Five lessons from shipping three products in a year

Building the product is the part I'm best at, which is exactly why it's the part I have to watch myself on.

1. Cut the scope until it's uncomfortable

Every launch that went well shipped less than I wanted. Every one that dragged had a "small" feature that wasn't.

2. Distribution is a feature

If you can't describe how the first hundred people will hear about it, you don't have a launch plan — you have a hope.

3. Onboarding is the product

For most people, the first minute is the product. NestEgg's whole design started from one question: can a grandparent give successfully on the first try?

4. Write the boring docs

5. Ship, then listen

The roadmap you write before launch is mostly wrong. The one your users write for you afterwards is mostly right.

Building the product is the part I'm best at, which is exactly why it's the part I have to watch myself on.

1. Cut the scope until it's uncomfortable

Every launch that went well shipped less than I wanted. Every one that dragged had a "small" feature that wasn't.

2. Distribution is a feature

If you can't describe how the first hundred people will hear about it, you don't have a launch plan — you have a hope.

3. Onboarding is the product

For most people, the first minute is the product. NestEgg's whole design started from one question: can a grandparent give successfully on the first try?

4. Write the boring docs

5. Ship, then listen

The roadmap you write before launch is mostly wrong. The one your users write for you afterwards is mostly right.