On July 1, 2016, ~1,000 readers opened a GVLtoday newsletter in their inbox for the first time. In the decade that followed, GVLtoday launched the growth of its parent company 6AM City, which now has 556,640 daily newsletter readers across the country. Here’s how two local entrepreneurs made it happen.

2013 | CEO Ryan Johnston was working at Community Journals and knew COO Ryan Heafy through local involvement in our community. Over a few drinks during their time as classmates in Leadership Greenville (Class 40), Johnston shared that he was inspired by the Charlotte Agenda and wanted to bring something similar to Greenville.

2016 | The duo put things into motion in February, and GVLtoday was founded as a product innovation of Community Journals. The first newsletter went out on July 1.

2017 | The product expanded to Columbia, SC (COLAtoday).

2018 | In January, 6AM City became its own company after the Ryans realized the product could scale. The company raised capital and prioritized expansion across the Southeast.

6AM City expanded to Asheville, NC (AVLtoday), Charleston, SC (CHStoday), Lakeland, FL (LALtoday), and Chattanooga, TN (NOOGAtoday).

2019 | 6AM City expanded to Raleigh, NC (RALtoday).

The company grew rapidly in 2021. | Photo by 6AM City

2021 | The company drew the attention of larger investors with a passion for community. This fueled the expansion into even more cities, some beyond the Southeast footprint.

6AM City expanded to Austin, TX (ATXtoday), Fort Worth, TX (FTWtoday), Indianapolis (INDYtoday), Lexington, KY (LEXtoday), Louisville, KY (LOUtoday), Nashville, TN (NASHtoday), and Richmond, VA (RICtoday).

2022 | 6AM City expanded to Tampa Bay, FL (TBAYtoday).

2023 | 6AM City expanded to Winston-Salem, NC (WStoday).

2024 | 6AM City expanded to Charlotte, NC (CLTtoday).

2025 | The company acquired Good Daily, a thriving network of AI-powered newsletters. This allowed 6AM City to expand its product offering into smaller markets across the country, growing to 1,500 US cities.

6AM City expanded to Knoxville, TN (865today) and Northern Virginia (NOVAtoday).

2026 | The company achieved profitability.

6AM City will expand to Wilmington, NC (WILMtoday).