Do you want to start a business, launch a product, or write a book?
What’s holding you back?
In a recent post, I explained how many of us are held back by a fear of imperfection. We think we shouldn’t launch something until it’s 100% ready. But the truth is: we can’t make something good unless we get feedback from customers. To get this feedback quickly, we have to ship a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). The MVP might be imperfect, but we have to just f#*!ng ship it.
In Just F#*!ng Ship (JFS), Amy Hoy outlines 21 rules for launching a good product as quickly as possible. Think of it as an MVP how-to guide on steroids. Fun fact: Hoy followed her own rules to write and ship the first draft of JFS in just 24 hours. How’s that for walking the walk?
Below are my five favorite rules:
#4 break it into pieces
Goals and projects are often nebulous. To make them actionable and attainable, we need to break them down.
For instance, your goal to “write a book” could be broken down into: select a topic, do research, prepare materials, write an outline, write first draft, ship first draft, collect feedback, make edits, ship again, etc. Once we’re aware of these little pieces, it’s much easier to plan, schedule, and execute them.
Keep in mind, each piece listed above could be broken down even further. For instance, “ship first draft” could be broken down into: develop launch strategy, write launch content, send teaser Tweets, send first phase of emails, etc.
Never be afraid to break your goals, responsibilities, and tasks into smaller and smaller pieces. The smaller they feel, the easier it is to get them done.
#7 start on the atoms, not the edges
Atoms are the building blocks for all matter. If you can build an atom, then you can build anything. (Can people really build atoms? I’m not a scientist.)
In the context of JFS, an atom is anything that can be “finished, used, and reused.” If you want to write a book, for instance, an atom would be a blog post. You could write one blog post, ship it out, and get feedback. Then you could write and ship another one. Eventually, you could string all the posts together into an book.
If you started this project, instead, by planning the cover of your book, that would count as starting on an “edge.” Honestly, planning your edges is a waste of time if there aren’t solid atoms in the middle.
#9 shop the shelf
Some people and companies suffer from “Not Invented Here“ (NIH) syndrome. That means they don’t want to use software or solutions created somewhere else. So they spend lots of time and money building their own solutions from scratch.
“Shopping the shelf” is the opposite of NIH. It means you embrace what already exists in order to save yourself time and money later on.
For instance, if you want to blog, you shouldn’t worry about coding or designing a website template from scratch. You should just buy a preexisting template. Your readers won’t know the difference, and you’ll be able to get to the good stuff — writing and shipping — a lot faster.
#13 mise en place
The term “mise en place” comes from French cooking. It means measuring and laying out all the ingredients in advance. This saves you organizational and decision-making energy when you’re in a creative moment.
If you’re writing a book, have all your ingredients in front of you already: the main outline, your reference sources, your old blog posts, your quotes, your favorite pens. Have everything situated so that when it’s time to write, you can just f#*!ing write.
#15 cut without remorse
Finally, if you believe in Murphy’s Law, then anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Therefore, a time will come when something will go so wrong that you’ll think you can’t ship.
But you have to just f#*!ing ship! So what should you do?
You need to cut without remorse. Cut the conclusion. Cut the pretty layout. Cut the launch party. Cut anything unnecessary so you can ship.
Because “shipping is what makes a product a product.” And without a product, there’s nothing to learn from.
Delivery icon by Rigo Peter
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Action items:
〉 Identify a goal or project you’d like to complete.
〉 Consider the five rules above, and start planning how you’ll move forward on your project.
〉 Read Just F#*!ing Ship for more no-nonsense advice! I can’t recommend it highly enough.