Enter the Dragon: Why I’m Building a Magazine of One
They say if you try to speak to everyone, you speak to no one. They tell creators to “niche down” and pick a lane.
I disagree.
I am not a keyword. Neither are you.
We are complex people with multiple interests. I love high-level Artificial Intelligence strategy. I also love building businesses. I love hardware, and I love philosophy.
If I tried to fit all of that into a standard newsletter, it would be a mess.
The algorithm would hate it.
So I am not building a newsletter. I am building a Magazine.
Welcome to VengaDragon.
The Magazine Model
The internet is noisy. To fix this, I have organized this publication into distinct columns. This allows me to write about everything I love without cluttering your inbox with things you don’t care about.
Here is how the magazine is structured:
1. Sentient (The Mind) This is the flagship column. It focuses on AI, LLMs, and the future of intelligence. It is home to the 55/35 Protocol: my method of combining 55 years of human wisdom with 35-year-old speed.
2. Scale (The Journey) I am building this magazine in public. In this column, I share the metrics, the growth strategy, and the raw numbers. If you want to know how to build a Substack in the modern era, watch this space.
3. The Forge (The Tools) This is for the gear. Hardware, software, and code. If it helps us build faster or work better, we talk about it here.
4. The Hoard (The Collection) Every week I curate the best links, resources, and digital gold I find online. It is a quick injection of value for your weekend.
5. Venga! (The Spirit) You are reading this section right now. This is for the Editor’s Letters, the philosophy, and the drive to do more.
You Are In Control
Because this is a magazine, you get to choose which sections you receive.
If you love the AI analysis but don’t care about my business metrics, you can “mute” the Scale section in your account settings. You don’t have to unsubscribe from the whole thing. You get to curate your own experience.
Why “VengaDragon”?
I live in Spain. Here, “Venga!” is a common phrase. It is a call to action. It means “Come on” or “Let’s go.”
As for the Dragon part, mythical dragons are known for hoarding treasure. My goal is to unlock that treasure for you.
I have spent 30 years in marketing. This project is the culmination of everything I have learned. I am ready to build. I am ready to share the truth.
Welcome to the archives.
Venga!
Mark (VengaDragon)
The Ask
Status Update: As of this morning (Nov 29), we are at 13 subscribers. (Yes, thirteen. We could all fit in a minivan).
The Mission: I have a wildly ambitious goal to hit 500 by January 1st.
I am building this in public, starting from zero. No ads, no tricks. Just this lab report.
The Ask: I don’t want your money today. I want your network. If you believe this project has legs, please forward this to just one person who would vibe with it.
If we double the minivan today, we fill a bus tomorrow.