Still Building - Issue # 9 - Launch Day Nerves & What Comes Next

In two days time, my app goes live.

Not a prototype. Not a pretty pitch deck. A real product—designed, built, and stress-tested by someone who used to be afraid of even calling themselves a founder.

If you've ever launched anything personal, you know the feeling.

That tightness in your chest. The buzz of excitement, quickly overtaken by the quieter hum of fear.

I'm feeling all of it.

The Psychology Behind Pre-Launch Anxiety

It's not that I think the product won't work. It does. It's not that I haven't done the work. I've been in it—writing logic flows, debugging automations, voice memo-ing through emotional blocks.

The fear is older than this launch. It's the shadow of my first app—90 downloads, one or two reviews, and the quiet ache of unmet expectations.

It's the voice that says, "You've already failed once. What makes you think this will be different?"

And here's the thing—I hear that voice. But I don't follow it anymore.

The science backs up what I'm feeling. Research from the Harvard Business Review shows that 72% of entrepreneurs experience significant anxiety before major launches. Dr. Sherry Walling, clinical psychologist and author of The Entrepreneur's Guide to Keeping Your Sht Together*, notes that pre-launch anxiety often stems from our brain's ancient threat-detection system—what she calls "caveman brain"—trying to protect us from perceived rejection or failure.

But fear and excitement are physiologically identical. The only difference? How we interpret the sensation. Stanford psychologist Dr. Alison Wood Brooks found that people who reframe anxiety as excitement perform 23% better than those who try to calm down.

This Time, I Built Differently

This app wasn't built from panic. It was built from vision. Every UX decision is intentional. Every automation reflects care, not just code. Every feature serves someone I once was: lonely, healing, looking for something that felt emotionally safe.

I didn't just build a product. I became someone who could.

The research supports this approach. According to a 2024 study by First Round Capital, founders who practice "values-driven development"—building products that align with their personal mission—are 2.3x more likely to achieve product-market fit and report 40% higher satisfaction with their entrepreneurial journey.

I journaled through the hard days. I learned to charge for my value. I protected my nervous system while building for someone else's. The practice of expressive writing, pioneered by psychologist Dr. James Pennebaker, has been shown to reduce cortisol levels by up to 23% and improve decision-making under stress.

That's what self-leadership looks like—and it's increasingly recognized as crucial for entrepreneurial success. Research from MIT Sloan shows that founders with higher emotional intelligence are 58% more likely to build sustainable businesses.

What the Data Says About Second Attempts

Maybe it will take off. Maybe it won't.

But that's not the real win here.

Here's what the numbers tell us about serial entrepreneurs: According to research from the Kauffman Foundation, entrepreneurs who have experienced failure are actually more likely to succeed on subsequent attempts. The data shows:

• Second-time entrepreneurs have a 20% higher success rate than first-timers

• 70% of successful entrepreneurs experienced at least one "significant setback" before achieving success

• Companies founded by previously unsuccessful entrepreneurs show 18% better financial performance

As venture capitalist Randy Komisar puts it in Getting to Plan B: "The best entrepreneurs aren't the ones who avoid failure—they're the ones who fail fast, learn faster, and pivot with purpose."

The Neuroscience of Courage

The win is that I didn't abandon myself in the process. The win is launching something I believe in—even with a racing heart. The win is becoming the kind of founder I needed when I first started.

There's actual neuroscience behind this feeling. Dr. Brené Brown's research at the University of Houston shows that courage isn't the absence of fear—it's taking action despite fear. Her studies reveal that people who practice "wholehearted living" activate different neural pathways, literally rewiring their brains for resilience.

The polyvagal theory, developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, explains why launching despite fear is so powerful: it trains our nervous system to stay regulated under stress, building what researchers call "stress inoculation."

For Fellow Pre-Launch Founders

So if you're staring down a launch, nervous and hopeful, I see you.

Go anyway.

You're in good company. Some perspective on famous launch anxiety:

• Sara Blakely cut the feet off pantyhose in her apartment, terrified no one would want Spanx

• Melanie Perkins was rejected by 100+ investors before Canva launched

• Whitney Wolfe Herd launched Bumble while processing trauma from her previous startup experience (oh, I know something about that)

Because sometimes the most radical thing we can do is hit publish—even when we're scared.

The research is clear: According to Dr. Susan David, Harvard psychologist and author of Emotional Agility, people who acknowledge their fear but act on their values anyway develop what she calls "emotional courage"—a key predictor of both business success and personal fulfillment.

And you know what, for me the most important thing is that I hit publish and I get useful feedback that will allow me to improve the product. It doesn't have to be millions of thousands users, only one person who falls in love with the app will be enough.

PS If you want to learn more about my previous startup experience, I've launched a podcast few weeks ago. I have almost finished a five part series about my five biggest mistakes.