Early on, Mary Kay's company sold individual items from its five-part skincare set. This led to poor results and negative word-of-mouth. They stopped this practice, prioritizing the customer's full experience and the product's efficacy over easy, short-term revenue, thus protecting the brand's reputation.

Samsung's impatient push to release the Galaxy Note 7 before the iPhone 7 resulted in dangerous battery flaws. This "fail fast" approach led to a global recall, tarnished the brand's reputation, and ultimately cost them customers and profits.

Anticipating the post-COVID demand slump, Taylor Guitars' sales team spent months calling retailers to cancel $50 million in purchase orders. They recognized this was "phantom demand" that would overload their channel. This short-term revenue sacrifice protected their retail ecosystem's long-term health.

After a costly mistake left him with thousands of extra units, Solgaard's founder learned a key inventory lesson. He advises founders to avoid overly optimistic forecasting and go lean on inventory. Being slightly back-ordered is a better financial position than being overstocked with capital tied up in unsold goods.

Consumerism is driven not by buying, but by buying low-quality items that fail and are discarded. The solution is creating superior, durable products that solve a user's problem permanently, eliminating the need for replacement.

Many founders become too attached to what they've built. The ability to unemotionally kill products that aren't working—even core parts of the business—is a superpower. This prevents wasting resources and allows for the rapid pivots necessary to find true product-market fit.

Eliminating a popular and profitable product line can be a wise long-term strategy. If a product, even a bestseller, creates brand confusion or pulls focus from your core vision, cutting it can strengthen your primary brand's identity and lead to more dedicated growth.

The strategy of eliminating the "worst 20%" applies across the business. Beyond firing unprofitable customers, analyze your product lines and even your team. Discontinuing low-margin, high-hassle products or removing toxic employees can free up immense resources and improve overall business health just as effectively.

The brand launched a technically advanced "love of sleep" spray designed to promote intimacy. When consumers weren't ready for the concept, they discontinued it. This demonstrates a willingness to innovate ahead of the curve while also having the discipline to "fail fast" and move on without fear.