Introducing Franksplaining Business
What this newsletter is, and isn’t
If the Franksplaining Business newsletter were a book, this issue would be the introduction. Or, for some of you, a re-introduction.
This reboot of last year’s Franksplaining newsletter actually began in January, over what I recall was a fine Old Fashioned at the Admiralty Lounge in Bellingham, Washington. Cascadia Daily News Executive Editor Ron Judd and I were chatting, as we occasionally had done since I retired from writing my freelance business column for CDN at the end of September 2025.
Though I had successfully gotten away from ongoing deadlines, over that cocktail I privately bemoaned to Ron that I was still coming across business stories that needed telling and no one was doing so.
He mentioned that CDN was about to launch a handful of subscriber-only newsletters. Maybe I’d like to write the business one.
I immediately said maybe. Paused. Then yes. And I did write it for four months, exploring business developments in the region around my home in Bellingham (within Whatcom, Skagit and other nearby counties in Washington state by its border with Canada).
A turning point
Just as I was turning in my June newsletter, Ron was fired. Since he was my direct editor for “Business Matters with Frank Catalano,” I decided to leave CDN too. I even explained why in a public LinkedIn post.
But those Northwest Washington business stories? I think they still need telling.
Stories like how small airport and airline contractions affect business travelers. Why the fusion energy startup boom has put down roots in an area known for agriculture. And what local farms are doing to work with each other in a time of financial stress.
So I’m back on Substack, turning the experiment of Franksplaining from last year into Franksplaining Business this year. Perhaps consider it the natural offspring of that earlier, wide-ranging newsletter experiment (with some fun, useful stuff — read my essay of advice to my mid-career self) and my now-defunct, hyperlocal CDN business newsletter.
Franksplaining Business will have elements of both. My objective is to tell stories about business and technology news through a Northwest Washington lens. Sometimes, what’s local will be at the forefront. Other times, local examples will pepper a piece about a larger trend.
Expect (I hope) “aha” moments, analysis and some commentary. All fact based.
The initial plan
In addition to original, longer items, Franksplaining Business will also summarize key economic and business developments affecting Northwest Washington and the larger region. I’ll highlight interesting individual changes in businesses as I come across them.
This won’t be a rehash of every retail and restaurant opening or closing. Not only will my former colleagues at CDN continue to do a better job of that (I will point to their, and others’, business coverage from time to time) but I need to stay focused to keep this newsletter unique.
The occasional oddball item? Guaranteed.
How you can help
This newsletter is a solo operation. It will be a labor of love, too. I’m not offering any paid level of subscription while I determine if this is something I can maintain. But you can be a part of this effort in three ways.
First: Share the newsletter. If you like what you read, let others know. I’ll gauge interest based on readership.
Second: Pledge, if you’re able and willing. While Franksplaining Business is free, I am gratefully accepting pledges for future subscriptions if I should add a paid level (some level of reading will always be free). You’ll get a heads up when I start charging. Pledges help me understand the worth of this effort.
Third: Give me feedback. What do you think merits a larger story? What individual development is worth noting? Write to me at franksplaining@substack.com. Plus, I’ll tuck in polls where you can weigh in. Like this one, about the option for longer, monthly newsletters or shorter, twice-monthly issues.
Fourth and finally, I’ll make this pledge to you: Not a word here is, or will be, written by AI. Franksplaining is proudly all human. As am I.
Who’s writing this? Frank Catalano is an award-winning writer and broadcaster. Most recently, he was the regular business contributor and columnist for Cascadia Daily News in Northwest Washington from June 2022 to June 2026.
Earlier, Frank had side gigs as a columnist for, or ongoing contributor to, GeekWire, EdSurge, Seattle Weekly, Puget Sound Business Journal and KCPQ-TV Seattle. He started in radio news, spent decades as a senior executive and consultant in the tech and edtech industries, then returned to journalism. Send feedback or ideas to Frank at franksplaining@substack.com.