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When people talk about launching digital products, side projects, or prototypes, the conversation often talks about success or failure.
Did it take off, or did it flop? After years of putting things into the world, I’ve realised that this misses the point. The real value isn’t just in whether something “worked.” It’s in what you learn by doing.
Most experiments start with curiosity. A problem you can’t ignore, a half-formed idea, or simply the urge to test something in the wild. Planning only takes you so far, and at some point you need to ship.
That’s when the lessons show up. Launching forces clarity. It strips away assumptions and gives you direct feedback that no amount of theorising could uncover.
Metrics matter, but they aren’t the whole story. Some of the most valuable projects are the ones that didn’t become “hits” at all.
Why? Because every launch teaches you something. You sharpen a skill. You figure out what messaging works (or doesn’t). You learn how to do things faster, more effectively.
Even when a project doesn’t scale, the insights you gain can be applied everywhere else.
Every experiment moves you forward, even if it doesn’t move the market.
In that light, there’s really no such thing as wasted effort. There are only projects that gave you clearer feedback.
So, if you’re launching, instead of asking, “Was it a success or a failure?” try asking, “What did this teach me?”. That shift makes all the difference.
Every experiment moves you forward, even if it doesn’t move the market.
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