Launch Flopped? You’re Not Alone. Pull Up a Chair.
Sharing the gritty details of my latest launch flop, because success stories are overrated.
Hey Friends,
Last week, I had one of those days that made me think, “Who am I to even run this newsletter about Catholic business? I clearly have no idea what I’m doing and everyone should probably just unsubscribe.”
Then I had to remind myself:
“Kate… You didn’t name this newsletter Catholic Business Expert, you named it Catholic Business Buddy. You did this to be a friend to other Catholic business owners, to share your highs and lows, to be the person who shares vulnerably because you aren’t trying to be the expert in everything. It doesn’t matter if you have financial success because this newsletter is really more about emotional and spiritual support.”
So yeah, if you are here because you think I have all the answers, you probably should unsubscribe. But if you want the good, bad, and ugly, and a friend to share in it with, you are in the right place.
So what exactly happened last week?
If you are following, you know I launched Statement Species last week. It was 18 months of hard work. I did things differently this time around. I took every lesson learned from building Thy Olive Tree. I started off with the right platforms. Sourced high quality items. Designed my heart out. I priced my items for what they are worth. I took beautiful photos. I designed a gorgeous website. And I spent months building and nurturing an email list. I ran ads to get 1,000+ new leads to my list, because everyone tells you, “Email is Everything!” blah blah blah. (Yes, I’m a little bitter.)
I launched on the Feast of the Holy Rosary. Made my website live and sat back to watch…
It was one of those days where you just want to go set all your products on fire. 🔥Just light a match and burn it all down. And not because they are hot sellers. (Don’t worry, I’m too afraid of fire to actually do this.)
But do you know what I mean? Have you had a day like that? Where you wonder, “What the heck am I even doing?! Why did God place this incredible idea on my heart just to watch it burn down in flames." (again, metaphorically.)
Yes, I’m being overdramatic, catastrophic, and pessimistic. I’m quite good at that, just ask my husband. That’s what I do when I invest emotionally in something and it doesn’t pan out the way I envisioned. I have a little pity party, idealize about shutting it all down, have a heated convo with God, and then make a plan for what I’m going to do next. Because, it was just one bad day. And I know, deep down, that is what being in business is like. Rarely does a launch go perfectly. It takes time for people to see your products and make a purchase.
But, it sucks.
So instead of hiding under my covers, I’m going to share it all with you.
Because I wish more people shared the ugly side of things:
The fact that you can do a lot of the right things and still have a launch flop.
You can create something truly beautiful and innovative, you believe in with all your heart, and you’ll never feel so unseen.
You can stand by quality, integrity, transparency, and compliance laws, only to watch the cheap, kitschy, AI-designed products sell like hot cakes.
But…
Your “flop” might be God’s win.
God sees your efforts.
He knows the quality of your work.
After my failed launch, I did a few things (I should have been doing more often):
Went to Adoration
Went to confession
Attended daily Mass
While I really just wanted to buckle down and start planning my launch redo, I knew I needed a spiritual reset.
Later in the week, a few things happened:
I heard a Shining Light Doll’s podcast with my kids about St. Faustina. I hadn’t realized that her diary didn’t even became popular until years after her death. And initially people thought she was crazy when she had her vision. The message for kids (but actually for me) was that God’s timing is not our own timing.
Next, I was on Substack and found this video from Danielle Bean about Making Peace with Being Small. I rarely take the time to watch videos, but I watched this one. It was just what I needed. The idea is that, if we are doing God’s will, the numbers don’t really matter. The likes, comments, orders, dollars, etc. don’t mean anything if we aren’t doing what God wants us to be doing. And sometimes playing it small IS what God wants, because our impact is much bigger than we can see this side of Heaven.
I got 4 messages in a week from various people telling me what a blessing my Rosary books are. God clearly has a sense of humor because this book I released years ago was NOT the product or business I was spiraling about. Yet, it was a good reminder that the fruits of your work can and will show up years and years after you launch something.
So, that’s where I’m at. I am beginning to plan my next steps and am putting away my match book. (Seriously, I don’t think I even own one).
I know what you really want to know is HOW bad was it?
Because I have an ounce of self-worth, I’m reserving those stats for my paid members. For $10 you can read all the juicy details and support a struggling entrepreneur. Hurry. I might burn it all down before you have a chance to join. I’m known to do that.
Here’s what I’ll share:
How many people were on my email list when I launched
The number of people who opened my emails
How much I spent on ads 😭 and why I might rewrite this post
Sales that came from ads
What I’d do differently next time
The total number of orders I got (spoiler alert: 1 of them was from my grandma)
How much I’m in the hole on this business, and what I’m doing to dig myself out
My action steps for moving forward