Launching is a project with a date. This skill turns everything else in the pack into a dated plan, and starts with the cheapest way to find out if real people will pay before the big money goes out.
Step 1: test before you spend
Pick the cheapest real test that fits the business, and run it before signing the
big costs in founder/numbers.json:
| business | the test |
|---|---|
| physical shop or café | a pop-up, a market stall or a pre-order list with a price and a date |
| online product | a landing page with the price and a "pre-order" or "join the waitlist" button |
| service or agency | three paid pilot clients at the planned price |
| subscription | a founding-member offer, paid up front |
Write the success line before running it (for example: 50 pre-orders in two weeks
at $6.50), and compare the result with the panel's buy rate. If real buyers fall
well short of the panel, trust the real buyers and go back to /founder-offer or
/founder-pricing.
Step 2: the countdown
From today to launch day, with real dates (ask for the target date; default to the
earliest realistic one given lead times in founder/ops.md). Weekly blocks, each
task with an owner and a deadline:
- Legal and money: registration, bank account, permits from
founder/ops.md. - Build: fit-out or website, suppliers ordered by their lead times.
- Brand: sign, packaging, profiles from
founder/brand.md. - Marketing: the calendar in
founder/marketing.mdfrom launch minus 14 days. - Team: hiring and training on the SOPs.
- A soft open or friends-and-family day before the public launch.
Mark the critical path: the tasks that move the launch date if they slip.
Step 3: launch day
An hour-by-hour run sheet: who is where, what goes out on which channel, the opening offer, what to do if something breaks (from the risk register).
Step 4: the first 30 days
The weekly numbers to track (from the CFO: units a day against break-even; from marketing: the channel numbers), the level that triggers a change, and a review on days 7, 14 and 30 with the questions to answer.
Output
founder/launch.md with the test, the countdown, the run sheet and the 30-day
review. Next: /founder-plan compiles everything into the business plan.