Date: 2026-10-01 Decider(s): Michael Houck (with Blake Stewart input) Status: decided
Decision
Stay on the current Beehiiv plan (now $6K/yr). Reject the downgrade to $4K/yr. Blake Stewart to negotiate a price reduction with Beehiiv when next negotiating a sponsorship deal with them.
Context
Beehiiv raised pricing: current plan now costs $6K/year (was $999/year at time of original signup). A $4K/yr downgrade option exists but would cap logins to 2 (Michael + one admin) and require splitting publications across separate accounts. Thread: ops.
Ben noted: “a couple sponsorships cover that… but that’s not a great mindset.” He also flagged that the team could operate with just 2 logins (michael@ryevalley.co + admin@ryevalley.co) if needed.
Michael confirmed $4K also feels “crazy.” Blake Stewart offered to try negotiating price down when they negotiate a sponsorship deal.
Options Considered
- Stay at $6K/yr (current plan, full features): chosen
- Downgrade to $4K/yr (2 logins, split publications): rejected - ops headache outweighs $2K savings
- Build own newsletter platform: rejected - Michael asked Hermes and received assessment that build cost would exceed $4K/yr when maintenance and deliverability are factored in; Ben also noted complex automation builds make this impractical
Consequences
- Beehiiv cost increased ~6x from original pricing; logged for context
- Blake Stewart owns the action to negotiate Beehiiv pricing reduction when next in a sponsorship negotiation with Beehiiv
- Financial detail filed under Owner tier