The Show Must Go On
The Honeybee & The Owl - Issue #3
Welcome back to The Honeybee and The Owl!
This week, we’re diving into how embracing deadlines, like the concept of the MVP (Minimum Viable Product), can unlock creativity, drive progress, and help you deliver—even under pressure.
The Show Must Go On
SNL creator Lorne Michaels famously said, “The show doesn’t go on because it’s ready; it goes on because it’s 11:30.” This simple truth pushes us to let go of perfectionism. When a deadline hits, you need to deliver, ready or not. Waiting for everything to feel perfect often leads to paralysis, but setting a firm deadline, like 11:30 for SNL, forces you into action.
1. Things Are Never Fully Ready
There’s always something more to tweak before launching. But it’s in the act of moving forward that the best ideas emerge. Waiting for perfection stifles momentum.
In Practice: SporcleCon Prep
Before SporcleCon this year, one of our team members mentioned feeling like we had so many things 95% of the way there. There was a small sense of frustration from their comment. However, what was important to remember in that moment, was the 95%, not the 5%. Rather than stress about the missing 5%, we moved forward, trusting that the final pieces would fall into place. The event succeeded because we stayed flexible and completed what was necessary on the go. I don’t think anyone looks at the photo below from SporcleCon 2024 and thinks, “wow, that was only 95% ready.”
2. MVP is Your Friend
An MVP, or Minimum Viable Product, is a version of a product with just enough features to be usable and to gather feedback for future development. It’s not about launching something perfect; it’s about launching something functional that can be improved through real-world use. By focusing on the core essentials, an MVP allows you to test ideas, learn quickly, and make adjustments without overcommitting resources.
Why It’s Important:
The MVP approach prevents perfectionism from stalling progress. It allows you to learn from real feedback instead of assumptions and enables faster iteration. In short, it keeps you moving forward.
In Practice: Motor City Trivia Days
Back in the early Motor City Trivia days, I would regularly test out different game formats: Rock Bingo, 8 Ball Trivia, Point Drop Trivia, Trivingo, Barcapades (Yes, I’m serious), Mystery Rounds, Name That Tune—you name it. Without realizing it, I was creating MVPs of these game formats, putting them out in their simplest form to gather feedback. Some formats survived, but many didn’t, and that’s okay. Testing basic versions of ideas helped refine what worked. Today, we run several strong pub trivia formats across 700 games each week nationwide, built on lessons from those early experiments.
3. Creativity Thrives in Motion
Movement breeds creativity. When you’re actively working toward a deadline, you unlock solutions and ideas that would have remained undiscovered if you stayed in the planning phase.
In Practice: The Globies’ Debut
When we introduced our mascots, the Globies, we didn’t have every detail finalized. But once they were out there, the creative ideas started to flow. By launching them, we allowed new possibilities to take shape that we hadn’t considered before. I’m very excited about their future in our games, site, and social media.
4. Celebrate the Launch
It’s easy to rush past an MVP launch in anticipation of feedback, but launching something—no matter how small—is an achievement in itself. The hard work, iteration, and courage it takes to bring an idea to life deserve recognition, even before the first piece of feedback arrives. Taking a moment to celebrate not only honors the effort but also sets the stage for positive energy as feedback begins to roll in.
In Practice: Sporcle All Hands and Slack Recognition
At Sporcle, whenever we launch something new, we make sure to recognize the team’s achievement before any feedback comes in. Whether it’s during our weekly All Hands meeting or via our Sporcle News channel on Slack, we take time to appreciate the effort that went into getting something out into the world. This celebration fosters pride and reminds everyone that simply launching is a victory in itself.
The Takeaway:
This week, embrace the idea that things may never feel fully ready. Push forward, aim for an MVP, set deadlines, and let creativity thrive in the movement. Progress, not perfection, should be your goal.
That’s it for this week’s edition of The Honeybee and The Owl. Until next time, remember: the show goes on at 11:30, ready or not.
Stay curious,
Mark