your "ready" roadblock ... [🐝U]

If you’ve worked with me before…
you’re probably already rolling your eyes reading this.
because you’ve heard this a 100 times before
→ something is better than nothing
→ it’s never going to be perfect
→ you won’t know until you actually put it out there
→ there’s a difference between motion & momentum

But here’s what I don’t say enough
& it’s usually the moment people stop nodding & start resisting

👉 clarity & confidence don’t come first.
👉 & you don’t get to decide if it’s good.

The market does.

here’s where it shows up in real life

… right before we have to let someone else see it

I had 2 conversations this week…

both started the same way:
“I’ve been building this thing…”

& both ended the same way too.

Smart.
Capable.
Insanely impressive.
Doing the work most people won’t.
(yours truly included!)

They both had an idea & dove headfirst into building … an app

But here’s what was missing:
→ No audience.
→ No one using it.
→ No one reacting to it.

Just… their opinion.
(which, if we’re being honest, is the least reliable data point in the entire process)

Don’t get me wrong.
That’s an important first step
but you also need feedback from your audience

Not just anyone… like people you know
It has to be those that would want the thing you’re offering

motion feels productive

But it’s lying to you.
That’s what traps us.

Because you’re doing something.
& there’s probably a lot of hours going into it.

But it’s safe.
& safe doesn’t get results

Sharing your idea publicly?
That’s the moment your stomach drops a bit.
Because now it’s not just an idea anymore.

Now it can be judged.
Ignored.
Picked apart.

Or worse…
nothing.

no replies.
no feedback.
just silence.

It’s like planting in a greenhouse
& never taking the plant outside.

It stays protected.
You control everything.

But eventually… you do have to move it outside.
Where you don’t control anything anymore.

That’s where it gets exposed.
But that’s also the only place it can actually grow

& the moment you do… that’s when you might hear:
→ “this isn’t good”
→ “this doesn’t work”
→ “this isn’t for me”

Ironically, that’s also where everything you want lives:
→ feedback
→ improvement
→ money

ready to launch… but not ready to be seen

This is where most people stop

So for 1 I offered to make some introductions to people in the tech start-up space
the other I asked to test with my information

& then something interesting happened…
They both pulled back

The moment I offered to introduce them to real people—
users, investors, collaborators …
actual feedback…

Everything shifted.

Not excitement.

Hesitation.

You could feel it.

Because now it wasn’t hypothetical anymore.
It got real.

& real means someone can say:
“This doesn’t work.”

1 of them literally said, ‘I just need a bit more time before showing anyone.’

But what they really meant was:
‘I’m not ready to hear what people think.’

That’s the part no one tells you about building something.

here’s the pattern (you’ve probably done this too)

Once you see it, you can’t unsee it

People will:
→ trust their doubts more than their results
→ ignore what they already know
→ avoid real feedback
→ & still expect momentum

That’s not how this works.

You don’t get to decide if it’s good.
You don’t get to decide if you’re ready.
(Spoiler Alert: you’re never going to feel completely ready!)
You don’t even get to decide if you’re qualified.

The market decides.
Your customers will tell you
clearly & quickly.
But only if you show up.

what that looked like for me

This newsletter launched almost 1 year ago.
No grand plan to turn it into a solid income stream
No giant audience or following
No earth-shattering strategy beyond the “They Ask, You Answer” framework.

I knew I wanted to monetize but I wasn’t sure how.
& I’m still experimenting.

I just started.
before I felt ready.

& if I’m being honest…
I almost didn’t.

I kept putting it off
& coming up with excuses.

Until I finally invested a lot of money on a program on how to monetize newsletters.

I remember staring at the first issue thinking:
“Who’s actually going to care about this?”
“Do my ramblings even make sense?”
“What if this is just a waste of time & money?”

$2 changed everything

That first month?
50 subscribers (after personally asking 75)
1 issue per week
I made $2.

Not even enough for a proper coffee.
But I was ridiculously excited.

It wasn’t about the money.

Because for the first time…
it wasn’t just in my head anymore.

People subscribed (& stayed)
They clicked (& replied)

It was proof of concept.

It didn’t stop there

So I kept going.
Not guessing.
Not assuming.

Just listening.

I learned about:
→ what you like
→ don’t like
→ what you wanted more of

So I adjusted:
→ fewer memes
→ more subheads
→ stronger storytelling

Not because I felt like it was better…
but because you told me …
with opens, clicks, & replies!

what happened next

11 months later…
That original $2 for the month has grown

On average, it’s covering the monthly subscription for beehiiv
every. single. send.
Twice a week.

Which means 1 month now pays for the entire year.

All from something that started as “this might be a dumb idea that wastes time I don’t have, but…”

That’s not even the best part.

It’s also brought:
→ referrals
→ coaching clients
→ extra income

& I’m helping others structure & launch newsletters that are giving them the clarity & confidence they wouldn’t have gotten if they’d have kept their ideas locked away.

That’s something I didn’t plan on!

so I tried something else…

This month I added an audio version.

It’s literally me reading the newsletter.
No AI-cloned voice.

You can tell from the
Stumbling.
Rambling.
Knocking things over mid-recording.

It’s messy.
& that’s exactly why people are connecting with it..

It’s me … being myself ... warts & all
& it’s resonating in a way I never would have expected.

I honestly had no idea if it would work.
I mean who wants to hear my nasally voice stumble through my own thoughts?
I know I sure don’t!

But it already cracked Top 10 (#3 actually!!) Canadian podcasts on TrueFans.fm

It’s not Spotify top 10 & I’m not trying to be Joe Rogan with marathon interviews

Honestly? I didn’t expect anything.

I just uploaded a few back episodes so there’d be something to listen to…
& they are … in more countries than reading the newsletter!

Didn’t see that coming!

& honestly… I almost didn’t do it.

That’s where my mentors stepped in:
-> Ilise Benun for suggesting I start a podcast & not letting me try to talk myself out of it.
-> Lisa Christoffel for backing Ilise up & helping me build those Tiny Habits to make things happen

Like the newsletter, it’s messy.
& that’s just audio

WAIT until I start adding guests on video!

People who’ve been reading since that first issue have noticed a difference.
the writing is getting better
less fluff around the middle
& it’s an easy, fast read … even though most are over 1,000 words.

so let’s bring this back to you

I didn’t wait until this newsletter was “good.”
It improved with your feedback.

Same with the audio version
& everything else I try …

I already know my first proper podcast with a guest on video, I’m going to cringe.

But that’s part of it.

We ALL suck doing something for the first time.
Every single one of us.
There’s no escaping it.

Here’s the part most of us avoid

You don’t need it to be good
it just needs to exist

not with a big launch
not with a perfect plan

just… putting something out there

without telling anyone at first … if you need to
make it messy if it has to be

your turn

What have you been sitting on?
→ A newsletter.
→ An offer.
→ A podcast.
→ something you keep saying “not yet” to

This is your sign.

👉 Start it.
Today.

Waiting isn’t making it better
it’s just keeping it invisible

Hit reply & tell me what it is.
I’ll cheer you on
(& yeah … probably hold you to it 😉)

Make it a great “messy“ week!
EG

PS:

If this newsletter helps you think differently, grow more honestly, or feel a little less alone building your business … there are a few ways you can support it (& keep it free for everyone).

→ clicking the 2 ads below
Clicking the ads you see helps fund the newsletter with just 10 seconds of your time.
Bonus points (to you) for getting a chance to study their structure … because I DO check every single 1 before approving them.

→ keeping it reader-supported (by choice, not guilt or force)
If this newsletter earns a spot in your week, you can chip in whatever feels right …
bus change, a coffee, or “wow this really helped” $.
No pressure. Ever.

→ Introducing your people to me
If this feels like something your biz friends would find helpful, I’d appreciate you sharing.
& as a thank you, you get a 1-on-1 coaching call from every 10 referrals.

→ Getting a 2nd set of eyes on your business
When you’re ready for 1-on-1 help in your business, schedule a call with your special subscriber rate

Are you tracking agent views on your docs?

AI agents already outnumber human visitors to your docs — now you can track them.

See your AI traffic!

The AI Playbook for Video Teams That Can't Slow Down

Wistia's new AI Video Marketing Trends report shows how marketers are using AI to move faster, improve quality, and extend the life of every video. See how leading teams are driving results without adding more work.

Download the Full Report

PPS:
Every email is based on what you ask for … the more something’s asked for, the faster it finds its way to the top of the to-write-about pile
📣 Tell me what you want to read about … here

🔗 Connect with me on LinkedIn … here

📈 Want to talk about better marketing results for your business by being yourself?
Find a time that fits your schedule.