Chapter 21: Promote It

After proving your concept, the next step is to get out there and tell everyone about it. While many entrepreneurs fear promotion—thinking it’s “too soon” or “too salesy”—Verne Harnish cautions that promoting a product before it’s been validated is a mistake that can cost time, money, and credibility. The key isn’t whether to promote; it’s when and how.

Timing Is Everything

“There is a danger to order—promoting a product you haven’t yet proved.” That quote sets the tone for this chapter (Campbell, 2023, p. 169). Harnish shares how, in the early days at Hostopia, they made the mistake of spending on advertising too soon—before they were ready. Rather than spending time perfecting their product or getting more feedback, they burned resources trying to scale something not yet stable.

Build It, Then Promote It

This advice sounds obvious, but many entrepreneurs act on emotion instead of strategy. Harnish references the infamous Field of Dreams fallacy—“If you build it, they will come”—and counters it with examples of Hollywood flops like Waterworld and Hugo. These films had big budgets and marketing pushes but lacked strong products or audience alignment. When Warner Bros. canceled Batgirl after it was nearly finished, it reinforced a powerful truth: marketing can’t save a weak product.

The Four Scenarios

Harnish outlines four promotional outcomes to watch for (Campbell, 2023, p. 172):

• A – You have a bad product and promote it. Result: disaster. (e.g., Batgirl)
• B – You have a poor-quality product and over-promote it. Result: damaged brand. (e.g., Waterworld)
• C – You have a great product but fail to promote it. Result: missed opportunity. (e.g., Hugo)
• D – You have a great product and promote it effectively. Result: success. (e.g., Top Gun: Maverick)

The Right Promotion Multiplies Your Momentum

In the successful launch of .CLUB, Harnish’s team knew they had a validated product, so they invested in promotion confidently—and it paid off. Likewise, Top Gun: Mavericksucceeded not only because it was well made, but because it aligned marketing strategy with product value and audience expectation (Campbell, 2023).

💡 Final Takeaway

Don’t rush promotion. Make sure your product is proven, your audience is defined, and your message is clear. Then go big. That’s how you build momentum that lasts.

🔁 Coming Next

In Chapter 22, we’ll dive into branding and media outreach—what it really takes to craft a magnetic message that scales.

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References

• Campbell, C. C. (2023). Start. Scale. Exit. Repeat. Lioncrest Publishing.
• Thean, P. (n.d.). CEO coaching insights on business strategy. Private communication, as cited in Campbell (2023).