Thank you for making these videos, I really appreciate today’s message.
Also, thanks for the warning about the Crown Royal Maple. Every time I see that bottle I wonder “Well, it must be ok, otherwise they wouldn’t have made it…”. Now I know better. 🙂
Mike Taberon July 16, 2017 at 1:27 pm
Definitely avoid it like the plague, even if you like Crown Royal. It’s got an overpowering smell to it and the maple flavoring tastes very fake. It’s not real maple syrup.
A family friend brought over some Sortilège (http://www.sortilegewhisky.com/) yesterday which is a Canadian Whiskey with maple syrup. It was decent and I’m pretty sure they use real maple syrup in it. It’s substantially better than the Crown Royal Maple, but since it was technically a liqueur and not a true whiskey, I decided to leave it out of the videos.
I find most whiskeys which have any kind of flavoring explicitly added to them after the distilling process don’t turn out well. If it’s integrated using specific types of barrels, it’s a much more subtle flavoring and tends to hold up better.
JJon July 16, 2017 at 4:16 pm
Hi Mike, nice episode!
So on this topic, how do you handle fear of failure?
I’ve launched a couple of projects during the last 3-4 years and none of those turned out to be a big success (they were not total flops, but nothing to write home about either).
Now I feel like I’m starting to get a bit anxious to put in a lot of time on a new project, knowing it might fail again.
Like, which % chance of success would you give your project at this moment?
Does that influence how you approach the project (in terms of time invested etc)?
Thanks!
stuartdcraneon July 16, 2017 at 6:03 pm
Great points. If you haven’t done so, I would highly recommend reading the book “Shoe Dog” by Phil Knight. For anyone hesitant about starting their business — or doing ANYTHING related to their business, just read that book, see what Phil went through, and your own worries will melt away. (One other comment — you should look right into the camera during the videos, I think that would be a huge improvement — otherwise GREAT STUFF!!).
Mike Taberon July 16, 2017 at 6:15 pm
I have a 30″ monitor and the camera is above it, which makes looking at the camera a bit difficult but I’ll see what I can do. Good book recommendation. I think that Rob Walling mentioned it on the Startups for the Rest of Us podcast as well.
Mike Taberon July 16, 2017 at 7:05 pm
@JJ: Fear of failure is probably a long answer. I’m afraid of failing, just like anyone else. The fact that I’m doing this launch more publicly than most doesn’t change that. But I recognize that getting Bluetick out there is more necessary than protecting my ego.
I’m in a position where there are very few punitive consequences for not launching yet. But that said, I recognize in myself that public accountability has a tendency to push me forward. I’m more afraid of not doing what I said I’d do rather than being afraid of the product failing. So what I’ve done is redirect the fear into a motivation to move forward rather than hold me back.
Assigning a chance for “success” depends on what you define as a success. Long-term, I expect (95%+) Bluetick to be a full-time income for me. I can see that given how ‘sticky’ it is with certain customers. However, I’m extremely uncertain about what the timeline will be for it to get there. If I were able to reach $5k MRR at launch, I’d be extremely pleased but I expect it will be a lot less. Maybe half that? It’s really hard to say predicting the success of a launch is based on a lot of guesswork.
Rafalon July 17, 2017 at 12:38 pm
That whisky is a maple syrup replacement for your pancakes 😉
Thank you for making these videos, I really appreciate today’s message.
Also, thanks for the warning about the Crown Royal Maple. Every time I see that bottle I wonder “Well, it must be ok, otherwise they wouldn’t have made it…”. Now I know better. 🙂
Definitely avoid it like the plague, even if you like Crown Royal. It’s got an overpowering smell to it and the maple flavoring tastes very fake. It’s not real maple syrup.
A family friend brought over some Sortilège (http://www.sortilegewhisky.com/) yesterday which is a Canadian Whiskey with maple syrup. It was decent and I’m pretty sure they use real maple syrup in it. It’s substantially better than the Crown Royal Maple, but since it was technically a liqueur and not a true whiskey, I decided to leave it out of the videos.
I find most whiskeys which have any kind of flavoring explicitly added to them after the distilling process don’t turn out well. If it’s integrated using specific types of barrels, it’s a much more subtle flavoring and tends to hold up better.
Hi Mike, nice episode!
So on this topic, how do you handle fear of failure?
I’ve launched a couple of projects during the last 3-4 years and none of those turned out to be a big success (they were not total flops, but nothing to write home about either).
Now I feel like I’m starting to get a bit anxious to put in a lot of time on a new project, knowing it might fail again.
Like, which % chance of success would you give your project at this moment?
Does that influence how you approach the project (in terms of time invested etc)?
Thanks!
Great points. If you haven’t done so, I would highly recommend reading the book “Shoe Dog” by Phil Knight. For anyone hesitant about starting their business — or doing ANYTHING related to their business, just read that book, see what Phil went through, and your own worries will melt away. (One other comment — you should look right into the camera during the videos, I think that would be a huge improvement — otherwise GREAT STUFF!!).
I have a 30″ monitor and the camera is above it, which makes looking at the camera a bit difficult but I’ll see what I can do. Good book recommendation. I think that Rob Walling mentioned it on the Startups for the Rest of Us podcast as well.
@JJ: Fear of failure is probably a long answer. I’m afraid of failing, just like anyone else. The fact that I’m doing this launch more publicly than most doesn’t change that. But I recognize that getting Bluetick out there is more necessary than protecting my ego.
I’m in a position where there are very few punitive consequences for not launching yet. But that said, I recognize in myself that public accountability has a tendency to push me forward. I’m more afraid of not doing what I said I’d do rather than being afraid of the product failing. So what I’ve done is redirect the fear into a motivation to move forward rather than hold me back.
Assigning a chance for “success” depends on what you define as a success. Long-term, I expect (95%+) Bluetick to be a full-time income for me. I can see that given how ‘sticky’ it is with certain customers. However, I’m extremely uncertain about what the timeline will be for it to get there. If I were able to reach $5k MRR at launch, I’d be extremely pleased but I expect it will be a lot less. Maybe half that? It’s really hard to say predicting the success of a launch is based on a lot of guesswork.
That whisky is a maple syrup replacement for your pancakes 😉