When “Perfect” Is the Wrong Target for Your Product Launch
Tried-and-true rules for when to bring an imperfect product to market — and when you should wait
Entrepreneurs often hear cautionary tales of launching too soon — stories of products that hit the market with fatal flaws and/or seemed to have been doomed from the start. Of course, hindsight is 20/20. And while some products may indeed fail due to trigger-happy founders, there are instances when it actually makes business sense to launch an imperfect product. But unfortunately, there’s no hard-and-fast rule. Each release requires a different approach, in terms of testing, timing, and strategy.
As founder and CEO of Jotform for 16 years and counting, I’ve overseen the launch of numerous new products (as it happens, we have a product release on the horizon). I can attest, it’s an incredibly nerve-wracking process. Because the truth is: most product launches fail. That’s why it’s critical to understand when and why to bring a product to market before it’s perfect, and when it’s best to wait.
But first, a quick case study on the power of experimenting while your product is in beta.
