When to Launch: The Timing Paradox Every Founder Faces

"If you're not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you've launched too late." — Reid Hoffman

"Don't ship crap." — Steve Jobs

So which is it?

The Timing Paradox

Every founder faces this dilemma:

Launch too early:

• Negative first impressions
• Support nightmare
• Users churn before you can fix issues
• Bad reviews poison the well

Launch too late:

• Competitors get there first
• You've built features nobody wanted
• Runway burns while you polish
• Perfectionism spiral

There's no universal answer. But there IS a framework.

The Launch Readiness Checklist

Must-Haves (Non-negotiable)

Before any launch, you need:

• [ ] Core value delivery - Does the main feature work 90% of the time?
• [ ] Payment processing - Can users actually give you money?
• [ ] Basic onboarding - Can a new user figure out what to do?
• [ ] Contact method - Can users reach you when things break?

If any of these are missing, you're not ready.

Nice-to-Haves (Can wait)

These can come after launch:

• [ ] Perfect UI polish
• [ ] Mobile responsiveness
• [ ] Dark mode
• [ ] Advanced settings
• [ ] Integrations
• [ ] Team features
• [ ] Analytics dashboard

Red Flags (You're stalling)

If you're working on these instead of launching, you're procrastinating:

• [ ] Rewriting in a "better" framework
• [ ] Optimizing for scale you don't have
• [ ] Adding "one more feature"
• [ ] Waiting for the "perfect" moment

Strategic Launch Windows

Best Times to Launch

Product Hunt:

• Tuesday-Thursday launches perform best
• 12:01 AM PST for maximum exposure time
• Avoid holidays and major tech events

Hacker News:

• Weekday mornings (US time)
• "Show HN" for demos
• "Launch HN" for YC companies

Reddit:

• Varies by subreddit
• Check posting rules carefully
• Genuine engagement > self-promotion

Twitter/X:

• Weekdays 9 AM - 12 PM your audience's time zone
• Build-in-public content before launch
• Ship threads get high engagement

Worst Times to Launch

• Friday afternoons (everyone's checked out)
• Weekends (lower traffic)
• Major holidays
• Same day as Apple/Google events
• During breaking news cycles

The Soft Launch Strategy

Don't go 0 to 100. Use a graduated launch:

Week 1-2: Friends & Family

• 10-20 trusted users
• Expect everything to break
• Fast iteration cycle

Week 3-4: Private Beta

• 50-100 users via waitlist
• Collect testimonials
• Fix critical issues

Week 5: Soft Public Launch

• Open signups quietly
• No big announcements
• Let organic discovery happen

Week 6+: Full Launch

• Product Hunt, Hacker News, etc.
• Press outreach
• Paid acquisition (if validated)

The "Good Enough" Standard

Your v1 should solve ONE problem excellently.

Not "pretty well." Not "mostly." Excellently.

Everything else can suck. But that one thing? Nail it.

Examples:

Notion v1: Just a notes app. No databases, no templates.

Stripe v1: Just payments. No subscriptions, no invoicing.

Slack v1: Just messaging. No threads, no workflows.

They launched when the CORE was excellent, not when everything was polished.

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• Is the problem clear?
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• Are there fatal flaws?

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