audience.
At first, this can feel like too much; however, it actually makes sense once you understand the structure.
→ The publication can serve the traveler.
→ The business can serve the travel brand.
That distinction matters.
Rare Finds can attract readers who love luxury travel and unique experiences.
Then Robyn’s deeper media, visibility, and storytelling expertise can also support travel brands trying to reach that same audience.
That is how one publication can become an ecosystem.
Step 4: Creating The Publication Logo
Then we worked on the visual identity.
I created a new logo concept in Canva using a vintage hotel key.
I brought it to life — live, while patiently refining it to Robyn’s creative direction.
This worked because the symbol immediately communicated:
Travel
Hotels
Discovery
Nostalgia
Luxury
Access
A good logo doesn’t need to explain everything.
It just needs to feel aligned.
The vintage hotel key made Rare Finds feel more editorial, more elevated, and more connected to boutique hospitality.
Step 5: Pausing Paid Subscriptions
One of the most important decisions we made was to pause paid subscriptions for now.
This might surprise people because I teach people how to build paid publications, but not every publication needs to monetize immediately.
For Rare Finds, the smarter move right now is to grow the subscriber base, build trust, refine the content, and strengthen the publication identity first.
Paid can come later.
The foundation has to come first.
This is something I wish more creators understood.
Monetization works better when people know what they are paying for. When there is a simple, clear offer.
Step 6: Strengthening The About Page
Then we worked on the About Page.
The goal was to make it clear:
Who Robyn is.
Why she is credible.
What Rare Finds is.
Who it is for.
Why readers should subscribe.
What makes her travel perspective different.
Robyn isn’t just someone who likes hotels.
She is a six-continent traveler.
She has real luxury travel experience.
She has media experience.
She has storytelling experience.
She knows how to find places before they become obvious.
She’s simply a GOAT!!
That credibility needed to come forward.
Step 7: Adding Testimonials
We also discussed testimonials, but not generic testimonials that sound fake.
I suggested using screenshots of real emails and real messages so the social proof feels authentic because readers can sense when something is overly polished.
Actual screenshots make the praise feel real, especially for a publication like Rare Finds, where trust matters.
If someone is going to follow your travel recommendations, they need to trust your taste.
Step 8: Cleaning Up The Visuals
We also discussed:
Adding a new banner.
Making the banner match the logo.
Adding dividers between sections.
Creating a cleaner email header.
Creating a stronger email footer.
Making the brand feel consistent across platforms.
These details matter.
Not because everything needs to be perfect, but because a luxury travel publication needs to feel intentional.
If the publication is about curated travel, the publication itself needs to feel curated too.
Step 9: Thinking About Recommendations & Collaboration
We also talked about Substack recommendations and collaborations.
This is one of the most underrated growth tools on Substack.
I shared with Robyn that recommendations have brought me over 2,100 subscribers.
That is not a small thing.
So part of the strategy for Rare Finds isn’t just publishing in isolation.
It is building through:
Recommendations
Cross-posts
Live videos
Collaborations
Relationship-building
Visibility
That is exactly how this whole relationship started in the first place.
Through visibility, through one comment, and through one conversation.
Step 10: Cross-Posting The Live
We also planned to cross-post the live from the houseboat in Split, Croatia, but the important lesson here is specificity.
Instead of saying:
“We went live from Croatia.”
We want to say:
“We went live from a floating houseboat hotel in Split, Croatia.”
Even better:
“We went live from Oasis, a floating houseboat hotel in Split, Croatia.”
Specificity creates curiosity, it makes the story feel real, and it’s what turns content from forgettable to memorable.
Step 11: The Most Fun Part!! Making AI Thumbnails for Rare Finds!!
Last, we generated AI images for Robyn and Rare Finds.
Making AI thumbnails is always a fun time!
What This Case Study Shows
This is why I wanted to showcase Robyn inside Unstuck to Published because this is what building actually looks like.
It’s not always linear, it’s not always clean, and it’s not always obvious from day one.
Sometimes you start with one publication and realize there is another one underneath it.
Sometimes you think you are helping someone and realize they can help you too.
Sometimes a client becomes a collaborator.
Sometimes a comment becomes a three-hour phone call.
Sometimes a phone call becomes a livestream series.
Sometimes a livestream from Croatia becomes the clearest example of what a publication can become.
The Bigger Lesson
The biggest lesson from this experience wasn’t about logos, audience strategy, or Substack settings.
It was about being willing to start the conversation.
One comment led to a phone call.
One phone call led to a collaboration.
One collaboration led to two publications, multiple livestreams, and a friendship I never expected.
Most opportunities don’t arrive looking like opportunities.
Sometimes they show up as a comment from a stranger asking a question.
Sometimes they show up in a confusing DM thread.
Sometimes they show up as a woman from Florida who used to figure skate, bought an abandoned hockey rink, built something incredible, and then somehow found her way into your Substack comments.
And sometimes saying,
“Call me,”
changes everything.
That’s the real magic of building on Substack.
Not just publishing.
Connecting and staying open long enough to see where the conversation goes.
Where To See Jess & Robyn Next
Robyn Levin and I are going live on Substack this Friday, June 5th at 12 PM ET to discuss how to use public relations (PR) to promote your workshop or product, see you there!!
Thank you for being here. I truly appreciate you.
— Jessica
Move first. Refine second. Publish with structure.
You can follow Robyn’s work here →
Relevant Articles Mentioned
How To Cross-Post On Substack!!
Each time I’m asked to co-author a collaborative article or I write my own collaborative with another Substack writer…I do the same thing.
How To Choose Your Publication Short Description (To Actually Grow)
Most creators think their Substack isn’t growing because they need:
How To Go Live On Substack The Right Way
This exclusive article was built in collaboration with Chris B. Writes, who implements these strategies and tips every Tuesday during his Substack live show called Typing It Real.