Sometimes killing a product is harder than launching one.
Let’s talk about the reality of running a CPG brand. Everyone loves the build phase. Launching a new product is exciting. You brainstorm with the team. You finalize the packaging. You run the ads and watch the initial sales roll in. It feels like you are getting sh*t done.
But taking a product you spent months building and deciding to kill it? That takes a completely different level of discipline. We learned that the hard way at Laundry Sauce.
Two years ago we made a decision to expand beyond our core laundry products. We launched a line of candles.
If you had looked at our strategy at the time it felt incredibly smart. We had already done the heavy lifting of developing world-class scents. Our customers were obsessed with how our detergent made their clothes smell. The logic seemed bulletproof. If people love the way their clothes smell they will probably want that exact same scent filling their living room.
On paper it made perfect sense. But building an 8-figure business does not happen on paper.
Over time the reality of that decision started to creep in. The turning point was not some dramatic revenue collapse. The candles were not burning down our P&L. There was no massive emergency that forced our hand. It was something much more subtle and honestly much more dangerous.
The candle line pulled us away from the fundamental reason we built Laundry Sauce in the first place.
We did not start this company to be a general home goods brand. We started it to make the world’s best smelling laundry detergent. Period. Every minute we spent thinking about candle wicks and glass jars was a minute we were not spending on our core mission.
When you are deep in the trenches it is hard to see when you are drifting. That is why you need trusted advisors who will give you the no-BS truth.
For us that clarity came from a conversation with our lead investor and advisor Melitas Ventures. They looked at what we were doing and they did not mince words. They encouraged us to make a hard pivot.
“Focus on laundry. Be the best laundry product.”
We listened. We killed the candles.
The Hidden Trap of New Products
New products sound great in a quarterly planning meeting. They give your marketing team a fresh angle. They make you feel like you are expanding your empire. But if they do not directly serve your core mission they will slowly drag you down.
Here is what happens when you stray from the playbook that got you there:
You confuse your customers
Brand positioning is everything. When people think of Laundry Sauce I want them thinking of premium laundry detergent. The moment we try to be a candle company we dilute that mental real estate. If customers do not know exactly what you stand for retail will not save you and ads will not fix it.
You split your team’s attention
We run a lean operation. We operate like a special forces team. Every new SKU you add introduces a massive web of operational drag. Sourcing new materials. Managing different 3PL requirements. Updating the website. Splitting ad spend. A divided team cannot execute with relentless focus.
The Red Bull Masterclass in Focus
If you want a masterclass in staying true to your core look at Dietrich Mateschitz. The late co-founder and CEO of Red Bull built an absolute juggernaut.
How did he do it? By refusing to diversify.
Mateschitz was known for his absolute focus on the core product. The energy drink itself. He did not try to launch Red Bull protein bars. He did not launch Red Bull bottled water. He stayed laser focused on the one thing they did better than anyone else in the world.
That relentless focus is how you build a legacy. You do not need fifty SKUs to dominate a category. You need one core thing that you execute with a relentless focus on excellence.
The Filter For Getting Sh*t Done
If you are a founder dealing with the same thing right now you need a framework. Whether you are debating launching a new product or axing an existing one you have to ask the hard questions.
Here is the exact filter we use at Laundry Sauce:
Are we getting better at what customers love us for? Or are we just getting busier?
Read that again. Busy is not the same as better. You can work 80 hours a week managing a dozen mediocre product lines and completely miss the mark. Staying scrappy and staying hungry means having the guts to cut the distractions.
That clarity makes business decisions a lot easier. 🤘🏻
The Payoff for Staying Focused
When you double down on your core focus you start getting invited to the right rooms. Because we stayed true to our mission of creating world-class fragrance for the laundry room the industry is taking notice.
I am pumped to announce that I will be speaking at the World Perfumery Congress this summer. On June 25 I will be sitting as a panelist for the “Fragrance in the Fabric of Life: Innovation Across Laundry, Home & Cleaning” panel.
If you are going to be there I want to connect. #MeetMeinMonterey!
Running a business is hard but keeping it simple is even harder. Keep your focus tight. Put your head down and work harder on the things that actually move the needle.
What is a project or product you need to kill this week? Drop a comment below or DM me, seriously.