Are you thinking of launching your first digital product?
Let me guess… you’re excited, maybe even a little scared. You’ve got a fire idea in your mind, and you know it could help people.
But you’re stuck. You’re overthinking it.
Or maybe, like I did years ago, you already built the damn ebook but no one paid any attention to it.
Oof.
In this episode of the Fail to Win podcast, I share the 6 biggest mistakes I made when I launched my first online product, and how those failures became the foundation for my now-successful business with over 8.000 clients and 7+ million in online sales.
If you’re an entrepeneur ready to build online income that doesn’t require trading time for money, this is for you.
Here’s are the 6 mistakes to avoid when launching your first online product:
- Creating the product before validating it.
You don’t need to guess what people want. Talk to them first. Use polls, DMs, and even AI to help with market research. - Building without selling first.
I spent days in my PJs building my first ebook… for six sales. Don’t be me. Pre-sell it. Get paid to make it. - Hiding the creation process.
The behind-the-scenes is the marketing. Post the drafts, the polls, the “this is scary” updates — it works. - Having no sales plan after cart open.
You need reminders. FAQs, objections, FOMO bonuses — all of it. Your audience won’t buy unless they’re reminded often. - Trying to tackle too much in one product.
Narrow = powerful. One clear problem, one solution. You can always create more products later. - Waiting until you “feel ready.”
You’ll never feel fully ready. Start messy. Take action. Confidence follows action, not the other way around.
Let’s dive into the details!
Mistake #1: Building before you validate
I made this mistake so hard it still kinda stings. I had this amazing idea for a “food freedom” ebook. I knew it would help so many women get through the holidays feeling good in their skin. So I locked myself in my bedroom-office, wore the same PJs for days, and worked like crazy on it. I perfected the layout, the content, kept on adding more material…
Until I had an absolutely stunning ebook.
Blood, sweat and tears went into this creation process!
Guess how many I sold?
Six.
Two of those were my brothers.
The truth? I never actually checked if people wanted it. Just because you know they need it, doesn’t mean they know they want it.
The fix:
Validate before you create. Run a poll. Ask in stories. Use ChatGPT or tools like Tally to do market research.
The question isn’t “do they need it?” – it’s “are they willing to pay for it?”
Mistake #2: Creating the whole product before you sell it
This is hands down the #1 thing I now teach my clients to never do.
Don’t spend weeks making the perfect offer only to discover no one’s buying.
Since that first failed launch, I’ve flipped the script: I always sell the product first through a pre-order launch, and then I get paid to build it. This lets me:
- Validate demand
- Build a waitlist
- Gauge pricing potential
- Get feedback as I go
The fix:
Sell first. Deliver after. Create an outline, test the idea, and start building once people have paid. Your future self will thank you.
Mistake #3: Hiding your creation process
I see this all the time: people work silently behind the scenes for weeks, then drop their offer and hope for magic. But if your audience hasn’t seen it being built, they’re not emotionally invested.
I did this with my ebook too: I spent forever on the content, the cover, the layout… and didn’t share any of it online.
The result? By the time I wanted to sell, almost no one was warmed up.
The fix:
Let people in.
Marketing your creation process = FREE hype.
Here’s how:
- Bare minimum: post a photo of your laptop screen with the caption “Scary, exciting, I’m working on something 👀”
- Run a poll: “Which of these covers do you love more?”
- Post a time-lapse of your creation day
- Ask them which format they prefer for your idea: video or ebook?
This not only includes your audience, it also builds trust and anticipation, warming them up for the launch. On top of that, it forces you to start improving your marketing skills before the pressure is skyhigh.
Mistake #4: Having no sales content plan after your first launch day
You open your cart, post about your offer, get a few sales… and then it’s crickets. Does that sound familiar?
I’ve seen this over and over, even from experienced clients. They launch, get a few early bird buyers, and then panic because nothing else comes in.
What they fail to think about is: they also stop talking about the launch, and this becomes a never-ending cycle.
No one buys, so you think it doesn’t work, hence you stop posting.
Here’s the truth: your audience is not thinking about you 24/7.
They need reminders. They need reasons to say yes now.
The fix:
Create a full sales content plan. Not just for “open cart” day.
Talk about:
- Why you created the product
- Who it’s for
- How it works
- What problems it solves
- What objections and frequently asked questions people might have
- Bonuses and FOMO
Repurpose those into stories, emails, reels, and posts. This will give you confidence and consistency — and it will move people from “maybe later” to “yes, now please.”
Mistake #5: Making the product too broad
I wanted to change lives with my first product. I poured everything I knew into it. But here’s what I’ve learned: bigger isn’t better, it might just be more confusing.
When your offer is too broad, people don’t understand what transformation they’re actually buying.
The fix:
Niche down.
Solve one problem.
Offer one clear solution and transformation.
You don’t need to fix everything at once. That’s what future offers are for. For your first product, go small and powerful instead of wide and overwhelming.
Mistake #6: Waiting to feel ready
This one hits deep.
So many smart, ambitious business owners stay stuck in planning mode because they’re waiting to feel more confident.
But confidence doesn’t come first, action does.
Confidence is the result of taking messy steps forward.
The fix:
Start before you’re ready.
Launch before it’s perfect.
Your first version doesn’t have to be flawless, it just needs to exist.
This is why I always say:
Done messy is better than perfect never.
You learn by doing.
You grow by failing.
You build momentum by taking action.
My final word: don’t build alone, learn from someone who’s been there.
That first failed launch? It definitely sucked.
But it also taught me everything I needed to build a business that supports me, helps others, and gives me freedom.
And now?
I’m teaching the exact steps I use to sell out every product, with no fluff, no guesswork, and definitely no waiting until it’s “perfect.”
👉 Do you want to know how to make your first 1k online, even if you don’t have know which product to make yet?
I’m hosting an exclusive live training where I’ll help you discover in 90 minutes how to come up with and sell your first digital product (even if you don't have an idea right now). It’s €199 but for now it’s totally free, as long as you grab one of the limited invites. There’s no replay, so make sure you show up live.
Click the link here to get your invite: fastforwardamy.com/1k
Let’s get you paid for what’s already in your brain!
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