No Plan Survives Thu, 10 Sep 2026 09:56:28 -0400 http://noplan.show en-us © 2026 Hopeless Marketing yes 3b567fcc-5cd0-5490-b5e8-82302f67dd73 Benjie Hughes & Mike Carpenter episodic false No Plan Survives is about what happens when our business vision crashes into our business reality – and the new things we create as a result.

This is a limited series: Two entrepreneurs, five days, five topics. Each day we each bring one story from our business journeys, told in three acts:

·         What was your plan?

·         How did reality wreck it?

·         What was born as a result?


Then we interrogate those stories – and each other.


This is a business show that feels more “beer at five” than “Monday morning coffee.” You might hear our tips and frameworks, but it’s not about the frameworks. It’s about what happens when theory crashes into practice – and transforms.


And we get transformed, too.


Hosts:

·         Benjie Hughes is the founder of Hopeless Marketing and a classic “Act 1” builder: In his 20s he started a music business from scratch, grew it, scaled it, exited it. Now he’s in his 40s and starting from scratch again.

·         Mike Carpenter is the owner and CEO at RH Adhesives and a classic “Act 2” builder: He took over an existing manufacturer with a 75-year legacy and then doubled its business. Now he’s building software  tools that might just find a market beyond his own shop’s needs.


They say no plan survives first contact with the enemy. That’s true in all this week’s topics: Vision, revenue, marketing, data and uncertainty.


But it’s also true that when plans die, new things rise up to take their place.


Find and follow Mike and Benjie at noplan.show.

]]> Buzzsprout (https://www.buzzsprout.com) entrepreneurship, business, consulting, management, Mike Carpenter, Benjie Hughes, Hopeless Marketing, RH Adhesives, Backthird Entertainment, business stories, happy hour, founder Benjie Hughes & Mike Carpenter https://storage.buzzsprout.com/vtfevu2lfse2is43xqlfqi4rz1pi?.jpg No Plan Survives http://noplan.show Day 1: Founder vs Owner Day 1: Founder vs Owner How does reality reshape your business vision?

In this first episode of No Plan Survives, Mike Carpenter and Benjie Hughes talk about the difference between being a business founder and becoming a business owner - and how business reality reshapes what success means.

➡️ Mike traces his entrepreneurial path from childhood hustles to buying RH Adhesives, a manufacturer in his hometown with a 75-year legacy. He explores the unexpected setbacks that came with growth and the resilience required to keep “hitting singles" day after day.

➡️ Benjie shares why he started Hopeless Marketing after agency work dried up, the challenges of positioning a brand-new business in a changing market, and how multiple shifts and pivots led him to a clearer sense of both his business model and his personal values.

No Plan Survives is about what happens when our business vision crashes into our business reality – and the new things we create as a result.

This is a limited series: Two entrepreneurs, five days, five topics. Each day we each bring one story from our business journeys, told in three acts:

  • What was your plan?
  • How did reality wreck it?
  • What new thing was born as a result?

Then we interrogate those stories – and each other.

Visit Mike's business here, get Benjie's weekly emails here, or learn more at noplan.show.


No Plan Survives is edited by Kyle Schmidt. Visual design by Bryon Elliot. Music by Benjie Hughes.


Chapters: 

00:00 Mike's Entrepreneurial Roots and Journey to Owning RH Adhesives 

04:06 No Plan Survives Intro: Founder vs Owner

04:53 Amazon Reseller Betrayal and Distribution Control 

07:41 About RH Adhesives, History and Defining Success 

13:39 Benjie: Hopeless Marketing Origin Story 

19:16 Values Driven Strategy Work 

22:01 Founder vs Buyer Mindsets 

23:58 Comfort Zones and Time Boundaries

26:45 Frameworks, Productivity and Alignment 

28:49 Episode Wrap and Reflections


]]> How does reality reshape your business vision?

In this first episode of No Plan Survives, Mike Carpenter and Benjie Hughes talk about the difference between being a business founder and becoming a business owner - and how business reality reshapes what success means.

➡️ Mike traces his entrepreneurial path from childhood hustles to buying RH Adhesives, a manufacturer in his hometown with a 75-year legacy. He explores the unexpected setbacks that came with growth and the resilience required to keep “hitting singles" day after day.

➡️ Benjie shares why he started Hopeless Marketing after agency work dried up, the challenges of positioning a brand-new business in a changing market, and how multiple shifts and pivots led him to a clearer sense of both his business model and his personal values.

No Plan Survives is about what happens when our business vision crashes into our business reality – and the new things we create as a result.

This is a limited series: Two entrepreneurs, five days, five topics. Each day we each bring one story from our business journeys, told in three acts:

  • What was your plan?
  • How did reality wreck it?
  • What new thing was born as a result?

Then we interrogate those stories – and each other.

Visit Mike's business here, get Benjie's weekly emails here, or learn more at noplan.show.


No Plan Survives is edited by Kyle Schmidt. Visual design by Bryon Elliot. Music by Benjie Hughes.


Chapters: 

00:00 Mike's Entrepreneurial Roots and Journey to Owning RH Adhesives 

04:06 No Plan Survives Intro: Founder vs Owner

04:53 Amazon Reseller Betrayal and Distribution Control 

07:41 About RH Adhesives, History and Defining Success 

13:39 Benjie: Hopeless Marketing Origin Story 

19:16 Values Driven Strategy Work 

22:01 Founder vs Buyer Mindsets 

23:58 Comfort Zones and Time Boundaries

26:45 Frameworks, Productivity and Alignment 

28:49 Episode Wrap and Reflections


]]> Benjie Hughes & Mike Carpenter Buzzsprout-19713452 Mon, 07 Sep 2026 00:00:00 -0400 1851 1 1 full false This is No Plan Survives. This is No Plan Survives. No Plan Survives is about what happens when our business vision crashes into our business reality – and the new things we create as a result.

This is a limited series: Two entrepreneurs, five days, five topics. Each day we each bring one story from our business journeys, told in three acts:

  • What was your plan?
  • How did reality wreck it?
  • What was born as a result?

Then we interrogate those stories – and each other.

This is a business show that feels more “beer at five” than “Monday morning coffee.” You might hear our tips and frameworks, but it’s not about the frameworks. It’s about what happens when theory crashes into practice – and transforms.

And we get transformed, too.

Hosts:

  • Benjie Hughes is the founder of Hopeless Marketing and a classic “Act 1” builder: In his 20s he started a music business from scratch, grew it, scaled it, exited it. Now he’s in his 40s and starting from scratch again.
  • Mike Carpenter is the owner and CEO at RH Adhesives and a classic “Act 2” builder: He took over an existing manufacturer with a 75-year legacy and then doubled its business. Now he’s building software tools that might just find a market beyond his own shop’s needs.


They say no plan survives first contact with the enemy. That’s true in all this week’s topics: Vision, revenue, marketing, data and uncertainty.

But it’s also true that when plans die, new things rise up to take their place.

Find and follow Mike and Benjie at noplan.show. 

]]> No Plan Survives is about what happens when our business vision crashes into our business reality – and the new things we create as a result.

This is a limited series: Two entrepreneurs, five days, five topics. Each day we each bring one story from our business journeys, told in three acts:

  • What was your plan?
  • How did reality wreck it?
  • What was born as a result?

Then we interrogate those stories – and each other.

This is a business show that feels more “beer at five” than “Monday morning coffee.” You might hear our tips and frameworks, but it’s not about the frameworks. It’s about what happens when theory crashes into practice – and transforms.

And we get transformed, too.

Hosts:

  • Benjie Hughes is the founder of Hopeless Marketing and a classic “Act 1” builder: In his 20s he started a music business from scratch, grew it, scaled it, exited it. Now he’s in his 40s and starting from scratch again.
  • Mike Carpenter is the owner and CEO at RH Adhesives and a classic “Act 2” builder: He took over an existing manufacturer with a 75-year legacy and then doubled its business. Now he’s building software tools that might just find a market beyond his own shop’s needs.


They say no plan survives first contact with the enemy. That’s true in all this week’s topics: Vision, revenue, marketing, data and uncertainty.

But it’s also true that when plans die, new things rise up to take their place.

Find and follow Mike and Benjie at noplan.show. 

]]> Benjie Hughes & Mike Carpenter Buzzsprout-19642384 Thu, 13 Aug 2026 10:00:00 -0400 215 1 1 trailer false