Honestly, It’s a Lot: Welcome to Tab City.
Dispatches from the edge of purpose, pressure, and possibility.
Let’s just start with the truth:
I’m tired. I’m building. I’m blessed. And I’m still figuring it out.
Welcome to Everything But the Exit — a space for the messy middle of entrepreneurship. The part that doesn’t get posted. The days that don’t look like a TED Talk or a pristine pitch deck. The seasons where you’re trying to be faithful to the vision while also wondering if you should just go get a job with dental and a therapy allowance.
By the way, I’m Channing. I’m a 30-something-year-old believer, founder, freelance copywriter, and strategist (because these bills), a storyteller, and someone who is 100% trying to figure life out. And I’m in the middle of building something that doesn’t have a blueprint. Because you’re probably new to my story, I started a small blog in 2017 for women in sneakers and streetwear because I didn’t see Black and brown women represented in online media at the time. Fast forward eight years, and that little blog turned into a community of over 50,000, a six-figure media company, and a leading voice in women’s sneakers. Now, we’re raising our seed round to bring the first Black-woman-owned retail sneaker store in the United States to Dallas, TX. It sounds great when you read it, but it’s a little more complex when you live it.
Don’t get me wrong, some days it feels brilliant. Other days, it feels like a soft spiral into that teacup from Get Out.
But, I’m getting off track. Everything But the Exit is a digital reminder for those of us who aren’t chasing an exit but are chasing purposeful sustainability. You can expect dispatches from hard deadlines, quiet breakthroughs, and everything “under construction” when the highlight reel fades. No filter. No sugar. Just what it is taking me to build—purposefully, imperfectly, and persistently.
This space is my way of pulling back the curtain. I’ll share the behind-the-scenes of building a purpose-led brand. The conversations I’m having (and avoiding). The money questions, the mindset work, the failed launches, and tiny wins. The joy. The tension. The receipts. The only thing I probably won’t show you is all of the Chrome tabs open on my browser.
Everything But the Exit is part journal, part business diary, part “girl, same.”
If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing the most and still not doing enough, this is for you. If you’re building something that doesn’t look like what the world expects, pull up a chair. If you’re tired of polished perfection and craving something real, you’re in the right inbox. We’re in this for the work. The impact. The evolution. Everything but the exit.
I don’t have all the answers. But I do have honest stories, hard lessons, and the audacity to keep going. I hope you come along for the ride.
Subscribe if you’re tired of the highlight reel.
Awesome, welcome to Substack 🙌🏻. Looking forward to reading you.
beautiful read, looking forward to what's to come! your voice is necessary in this space.