Executive Briefing
The audacity of launching now
Tradeoffs abound.
By Dan Frommer on Wednesday, May 13, 2020 at 2:30 pm
One of the themes I’ve kept coming back to is the incredible improvisation that many businesses — especially small businesses — have been doing in the face of an invisible health threat, constant changes in supply and demand, shifting regulations, etc.
Two months ago, I briefly mentioned All Time, a neighborhood restaurant I love in Los Angeles that quickly repurposed to offer takeout, delivery service, and groceries.
While many restaurants have closed, All Time has remained open, adapting and tweaking the formula. GQ’s Zach Baron has published a piece detailing the restaurant’s past couple of months, including plenty of insecurity and questions about what the new normal looks like.
It’s a good example of resilience and a reminder that all businesses are people first.
But what about launching new businesses or products? Is that a good idea?
While the situation is unusual, everyone still needs stuff — food, supplies, entertainment — and in some cases, it’s different stuff than they needed before. Therefore, there’s a big opportunity to provide — or invent, or pivot toward — new products and services, especially if they’re even more fine-tuned to today’s needs and realities.
One example is Keeper, a new hand soap brand that debuted its direct-to-consumer e-commerce store last month, accelerating from a launch planned for sometime later this summer.
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