Makers: Stop Perfecting, Start Shipping
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Dear maker, developer, bootstrapper or entrepreneur: I urge you to stop perfecting your product.
Chances are, that if you’re reading this, that you are working on some (digital) product or service.
You’re writing, coding, defining or putting together your product with the intention for it to create enough value for its users so that they want to pay you for it, right?
Let me tell you something right now, right from the bat: as long as you’re building your product, and not shipping it, you’re not earning a single dime. The longer it takes for you to ship, the less you’re going to gain from your product.
Here Come The Buts
But I’m still finishing it.
But I’m figuring out the right name and logo.
But I want to just add feature X or Y before shipping.
But I’m refining the looks a little bit so it will be cleaner before it goes live.
But I don’t have the “forgot your password” function included yet.
…
The list goes on and on.
Buts don’t earn you revenue.
Shipharder.com
(image: Cards Against Humanity from Noun Project)
As long as you’re not putting your product out there you’re not earning money.
And since time keeps on passing, and other makers, companies and future competitors keep on going forward as well, the chances of you earning your buck is getting slimmer with each day, week or month that you’re holding out on shipping your product.
I Get That Urge To Perfect
As a maker myself, I get the urge you’re experiencing to make your product just that little bit better or only this much smoother.
I mean, you’ve been working on it, hard.
Like many evenings and weekends not enjoying yourself hard.
You’ve said “no” to family, friends and even the Devils own tool Netflix just to get where you are today.
