The other day, as I was looking through my list of remaining things to do before I can launch Minty Tools for Excel (an Excel add-in I am developing), I started thinking about what portion of the time I've poured into my project has been allocated to actually building versus doing admin launch-related stuff.
I've been building my project for a few years now, spending time on nights and weekends working on it primarily for me. Initially, it was never meant to be a complete product, but I decided to launch it eventually.
So, I opened Notion and added a Steps to Launch database with tasks I needed to complete to launch my project as a digital product.
Writing down all the tasks I could think of was a good indication of how much work the launch process would require, but the more I tackled, the more I came up with. It felt like the admin work was more than the actual building time.
For example, the copywriting alone was a huge undertaking. I had to write documentation for all features, product descriptions, sales copy, social media posts, terms and conditions, email sequences, help articles, a launch video script, and a dozen others.
Next, I had to set up a product page and pick a payment processor. Stripe is the default option any entrepreneur would suggest, but I had to consider a few specifics. I am based in Europe, so I have to think about VAT and taxes more than someone in the US. That's why I picked Gumroad as a platform to sell on. They take 10%, but they act as a "merchant on record", meaning they take care of VAT and other sales taxes for you.
Gumroad had another advantage. They can generate license codes for each customer and provide an API to check and validate licenses. This meant I could easily integrate licensing for my add-in. That way, I can offer people a money-back guarantee and revoke their access if they get a refund.
I also asked some of my friends and ex-colleagues to try the add-in and give me some feedback, which I then incorporated into the add-in. This was one of the clever things I did, as it helped me identify some pretty avoidable bugs.
However, there's one thing I decided to get more help with. I have a friend who's a professional designer, so I asked her to help me create a landing page (which should be live quite soon).
Those are a few of the larger items I had on my list.
Many would say that launching is better than making it perfect. I mostly tend to agree, but there's another thing to consider. If you are running a startup or you are a full-time entrepreneur, it makes perfect sense to build and ship fast. You have the time to iterate and fix things fast.
I, on the other hand, have a day job. So, I can't really publish a product that's halfway there. I am not striving for perfection, as I know it doesn't exist (plus, I am a hobbyist developer, so perfection is impossible). I strive to build something that works well and provides value.
So, I am taking my time. I've been developing this add-in here and there in my spare time for the past 5 years. For the first 4 and a half, it was a passion project. For the past 6 months, I've been working hard to launch it.
And I learned there are many ways to optimize the process for yourself and save time, especially when you are a solo builder in your spare time.
I use ChatGPT for copywriting. I never use its response as is, but I use it a lot for brainstorming ideas.
Photoshop has been my design tool for over 10 years, and I am pretty comfortable with it. However, I decided to use Canva for all design needs this time. It's not as powerful, but it saves me a tremendous amount of time.
I opted out of using cool explainer animations for the features. Instead, I use Excel screenshots. It's not as cool, but it gets the job done.
Instead of creating my own icons or working with free packs, I opted to pay $10 a month for Flaticon. I've been paying it for almost a year and will probably continue - it's amazing how many use cases you can find when you have unlimited access to customizable icons.
For the landing page, I am using WordPress & Elementor. Well, my friend uses them to build the website, and I just take care of the copy. I have built numerous sites, but looking at the landing page, it's so obvious when the person designing it knows what they're doing.
So, my advice is not to rush it. Take your time, especially if you are not doing it full-time and won't be able to handle customer support and bug fixes quickly. Additionally, make sure to research and find the tools and shortcuts that can save you the most time.
It will take a lot of time, much more than you expect when you get started. But launching a digital product (especially software) is still a great way to gain an appreciation for what you built in the first place.
Don't get me wrong, I love working on side projects. I try to be consistent with YouTube, occasionally publish some ebooks, and even created 2 full-blown Excel modeling courses (now available for free on YouTube). But I never expected to make something like Minty Tools. It's literally the culmination of my Excel expertise and years of grinding out spreadsheets.
So, yeah, I just wanted to share some thoughts on the whole launching of your product thing. It's an absolute roller coaster, but if you have an idea and can spare 2-5 hours on nights and weekends every week, you should try it.
That's all I have for today. Thank you for reading, and extra brownie points to those who shared the newsletter with one close friend. It's the best way to help me grow and reach more people.
Till next week,
Dobri 🍃