Here’s Why Startups Need to Think Beyond Launch Day
For the most part, everywhere you look online, it feels like people treat launch day like it’s the Oscars of business or something. Like, sure, businesses do look at those big-ticket upgrades, as their goal is to look great, fly high, and just stay at the top. To a degree, that all makes some sense, right? And yeah, there’s a lot and a lot of hype like the countdowns, hype posts, dramatic teasers, launch parties, the “t’s live” moment, all of it. Oh, don’t forget the sheer amount of content and ads that drum it all up too.
And yeah, needless to say here, launch day is exciting, it’s fun, it feels huge. But it’s kinda wild how many founders treat it like the finish line, when it’s literally just the starting point. But you absolutely have to understand that launch day isn’t the win. Sure, it was probably hard to get there, it’s hard for a lot of businesses to get started, actually. But launch day is the moment customers meet the brand for the first time. So, what matters is if they stay.
That Launch Hype Wears Off Pretty Fast
It’s kinda funny how the business world pushes this “go fast” mindset. Well, it’s funny, but it’s pretty sad as well. Yeah, it’s that whole launch fast, scale fast, grow fast, just hurry up with everything. And sure, that speed looks cool on social media. Well, that and it’s how you get more investors. But then you get all these rushed products hitting the market that feel half-baked. Yeah, you know the kind, the ones that look great in the promo photos but then show up and people are like, well, obviously mad?
It Needs to be Quality Over Hype
If the product doesn’t last, customers don’t return. Yeah, they’ll return the product, but they aren't coming back. So, it’s as simple as this: longevity starts behind the scenes, long before launch day. It’s in the materials, the testing, the feedback, the suppliers, the boring stuff no one wants to talk about because it doesn’t look as glamorous on Instagram.
So, it’s all really going to come down to just choosing reliable partners from the beginning (which might sound obvious, but it’s usually neglected). Now, here’s a nice example: choosing a trustworthy miniature circuit breaker manufacturer instead of a cheap one isn’t something that makes a flashy marketing post (because why would it), but this can, to a degree, help prevent returns, complaints, faulty products, yeah, you get the idea.
You Want Repeat Customers
Well, who wouldn't? Well, launch day numbers look might be great, but that repeat order is basically what actually matters. When someone buys again, that means the product did its job, it delivered, and they cared enough to come back. That’s absolutely the whole goal, because the repeat customers are the ones who build up your business.
Longevity isn’t Flashy (But it Pays Off)
A lot of businesses in every industry are all about short-term gains right now, and the idea that short-term matters over long-term is basically where the problem is. It might not be fun or exciting to play it slow, sure, but wouldn’t you rather play it safe and know you’ll be fine?
