The Hardest Lesson I Learned About Launching Fast (and Actually Winning)

8 hard-earned lessons about focus, speed, and launching your product before it’s too late.

I once spent 6 hours buried in busy work.

• Color-coding my Notion.

• Answering Slack messages.

• Perfecting my logo.

Meanwhile…The founder who started after me?
Shipped his MVP.
Got his first paying customer.
While I was still tweaking fonts.

That day taught me something brutal:

Activity ≠ progress.
Progress = shipping.

It was a wake-up call that taught me more about focus, execution, and speed than any book, podcast, or workshop ever did.

Every minute you spend perfecting something nobody asked for is a minute your customer spends paying someone else.

The Painful Truth About Why Others Launch Faster Than You...

Here’s what happened and the 8 brutal lessons I learned so you can avoid my mistake.

The Illusion of Progress

We’re all guilty of it:
We tell ourselves that we’re building when really, we’re just hiding behind busy work.

I thought polishing my brand colors and responding to every message made me a good founder.
But it didn’t.
It made me slower.
It made me irrelevant.

Because while I was tweaking hex codes, someone else was getting paid.
Simple as that.

The 8 Lessons That Saved Me From Myself

If you’re stuck in the same trap, feeling busy but not moving forward, these lessons will sting.
And that’s good.
Pain is a teacher.

1. Activity ≠ Progress

Just because you’re moving doesn’t mean you’re going anywhere.

Real progress is measurable:

• A customer signed up.

• A feature shipped.

• Revenue came in.

If your “work” doesn’t lead directly to one of these, stop doing it.

2. Your Logo Doesn’t Matter. Your Customer Does.

Nobody buys because your logo is perfect.

They buy because your product solves their problem.

Stop hiding in Canva. Start solving.

3. Notifications Are Poison

Every ding, buzz, and ping steals your focus.
You’re not as good at multitasking as you think — science backs this up.

Turn them off.
You don’t owe anyone an instant reply.
You owe yourself uninterrupted focus.

4. Busy Feels Safe Because It Feels Good

Filling your day with easy tasks shields you from the scary stuff:
→ Reaching out to customers
→ Shipping an imperfect product
→ Asking for feedback

But hiding behind busy guarantees you stay mediocre.

5. Block 90–120 Minutes for Deep Work

Every morning, before you open Slack or email, carve out a block of time.
No meetings.
No notifications.
Just you and your highest-leverage work.

Those hours are worth more than the rest of your day combined.

6. Ship Before You’re Ready

Your v1 should embarrass you.

If it doesn’t, you waited too long.
An ugly, working product in the hands of customers is infinitely better than a beautiful one collecting dust on your laptop.

7. Stop Measuring Hours. Measure Outcomes.

Nobody cares how long you worked.
They care what you delivered.

Stop romanticizing long hours. Start romanticizing results.

8. If You’re Not Embarrassed by v1, You Shipped Too Late

Perfection is procrastination dressed up as diligence.

Your competitors aren’t waiting for you to feel ready.
Neither is your market.

Why Most Founders Stay Busy (and Lose)

Here’s the hard truth:

Being busy is easier than being brave.

It lets you feel accomplished while avoiding the uncomfortable but necessary actions that actually move you forward.

That’s why most founders stay stuck in fake progress until they burn out.

And the few who focus?
They win.

So, Which One Are You?

I had to learn the hard way.
You don’t have to.

The difference between launching fast and staying stuck is one decision:
→ Stop hiding behind work that feels good.
→ Start doing work that actually counts.

Tomorrow morning, block your time, turn off your phone, and ship something — even if it’s ugly.
Especially if it’s ugly.

You don’t need another productivity hack.
You need to get out of your own way.

The founder who learns to ignore noise earns the right to create signal.

- Barry

PS: Now stop reading and go ship. Unless reading blogs is your business model.