How do you know when it’s finally “done enough” to ship? 🚢
Hey Product Hunt
Would love to get your thoughts on something I’ve been wrestling with lately.
I’m getting close to launching my first product, and I keep catching myself thinking, "Maybe I should just fix one more thing before I go live."
Some days it’s a minor bug no one will ever see. Other days it’s a feature I might need later. Either way, it’s this weird loop where I’m building more instead of just shipping what I already have.
Part of me knows it’s ready. But another part keeps convincing me to tweak just a bit more. And then another day slips by.
So I figured I’d ask:
How do you personally decide when it’s time to stop building and actually launch?
Have you ever regretted shipping too early? Or waiting too long?
Anything that helped you push through that last stretch and go live?
Would honestly appreciate hearing how others have dealt with this - especially if you’ve done your first launch solo too.
Thanks in advance 🙏
- Brandon C
Replies
Personally I break down the launch in 2 parts (soft launch and full launch). In soft launch, my focus is to building something that I can share with my friend or some beta users to get early feedback bcz I wont know what is not clear or not working until I show it to people. Based on that early feedback, I iterate design, copy, messaging, basically everything and once that is done I reshare it with few more people to validate the idea (basically the first few sales or first testimonial). Post that I plan for a full launch in public (basically launching everywhere for next 1-2 weeks)
@gamifykaran Appreciate you breaking that down. I’ve mostly been in build mode so this helped me think about things in stages. I like the idea of using the soft launch to tighten the messaging before going wide - and looping in early users again as a gut check. That second pass feels key. Thanks for sharing.
@brandonbuilds you can DM me when you are planning to launch, happy to share feedback
@gamifykaran appreciate the offer, I'll follow-up with you via DM!
Velocity
@gamifykaran Yeah, it's not really done done until you are going over it with people. You can't even pretend to really know the feature until it's being really used. Theres no sense in over optimising in the wrong direction with your limited capability. Theres a lot of people in the world with a lot of attention. You won't use them up.
New features should be a absolute no. They should not stop launch.
Bug fixes -- yes, required or at at least a workaround.
User experience issues- yes, some would be worth fixing.
More than the tech part, it is sometimes the marketing part that makes you wait :) The right timing and right creative assets.
@manu_goel2 Makes sense. It’s definitely been tempting to squeeze in one more feature, but I’ve realized it’s more important to get the core right and start learning from real users. The marketing side has been the biggest slowdown for me too - figuring out timing, messaging, and trying not to overthink every detail. Appreciate the reminder to keep investing time into that side of things!
Velocity
@manu_goel2 @brandonbuilds I agree with Manu. For the last product I launched defining a clear MVP at the start really helped. We stripped it back to the simplest version that solved the core problem and shipped in under a month. You’ll never feel fully ready but getting comfortable in that space is part of the job. Then always prioritise what to build next in short sprints (2 weks) and keep focused. Think about what’s most valuable to users and the business, then prioritise based on effort vs impact. But keep the momentum up and keep speaking with users.
Marketing was slowing us down and not really getting us far so we decided to go out and meet real users physically and this really works. I’ve walked the streets chatting to people and gone to meetups to meet our users in person and this work really well.
Hopefully this helps and good luck with the launch.
@manu_goel2 @rachel_long_smith Really appreciate you sharing this - especially the part about getting comfortable with not feeling fully ready. That’s definitely the space I’m in right now. Love the idea of stripping back to the simplest version that solves the core problem and just shipping. Thanks for the advice, it’s super helpful as I try to keep the momentum going!
Nomadful
This might feel a little bit simple but I've identified some moments where I suddenly get tired and start thinking about new features. When that feeling gets constant, I make a test of my progress and if it works and I've accomplished what I planned initially, I pull the plug on the idea lightbulb and start revising [marketing] details for launch. The rest of ideas can easily be implemented in a future release or as part of a fix.
@manuelzarroca That definitely resonates. I’ve had those same moments and it’s easy to confuse progress with productivity. Taking a pause to check against the original plan feels like a smart gut check before slipping into endless tweaking. Appreciate you sharing - it gave me a clearer line to draw for myself this week.
Nomadful
@brandonbuilds Thank you so much! Happy to hear this helped a bit :)
PopPop AI Vocal Remover
Keep in mind what problems your app solves for users. As long as it helps them achieve their goals, you can launch it and later release updates for improvements. For example, you can always fix problems like " it’s a minor bug no one will ever see" soon later after your launch.
@charlenechen_123 Really appreciate this perspective. It’s easy to get caught up in chasing perfection, especially when those minor bugs feel like they’re holding everything back. Definitely helps to remember that updates can always come after launch. Thanks for the encouragement!
Velocity
Yeah just launch, there is always going to be more to do. This is a painful truth you have to push past. But in reality you can't put too many hopes on a Product Hunt launch anyways. All you are looking to do in a best situation is get the name out there a little more because it takes many, many times of hearing of a tool to become a sale.
We decided based on having a line in the sand within a month also had to consider holidays and weekends. We decided also on being able to have a milestone in the month ahead. Theres always got to be another feedback and improvement line to run to, this is just another line. I've never regretted pushing something out, but tbh we held back 2 weeks recently because we had just fell apart, that's different you always want to be able to do what you are selling.
@kevin_mcdonagh1 That “line in the sand” mindset is exactly what I’ve been wrestling with. It’s easy to get stuck waiting for the perfect moment. It sounds like knowing when to push and when to regroup is key. Appreciate you sharing your experience - definitely giving me some clarity on how to move forward! 🙏
Trickle
We feel this so much. It’s way too easy to keep tweaking endlessly.
What helped us was realizing real feedback only comes after launch.
You’re not alone — cheering you on! 🙌
@ninaaaa0913 That’s exactly where I’m at. There’s always one more thing I could fix, but I’m realizing that no amount of tweaking will replace real-world usage. Appreciate the encouragement - definitely helps to hear from others who’ve been through it 🙏
Trickle
@brandonbuilds Exactly! Perfect is the enemy of shipped. You’ve got this — excited to see where it goes!
Some interesting things were added. I'll look at something from a psychological angle. The "one more tweak" thing can be perfectionism rearing its ugly head. Perfectionism is fear (of what you have to define). Many of the ways detailed below will help keep perfectionism at bay.
Your original blueprint for the initial release should contain all the things that create your release checklist. Any features not included at the start of development should be noted for future releases unless they simplify coding or speed up the process.
Set a soft launch deadline and meet it regardless of what you think or where you think you are.
Set a hard launch deadline and, barring anything debilitating or majorly broken, launch!
As you get new ideas for tweaks, changes, mods, additions, or fixes, add them to the list for future releases.
I have found the "future" list is a great way to negotiate the perfectionism trap. By placing something on the list, we acknowledge to our internal editor that their suggestion was heard and noted. We then turn our attention back to the work at hand.
@bigbreakmusic This is a really helpful breakdown - especially the point about perfectionism being fear in disguise. I’ve definitely found myself slipping in extra features that weren’t part of the original plan just to feel more “ready.” I really like the idea of a “future list” to quiet that inner builder without losing the ideas. Definitely going to start using that approach. Appreciate you sharing this framework!
@brandonbuilds Very welcome! Fear takes on many disguises. I learned the "future list" when programming for clients. They always wanted something that wasn't in the original spec and that throws off the timeline as well as profitability. We had a hard line, if it wasn't in the spec it wasn't going in the release we were working on! :)
I’ve been building a lightweight tool to help teams plan their capacity and stay sane – mostly in late-night sessions after the kids are asleep. So I’ve had to get good at recognizing when “good enough” is actually enough.
Still, I caught myself delaying launch again and again.
One key part – a planning grid – went through 4 different versions: card layouts, timeline views, calendar-style... even a fancy drag & drop prototype that looked cool but didn’t work in practice.
Eventually I settled on an Excel-style grid with keyboard shortcuts. It’s not perfect, but it’s fast, clear, and fits how people already think (or at least I like to believe that at 11pm...).
Yesterday, I finally made the call: time to launch.
My personal rule:
If the core value is there and the bugs don’t block it → ship it.
If I’m still tweaking invisible details → I’m probably hiding from real feedback.
Still figuring that out.
@dom_goat That push to chase the “perfect” UI can be so draining - really cool to see how you landed on something that’s fast and actually fits how people work. Your rule about shipping when the core value’s there and bugs aren’t blockers makes sense. Appreciate you sharing your process, definitely making me rethink what’s truly essential before launch. Best of luck with the launch - cheering you on!