Building the Product

How often should an early-stage startup ship?

A starting point

Ship weekly, at least, cadence is a competitive advantage because faster loops mean faster learning. You haven't really started until you launch, and most of what you'll learn only appears once real users touch the thing. Slow shipping isn't caution, it's just slower failure.

Go deeper

Read

📄 Article
Free Beginner

Startups in 13 Sentences

From paulgraham.com by Paul Graham ~8 min read

Why we picked it

The most-quoted primary source on why founders should launch fast and iterate, short, canonical, and from the co-founder of YC. Read it when you're tempted to keep polishing before launch.

  • Launch fast, you haven't really started until you launch.
  • Most ideas appear in the implementing, so ship to learn.
  • Make a few users love you rather than many ambivalent.
Open paulgraham.com →
📖 Book
Paid Intermediate

INSPIRED: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love (2nd Ed.)

From Silicon Valley Product Group by Marty Cagan ~370 pages

Why we picked it

The definitive text on how strong product teams discover and deliver products customers love, from the most cited voice in modern product management. The reference for shipping and iterating with intent.

  • Empower teams to solve problems, not just build features.
  • Run continuous discovery in parallel with delivery.
  • Move from output-driven to outcome-driven roadmaps.
Open svpg.com →

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