A few things I learned (and reflections) about my recent prelaunch...
• I started @sendbroadcast about 5 weeks ago on a whim. I had _zero_ expectation of what it might bring, but I just wanted to launch a new project.
Lesson 👉 Launch quickly. Don't overanalyze. Look at existing product categories for hints of existing demand and product-market fit. Over the years, I've kept forgetting about this and launched too slowly.
• Prelaunched it just as I was about 90% done. I was too lazy to initially set up Stripe at the start. But as I was nearing the end, I forced myself to do this, and got almost C $1000 in pre-sales.
Lesson 👉 I think the right move should have been to set up that buy button earlier. You really need to validate demand early and nothing validates it more than someone paying you.
Also, between the _last_ project of mine that made money and this one, I think I launched about 4-5 failures. Really, it's a numbers game (more launches, more chance something will make money).
• With some early validation, I suddenly had a lot more ideas of what I wanted to bring to my customers. In the end, I needed to manage the scope of my launch and defer some (crazy good) ideas to later.
Lesson 👉 Don't bite off more than you can chew. A project that works well is better than a bunch of features that are half baked. Underpromise, and overdeliver. Roadmaps are ok.
• When I first put up my landing page, I chose a bad domain name. It wasn't trademarked, but there was another website that had been around longer and I didn't want potential future conflicts. I changed my domain name last week. Luckily, I was early enough that this didn't affect SEO.
Lesson 👉 Check domain names a bit more thoroughly. It feels like such a time waster, but the domain is the land upon which we're building our businesses. Better to check twice.
• Since getting presales, I've forced myself to work at a much higher cadence than at the start of the project. I can't say I enjoy working so much more than I'm used to. Definitely I think this is one of those things where my launch muscles aren't as strong as they used to be.
Lesson 👉 I think solopreneurship is tough. There are simply so many things to do. Luckily, I had some checklists (of tasks when it comes to launching) over the years of what I should do so I could focus and work more efficiently. Take a breather. It isn't the end of the world if you take an extra week or two.
If you've read all the way to the end, thank you! I couldn't sleep and woke up at 4 AM and started to code.
Now, of course, I was too tired to continue coding so I came to X/Twitter instead to post (haha). Back to sleep for me.
And of course, the obligatory screenshot of Stripe porn to help with the algo...
• I started @sendbroadcast about 5 weeks ago on a whim. I had _zero_ expectation of what it might bring, but I just wanted to launch a new project.
Lesson 👉 Launch quickly. Don't overanalyze. Look at existing product categories for hints of existing demand and product-market fit. Over the years, I've kept forgetting about this and launched too slowly.
• Prelaunched it just as I was about 90% done. I was too lazy to initially set up Stripe at the start. But as I was nearing the end, I forced myself to do this, and got almost C $1000 in pre-sales.
Lesson 👉 I think the right move should have been to set up that buy button earlier. You really need to validate demand early and nothing validates it more than someone paying you.
Also, between the _last_ project of mine that made money and this one, I think I launched about 4-5 failures. Really, it's a numbers game (more launches, more chance something will make money).
• With some early validation, I suddenly had a lot more ideas of what I wanted to bring to my customers. In the end, I needed to manage the scope of my launch and defer some (crazy good) ideas to later.
Lesson 👉 Don't bite off more than you can chew. A project that works well is better than a bunch of features that are half baked. Underpromise, and overdeliver. Roadmaps are ok.
• When I first put up my landing page, I chose a bad domain name. It wasn't trademarked, but there was another website that had been around longer and I didn't want potential future conflicts. I changed my domain name last week. Luckily, I was early enough that this didn't affect SEO.
Lesson 👉 Check domain names a bit more thoroughly. It feels like such a time waster, but the domain is the land upon which we're building our businesses. Better to check twice.
• Since getting presales, I've forced myself to work at a much higher cadence than at the start of the project. I can't say I enjoy working so much more than I'm used to. Definitely I think this is one of those things where my launch muscles aren't as strong as they used to be.
Lesson 👉 I think solopreneurship is tough. There are simply so many things to do. Luckily, I had some checklists (of tasks when it comes to launching) over the years of what I should do so I could focus and work more efficiently. Take a breather. It isn't the end of the world if you take an extra week or two.
If you've read all the way to the end, thank you! I couldn't sleep and woke up at 4 AM and started to code.
Now, of course, I was too tired to continue coding so I came to X/Twitter instead to post (haha). Back to sleep for me.
And of course, the obligatory screenshot of Stripe porn to help with the algo...
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