Advice from Sahil Lavingia that helped me let a dead product die
My co-founder and I have been working on a side project for a little over a year. In the last few months we've had a couple of "come to Jesus" moments —basically realizing that what we were attempting to create probably wasn't going to turn out the way we hoped, and in many ways it wasn't going to turn out at all.
It felt really disappointing, and at first, I wrestled with the feeling that I'd wasted my time. This feeling that it hadn't been "worth" the effort I'd put in.
But I've got a secret weapon — an anecdote from an interview I did with @Sahil of Gumroad where he shares with me an experience he kept having as a painter. This little story has changed my mood, my mind, and my life. It's the kind of story that can make a person brave enough to keep going. Or, brave enough to let it all go, and start again.
"Now that I paint, the number one question that people ask me is, like, 'This painting that you did, do you like it? Do you think it is a good painting?' That's the question I get and I'm always like, 'I don't know. I came in and I painted for three hours.' Like, I win. It doesn't matter if it's a good painting or not, it's a painting. It didn't exist three hours ago. That means I was successful. The product I'm making is not the painting, the product I'm making is this neural network in my head that is now better at painting. I know that neural network has three hours' more data points than three hours ago. So, therefore, I succeeded. I did the thing. And I have 100% confidence that if I keep doing that, over time, every week, it will compound. And that's enough for me. I don't need to be proficient enough to win an award. Or to get a job. I just need to be better than I am. Which is very freeing because it means I can't lose. As long as I show up, I can't lose."
🔥 Roast My Landing Page
Here's a question: His comment makes sense with art, but should it be applied to business? Shouldn't business be results-driven?
Exactly, it seems to be the difference between a product and a business, a craftsman and a businessman. They can be related, but even shit products make money, and often they make a ton of money if they're the only player in that market.
I decided to let go of two years of full time work last June.
I'd poured everything I could think of into an app that two of us truly believed in. I had all the tech but, it turned out, none of the market-fit instincts needed to create a successful product. I started out with a lot of experience in many areas, but there were many other areas that I knew very little about, and some areas I didn't yet know existed.
Luckily I have put enough random things out in the world that a different project had become successful. It still took me a year to accept that this was where I should focus. I wanted to do "due diligence" on the other project before "chasing something new". My crunch point was when, deep-diving into marketing and sales resources (my background is in code, design and UX), I realised that I was still very much at square one on product market fit with my "main" app, yet I had this other app that had already developed a large audience with little intervention.
I'm a firm believer in the importance of "killing your darlings".
I'm a musician and one thing I learned long ago was that just because a guitar solo was difficult to learn, doesn't mean it's any fun to listen to. Work in does not equal value out. As well as that (or possibly intertwined with that) I was forced to deal with a great loss at a young age so I had to develop the ability to let go very early on.
The great thing about letting go is that your mind becomes unburdened with all the hopes and what-ifs that you had attached to the thing you created. Your mind becomes clear and soon a whole new spectrum of potential reveals itself to you. In the case of my new project, I noticed with some sense of irony that even the old project could be slotted in further down the line, in a much more specific and useful way than was possible before.
The best thing is that everything I learned on my "failed" project became a practice run, and I was able to focus much more directly on was truly important the next time round, and do a better job in the process.
So yeah, you can't lose.
Yess! So many good gems in this comment. Thank you @michaelforrest. Especially for this little piece, "I'm a musician and one thing I learned long ago was that just because a guitar solo was difficult to learn, doesn't mean it's any fun to listen to. Work in does not equal value out."
I also love what you said about unburdening your mind. So good. Thank you for taking the time to share.
I think some folks here pointed this out but I'm curious as well about what it's time to give up on a project. I think people all have differing opinions, so there's no right answer. One thing I've seen is that it take 3-4 years for a business to be stable and working. A lot of people don't want to wait that long.
What do you think?
Seems pretty open to interpretation. Either you can see it as just launch it for what its worth or let go. I guess the quote just helps you feel better no matter which way you go 😅
If you launched it:
Seems like a kind of expensive way to validate an idea in terms of time and money but in this case since you already spent a year on it I suppose it's the best approach.
Hopefully revenue > costs and you can keep it running 🚀
But again launching only makes sense if launching won't take a considerable amount of time and energy. Otherwise its just the sunk cost bias, and you just lose more resources.
Good luck with the decision!
Nice. I really love that mentality. I often get caught up in completing tasks, achieving outcomes, etc. I've gotta be more present with where I'm at — and with the process of creating. 🤔
Interesting anecdote. How do you know when a product is dead? When do you throw in the towel?
I don't think there's a one-size-fits-all answer to that, but here's my best answer: A product is dead when the cost of continuing to try is greater than the amount you're willing to spend.
Personally, this is still something I struggle with. So take this with a grain of salt, but I quit working on a product when I'm not experiencing at least one of the following: 1) fun, 2) learning that feels meaningful, 3) or the satisfaction of scratching an itch for myself or someone in my community. At that point, quitting or selling (if possible) make the most sense to me.
For a more seasoned perspective, Seth Godin writes about knowing when to quit in his book "Dip" (though it's like...over a decade old now!) Might be worth checking out. I think he asks questions like: does continuing on this path somehow meaningfully involve your best abilities and strengths? if you do persevere through the "dip", what are the rewards on the other side? has anyone else ever done this before?
i've been so low over a recent failure, feeling so pissed about the time i spent on it. never crossed my mind to take inventory of how i've changed as a person because of the work i put in. and now that i think about it...hell yeah, i feel like a completely different person than i was before i started this journey. 💪 Sahil man, thanks for another wisdom bomb.
Yes! So cool to hear that his story had an immediate effect on you too. I'd love to hear how you feel you've changed.
hmmmm, yeah nice question. well for starters i feel like i have so much more endurance, like the little things don't bother me as much. i've learned a shit ton about marketing. and, i think i'm a way more skilled communicator than i was before. i guess i also just feel generally more capable.
I'm still confused about how to <a href="https://apkglacier.com/express-vpn-premium-apk/">express</a> it.