Hey Reader! I'm sending you my top 4 most popular emails of the year each week this month... and then breaking down what my strategy was and why I think it hit.

This is my #3 most popular email of this year! Read the email all the way through, then scroll to the bottom for my strategy and takeaway. See if you can tell what "role" I'm playing in this email. Hit "reply" and let me know what you think of this series! :)

Perfect Would've Killed This

I just cranked out a quick 12.5 miles on my Peloton.

I nearly tripped over my bike shoes running to my MacBook to tell you something that might save 6-figures in wasted courses & coaches...

JUST START. That's how you'll learn.

Yep, that's my groundbreaking advice.

Obvious? Yep.

Something you do? Errrrm...

Here's what you need to know:

As a business owner, or someone who wants to start one, you're going to get hit left and right with messages about the 'right' way, the 'best' way, the new hacks and secrets...

(which changes faster than the algorithm they're all trying to figure out themselves)

But the truth is: the only way you learn is by doing.

And the early days of 'doing' are messy.

In 2021, I started my podcast On Your Terms®️ without researching how to structure the best episode. I used a $60 AudioTechnica mic as I crossed 100k downloads.

"Do you ever listen to your own episodes?" my friend asked in my early days.

"Nope," I replied, "because then I would stop recording it."

I'm sure my early episodes weren't the best they could be.

I wouldn't know, I've never listened to them.

Instead, I kept recording. Kept publishing. I got the reps in.

I upgraded my mic to a $200 version (it didn't change my downloads).

4 years later, I still adopt this attitude about just starting, whether it's in my business or at the gym.

Yesterday, as I zipped to the gym to crank out leg presses that were double my body weight, I hit 'play' on this week's podcast episode.

It's one of my most vulnerable and open episodes about how grief has changed me + how that's impacted my business. (LISTEN HERE→)

I thought about deleting it.

I felt like I could've done better with the episode.

By now, I know publishing it will teach me something.

So I listened to observe.

"OOF," I thought, "that intro needs to be tighter."

I heard 12 things that could've been better.

But here's the thing:

If I'd obsessed over the perfect intro or listened to my early episodes in 2021, I would've quit by episode 8 (if I made it that far!).

I never would've hit 257 episodes (+ counting!) and over 171,000 downloads.

Now I'm 257 episodes in, and I still have room for improvement!

Drop the idea that this will be easy or fast.

4 years later, I listen and get curious about how to get better.

I can read my writing, see one of my YouTube videos, or listen to a podcast episode and just see it for what it is -- an attempt.

I see everything I do in my business as an opportunity and experiment.

That's why I'm here today to lovingly nudge you to just get started.

Whether it's your business, a podcast, YouTube channel, or you new knitting hobby...

Embrace the messy beginning. Or even just the messiness of learning something -- even 4 years in.

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📬 Sam's Strategy + Takeaway:

Honestly, this one of those emails I read and I see SO many things I did 'wrong' -- but the stats speak for themselves! This email killed it.

In terms of what I'd improve: the story was too long, it meandered a bit, and I struggled to just stick with "1 idea" (something I'm working on quite a bit.) [🔥 HOT TIP: think to yourself, "what is the MAIN point of this email?" and stick to it. Reread what you wrote to see if you split off. I could have split this into many different newsletters.]

But my "strategy" with it was to be your cheerleader that day. Sometimes I bring tough love. Sometimes I see myself as your coach -- the one on the sidelines cheering you on, because I know you can do it (and I know you know, too).

My "cheerleader" emails do really well. I think it's because people want to feel seen and heard, and sometimes we all need a little pep talk.

My takeaway for you is that I hope this email proves that even when your newsletter isn't "perfectly crafted," it can still land with the right people. Hit "reply" and let me know what you thought!

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