A few years ago I put myself through a major time management overhaul. I needed to figure out why I constantly felt overwhelmed, and then find a way to improve my quality of life at work. One of the biggest discoveries I made was in how much time it took me to assemble new programs. From crafting new speaking engagements to developing new products and services, I was constantly reinventing the wheel.

The biggest revelation of all was that I needed to stop creating new programs and focus on the ones I already had.

Today, as I monitor Twitter and Facebook, I can see others in constant launch mode. There are endless requests to check out new programs, workshops, books, products, and solutions. Some people seemingly launch new offers weekly. And while that might lead you to think that these people are insanely productive, it makes me wonder what’s happening with the success of their previous products and services.

Master the Marketing for What You Already Have

One thing I know for sure is that it is critically important to put the energy into making something work before you move on. Once you have it mastered, then by all means it makes sense to start something new again (if you have the time). But if you haven’t figured out the marketing strategy for a new product or service, along with a way to make it successful, then launching something else is likely going to meet the same fate—it’s going to fall flat.

A client once told me about a class she had launched. It was a one-day workshop with a reasonable price point and a great agenda. I agreed that it sounded like an excellent program. But she said she only had two people register and had to cancel the event. I asked about her marketing efforts and she said she had sent an announcement to her mailing list several weeks before the event and shared some fliers at a business gathering.

What else had she done? Well, as it turned out, not much. She didn’t market it online, leverage social media, promote it at industry events, or remind her mailing list subscribers as the date got closer. She was too busy focusing on other things and forgot to put her attention and energy into making it a success. Her program had all the makings for a successful venture, but it fell apart before it even started. It wasn’t her event that was a failure; it was a failure to see it through.

Once you put forth the right level of effort, you can create wildly successful products and services. You can also get off the entrepreneurial hamster wheel and give yourself time to take a breather from all of that product and service creation! You may be surprised by how much your productivity increases and how much time you have once you put the process of creating on hold and focus on what you’ve already got.

Check back for tomorrow’s post where we’ll discuss methods for learning from mistakes and the art of letting go when something isn’t working.