There's a sneaky reason email keeps getting pushed to “later” and I think it might be the one that matters most.
Because when I sit with product-based founders and talk about email, the thing holding them back is almost never what they think it is. It’s not the tech. It’s not Klaviyo. It’s not the size of their list. And it’s not even really what to say.
It’s the fear of starting.
The overwhelm is real
That low-level overwhelm that builds quietly in the background. The pressure that creeps in. The voice that whispers, “I’m going to get this wrong.”
If you’ve been telling yourself you’ll start emailing properly “soon”, for weeks, months, or even years, this isn’t a lack of motivation. It’s something much more human than that.
I want to start by saying this clearly: avoiding email is not a failure.
You’re not lazy. You’re not disorganised. You’re not bad at marketing.
You’re a human being running an online shop (often on your own) holding so many moving parts at once. Orders, customers, content, products, ideas, admin, decisions. Email can easily start to feel like the extra thing. The thing that can wait. The thing you’ll get to when it’s quieter.
Small business owners are never not busy!
But small businesses don’t really get quiet.
When sales are busy, you’re fulfilling orders and keeping up. When sales slow down, you’re planning, improving, designing, thinking ahead. There’s always something pulling at your attention. So email slips further and further down the list, even though you know it matters.
What I’ve noticed over the years is that when someone says, “I don’t have time for email,” what they’re often really saying is, “I don’t feel confident enough yet.”
Email can be quick
Because email itself doesn’t actually take that long. Writing an email can be quick. Klaviyo is far less intimidating once you’re inside it. The hard part isn’t the doing — it’s the starting.
It’s the blank screen.
The pressure to sound right.
The worry that someone might unsubscribe.
The belief that your email needs to look perfect.
The feeling that you shouldn’t really be emailing until your list is bigger.
All of that stacks up, and before you know it, you freeze.
Then overthinking turns into avoidance. Avoidance turns into guilt. Guilt makes email feel even heavier. And suddenly email has become this big, emotionally loaded thing, when actually, it was never meant to be that way.
Email is essential for ecommerce brands
Email isn’t a “nice to have” for an online shop. It’s not something you add once everything else is perfect. It’s one of the foundations. A way to talk to your customers when Instagram is quiet. A place where your warmest audience already is. A channel that quietly, consistently brings people back.
And the longer you put it off, the bigger it feels.
Your list gets colder. You feel more behind. You tell yourself you should be further along by now. You start believing that email is a time drain, when in reality, it’s one of the things that creates momentum.
Emailing often creates momentum
Every email you send is a touchpoint. A reminder. A small piece of trust built. Over time, it trains your customers to remember you and come back when they’re ready to buy. That’s why email feels so different to everything else.
So I want to gently reframe this.
Email isn’t another task to squeeze in after you’ve done everything else. It’s not something you only do when you’ve got more time, more confidence, or a bigger list. It’s part of running a product business, just like packing orders or replying to customer messages.
Make email part of running your business
The founder-led brands you admire aren’t emailing because they love sitting at their laptop writing perfect newsletters. They’re emailing because they’ve made it a habit. Because they know it works. Because they treat it as non-negotiable.
And here’s the thing I really want you to take with you:
Email gets easier because you email.
Not because you think about it more. Not because you wait until you feel ready. Confidence comes from doing, not from planning.
If starting feels hard, the answer isn’t to make it bigger. It’s to make it smaller.
One short email. One clear point. One thing you’d happily say out loud to a customer. Something simple, honest, and human.
Once you send one, the next feels easier. Then another. Then it starts to feel normal. Clarity shows up while you’re in motion. Confidence builds as you go. Sales follow because you’re showing up.
Your permission slip 💌
And if email has been sitting on your “someday” list for a long time, I hope this is your permission slip.
You don’t need perfection.
You don’t need a perfect plan.
You don’t need the right moment.
You just need to start.
Future you will be so glad you did and you’ll probably say the same thing I hear over and over again:
“Oh… that was actually way easier than I thought.”
So, just send it 💛
If you’re reading this and thinking, “I get it… but I still don’t want to do this alone,” that’s exactly why I'm hosting Klaviyo Kickstart: Live.
It’s a calm, supportive space to get your email foundations in place and build the confidence to actually send, without overwhelm, pressure, or doing it perfectly. No rushing. Just guidance, accountability, and momentum.
We start on January 15th so join now and get email ticked off your 2026 to do list.
