You Don't Start at the Finish Line

I talked with three entrepreneurs this weekend.

Founders about to launch their products into the world.

And they were all about to blow it.

( maybe ).

( launching anything is hard, so the odds are stacked against you as it is ).

Here’s why I think they were all going to struggle.

They wanted to start at the finish line.

They were all going only to target their dream audience.

They were all betting everything on quick success ( with premium pricing ).

And each of them assumed that everyone would love their product immediately.

In 20+ years of doing this, I have never seen that happen.

Even with founders who are now billionaires.

You do not start at the top.

You claw, scratch, fight, beg, and go overboard to build momentum, initial fans, and those first few customers.

Then you hustle even harder.

Only once you’ve built a base.
Of happy customers.
Of good processes.
Of success.

Can you then go after the dream clients.
And charge premium rates.
And hit that inflection point of massive growth.

I told each one of these founders the same thing.

Take your time.

Make fans. Build up a base.

Charge less to get more ( more feedback, more goodwill, more users to help you get to product-market fit ).

Plan for it to take way longer than you think it will.

Because it’s going to take way longer than you think it will.

I promise you this.