10 Easy Steps To Launching Your Side Project

1. Choose the most ambitious idea you can possibly think of

You’ll likely have a few different ideas of what you could work on. Always choose the most ambitious project of the lot. The bigger the project, the more money you’ll make, so be sure to shoot for the stars.

Picture dreams of you launching this and becoming a billionaire soon after. Do this and you’re halfway there.

Sure, there’ll be some hard work on the way, but you’ve got a great idea right? And that’s gotta be worth a lot.

2. Brainstorm every feature that could possibly ever be useful, and add that to your ‘must have before I ever launch’ list

Everyone knows that all the successful websites started with fully featured perfectly designed sites, right? Every feature you dream up will play a vital part in your success, so don’t even think of launching without them.

3. Reinvent the wheel at every opportunity

What’s the point in using ready-made solutions when you can make your own? Spoiler: there isn’t. Be sure to build everything from scratch. This will make it much easier when it comes to selling your idea for billions down the line.

4. Work endlessly with no deadline

Deadlines are for wimps. Are you a wimp? Then don’t set deadlines. What are you, a corporate manager? You’re a creative, you won’t be a part of their system.

5. Spend as much time and money as possible on every little detail

Shortcuts are for losers. If you’ve got a few options in terms of how something could be done, always choose the most time consuming, expensive idea of the lot. Remember, your aim is to create the next Facebook, Snapchat or Peach (Peach, anyone?). Do you think Mark Zuckerberg started Facebook by choosing the ‘quickest, most cost efficient option’? Of course not. Spend time and spend money at every opportunity.

6. Build in stealth mode

Be sure to never speak to anyone about what you’re working on, because everyone will realise how great your idea is and will surely steal it. Everyone else is starved of ideas and on the hunt for new ideas to steal. Your idea is original and unique, no-one else could have thought of this because no-one else is you. Whatever you do, do not share it.

7. Never speak to any potential users about what you’re working on

Users are dumb and have no place giving you feedback. There are two types of people, great visionaries like you, and low-life peons, the everyday users. What the user wants is irrelevant, you’re the ideas person, and you’ll be the one to decide whether your idea is the best thing since sliced bread or not. Thankfully you already have, it is, so it’s case closed on this one.

Considering ‘real world applications’ is a sure fire way to make your idea lame. Are you lame? Then don’t contaminate your idea with the lame juice of lame people. That’d be lame.

8. Be sure to never consider why you’re doing this in the first place

The most successful people in the world just do stuff, they don’t ever consider why. Who cares why? Why you’re doing something and your aims for it won’t influence what you’re doing. Instead, regularly take time to dream up new features that would make this even better.

9. Stick religiously to your original idea

Pivoting is for wimps. Since when did watering down your idea pay off? Instead, make sure to stick religiously to your idea, making sure to execute it exactly as you originally imagined. We’ve no time for compromises, the idea you had at the start was perfect and flawless, adapting it now is a sure fire recipe for failing and becoming a failure like all those users out there. You don’t want to be one of them, you’re the visionary, part of the elite, so stick rigidly to your idea, no matter what.

10. Except nothing less than perfect

Now you’ve been doing this a while, you may be thinking, should I launch? Thankfully, the answer is simply. No.

How could you launch now? You’ve not added that vital feature that everybody will use. Every time you near launch, remind yourself of the high standards of the unicorn elite. You’ve only got one shot at this launch, so it better be perfect.

You may have realised by now, the tips above are a little tongue-in-cheek. But you know what? That’s how a lot of us work, or at least how we start out.

I know for us, Mike & I used to follow the tips above almost religiously, never realising we were doing it wrong. Thankfully these days we’ve learnt a few lessons. Just over twelve months ago, we’d never launched anything despite spending years working on side projects. Twelve months later, we’ve launched seven projects, rank inside the top 100 makers on Product Hunt, had 72,000 users through to our projects and made thousands of dollars as a result.

We learnt that there were a few simple rules could turn an endless never ending cycle of doom into repeatable launch process. So we’re writing a book, sharing our story and what we’ve learnt, to help you get your launch game on too.

Want to learn to launch? Tired of never shipping your side projects? This book is for you. Sign up at learningtolaunch.co to be the first to hear when we’re ready.

FYI: This post took a combined total of 3h 16m to write, review & edit.