Taken in that order, they show which commitments rest on an open question.
Run one check on your own launch before reading on. For each row in the table below, note two things separately: the evidence you hold that the check is made, and any commitment already resting on it, such as a signed order, a paid deposit or an approved proof. Then look for a commitment that depends on a check with no evidence yet, using the third column. That is an unresolved dependency, and the earliest check it leads back to is where to start.
| Check | Evidence that it is made | It feeds into |
|---|
| 1. Who the product is for | A named customer, her need and a sign she would pay your price | The range and the price |
| 2. The range | Every variant in the first order listed against a customer need | What the maker quotes for |
| 3. The maker and its terms | A written quote with actual minimums, unit costs, lead time and payment dates | The price and the cash plan |
| 4. Price and first channel | The margin left after that channel's costs, worked from quoted unit costs | Pack format, cash plan and launch dates |
| 5. Markets and the name | A list of markets, then a name cleared for them | Artwork, print and web address |
| 6. The launch date | A date that fits deadlines confirmed by suppliers and buyers | Every public announcement |
For skincare launching in the UK, the UK skincare launch guide works through that category in its own order, starting from the manufacturing route. This page covers any beauty category.
Who the product is for, and why she would pay
This check is made when you can describe the customer in a sentence, name the need the product meets for her, and point to a sign she would pay the intended price: what she spends today on the nearest alternative, pre-orders, or direct conversations.
It constrains the range and the price. If the need or the willingness to pay cannot yet be shown, check whether the offer itself is unproven or the right customers are not yet reached: telling a go-to-market problem from a route-to-market problem separates the two. The wider set of answers a launch plan needs, including what would tell you to stop, is in a brand launch strategy's six answers.
The range, line by line
This check is made when every variant in the first order is written down, each shade, size or formula, and each one is tied to a customer need from the first check.
It constrains what a manufacturer is asked to quote for. For makeup and haircare, check variants, trial, repeat purchase and retail display against the proposed range. Where the range is built around one hero ingredient, check what would still make customers choose the brand if that ingredient lost attention or a competitor copied the idea.
The maker and its terms
This check is made when you hold a written quote showing the supplier's actual minimums, whether set per variant or per shared batch, with unit costs, lead time and payment dates.
It constrains the price and the cash plan. Check what the manufacturer's minimum commits in cash, shelf life, price and flexibility, then map pre-sale payments and expected receipts in a cash ledger, using your suppliers' dates. Take product safety and regulatory timing questions to a qualified safety assessor and an adviser.
Markets and the name
This check is made in two parts: a written list of the countries and channels the brand will sell in, then a shortlist checked by a trade mark lawyer for those markets and products, with one name clear to use.
It constrains the artwork, the print and the web address, all of which carry the name. Test a naming shortlist against the customer, range and markets before taking it to a trade mark lawyer.
The launch date
This check is made when the launch date fits deadlines that suppliers and buyers have confirmed, not dates assumed for them.
It constrains every public announcement. For a retail launch, count back from the retailer's shelf date using confirmed deadlines. For direct selling, the dates to confirm are when stock lands and when the site can take an order.
