Six lessens that shaped Mongabay
Six inspirational lessons, shared by Rhett Ayers Butler, founder and CEO of Mongabay, which he started out of his love for nature and wildlife.
“When are you going to get a real job?”
I heard this a lot in the early years—from my parents, my peers in Silicon Valley, even a partner at a consulting firm who tried to recruit me out of college.
I had stepped away from stability into uncertainty. I’d always had a job since I was a 15-year-old working at a pet store, but now, I was building something that most told me wasn’t financially sustainable.
But I pressed on.
It wasn’t blind faith—I had already been running Mongabay for four years, and the site was generating revenue. Not a lot, but enough to glimpse a path forward. And I had savings to weather the early years.
It took time for others to accept my choice. External validation helped. But looking back, I see a few key reasons why Mongabay grew into what it is today.
The six lessens that shaped those early years:
1. Perseverance matters more than perfection.
↳ The first years were hard. Managing my workload and pushing through uncertainty built resilience.
2. Find where your work adds unique value.
↳ I focused on original stories and underreported issues, carving out a niche others had overlooked.
3. Resourcefulness beats resources.
↳ I did what I could with what I had—being scrappy was a necessity, not a choice.
4. Iterate relentlessly.
↳ Success didn’t come from a perfect plan. It came from trying, learning, and adapting.
5. Impact outlasts metrics.
↳ While Mongabay started with an ad-driven model, I always prioritized the real-world impact of our journalism. That approach proved more sustainable than chasing traffic.
6. Right time, right place—but also, hard work.
↳ I was lucky to start Mongabay at an opportune moment. But luck matters most if you’re prepared to act on it.
It’s been over 25 years now. Thanks for being part of the journey.
These lessons where first shared on Linkedin.
Beyond Mongabay, Rhett has advised a range of organizations and institutions, from news outlets to philanthropic foundations to development agencies, and his writing and photography have appeared in hundreds of publications. Rhett was the first journalist to win the Field Museum’s Parker/Gentry Award from the Field Museum in Chicago.
About Mongabay
Mongabay is an independent media organization that opens access to accurate environmental news created with a global network of local journalists.
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