The other day, I started a workshop with one of our client telling us that the deadline to get the brand ready was the opening. And I had to manage, without scaring them, that unfortunately the opening was not the finish line.
Let’s call it the first public test. And that’s where many founders get caught.
We spend everything to reach the opening. All the crazy energy, all the fucking money, and probably all the adrenaline. Then the door opens, people come, the first week feels alive, everyone says congrats us, friends show up, Instagram behaves, the founder is exhausted but proud.
And then week six arrives. (Don’t ask me why week six, it works with week 7 or 8, you got the idea hun?)
No flowers. No big launch energy. No emotional applause. The friends have already come. The press has moved to the next one. The team is tired. The first operational cracks are visible and the real guests are showing up for the real purpose of your place (sleeping, eating, listening…), with real expectations and much less patience for your founder story.
That’s when the place starts telling the truth, you see what I mean? Not on opening night. Right after.
I think we should talk more about this part.
The first ninety days. The moment where the founder has to stop opening the place and start operating it. The moment where you learn what people understand, what they ignore, what they return for, what creates friction, what was a good idea in the deck and what is actually a nightmare with invoices attached.
This is not the glamorous part, which is probably why it matters. Because nobody really opens a place. You start one!
And the real work begins after the door is already open.
Lets go deeper into this in the full letter of the week my friend.
Let’s say that the launch gives you emotion
I don’t know you but, the cool thing about the opening: it gives you energy.
We have a bunch of photos, cool reactions, congratulations from everyone, fake feedbacks from people who often love you too much to be fully useful, and a temporary feeling that the project is working because rooms are full.
