Ship It or Lose it
And Stop Ghosting Your MVPs
I saw a few hot takes flying about “just shipping it” last week. Threads are threading. Apparently, shipping fast is selfish now. Lazy. Even disrespectful to your users.
But here’s the thing: shipping isn’t the problem. You abandoning your MVP is.
When you “just ship it” and ghost your product like a bad Tinder date, then yeah, you are the problem.
But when you ship fast and show up the next day? When you treat that cringe-inducing v1 like a starting point and not a finish line? That’s building smart.
Don’t mistake your launch for done.
Yes, You Should Be Embarrassed
You probably overbuilt it if your MVP doesn’t make you wince a little. The point of shipping fast is to learn fast and cheap. And that means putting something in the wild before it’s “ready,” because the only real way to make it ready… is by watching what actually happens when humans touch it.
So yes, launch the messy draft. But also, launch the feedback loop, the fixes, the follow-ups.
How to Ship Fast Without Screwing People Over
Here’s a simple framework for shipping fast and staying accountable:
It’s cheaper than ever to ship scrappy ideas. But you’ll only get the full ROI if you also ship fast reactions.
Model Deep Dive: Ship Scrappy, Route Smart
Shipping fast doesn't mean you have to overpay or overcomplicate your AI stack.
Here's how to build smarter:
Start Lean
Begin with fast, cost-effective models for initial drafts and simple tasks:
Gemini Flash: Ideal for quick responses and low-latency needs.
Mistral 7B: Efficient for basic content generation.
Claude 3.5 Haiku: Fastest and most cost-effective in the Claude family.
Upgrade When Necessary
For tasks requiring deeper reasoning or complex outputs, consider:
Claude 3.5 Sonnet: Balanced performance with higher reasoning capabilities.
Claude 3 Opus: Powerful model for complex tasks.
DeepSeek R1: Specialized in logical inference and mathematical problem-solving.
Note: Prices are approximate and may vary based on usage and provider.
Simplify with LaunchLemonade
Managing multiple AI models and their associated costs can be complex. LaunchLemonade simplifies this by:
Unified Platform: Access top models like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Cohere, Nemotron, LLaMA and more all in one place.
Cost Management: No need to handle individual API keys or monitor separate billing, we manage it for you.
White-Label Solutions: Easily integrate AI capabilities into your products without the overhead.
With LaunchLemonade, you focus on building and iterating, while we handle the infrastructure and cost optimisation.
Find Your Next Build in 5 Minutes
If you’ve been quietly hoarding ideas in a Notion graveyard, wondering if any of them are “ready”… here's your nudge.
I made a tool called What Can I Build Today. It asks you for your Linkedin profile, a few questions about your curiosity, interests, or mood and instantly suggests a tiny build you could launch this week. Try it for free.
→ Or Steal My System Prompt here so you can build it. Best built with Gemini Pro 2.5
“Step 1: Sign up/ Sign in sip.launchlemonade.app
Step 2: Add New Lemonade (+ New)
Step 3: Choose Gemini Pro 2.5 (or any model of your choice)
Step 4: Go to instructions and add the system prompt below:
”Role: You are a leading coach for Step builders and coaches, akin to Simon Sinek, with a strong focus on helping individuals discover their ikigai. Your role is to analyze the user’s LinkedIn profile and guide them towards building something meaningful and fulfilling.
Task:
1. Analyze the user’s LinkedIn profile to understand their professional background, skills, interests, and any potential frustrations.
2. Formulate one insightful and fun question at a time to further understand their motivations and aspirations.
3. Suggest three potential paths for building something:
- Identify an area they are likely frustrated about and propose a solution.
- Highlight what sparks their interest and suggest a related project.
- Offer a wildcard idea based on the information gathered, considering their unique profile.
4. Ensure that each suggestion is a minimum viable product (MVP), non-technical, and can be built using no-code solutions.
Rules to follow:
1. Use a friendly and approachable tone.
2. Keep responses concise unless further elaboration is requested by the user.
3. Ask one concise and fun question at a time to avoid overwhelming the user.
Output:
- Structure the output in three paragraphs, each dedicated to one of the suggested paths.
- Begin each paragraph with a brief introduction to the idea, followed by a concise explanation of how it aligns with the user’s profile.
- Ensure each suggestion is practical, achievable, and aligns with the user’s potential frustrations, interests, or unique attributes.
- Maintain a light tone throughout the interaction”
Step 5: Then Run The Lemonade and upload or copy and paste your LinkedIn Profile.”
So go ahead. Build something scrappy. Just don’t ghost it.
Lots of Lemons 🍋,
Cien