[#016] Sell Before You Make It? Here's The BIG Problem With That

This week I saw a marketing post celebrating someone who made over $60,000 in the same day, selling a course... that didn't exist yet.

The comments were full of fire emojis. People asking for the secret. Wanting to know how they could do the same.

And I just sat there thinking... is anyone going to mention the obvious problem here?

Because this "sell first, build later" strategy has become gospel in the online business world. Gurus preach it. Platforms promote it. And thousands of course creators are being taught that the smartest move is to take money for something you haven't made yet.

They say... do some of the work to find out that there is a demand, create a loose framework or an idea behind a product, and then "test" and see if people will actually buy it before you spend any time creating it.

It got me thinking about what this advice really teaches people.

What's your experience been like with "sell before you create"? I'd genuinely love to hear whether it worked for you or caused chaos. Drop a comment and tell me your story.

The Hidden Cost of Selling Air

Let's be honest about what "sell before you create" actually means.

You're pretending a product exists when it doesn't. You're taking money for something that lives only in your imagination. And you're betting that nothing in your life will prevent you from delivering.

I know this because I've been on both sides.

Years ago, I sold something before it was ready. Life happened. Family challenges. Illness. Technology failures. Suddenly I was staring at a deadline I couldn't meet, customers I was letting down, and refund requests I had to honour.

The stress was brutal. And the worst part? I didn't show up as the expert I actually was. I looked like someone scrambling to deliver, not someone who plans, prepares and delivers with excellence.

What nobody tells you about this strategy is that it signals you're not a true expert.
Think about it. If you really believed in your course, wouldn't you have already created it? Selling air can make you look desperate, not confident.

It promotes disingenuous marketing. You're often pretending the product exists. Writing sales copy for something that's just an idea. That's not honest marketing. That's theatre.

It creates more hustle, not less. The promise is "don't do the work until you've been paid." The reality is crushing time pressure, late nights building what you've already sold, and zero space to actually enjoy your success.

This isn't simplification. It's stress dressed up as strategy.

What Real Experts Actually Do

Here's my take, and it's based on speaking with dozens of course creators over the years who tried the "sell first" approach.

Almost every single one wished they had created first. Every launch after their first one worked better. They had more time to spend in community with their students. They weren't constantly on the back foot, scrambling to create content.

If you're an expert, you already have everything you need to build something valuable. You've lived through challenges. You've developed solutions. You have experience worth sharing.

So why not start there?

The Simplify Approach to Course Creation:

STEP 1 - Research what your audience actually needs Talk to them. Survey them. Understand their real challenges and desires before you create anything.

STEP 2 - Build a Minimum Viable Product You don't need 47 modules and 200 videos. A 5-part mini-course recorded on your iPhone with screen share can be enough to get someone a real result.

STEP 3 - Sell to a first cohort and serve them properly Launch to a small group. Spend your time on calls with them. Be present in your community. Get feedback. Refine.

STEP 4 - Go back to market with something proven Now you have testimonials. Results. Confidence. And a product that actually works.

This approach means when launch day comes, you can focus on two things... enjoying your success and helping your customers get results. Not sitting in your office at 2am trying to record module 7 before anyone notices it doesn't exist.

Here's what I want you to remember...

The "sell before you create" model is a choice. It's worked for some people. But from the course creators I've worked with over 20+ years, and from my own experience, it's not a strategy that builds a business aligned with simplicity.

It keeps you trapped in the cult of hustle. Always behind. Always stressed. Always feeling like a fraud.

If you're a true expert, you don't need to fake it until you make it. You can build from your real experience, your real relationship with your audience, and your real expertise.

Create something small. Make it good. Sell it with integrity.

That's how you build credibility. And that's how you build a business that serves your life instead of consuming it.

So here's my challenge for you this week:

If you've been sitting on a course idea waiting for the "perfect" launch strategy, stop waiting. Map out a simple 5-part mini-course you could record this month. Just the essentials. Just enough to help someone get a result.

Build it first. Then sell it with confidence.

Keep it simple,

Ant 🐜