For the last two years, I’ve found myself in almost constant launch mode. There have been lots of finish lines to cross. As I look back on it, that’s the easy part and it’s done with sheer determination and motivation. Then the hard part comes: Ramping up the launch into a money-making venture. That part takes consistent, repeated habits.
3-2-1… Launch
There’s a deadline or, at the very least, a line in the sand that has to be crossed in order for you to be able to say “I’m done.” Maybe you are building something completely new or redesigning and relaunching an existing project or service. In either case, there is a plan and a deadline to complete the plan. You can manage the project and check off the completed items. It’s like making a movie. When you’re done, you’re done … Or are you? The dirty little secret is that you are not done. In fact, you are just beginning.
The Ramp-Up
I’m struggling with the ramp-up on two different projects right now. A successful ramp-up is about following road maps to success that have worked in the past. It’s about getting the message out with marketing campaigns and making those followup sales calls. It’s about the consistent execution of tasks that will lead to success. Let’s just call them habits. You need to get up in the morning and make sure the marketing engine is running full steam ahead and has the fuel necessary to keep running.
Going back to my movie-making analogy, why do you think it is that some companies are great at making movies and others at distributing them? It’s because making a movie is a project and marketing movies in an ongoing business model. Sure this month we are marketing one move and next month another, but the steps are the same. You need to both promote and distribute the movie. It does not just happen.
The Differences
Yes, it takes discipline and habits to get a project launched or across the finish line. It also takes motivation to get up each day and market your ass off as well. Motivation is more at home in the world of launches and winning football games. Discipline and habits keep you going through the long and painful football season. The key to success is having both and understanding the differences.