I’ve seen it a hundred times, and if we’re being honest, I’ve done it myself more than I want to admit.

You sit down with good intentions. You open a doc. A tab. Another tab.
You start mapping out your funnel. Writing an outline for that freebie. Planning your launch. Sketching ideas in Notion. Listing content buckets. Creating frameworks.

But here’s the hard truth:

You’re not planning to publish. You’re planning to avoid publishing.

Why?
Because once it’s real, it can flop.
And if it flops, then what? That’s the question you’re avoiding.

This kind of planning isn’t bad because it’s slow.
It’s bad because it hides your real problems under the illusion of “getting ready.”

Most advice says: "Just start!"
Okay, cool. But start what?

That’s the problem no one answers.

Because if you’ve tried launching something before and got crickets, your brain now treats “publishing” as a risk.
So you stay in the shallow end, outlining, tweaking, building systems you don’t need yet.

What no one tells you is:
Planning feels productive because it keeps you away from proof.

Proof that your offer isn’t clear.
Proof that your list doesn’t click.
Proof that no one cares, yet.

That proof is painful. But it’s also the only path forward.

Forget “finishing” your plan.
Just expose it.

Pick one thing you’ve been noodling on for more than 10 days, a lead magnet, a small offer, an email series, and do this:

Publish a half-baked version of it to a real person.

Here’s how to know if you’re doing this right:

Example:

You’ve got an affiliate product you want to promote. You’ve been building a funnel for it for weeks.

Stop.

Write 3 sentences.
Send them in an email.
Link to the product.
See who clicks.

That’s your data.
Not the funnel. Not the lead magnet. Not the webinar.

You don’t need a system yet.
You need feedback.

If you’re reading this thinking, “Yeah I’ve published before, still got nothing,”... cool. Let’s diagnose:

You don’t need another course.
You need to know what’s actually broken.
And that means testing, not tweaking.

Here’s your scale check:

No shame.
Just facts.

What’s something you’ve been working on for weeks that just refuses to move?

Hit reply and tell me about it.

Maybe I’ll have a shortcut, a fresh angle, or a quick way to test it without rebuilding the whole thing.
Or maybe I’ll just tell you how I screwed it up the same way.

Either way, I’ll read it.

Fun fact: The guy who invented the whiteboard initially designed it for military strategy planning.
But the only reason it took off in business? People realized it made stalling look smart.

So yeah. Planning tools?
Often just fancier ways to avoid the real work.

“You can’t improve what doesn’t exist.”
So make it exist. Then fix it.

#notanotherfunnel
#testbeforeyoubuild
#nohypemarketing
#solopreneurgrind
#publishmessy
#kevinhammerknows
#planningisntprogress
#buildlesslaunchmore
#marketingwithoutpretending
#affiliatetruth

Hope this helps you throw one less post-it at your wall this week.

Until Next Time,

PSA: Nobody actually writes emails on Black Friday. They schedule them in advance. Which means if you're stressing over being "in the inbox," don't. Go eat something beige and buttery instead.

P.S.
If selling your thing online feels like learning a second language, and that language is “guru nonsense”, I made something that might help.

It’s called The No-Hype Guide to Selling Your Stuff Online.

It won’t cost you anything.
It won’t make you rich overnight.
And it definitely won’t make you sound like a guru.

Just honest tips on writing words that sell, without needing to grow a beard and start using words like “synergy.”

👉 Grab it here if you want it