How The Modern Proper Built a Brand That's Bigger Than Its Founders

Developing a distinct brand voice, building a new discovery path on Substack, and working as partners with Holly Erickson and Natalie Mortimer from The Modern Proper. ----- Welcome to episode 595 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Holly Erickson and Natalie Mortimer from The Modern Proper. How The Modern Proper Built a Brand That's Bigger Than Its Founders Holly Erickson and Natalie Mortimer started out with their own food blogs and a catering business they ran together. In 2013, they teamed up to launch The Modern Proper, partly to keep each other accountable and consistent. When Instagram took off for them in 2016, the brand really started to grow. Today, they run a business with a team that includes a writer, a project manager, a photographer, and a recipe developer. In this interview, Holly and Natalie share what they've learned from working as business partners for over a decade, why their first hire was a writer, and what it's like working with an executive strategy consultant. They also talk about letting go of some of the mental load, how they deal with negative comments, and why they launched Weeknight Dinner Club on Substack, which has grown to 90,000 subscribers. This is a great listen for anyone thinking about a brand beyond their blog, or looking for a new way for readers to find them. Three episode takeaways: Why they built a new discovery path on Substack — Holly and Natalie launched Weeknight Dinner Club, a Substack that sits alongside The Modern Proper brand, so they could share more creative recipes that aren't driven by keywords. They talk about how their voice and recipes differ on Substack, how the newsletter is evolving, what growth has looked like as it reached 90,000 subscribers, how social media turns followers into subscribers, and why getting people to upgrade to paid is so hard. How a distinct brand voice gives you freedom to grow — By defining The Modern Proper's voice and brand clearly, Holly and Natalie have been able to hire people who create content that still sounds like them. That has helped them let go of some of the mental load that comes with running the business. What it's like working with an executive strategy consultant — They explain why they brought on a consultant, how that person helps them choose the right KPIs to focus on, and how they get support with work-life balance as two business partners. Resources: The Modern Proper Well Plated The Modern Proper Cookbook: Simple Dinners for Every Day Register for our free Instagram Strategy Q&A on November 19th! Follow Holly and Natalie on Instagram and Substack Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group Thank you to our sponsors! This episode is sponsored by Clariti. Interested in working with us too? Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities and how to get started here. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to [email protected]. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.