Launching a New Product: The First 50 Lessons We’ve Learned

Somewhere along the way, we started writing down the lessons we were learning while building OrangeBall.ai, our new online SaaS platform that helps businesses write and create unique marketing content. At first, these were just random notes in notebooks, on whiteboards, and in the Notes app on our phones.

As the months went on, though, we realized something interesting: the product wasn’t the only thing being built. We were being built too. Every conversation, every mistake, every breakthrough, every late night, every piece of user feedback, and every unexpected pivot taught us something we didn’t know when we started… and we were capturing them all so we wouldn’t forget the lessons.

For all the founders, builders, makers, and dreamers out there, here are the first 50 takeaways we’ve unlocked up so far…

1. Find people who have already walked the road you’re about to travel.
2. Welcome feedback without becoming defensive.
3. Every user experiences your product differently.
4. Test relentlessly. Never assume.
5. Reach your MVP quickly, but make sure it’s solid.
6. There are very few dumb ideas. Most simply need refinement.
7. Resist studying competitors too early. Build from your own vision first.
8. Invite your entire team into the process.
9. Good enough is often enough for the next step.
10. Schedule dedicated time for your project.
11. Be willing to admit that parts of your baby are ugly.
12. Steward your project instead of trying to control every outcome.
13. Seek input from trusted people, not everyone.
14. Ask “What if?” just as often as “Why not?”
15. Think bigger than your first instinct.
16. Be willing to pivot when the evidence tells you to.
17. Be prepared to eat drywall.
18. Have fun and rediscover your creative side.
19. There are milestones, but very few finish lines.
20. Some days will be boring and repetitive.
21. Don’t quit on those days.
22. Celebrate the wins. They fuel the difficult seasons.
23. Lean on your Creator for wisdom, provision, and perspective.
24. Know your “why.”
25. Allow your identity to evolve as your business evolves.
26. Write every idea down.
27. Spend time living in your customer’s shoes.
28. Ask curious questions.
29. Be like water. Adapt.
30. Make sure the journey is enjoyable.
31. Learn from digital mentors through podcasts and YouTube.
32. The lessons are often more valuable than the product.
33. Set aside time to think without distractions.
34. Don’t believe the imposter syndrome.
35. Plant your flag with a public launch date.
36. It will never be perfect.
37. It will never completely feel ready.
38. Protect your health while you build.
39. Know when to hustle and when to rest.
40. Build your own board of advisors.
41. Know when to trust your instincts and when to challenge them.
42. Leverage technology wisely.
43. Return to whiteboards and paper often.
44. Don’t kill ideas in brainstorming too early.
45. Borrow great ideas from other industries.
46. Good design accelerates good ideas.
47. User experience is everything.
48. Step away occasionally and return with fresh eyes.
49. Don’t lose your sense of joy.
50. If you can find 10 customers, you can probably find 100. If you can find 100, you can probably find 1,000.

This list is continuing to grow, and there are already another fifty lessons for us to share in a future post. Learning is never done, which is a big part of the fun. Building something new has a way of teaching you things no book, podcast, or classroom ever could. Doing the thing, the act of taking action, is where the real education comes from.

If you’re in the middle of creating something yourself, keep going. The difficult days, the pivots, and the uncertainty are all part of the process. So is the learning. And, if it feels like you’re eating drywall today, you’re probably closer than you think.