And We're Off...

Over the many hours spent ideating, developing, tinkering, re-ideating, trashing, overhauling, re-ideating and fine-tuning this website, one question that frequently plagued me was:

"What does launch look like?"

This website is the culmination of many firsts for me. It's my first website for my personal brand and my first content strategy. In the product world, you hit the ground running with bravado and confidence when you launch. You want to show the rest of the world what you already know: that your product is a clear winner. 

Another first for me is being a product. JustFelder is my product, and I am JustFelder. I recognize the importance of strong messaging, but I have found myself at odds with applying this tried and true strategy for my own website. Do I start pushing content out immediately? Do I act like JustFelder is already a known entity and blaze forward?

Part of what makes this product unique, in my view, is that it is distinctly humanized. And humans are inherently flawed. And that's not a bad thing. We learn from our flaws, and we grow from our struggles with those flaws. For every part of me that knows 'fake it til you make' is a completely viable strategy, there's another singularly human part of me that can't help but catastrophize that into 'fake it til PEOPLE SEE YOU FOR THE FRAUD THAT YOU ARE AND RUN YOU OUT OF TOWN WITH PITCHFORKS' (hyperbole intended). And that human fear is what's compelling to me, because that's where the growth is. I want JustFelder the product to be just as human as Justin Felder the person.

So this is my launch: a humble admission that I don't know everything or that I am a supreme authority on any given subject. But also a pragmatic stance that no one does or is those things. And that, to me, is worth celebrating. Let’s look at the things we know a hell of a lot about, the things we know nothing about, the things we consider ourselves an expert on, the things we consider ourselves an amateur on, and acknowledge equal growth opportunities in all of them TOGETHER. 

Message what you will and promote yourself as flawlessly as you wish, but if you're not willing to recognize that there may be flaws in your product that you haven't anticipated, then not only are you setting yourself up for catastrophe when your market demands that you address those flaws, but you're denying yourself a very clear avenue for feedback to make your product even better.

The JustFelder brand is my product, and I couldn't be prouder of myself for getting it off the ground. I can't wait to see what works, what doesn't, what unforeseen opportunities and pitfalls lie in wait, and what growth opportunities I can share with you (yes you, reading this right now) along the way.