For years, I’ve wrestled with one elusive concept: timing. It’s a tricky beast, especially when it comes to building products, and even more so in the fast-paced world of tech. Why do some groundbreaking products fail, while others, perhaps less innovative, succeed? After lots of thought and research, I think I’ve finally cracked the code—or at least gotten closer to it. And today, I want to break it down for other founders or builders who might be struggling with the same question.
We’ve all heard stories about companies that failed due to bad timing and those that became wild successes because they launched at just the right moment. But what exactly is timing? And how do you know if you’re building your product at the wrong or right time?
Let’s get into it.
What Is Timing in the Startup World?
Timing, when it comes to startups, is all about the when. It’s the moment in the market’s life cycle that you choose to launch your product. It’s when the conditions—like technology, user needs, and the market ecosystem—align for your product to not only survive but thrive. Timing is one of the most critical factors that determines whether a product catches on or fizzles out.
In tech, wrong timing can often mean launching too early or too late. Right timing, on the other hand, is about hitting that sweet spot—when your product fits seamlessly into an ecosystem and serves a real need.
Examples of Wrong Timing
There are countless examples of companies with incredible ideas but terrible timing. Here are four popular ones:
- Webvan (1999): This grocery delivery startup was a brilliant idea but way ahead of its time. People weren’t yet ready for the idea of having groceries delivered to their homes, and the infrastructure wasn’t fully there to support it either. Webvan burned through over $800 million before collapsing.
- Google Glass (2013): While the concept of augmented reality glasses was futuristic and exciting, Google Glass failed because the technology wasn’t ready for mass adoption. Privacy concerns and user discomfort didn’t help either.
- Pets.com (1998): Another dot-com bubble casualty, Pets.com launched with a solid business idea: selling pet supplies online. But online shopping wasn’t mainstream yet, and they expanded too quickly. They collapsed in 2000 after burning through millions.
- Friendster (2002): This social media platform predated Facebook and MySpace but was too early in terms of scalability. The infrastructure couldn’t handle the rapid growth, and the platform became frustratingly slow for users.
Examples of Right Timing
Now let’s look at a few companies that launched at just the right time:
- Facebook (2004): While Friendster failed, Facebook hit the social media scene at a time when internet infrastructure and user behavior were ready to support a global platform. Their timing was impeccable, riding on the increasing popularity of social networks.
- Uber (2009): Uber wasn’t the first company to think of ride-sharing, but it entered the market when smartphones were becoming more ubiquitous, mobile payments were gaining traction, and city-dwellers were frustrated with traditional taxi services. Perfect timing.
- Zoom (2011): Though launched in 2011, Zoom became the go-to video conferencing tool during the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote work skyrocketed, and Zoom was perfectly poised to become the platform everyone turned to for virtual meetings.
Right Timing vs. Wrong Timing: What Determines the Difference?
So, what makes right timing vs. wrong timing? There are plenty of factors—cultural trends, regulations, economic conditions, competition—but they can be distilled into two key categories: The Product Perspective and The User Perspective.
The Product Perspective: Is the Technology Ready?
This perspective is all about the product itself. When building tech products, sometimes the technology simply isn’t advanced enough to support your idea.
- Google Glass failed because augmented reality tech wasn’t yet ready for mainstream consumer use.
- Friendster struggled because the backend infrastructure couldn’t scale to meet user demand.
Tech advancements are critical for timing because if your product relies on technology that isn’t robust enough, your company could collapse under the weight of its own ambition.
Solution: If you’re too early in terms of technology, you can either wait it out—sometimes being the first to market doesn’t pay off—or go through rapid iterations and innovations. This is costly and high-risk, but if you can pull it off, you may end up with a breakthrough. But beware, not every first-timer wins the market.
The User Perspective: Behavior and Market Readiness
This is where user behavior and market readiness come into play. You need to ask yourself: Do users actually want or need this product? and Is the market ecosystem ready to support it?
- User Behavior: Timing involves understanding when users are ready to adopt new habits. If users aren’t prepared to change their behavior, your product might flop, no matter how innovative it is. For example, Webvan launched at a time when the general public wasn’t comfortable with the idea of buying groceries online.
- Market Readiness: Timing also depends on whether the market ecosystem can sustain your product. Think of app developers and the iPhone—Apple’s App Store only succeeded because there was a growing community of developers ready to build apps. Conversely, the pandemic created a market ecosystem ripe for Zoom’s explosion in use.
Solution:
- If users aren’t ready, marketing can be a powerful tool to educate and create demand. A great marketing campaign can change user behavior over time.
- For market readiness, you can leverage existing ecosystems or identify trends that signal the creation of new ones. COVID-19 was a trend that transformed remote work into a necessity, enabling companies like Zoom to thrive.
The Final Word on Timing
So how do you know if you’re building at the wrong or right time? Well, it’s a combination of watching the technology and understanding the users and market. Timing is tricky, but if you align your product with both technological advances and user demand, your startup has a much higher chance of success.
To wrap things up, here’s the key takeaway: if your only problem is timing, your startup can still succeed. For tech advancements, either be patient or innovate fast. For user behavior, educate the market. And for market readiness, keep your eyes on the trends and opportunities around you.
Got value from this? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!