What is Stealth Mode and what are its Benefits?

| September 24, 2015

What is Stealth Mode and what are its Benefits?

One often hears entrepreneurs mentioning that they developed their products and business in stealth mode. They kept their focus away from marketing and promotion and focused completely on product development. So what is this Stealth Mode and how does it help you do better business?

What is it?

Imagine you have an underground secret lab and are developing your new product in it. You want to keep it away from prying eyes and ears, making sure that the outside world doesn’t get a whiff of your secret project until you’re good and ready to show it off. This goes against conventional wisdom that says that you need to start marketing the product well before you launch it.

While building anticipation and curiosity in your customers is a good thing, letting it be the sole focus of your efforts will only lead to problems later on. It can be tempting to start marketing off the bat, especially if your competitors are introducing similar products. However, it’s best to focus on developing a good product and trust quality, to triumph in the end.

What are the benefits?

Working in stealth mode and developing products secretly has its merits. Consider the following points.

1. Strong foundation

When you strip your business down to the bare essentials, you’ll realize that your product is the most essential aspect of it. Everything else is just the supporting factors in place, to get your creation out there to the customer. The product is the foundation of your business. If your foundation is strong, the venture built upon it is on solid ground.

When you’re in stealth mode, your primary focus is on development. You pay complete attention to it, making sure that you do a good job and create a superior quality product. In the end, this quality would compensate for any loss in traction you had to face because you focused on development.

2. Low pressure

When you’re just starting out, things can be hectic. Majority of the pressure is from the public and the industry. Your customers and competitors will keep an eye on you if they know you’re developing a product and that can lead to a lot of strain. Not only do you have to deal with public perception and customer anticipation, but you’ll also have to deal with competitors trying to copy your ideas.

In stealth mode, you don’t have to worry about this. There’s no pressure to finish developing the product as soon as possible. As the customers aren’t aware of the product, there’s no sense of anticipation so you have some room to work. If your competitors don’t know a product exists, how are they going to copy it? Stealth mode eases the strain and lets you work in peace.

3. Being focused on the right things

The world outside your secret stealth mode lab is very distracting. There are several things that can draw your attention away from product development. Somehow, even if you don’t plan it, marketing and promotion becomes a priority and you start shifting your focus.

Being in stealth mode ensures that you stay focused and have nothing to distract you from the product, which is the most important aspect of your business.