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Has anyone had to push their launch date? Why?

Daniel Zaitzow
46 replies
We've had to move our launch date (not too far in the future but just to make sure most of the kinks are ironed out from our beta cohort) I am curious if anyone has any launch delay stories (horror stories also welcome)

Replies

I’ve pushed mine so many times cause of my developers. I’m talking i should have launched a year ago… my project is over time and over budget. But I do feel it is way better than what it was. And now launching Feb5th. Still nervous.
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@dzaitzow absolutely! You’re right. Needs to be a balance!
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Daniel Zaitzow
@slimmy82 I hear that! I don't think theres ever a 'right' time but the product should be in a place where if there is demand or bugs you can deal with the outcomes without having to put your head in the sand or lost prospects at scale.
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Anastasia Liamets
We just moved it yesterday haha, because we had a strong feeling that we’re not gonna give 100% smooth experience for our users and were scared about deadlines knocking the door. But more on a panic way, so we decided that we want to enjoy this journey and give as much as we can
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Daniel Zaitzow
@anliamets I hear that - how long did you push it for?
angel william
I never had a launch date postponed,
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Thomas Jack
The opposite happened to us -- accidentally clicked the "Launch now" button
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Carter Michael
Just a week! Nothing fun or horrific. Just forgot with life stuff happening. Solo maker so wasn't a big deal!
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Daniel Zaitzow
@carter_michael Nothing fun or horrific sounds like a decent place to be!
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Carter Michael
@dzaitzow Could be worse!
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Charlotte Chiang
Yep definitely! We delayed our launch - first due to internal reasons, then to coordinate with a PR announcement. Honestly I wish we had gone ahead with after the first delay, once we felt ready with the beta. Good luck!
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Daniel Zaitzow
@charmandro I hear that - did you get much of a push from the PR side?
Igor Lysenko
I never had a launch date postponed, everything was right on time.
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Daniel Zaitzow
@ixord like clockwork!
Alvaro Villalba Perez
The opposite happened to us -- accidentally clicked the "Launch now" button
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@alvarovillalb_ 😑. How did it go? There should be a warning when you click that button, asking you to confirm
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Alvaro Villalba Perez
@slimmy82 definitely should! Although it worked a little somehow... +46 upvotes and 20+ (+160%) more DAU than our average. No regrets! But the warning button should be a must
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Carol Moh
@slimmy82 @alvarovillalb_ I'm kinda shocked there isn't one 😱
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Daniel Zaitzow
@alvarovillalb_ hahaha no way! How did it go?
@carolmoh I almost clicked it too. Lol
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Ruslan.D
heh i want to delay instead )) not enough time and preparation
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Vincent Xu
AI Researcher
AI Researcher
It's definitely not uncommon to have to push a launch date to ensure that everything is running smoothly. In fact, it's a smart move to make sure that most of the kinks are ironed out from your beta cohort before officially launching. As a product hunt master, I've seen many launch delay stories, and they often stem from unexpected technical issues, last-minute feedback from beta users, or even just the need for more comprehensive testing. It's all part of the process, and it's great that you're taking the time to ensure a successful launch. If you ever need any advice or support as you navigate through this, feel free to reach out. Wishing you all the best with your upcoming launch!
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Daniel Zaitzow
@cen_xu Much appreciated - we have pushed a few days just to have it line up with the end of our contest and to give us a few more days to squash the bugs. I will be sure to reach out if I run into any other hiccups.
Vincent Xu
AI Researcher
AI Researcher
As for launch delay stories, I've definitely had my fair share. One memorable one was when we discovered a critical bug just days before our planned launch. It was a mad scramble to fix it, but ultimately, it was worth it to ensure a successful launch.
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Daniel Zaitzow
@cen_xu Amazing! What was the bug?
Hussein Hashish
had to fire dev team and hire a new one but thankfully happened very early on
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@hussein_hashish I should have done the same. Empty promised for 12 months. But I will say in the end they did do a good job. Can’t wait to be able to hire internally
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Barnabe DUBUS
@slimmy82 I couldn't agree more. It's a major penalty to have to outsource the manufacture of your product without being able to make a prototype yourself for companies with a large tech component.
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Hussein Hashish
@slimmy82 you dont always get things right at the start but we have to have the resiliency and patience to think of alternatives and do whatever it takes to succeed
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@barnabed yep. I wish I was a full stack coder myself!! But lessons learned! Next time I would set clear expectations and clear deadlines
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Daniel Zaitzow
@hussein_hashish wow! There must be a little more to that story - was it individual devs that you'd hired or like a contract org
Hussein Hashish
was a psedo-agency, VC funded. They assisted in hiring 3 devs. 2nd week of development I had some concerns over tech infra & architecture, and lead dev and project manager thought it was an excellent idea to respond to my concerns with chatgpt and had even a better idea of lying about it when I confronted them.
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Hussein Hashish
@dzaitzow yea but grateful it happened before launching then it would have been another level of wild
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Daniel Zaitzow
@hussein_hashish sounds wild!
Diksha Patro B
Want to gain as much traction in the PH community as possible before the launch!
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@dikshapatrob right approach!
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Daniel Zaitzow
@dikshapatrob That is good you didn't have any technical hiccups!
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Jin Lee
Numerous times lol One that I remember was when our DL vision model was not able to recognize Jungook from BTS.
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Daniel Zaitzow
@jgleeee I don't quite know what that means but it sounds like a good idea that you pushed it!