You shipped too late
Laura had a big project due Friday night. We did everything to guarantee she’d be ready to turn it in. We planned the entire week around the deadline and invested our time as a couple around strategizing the deliverable. We had countless conversations around progress, I took a more active role in parenting, housework and the general upkeep of our lives. And we (she) turned it in at 11:58 PST Friday. Two minutes before the deadline.
And then, the next morning, woke up to hate it.
Saturday we edited, re-strategized, engaged a few key resources for advice and continued to nuance the project.
And then, the next day, we woke up to hate it.
Sunday we did the same thing, having spirited discussions around language, flow charts, design experience, and philosophy (Kant vs. Hume) to settle on the final deliverable.
And still this morning we had a few edits to make.
Laura’s brother Eno – a confidant during this process – reminded us this weekend of a well-known idea made famous by Reid Hoffman of LinkedIn, “If you’re not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you shipped too late.”
We were. She made it better. She will continue to make it better.
Share your ideas. Ship your products. Deliver before you are ready. Edit it. Make it better. If you wait for perfect, you’ll either never ship or you’ll never learn what you need to in order to make an outstanding product.
Take a chance.
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