I Built 12 Named Frameworks Before I Built One Real Result
The Strategy Theater epidemic—and why your beautifully titled approach is keeping you broke
Most creators don’t realize they’ve fallen into Strategy Theater until they’ve wasted months inside it.
I know, because I’ve been there.
Last year, I spent six months refining a system I called “The SPARK Method.” It looked perfect:
Five content pillars
A clever acronym
A calendar filled with color-coded posts
The only thing it didn’t deliver?
Results.
What Is Strategy Theater?
It’s the illusion of strategic thinking.
You feel productive because you’re building something “serious.” It’s branded. It’s organized. It makes for great screenshots.
But there’s a catch:
Strategy Theater optimizes for polish—not performance.
You get emotionally invested in a system that hasn’t been tested. You prioritize looking strategic over being useful. And worst of all? You miss out on actual business growth while you rehearse a show no one’s watching.
How I Knew I Was Stuck
My dashboard was glowing.
Notion looked beautiful.
Trello was dialed in.
My frameworks were tight.
But I wasn’t booking calls.
I wasn’t generating leads.
And I wasn’t growing.
Why Naming Frameworks Feels Productive
Because it is—just in the wrong direction.
It satisfies your brain’s need for order and creativity.
But it gives you a false sense of completion.
Naming also creates commitment bias. Once you brand something, you want it to work—even when the data says otherwise.
That’s how smart people stay stuck in strategic dead-ends.
The 3-Step Audit That Fixed Everything
Want to break out of Strategy Theater?
Here’s how I did it.
1. Map Outcomes, Not Categories
Tag your last 10 posts by business result:
Did it generate leads?
Build real connections?
Establish authority?
Most of mine didn’t.
They looked good—but offered no ROI.
Lesson: If content doesn’t earn its place, cut it.
2. Study the Winners
Find your top 3 posts.
The ones that brought real business results.
Then reverse-engineer:
What did you say?
What problem did you solve?
Why did it resonate?
Forget whether they fit your “pillar.”
Double down on what worked.
3. Track Real Performance Every 5 Posts
Measure what actually matters:
Email signups
Booking links clicked
Sales
Engagement ≠ revenue.
The post that gets claps isn’t always the one that converts.
Stop tweaking titles. Start refining your offers, clarity, and calls to action.
You Don’t Need Another Framework
You need to know what’s working—right now—and do more of that.
You don’t need another acronym.
You need to build around results.
Diagnostic question: Can you explain your content strategy in plain English—without names or clever labels?
If not, you may be stuck in Strategy Theater.
From Theater to Execution
Once I scrapped the show and focused on strategy I could test, track, and improve—my business started growing again.
No perfect plan.
Just consistent action.