I got my Instagram back.
After 48 hours of thinking it was gone forever.
And those 48 hours taught me more than the last 3 years on the platform.
Here's what happened:
Account got hacked. Couldn't log in. Tried everything to recover it.
Nothing worked.
So I assumed it was gone.
And here's what's wild:
Nothing changed.
My business kept running.
My income didn't drop.
My ability to reach you didn't stop.
Because everything that matters happens here.
Not on Instagram.
Those 48 hours without it proved something I already knew but needed to feel:
Platforms are temporary. Ownership is permanent.
When I thought Instagram was gone, I wasn't worried about my business.
I was worried about rebuilding followers.
And that distinction matters.
Because my business isn't built on followers.
It's built on this email list.
You're reading this right now because you're on something I own.
Not something Instagram owns.
And that's the difference.
I got the account back (grateful for that).
But I'm even more grateful that losing it for 48 hours didn't break anything.
Because that's the test.
If losing a platform would destroy your business, you don't have a business.
You have a dependency.
And I learned I don't have that dependency.
My business kept running.
Because it's built here.
On email. On direct relationships. On things I own.
So here's the lesson:
Use platforms to grow.
But build on something you own.
Because platforms will fail you.
They'll change algorithms. They'll get hacked. They'll die.
But direct relationships?
Those are yours forever.
Talk soon, Dyl - Founder of Relentlece
P.S. If you're not building an email list, start today. I just lived through why it matters.