Let’s talk about something that happens to every entrepreneur at some point:

You launch something… and it flops.

Crickets.
No sales.
Or maybe one or two buyers, but not nearly what you hoped for.

And suddenly, you’re questioning everything.

“Do people even want this?”

“Maybe I’m not cut out for this.”

“Was it the branding? The logo? The price?”

I’ve been there too. 

And today I want to lovingly reframe the way you think about launches that don’t go to plan, because they’re not always what they seem.

First: Let’s Talk Numbers

Here’s the truth no one tells you when you’re just starting out:

If you send people to a sales page with no personal follow-up or phone calls, 1–2% of people will buy. That’s a normal, healthy conversion rate in the online world.

It was the same in the days of newspaper ads and direct mail. It's still true today.

So if 100 people see your sales page and only 2 buy…
That’s not a failure. That’s data.

If your goal is 20 sales, you’ll need at least 1,000 people to see your offer.

This is the kind of practical, grounded knowledge that can completely change the way you experience your launches.

Because when you understand how conversions work, you stop making it personal.
You stop thinking, “Nobody wants my thing,” and start thinking, “I just need more people to see it.”

It’s Not Always the Price

I hear this all the time:
“People said they couldn’t afford it - so I need to discount it next time.”

But here’s what I’ve learned:

People say “I can’t afford it” no matter what the price is.

Whether your offer is $5 or $5,000, someone will say it’s too expensive.
Others will say, “Wow, that’s cheap!”

Pricing is not a reflection of your worth or your value - it’s a reflection of your audience’s money mindset.

So no, you don’t necessarily need to discount it.

In fact, I’ve raised prices before because people assumed a lower price meant less value.

Price is just one piece of the puzzle. It’s rarely the problem.

The Pain of the One-Person Launch

I’ve seen people get one sale… and refund it out of embarrassment.

Please don’t do that.

That one sale is proof that someone believes in what you’re doing.

That one person could be the seed of a million-dollar program.

You don’t need 100 people in your first round. In fact, it's better if you don’t.

That small group will help you test your systems, refine your messaging, and find the kinks before your big breakthrough.

Don’t Throw It All Away

After a disappointing launch, the temptation is to:

• Scrap your offer
  
• Redo all your branding
  
• Change platforms
  
• Or quit entirely
  

But here’s my advice: don’t.

Most of the time, it’s not your offer that needs fixing. It’s just that not enough people saw it.

Or they weren’t quite ready. Or the timing wasn’t right.

And that’s okay.

You can launch the same thing again, in the exact same way—and reach people who are ready next time.

Launching Gets Easier Every Time

The first launch is always the hardest - because you’re building everything from scratch.

But each time you launch, you’ll have:

• More assets ready to go
  
• More confidence
  
• More insights from your audience
  
• More bandwidth to try new things (like personal outreach or live webinars)
  

In one of our launches, I had the capacity to send over 500 personalized video messages to potential students. That was only possible because I wasn’t stuck rewriting every email or rebuilding the sales page.

Relaunching means less busy work, and more impactful work.

Final Thoughts

A failed launch doesn’t mean you failed.
It means you tried something—and that’s worth celebrating.

You learned, you grew, you showed up.
And now you have information to make your next launch even better.

Keep going.

There are people out there who need what you’re offering.
Maybe not today. Maybe not this week.
But when the time is right—and you’re still showing up—they’ll be ready.

xx Denise

For more, listen to this podcast episode on learning from failed launched.

P.S. If launching is on your mind and you want to stay calm, strategic, and on top of what’s working now, I’m sharing behind-the-scenes insights and free training from my launch mentor Jeff Walker very soon.

👉 Join the waitlist here to get early access.