Day 792 - Things you don't need to launch - https://golifelog.com/posts/things-you-dont-need-to-launch-1677835578845
There's a series of [viral](https://twitter.com/marckohlbrugge/status/1629810355781369859) [tweets](https://twitter.com/dvassallo/status/1630813028156579841) going around about the things you don't need to launch a product. Things like favicon, logo, a registered business, business cards, a website, privacy or cookie policy, optimisation, dark mode. As long as you deliver on the value that you bring, customers don't really care. As always, I know this is generalising, and there's sure to be some outlier cases where a favicon matters.
But the main point that most who object fail to see is that we can get away with a lot more than we assumed. Waaay more than we're comfortable, than we normally expect.
I know this to be true, from experience:
- Started Outsprint, my consulting biz without a logo, website, favicon, or even registered business. My first invoice was paid to my personal bank account. People trusted *me* because of my track record and past work. It helped that I worked with the organisation before I started the biz. They were hiring *me* specifically to do the work, and the logo, website and what not are just tiny details in the bigger scheme of things. Not a dealbreaker. I only got the business entity, website, logo, business cards and stuff after a few months.
- I started so many indie MVPs with just emoji icon as logo. Some of them are still using it, even though profitable! Keto List Singapore, Grant Hunt, Safe Distancing SG are examples. Using an emoji not just saves time, but you can also easily use the icon *like* a logo in messages and marketing!
- After I had a registered business, I used it as a holding company for all the products I made. No need to register a separate entity until it needs one (e.g. when thinking of selling). At launch, you won't even know if it'll get there so why bother!
- I hardly ever optimise the websites of my products. Plugins For Carrd is now 2 years in, getting some substantial revenue, and only recently did some minor optimisation, like compressing pngs and gifs. Spending time getting all the Lighthouse scores to 100 is pure vanity at play – the last few points are the hardest to overcome and the difference in user experience are hardly noticeable.
- Dark mode is just developer fetish. Most websites and apps don't need need it. All my profitable products do not have dark mode.
I can go on.
Tl;dr - if you're over-thinking these things that don't matter, you 're more likely to fail when it comes to entrepreneurship.
Hard truth.
But the main point that most who object fail to see is that we can get away with a lot more than we assumed. Waaay more than we're comfortable, than we normally expect.
I know this to be true, from experience:
- Started Outsprint, my consulting biz without a logo, website, favicon, or even registered business. My first invoice was paid to my personal bank account. People trusted *me* because of my track record and past work. It helped that I worked with the organisation before I started the biz. They were hiring *me* specifically to do the work, and the logo, website and what not are just tiny details in the bigger scheme of things. Not a dealbreaker. I only got the business entity, website, logo, business cards and stuff after a few months.
- I started so many indie MVPs with just emoji icon as logo. Some of them are still using it, even though profitable! Keto List Singapore, Grant Hunt, Safe Distancing SG are examples. Using an emoji not just saves time, but you can also easily use the icon *like* a logo in messages and marketing!
- After I had a registered business, I used it as a holding company for all the products I made. No need to register a separate entity until it needs one (e.g. when thinking of selling). At launch, you won't even know if it'll get there so why bother!
- I hardly ever optimise the websites of my products. Plugins For Carrd is now 2 years in, getting some substantial revenue, and only recently did some minor optimisation, like compressing pngs and gifs. Spending time getting all the Lighthouse scores to 100 is pure vanity at play – the last few points are the hardest to overcome and the difference in user experience are hardly noticeable.
- Dark mode is just developer fetish. Most websites and apps don't need need it. All my profitable products do not have dark mode.
I can go on.
Tl;dr - if you're over-thinking these things that don't matter, you 're more likely to fail when it comes to entrepreneurship.
Hard truth.