First Solo Launch in 30 Days: A Realistic Action Plan

A common blocker for solo launches is perfectionism: spending months polishing instead of getting in front of real users.

The truth? You don't need perfect. You need fast.

This 30-day plan is designed to get your first product in front of users, even if the edges are rough. The goal is to force scope decisions, ship something small, and learn quickly.

Week 1: Lock Your Scope (Days 1-7)

The biggest mistake solo builders make is building too much. Your first launch isn't about having every feature - it's about solving one problem really well.

Days 1-2: Define Your Narrowest MVP

Spend exactly 2 days answering these questions:

1. What is the core problem? Not "help people be more productive." But "save marketers 5 hours/week on social scheduling."
2. Who has this problem? Be specific. "Busy solopreneurs managing Instagram" not "people on the internet."
3. How will they use it? Write 3 user stories of actual people solving this problem with your product.
4. What's the absolute minimum to solve it? Strip away the nice-to-haves. If you're building an app, ask: can we start with a web form and Google Sheets? Can we automate this with Zapier instead of custom code?

When in doubt, cut features. Your first version should feel embarrassingly simple.

Days 3-5: Pick Your Tech Stack

Choose tools you already know. This isn't the time to learn Rust or a new framework.

If you're building a web product, consider:

• Fast: Next.js/React + Supabase (or Firebase)
• Even faster: Webflow or Bubble (if you're non-technical)
• Dead simple: Google Forms + Zapier + Stripe

Day 6-7: Set Up Analytics & Feedback

You don't know what users will actually want, so instrument everything:

• Analytics: Segment, Mixpanel, or even Plausible. Track: signups, feature usage, drop-off points.
• Feedback: Add Typeform or Intercept to collect user feedback in-app.
• Email: Set up a newsletter tool (ConvertKit, Substack, Beehiiv) to stay connected.

Also: create a simple Google Form for early users to dump feedback. You'll be surprised what you learn.

Week 2-3: Build (Days 8-21)

Now that scope is locked, you can actually build something in reasonable time.

The 10-Hour Rule:

Each feature should take maximum 10 hours of work. If it takes longer, you need to simplify or cut it.

Ask yourself: "Is this required for someone to get value on day one?" If the answer is no, move it to v1.1.

Daily Standup (Solo Edition):

Every day at 9am, spend 10 minutes:

1. What did I ship yesterday?
2. What am I shipping today?
3. What's blocking me?

Write it down. Share it with a friend if you have an accountability buddy. This forces clarity.

Daily Shipping:

Deploy something every single day. Not necessarily a public release, but something that moves the needle. A new landing page section. A feature. A bug fix.

This builds momentum and makes the project feel real.

Week 4: Launch (Days 22-30)

Days 22-24: Soft Launch

Don't go public yet. Launch to:

• 20-50 close friends and family
• Your email list (if you have one)
• 1-2 online communities where your users hang out

Ask them: "Would you use this? What's broken? What's missing?"

Expect brutally honest feedback. Take it.

Days 25-27: Polish Based on Feedback

You'll probably find:

• Confusing UI elements (fix these)
• Bugs (fix these)
• Features people don't understand (simplify or remove)
• Surprising use cases you didn't expect (lean into them)

Don't get distracted building new features. Just unblock people.

Days 28-30: Public Launch

Pick a specific date. Make it a Wednesday or Thursday (avoid Mondays and Fridays when the internet is noisy or half-absent).

Launch on:

1. Product Hunt (if B2C/B2B SaaS)
2. Hacker News (if developer-focused)
3. Relevant subreddits (r/SideProject, r/indiehackers, etc.)
4. Your personal network (email, Twitter, LinkedIn)
5. Communities you're part of (Slack groups, Discord servers, forums)

Launch day email template:

Subject: [We shipped] [Product Name] - [One-liner value]

Hey [Name],

After 30 days of non-stop shipping, we're excited to finally share [Product Name] with you.

[One paragraph explaining what it does and who it's for]

[One paragraph on why we built it / what problem inspired it]

We're totally new at this, so we'd love your honest feedback. What's broken? What's missing?

[Link to product]

Thanks,
[Your name]

The Reality Check: What Happens Next?

You'll launch and crickets.

Maybe 10 people will sign up. Maybe 1. This is normal. Don't panic.

You'll find bugs you missed. Users will break your product in ways you never imagined.

You'll get feedback that contradicts itself. Person A wants feature X. Person B hates it.

You'll feel like you should've built more before launching. You're wrong.

Here's why launching with a rough v1 is better than waiting for perfect v2:

1. Real users teach faster than your brain. You'll learn more in 2 weeks with 10 real users than 8 weeks guessing alone.
2. Momentum is everything. Shipping makes the next iteration 10x easier.
3. You need validation. Better to find out now that nobody wants this than after 6 months.
4. Features don't matter without users. You can build the world's most beautiful product. If no one uses it, it doesn't matter.

Your 30-Day Checklist

• Days 1-2: Define MVP scope (one problem, solved well)
• Days 3-5: Pick your tech stack
• Days 6-7: Set up analytics and feedback tools
• Days 8-21: Build with the 10-hour rule (no feature takes >10 hours)
• Daily: Deploy something (even if small)
• Days 22-24: Soft launch to friends/small audience
• Days 25-27: Polish based on early feedback
• Days 28-30: Public launch

The Hard Truth

Some people will tell you not to ship yet. "Polish it more." "Build more features." "Wait until it's perfect."

Ignore them.

Perfect is the enemy of shipped. And shipped is the only thing that matters.

30 days feels short. But it forces you to make decisions instead of overthinking. It creates urgency. And urgency creates momentum.

Your first product won't be your best product. But it will teach you everything you need to know to build your second one better.

So lock your scope, pick your tools, and get to work. Your 30 days starts now.

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What's your biggest fear about shipping quickly? Drop it in the comments. Let's talk through it.