- Ole Lehmann (The AI Solopreneur)
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- Why you need to launch something NOW
Why you need to launch something NOW
a weird psychological shift happens when internet $ hits your account
Hey there, solopreneur!
Something hit different last week.
I was sitting in my new sauna in Cyprus, letting the heat melt away the stress of my recent move, when something clicked:
Everybody's creating content, but almost nobody's launching products.
isn’t she beautiful
As someone who’s:
Launched multiple products
Generated over $600,000+ from them in 16 months
Helped thousands of creators earn their first digital dollars
…Let me tell you 1 thing:
You should be using this inefficiency to your advantage.
Because I've noticed some wild patterns about what happens the moment you finally put something out there...
Magic Internet Money Hits Different
Here's something that sounds cliche but hits hard - the first time digital dollars hit your account, a flip in your brain switches.
It's almost impossible to describe if you've never felt it. Could be:
A $1 PDF guide
A $27 template
A $997 course
Doesn't matter. Once you taste that sweet leveraged money printing, you get hooked (in a good way). It makes everything 100x more real.
Making $1 proves to yourself that you can make $1M.
So here's what you need to do: Get your first digital dollar ASAP. Don't overthink it. Just ship something small.
Want to know something wild about successful launches?
After my first one:
2 of the biggest creators in the space reached out to me
Business Insider wrote a piece about my journey
My inbox exploded with opportunities
Why? Because when people see you can actually execute, they respect you (most people will never do what they say!)
Your launch becomes your resume. It speaks louder than any Twitter thread ever could.
The Get-Your-Shit-Together Effect
Launching a product is the ultimate forcing function.
Learning about marketing won't bring results. Reading about business won't make you money. Those anxiety attacks when nobody clicks? That's where growth happens.
It's like having a baby - you know it's coming soon so it's time to:
Let go of bad habits
Build real systems
LOCK THE FUCK IN
Today we can use Claude or ChatGPT as mentors, making it 100x easier to reach that 70% skill level across all business domains.
Use that launch deadline to light a fire under your ass. Nothing motivates like a public commitment.
Builders vs. Talkers
Here's the brutal truth that nobody mentions:
Creating content is easy. Creating good products is hard and takes 100x the persistence and grit.
But here's the beautiful part - the harder something is, the less competition you'll face.
90% of people won't try anything challenging. The moment you step into product world, your competition will shrink like crazy.
That pain you're feeling while building? It's your edge. Lean into it.
The Rubber Band Effect
Launch hype works like a rubber band - the longer you pull it back, the harder it snaps.
This isn't just some cute metaphor. It's pure psychology:
We're social animals
We base decisions on others' actions
Growing waitlists trigger FOMO
Anticipation compounds interest
You need to become your own propaganda department. Build that tension until it's ready to explode. Plan your hype timeline backwards from launch day.
Trust me on this one. Post and share 3x more than you think is enough.
Email Money Printer Goes Brrrrr
Listen carefully:
95% of my sales happen through email.
Of course, social media is great for:
Driving traffic to my email list
Authority
Network
But email is where the actual monetization occurs.
No matter what you do (YouTube, podcast, X, whatever) - send everything to an email list.
The money's in the list isn't just some boomer marketing saying. It's fucking real.
Last-Second Psychology
Something that still blows my mind:
30-50% of all sales happen on the last day, most in the final 2-3 hours.
I like to do time-restricted launches (3-4 days) and every single time I'd be sweating because sales were slow on days 2 & 3.
Capping the time where people can buy or giving special one-time discounts brings real scarcity to the digital world. Works like a charm every single time. Also don’t sweat if sales fall off in the days between start and finish, it’s 100% normal.
The Price Mind-Fuck
No matter what you sell, from my experience most people vastly undervalue what they can charge.
There's almost some kind of shame and guilt connected to charging enough online.
In my case? I raised prices by almost 2x and conversion stayed exactly the same.
Try this: Double your prices. Then double them again. Keep going until it breaks. You'll be shocked how high you can go. Some people will complain. It’s okay.
Always remember: Higher-paying customers = fewer complaints.
Here's something nobody talks about:
After successful launches, multiple big creators and companies reached out wanting to hire me to do the same for them.
You don't have to pull in crazy numbers - you'd be surprised how many people want to pay for your battlefield knowledge.
(I never took those offers because I don't want to work for someone else, but it's a nice option to have).
No risk, no fun for me.
Email Blast Truth
When you're in promo phase, send way more emails than feels comfortable.
If you plan to send 6 launch emails, make it 18. Whatever number you're thinking, multiply it by 3.
You'll get unsubscribes. But those free riders were never going to buy anyway.
Better to send too many emails than watch your launch flop because you were scared of "bothering" people.
The Launch Nuclear Bomb
Real talk about what a product launch does to your brain:
I've lived on RedBull for weeks straight (my liver thanks me for quitting)
Forgot to eat regular meals
Ghosted friends while in Berlin
Relationship suffered
Checked metrics at 3 AM
Set up working windows. Wind down 2 hours before sleep. It's a marathon, not a sprint. Your brain will thank you later. Go to the sauna, hit the gym, meditate or light a candle to summon to the launch gods.
Make Celebration Part of the Job
Big mistake I made: After my first product launch, I just jumped back into working.
Nobody will celebrate your milestones for you.
work hard, play hard
Make it part of your process. Invite friends for dinner. Even if it's just your first sale.
You'll always look back on these moments later.
Speaking of new chapters...
I just moved into my new place. A lot of challenging life events happened in my last apartment and this feels like a fresh start.
The daily sauna sessions are already making me calmer.
I’m writing all content from inside my sauna now
Plus, I had to rescue a little kitten that got lost on my porch - spent the whole day driving to the vet and finding it a new home.
She was dirty, her voice was gone (sounded like a raspy old man). She probably didn’t have any food for a long time (never saw a cat eat that fast).
Sometimes the universe sends you signs to slow down, you know?
People love to share how working online gives them the freedom to do whatever they want.
Some days this could mean you save a kitten from dying outside.
Ole's Bookmarks
I went to Greenland to try to buy it
Here’s what happened:
— Dryden (@drydenwtbrown)
7:50 PM • Nov 12, 2024
Fascinating thread. Inspiring reminder to “think bigger”. Entrepreneurship is all about obsessing about an outrageous goal and running towards it. I regularly catch myself of not thinking big enough.
i don't think the Y Combinator "pocket guide of essential advice" ever gets old
— GREG ISENBERG (@gregisenberg)
1:10 AM • Nov 13, 2024
Timeless advice. #1 should be burned into your brain now after this newsletter.
You need to be cult maxxing
— Jash Dholani (@oldbooksguy)
3:13 PM • Nov 7, 2024
Every company that took over the world has formed a cult around them. No matter what you are building, build a tribe with a shared mission. Learn from cults to build a successful customer base (without the brainwashing, family destruction part though).
I love this video. In the age of AI, your authenticity as a content creator is your moat. Share the fuckups, share your weird little life stories. They are what separates you from bland cookie-cutter content that’s flooding the web.
Please reply if you liked this email or tell me what you would love to learn more about.
I read every single reply.
See you next week 🫡
Ole
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