I almost launched a new product recently.
Almost.
It started as a post. Then, I saw a deep pain point. One that gobs of people have, and that I'm capable of solving. And I figured out how to solve it on the cheap, really cheap.
So I did what I normally do when I need to think through every aspect of a project before actually launching it. I wrote the sales letter for it. Why? Because a really good sales letter explores every need, every buy trigger, every aspect of the solution, every point of differentiation, every element of proof needed, every possible delivery format and call-to-action.
It looked great on paper...but then I killed it.
Not because I couldn't pull it off. Chances are it would have been a hit and put real money in my pocket. Not because there wasn't a valid need. The demand is big and constantly renewing. And not because I didn't have the proof to back up what I could do. That was the easy part.
I killed it because it was a distraction from what I really needed to be building. Because a sales letter tells me whether it's right for the market, but it doesn't tell me whether it's right for me.
Stepping away for a day, it became clear the project would actually be serving a bit of a subversive role in my life. It would be pulling me from the much bigger thing that's been looming in front on me for a long time now. The one I still need to do a solid chunk of work to really understand. The one that goes much deeper into who I am, what I really care about and how I want to serve people.
The one that, when I give birth to it—and I soon will—if it succeeds, it will take me, my career and path in life to a very different place.
But if it fails...it will crush me.
I killed the project, because it was a project.
And at this point in my life, I need to be building something more.
Jonathan Fields is an attorney turned serial-entrepreneur, business strategist, speaker and author. He writes about the creativity, innovation, embracing uncertainty, leadership, entrepreneurship, mindfulness and lifestyles at JonathanFields.com. Jonathan's latest book, Uncertainty: Turning Fear and Doubt Into Fuel For Brilliance, is due out in September 2011 from Penguin/Portfolio. When not deep into the process of creation, you can usually find him dancing around his living room with his wife and daughter.
