I’ve been getting so much great feedback from you about my recent blog on my top 10 lessons as a 7-figure launch manager, and a lot of questions followed, so in today’s blog I’m going to answer them all for you!

It’s funny looking back on my journey because I ventured into the world of launches to sell my own courses, but I never imagined that this would take me to training the teams that do this for other entrepreneurs.

I’ve seen first-hand what a game-changer it is to have the right team on board, and train them to become world-class launch professionals. It truly makes or breaks a launch.

Q – Is it really possible to train someone in launches when they have no launch experience?

A – Yes! As I shared in the lessons blog, I trained Jasmine Star’s launch manager to a 7-figure result and she had no launch experience before joining their team. There are skills and attributes that a launch manager needs to have, but ultimately launches are a system – and anyone can learn that system if they’re coachable and have a passion for marketing. The most important thing is that you find someone who is values-aligned with you and your company – launch management can be taught.

Q – What roles can I outsource?

A – Any role that can be prepped well in advance or highly specialist roles you only need for launches or roles that don’t need much management. Typically on large launches we outsource some of the following roles (but we still often manage some parts in-house) – ad management, graphic design, video production, email copywriting, launch strategy (that’s me!).

Q – Can I completely outsource my launch?

A – Yes, but you’re going to need to invest a lot more upfront with consultants and freelancers and ensure that you manage them properly. For best results, get an in-house launch manager who can work with your outsourced team and make sure you communicate with them the expectations during key dates of launch (e.g availability, time coverage, meetings and response time). The biggest challenge with outsourced teams is the difference in their availability to yours. Prep and setting expectations up front will ease that!

Q – My team members hate launches, how can I get them onboard?

A – Find out why they hate launches and flip it! For most it’s the pressure which usually means you’re not giving them enough time to execute what needs to be done or you’re giving them too many different tasks to juggle. There’s a big difference between leading and managing! If your team is feeling the pressure, then they’re probably not being effectively managed. Give yourself more time to launch, and reward tham after launch with bonus time off / self-care days! There’s a lot of other reasons teams hate launches, but this is the most common problem and solution. If you sell the why, and reward the effort, you’ll get the commitment. Also hire a launch manager with incredible energy – they’ll lift your whole team when things are challenging.

Q – When is the right time to think about building a launch team?

A – There’s no hard or fast rules, but typically you can solo a 5-figure launch, but you’re going to need a launch assistant at 6-figures and a launch manager if you’re wanting to scale to multiple six to seven figures. So the right time to think about your launch teams is once you’ve done your first few launches. But don’t want until things feel chaotic to find someone – start off with outsourcing a few hours per day during your launch to an assistant, and get as much off your plate as possible. Once you know your business is going to be powered by launches then you can invest in building your dream team.

Q – What roles do I need on a launch team to scale?

A – At the very least you’re going to need a launch assistant – someone who can support you with tasks during your launch such as admin, tech tasks, community engagement, customer support, social media support and scheduling.

Then next in the journey a launch manager who will lead your team and external suppliers, strategise and optimise the launch, co-ordinate the tasks, report and monitor metrics, create launch systems and manage affiliates. They’re also skilled in some areas of execution such as paid ad strategy, copywriting, design or tech – depending on their background in marketing.

If your launch manager is not skilled in execution of marketing, then you can always hire a launch strategy expert to collaborate with them. Launch assistants and managers generally work better as in-house roles, strategists can be external consultants.

Q – Can I hire an external launch manager or should I hire one in-house?

A – Here’s the truth – hiring experienced external launch managers is a large investment because you’re hiring someone with vast experience across many launches, and many years. You’re typically going to pay a large upfront fee or agree to a revenue share deal. This is a great option when you don’t want to build an inhouse team but if you’re wanting to build true scale, longevity and stability you’re going to want to train someone in-house. But here’s the secret – don’t try and recruit a launch manager! Hire a project manager or marketing manager with project management skills and train them on launches – this will not only be easier to find, but you’ll save at least six figures in revenue over 2 years.

We can train a launch manager in your team (with no launch experience!) in our sister company Academy of Certified Launch Professionals.

Q – Do I have to hire a launch manager? I’ve been doing this role and it seems to work well

A – Yes, to a certain level of launches it’s ok for you to be the launch manager, but there comes a time in business when you need to stop wearing all the hats and hire people to wear those individual hats themselves. We all start in business (and launches) doing all the things, but as you grow you can’t be the do-er of all things. In launches, if you’re the face of it AND you’re the manager of it – you’re going to find yourself constantly in execution mode and not working enough on the strategy. This will stop you growing your launches over time. Like you’ve probably started to let go of book-keeping, admin, customer support and social media – you have to let go of managing the launch and start leading the launch instead.

Got any more questions for me? Drop them below as a comment and I’d be happy to answer!

Laura x