The Soft Launch Era: Why You Don’t Need to Have It All Figured Out to Begin

I’ve been “starting” Now She Becomes for what feels like forever. What I once imagined as a neat three-month sprint has somehow morphed into an almost yearlong endeavour, such that every tweak, fix and polish has me wondering, “Am I the problem, or is this just part of the process?”

Turns out, it is part of the process, I am doing okay, and this slow-burn way of starting before you feel fully ready? It’s totally normal.

That’s the thing about launching your own brand-slash-business from the ground up. You want it to be good, feel right, and reflect the part of you that’s leading it. But good things take time, you know? And Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Is the pace ideal? Not all the time. Does it require compromise? Absolutely. And yes, there’s a measure of privilege baked into a slow build. I say this not to diminish the work, but to contextualize it.

For this reason, I’ve come to think of this season as my soft launch era: that strange in-between where you’re building something real, but not quite ready for the big reveal. It can last a few months or stretch into well over a year, but if you move with intention, the outcome is worth every quiet, uncertain step.

Without further ado, let’s dive into exactly what a soft launch is, who it’s for, and the kind of venture that warrants it.

I. What Is a Soft Launch?

A soft launch rests on one simple truth: perfect visibility does not equal perfect readiness. Which is to say that you don’t need a flawless debut, but you do need to actually begin, even if it means doing it quietly at first.

It’s basically the learning-in-public phase. The iterative phase. The let-me-get-my-bearings phase. And also the “I don’t have all the pieces yet, but I’m moving anyway” phase. Think of it as a runway, not a stage.

II. Who a Soft Launch Is For (and Why It Works for Intentional Women)

Not every woman moves at the same rhythm. Some are day one, boots-on-the-ground, simultaneously churning out profit and serving massive doses of inspiration while they’re at it. Then there are the ones who are more like me: slightly type A, very particular about what they do or don’t want, deeply intentional, and more often than not, working under certain limitations.

The latter kind of woman leans towards soft launches because:

1.  She’s not just building to sell. She’s building from a guiding philosophy.
2. She likes having a plan in place before kicking anything off.
3. She wants her messaging and market to be clear from the start.
4. She’s working with limited resources and prefers to use them strategically.

If you’re wired this way, a soft launch is less of a luxury and more of a necessity. It gives you the grace to figure things out as you go along, without the pressure of Day One Perfection™ or Day Two Profitability™.

III. Soft Launch Strategy vs. Hard Launch Strategy: Which One Do You Need?

A soft launch isn’t about secrecy or hiding. It’s about being gradual but intentional about rolling out your ideas.

So technically, you could be live with your offering… but at the same time in flux.
-Tweaking a logo as you make the odd sale
-Sending a pitch deck as you pivot your messaging
-Changing the look of your Instagram grid from one week to the next

It’s messy, enlightening, and as far from perfect as you’d expect. A lot of small indie brands on Instagram or TikTok start out this way, with small batches, minimal fanfare, and learning in public as they grow.

A hard launch is the opposite of this. It’s all about the big reveal, like a Beyoncé album, or Rihanna dropping Fenty Beauty. Think widespread glossy ad campaigns, a global PR machine, and thousands of manufactured products ready to be shipped out ASAP.

A hard launch is very much an in-your-face, ta-da event. A soft launch is more of a “we’re getting there!” type of thing.

The latter is very NSB 😉

IV. The Privilege of Time and the Importance of Gratitude

As mentioned before, there’s a measure of privilege that comes with a soft launch era. It could be time, money, support, or more. It’s important to acknowledge the breathing space these afford you by practicing gratitude throughout your journey.

(Doing this also helps alleviate anxiety, depression, and early onset give up-itis.)

Being grateful for your blessed circumstances doesn’t make your work less valid. It grounds you. At the same time, it’s not all going to be sunshine and roses. You’ll have to navigate a variety of challenges that come with a soft launch which include procrastination, perfection paralysis, and crippling comparison loops.

(Take this from a woman who’s wasted far too much time tweaking her brand’s design based on something cool she saw on Pinterest that one time, only to switch things up the next day.)

This is why strategy matters. Without a clear set of priorities, you’ll find yourself drifting, and at worst, lose sight of what you set out to accomplish in the first place.

V. Your Soft Launch To-Do List: What Actually Matters

1. Your message: What do you stand for, who are you speaking to, and what are you offering them? Knowing this will serve you far better than overspending on fancy website designs or social media templates, especially when you’re early in the game.
2. Your anchor: Where are you directing your target audience, and will this destination give them what they need? Example: quiz landing page, Instagram profile, Google form, etc.
3. Your visuals: logos, typography, colours, photos. They don’t have to be perfect, but they do have to give off the same consistent energy. You can’t mix five different kind of vibes and expect them to land you the kind of quality customers you’re after.
4. Your rhythm: how you show up. Weekly? Biweekly? Monthly? And on what platform? Blog? Instagram? Newsletter? In-store?

A lot of women think that to start, they need to have everything laid out perfectly: logo, messaging, target audience, offering, and more. But I urge you not too get too bogged down in the details. Clarity comes from doing, not obsessing.

A soft launch lets you do while you’re still learning and refining. And the more you do, the more you learn, and the clearer things will become.◾

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*Feature image credit: Arina Krasnikova