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Morning—Clay here.

If there’s one thing I keep learning through building Campfire Gentleman, it’s this:
You don’t need more time. You need to start.

Not perfectly. Not confidently. Not even with full clarity.
Just… start.

Because most of the good things in my life, from projects to relationships to growth, didn’t begin with a master plan.
They started with movement.
And more often than not, they started a little messy.

This week, I want to share a quick story about a mistake I made in the very first days of launching Campfire Gentleman, and why I’m so glad I didn’t fix it.

Let’s get into it. 🔥

The Mistake That Built Momentum

When I first launched Campfire Gentleman, I ran a simple ad to get the word out.

Nothing fancy, just a clean logo and text-only image that felt true to the project. It was actually the very first posts I ever made.

And it worked.

That little ad brought in a good chunk of the first 150 subscribers.
Real people.
Real interest.
A real start.

There was just one problem…

The graphic had a grammatical mistake.
Right in the middle.
Subtle—but it’s there.

I didn’t notice it until two days later. And the first instinct? Pull the ad. Fix the image. Clean it up before anyone else caught it.

But then I paused.

The ad was already doing its job.
People were clicking.
People were subscribing.
People were resonating with the message.

Fixing it would’ve just slowed things down, and truthfully, it would’ve been more about protecting my pride than helping anyone else.

So I left it.

And I’m glad I did.

Because here’s what I keep learning:
You don’t build something meaningful by waiting for perfection.
You build it by moving forward, even if it’s a little messy. A little awkward. A little wrong.

Progress beats polish.
Action beats anxiety.
Every time.

So if you’ve been waiting to launch something, post something, say something…
Just go.
You’ll clean it up later.

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If you didn’t catch my appearance on A Path to Purpose Podcast with Chris Meston you missed a great conversation. 👇 Check it out below. And read more about Chris in this issue of the Campfire Gentleman Kindling Newsletter.

Until next time—
keep the fires burning.
– Clay

Worth Your Time

If you’re digging Campfire Gentleman, check out a few other newsletters I actually read and recommend. No fluff—just solid stuff from like-minded guys trying to build something that matters.