In 2013, when I launched and grew my first “successful” website in Turkey, we were reaching around 300,000 people per month. For that period, in a niche field like rock and metal, this audience size was a very respectable achievement. The sector practically didn’t exist; apart from Headbang magazine, there were no real platforms at the time. We were a solid alternative in a rapidly digitalizing world. That said, I should also admit that our level of editorial depth was far below that of Headbang magazine and its editors—but we were still trying.
From my perspective, we were doing something valuable simply because no one else was doing it. To be fair, we did have people who liked what we were doing—otherwise we wouldn’t have been getting 300,000 clicks. The scene felt almost like a two-block world back then: those who were “with us” and the Headbang crowd. At some point, however, we experienced a serious break from the local scene. I felt that we weren’t getting the value we deserved, because even the smallest mistake would trigger a massive wave of backlash—and the ones leading those lynch mobs were, in fact, the very gatekeepers of the sector. Eventually, it became too much. I decided to leave Turkey and try my luck in the United States. That was the turning point where the foundations of MHZ were laid.
Here comes the critical part: when I launched MHZ, my English wasn’t even good enough (and honestly, I still don’t consider it fully sufficient). At that point, I simply rebuilt the same system I had set up at TG. Since the formula was right, it worked there exactly the same way it had in Turkey. It grew.
Now comes the truly critical part: at that time, being fully aware of my own shortcomings, I wrote the following note in my byline: “My English is not good enough, please excuse me.”
And then what happened? AN EMAIL FLOOD. Every single message was along the lines of “you’re doing great, keep going.” As someone who had left Turkey feeling disillusioned, the attitude of the American audience became a lifeline for me.
The conclusion to draw from this, I suppose, could be the following: rather than struggling endlessly in a place where your value isn’t recognized, it may be better to sail toward new seas. At least, that’s how it worked out for me.
