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Brand Timing, Overcoming Burnout, & Habits
Enhance your health and happiness through entrepreneurial success - one week at a time.
Will Watters
March 31, 2024
First of all, Happy Easter! I hope you have plans to spend time with friends and family!
Startup Playbook: Brand Timing
If you’re looking to launch your brand in time for the holidays this year, the clock isn’t just ticking—it’s racing. Here’s why you need to start now and how to do it. Let’s put together a few things from previous weeks and help you build out a plan.
Why Start Now for the Holiday Season?
The holiday rush is a goldmine for brands, but to hit it right, your timing needs to be impeccable. Starting now gives you the runway to build, test, and refine—not just to launch but to stand out when it matters most.
Phase 1: Audience Building - The Foundation
Your first move? Build an audience. I covered this last week. It’s more than just a step; it’s your foundation. Whether through a personal brand or curating content, engaging early means you have a community ready and waiting, not just for your launch but for the crucial holiday season.
Phase 2: Product and Brand Development - The Blueprint
Product clarity: Define what you’re creating, its unique value, and its audience. This clarity isn’t just for you; it’s what will make your vendors and customers get behind your vision.
Brand identity: Concurrently, flesh out your brand’s visual and strategic identity. A cohesive brand story from logo to online presence sets the tone for everything you do.
Vendor collaboration: Begin your search for the perfect manufacturing partner. Whether you use Pietra, Google, or ImportYeti, the goal is to find a vendor who understands your vision and can execute it to the quality you expect. More on how to use ImportYeti here.
Phase 3: Sampling and Setup - The Work Behind the Scenes
Iterate with vendors: Expect a series of back-and-forths to refine your product. For tangible goods like apparel, anticipate a few months (60-90 days) of sampling. This time isn’t idle; it’s critical for quality.
Build your platform: As samples are produced, simultaneously set up your digital presence. From your website to email marketing strategies, use this time to ensure your online ecosystem is as ready as your product. Use Shopify and find a simple template that works for you.
Phase 4: Production and Pre-launch - The Final Countdown
Kick off production: With your product perfected, move into production. This phase is where your concept becomes a reality, and timing here is critical to meet your launch window. This takes another 30-60 days plus shipping.
Pre-launch activities: Use this time to start generating buzz. From creating engaging content with your samples to fine-tuning your launch strategy, every action here is about building anticipation.
Launch - The Moment of Truth
With a solid audience base, a well-defined product, and an engaging brand story, you’re set to launch. Utilize every tool at your disposal—social media, email campaigns, influencers—to create a launch that captures consumer interest.
The Bottom Line
If the holiday season is your target, the time to move is now. This roadmap isn’t just about getting you to launch; it’s about preparing you to make the most of the busiest shopping season of the year.
We’ll dive deeper into each of these phases, giving you the nitty-gritty on making each step count. Because here, every detail matters.
Founder Playbook: Overcoming Burnout
This week, we're diving deep into a topic close to my heart and, unfortunately, all too familiar to many of us: Navigating Founder Burnout. It's the silent battle we fight behind the scenes, where the stakes are high, and the toll on our health and businesses can be significant.
A Personal Confession In January of this year, I hit a wall. Not just any wall, but the kind that makes you question everything. I was as burnt out as I've ever been. The passion for what i was doing was gone. Why? Because I fell into the trap many founders do. I stopped delegating. I stopped trusting my team to carry their weight. In a critical time for my business, I shouldered too much, convinced it was the only way through.
The Warning Signs We Ignore Burnout creeps up silently, manifesting through constant fatigue, a short fuse, and a diminishing passion for what once excited us. It's a red flag, waving furiously, signaling that our approach to work and life is unsustainable. Recognizing these signs early can be the difference between a business failing, your body failing, or getting yourself back on track.
The Road to Recovery How did I start to turn things around? It began with admitting I was in over my head and acknowledging that this wasn’t sustainable. Here are some strategies that not only helped me but could be a lifeline for you too:
Set Boundaries: Learn to say no. Your time and energy are finite resources.
Prioritize and Delegate: Not everything that demands your attention deserves it. Trust your team. It’s why you hired them.
Incorporate Breaks: Stepping away to recharge isn’t lost time—it’s an investment in your well-being and creativity.
Seek Support: Whether it’s a mentor or a peer group, having a sounding board is invaluable.
Live Healthily: Exercise, nutrition, and sleep aren’t luxuries; they’re your foundation for enduring the marathon of entrepreneurship. Treat entrepreneurship like a sport and train like an athlete.
Cultivating a Sustainable Work Ethic Adjusting my approach to work didn’t happen overnight. It took patience and persistence. I started to delegate more, trusting my team to rise to the occasion (which they did, brilliantly). I embraced breaks as part of my routine, finding that these moments of pause made me more, not less, effective. Slowly, the weight lifted, and the passion that felt so distant began to return. Find small wins.
Embracing Vulnerability and Strength Opening up about burnout isn't easy. It feels like admitting defeat. But here's the truth—recognizing when you need to step back is a sign of strength, not weakness. It’s about prioritizing long-term success over short-term gains.
Remember, it’s not just about surviving; it’s about thriving—both as a business and as individuals. Stay strong, stay inspired, and most importantly, take care of yourselves.
Automation Playbook: Create Habits
To truly make a difference in your entrepreneurial journey, focus on the establishment of small, daily habits. Here's a straightforward plan to automate this process, making consistency your secret weapon:
Choose One Small Habit: Pick a simple action that aligns with your long-term goals. It could be as straightforward as dedicating 15 minutes to reading about trends, or jotting down three new ideas every morning.
Set Up Daily Reminders: Use your smartphone or a task management app to create daily reminders. This automation ensures you never skip this small but crucial step towards your goals.
Track Your Progress: Utilize a habit-tracking app where you can simply tick off each day you complete your chosen habit. Seeing your streak grow will provide motivation and satisfaction.
Review Weekly: Dedicate a few minutes every week to review your progress. This doesn't need to be a lengthy process—a quick look at your tracking app will show how well you're sticking to your habit.
Adjust as Needed: If you find your chosen habit isn't serving you as expected, don't hesitate to adjust. The goal is consistent progress, so tweaking your approach to keep momentum is key.
This approach is all about simplicity and consistency. By automating the reminder and tracking aspects, you free up mental space to focus on the action itself. Small daily habits, compounded over time, can lead to significant achievements. Start small, stay consistent, and watch as your efforts multiply into substantial progress.
That’s it for this week! If you want to add anything, or just want to say hey, shoot me a response!
Will
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