Welcome to Think Piece

👋 Hey there, I’m Sarah. I’m a writer, strategist, coach, and 2x founder. My work has been featured in The Washington Post, USA Today, Cosmopolitan, and Every.

At Think Piece I research and write at the intersection of business, culture, and knowledge work. The newsletter is designed to provide the deep analysis, criticism, and reflection that visionary creatives, founders, and curious minds like you need to build the future of business.

As a subscriber you will receive:

• timely analysis of events and trends in tech, business, and the online industry like this about Substack’s crowdfunding round

• researched and creative essays exploring deeper connections and questions about business, productivity, and pursuit of a good life, like this about AI and the future of knowledge work

• personal essays about founder life, culture, and other tangential tidbits like this about how I cultivate the risk tolerance required to be an entrepreneur and my authentic self

Purchase a Subscription to Think Piece

Paid subscribers receive:

• commenting privileges and full archive access

• paid subscriber-only articles and podcast episodes

• the Brain Trust monthly coaching and advice column

• access to the growing Resource Library of on-demand workshops, presentations, and other tools designed to help you make good money and good work

• and more to come!

Writing, coaching, podcasting, and teaching has been a large part of my job as a founder for eight years, and has helped me to reach and support tens of thousands of entrepreneurs. Now I bring all of that experience and insight to you through Think Piece.

If you value the analysis, education, and rants (I’m known for my rants!) that I create to support you in navigating online, knowledge-driven business, upgrade to a paid subscription to get access to all of my writing and ensure the longevity of Think Piece.

Bonus: you can probably expense it or write it off. (This is not legal advice obviously.)

Your paid subscription is only $7/month or $70/year, and if you are able to you can invest at the “a business expense” tier to help make this work more sustainable for me and keep me rich in coffee and seltzer.

What Readers Say About Think Piece

“I support your work because you think and write about trends and issues that are important to me as an online small business owner that I don’t necessarily have the bandwidth to keep tabs on (but really should). Your thinking helps me grow.” — Rochelle Sugawa

“We need more deeply researched writing from small businesses!” — Jessica Lackey

“I’ve always deeply appreciated your nuance, clarity, and no bullshit style.” - Saturday Grace

“I’ve been a big fan of your work for the past few years (your writing, your voice)... As someone who has worked for themselves for the past decade or so, hearing you talk about some of the struggles of micro businesses is so comforting. Excited to hear your new thoughts…” - Beatrice Scescke

About Sarah

I’m Sarah M. Chappell, a writer, strategist, and coach.

I help visionaries, creatives, and founders to build the future of knowledge and culture work through product development, communications strategy, online education consulting, and coaching.

I have over fifteen years of sales, marketing, and communications experience, and founded a community-driven online education platform. My online memberships, cohort-based courses, and group coaching programs supported over 1,000 small businesses and entrepreneurs, giving me a unique opportunity to see the behind-the-scenes of what’s working—and what’s not—in online knowledge businesses. 

In addition to my start-up and corporate experience, I am a graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy and New York University. My work has been featured in Every, The Washington Post, USA Today, and Cosmopolitan, amongst others. I have collaborated with numerous companies and events including MemberSpace, Founder Summit, SHIFT, East Fork Pottery, Sunlight Tax, Wooden Spoon Herbs, and more.