Actionable product launch lists to guide through the process

Product Launch Checklist: A step-by-step guide to preparing and launching products in the 21st Century, by Dominic Frúges, delivers what the title promises. Frúges brings a lifetime of experience to actionable product launch lists to guide people through the process. The first couple of chapters provide  background and credentials that reveal the depth of knowledge and real life experience this book offers. Subsequent chapters provide detailed bulleted checklists written in a tech-manual style offering clear direction with no unnecessary fluff.

Along with the original project launch checklist, following chapters delve deeper with complementary lists designed to help accomplish the objectives of the project launch list. For instance, the chapter on the Product Launch Agreement offers the necessary steps to put together the agreement, and following “The New Marketing” chapter are chapters on digital marketing, target audience, key marketing points, market research, and more, each with their unique checklist.
The index and layout of the book make it easy to find the topic you’re looking for and distills the information you need into an ordered list of what to do, often with notes as to why, along with helpful resources to expand your knowledge or help accomplish the goal. While the author concludes by saying the book “will never be an all-inclusive lists of steps that launch a product, because of changes in process, technology, and project management,” it is so well organized and comprehensive that it is a relevant resource to keep handy.

I award this book 5 stars. It is easy to navigate and provides a plethora of pertinent information. I recommend Product Launch Check List to anyone with a product launch on the horizon for business or even as a product entrepreneur. In fact, as a writer with another book due out early next year, I found helpful ideas to use for a book launch.

 
As Book Hookup, I am a longtime book reviewer, and I received a free review copy of this book and have not been compensated for reviewing or recommending it. This review is posted in collaboration with BookTasters. Some links in this post are affiliate links. We participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites.

About Author Dominic Frúges

Dominic J. Frúges authored "The Product Launch Checklist" to help people learn how to organize and work through a product or brand launch. He is a retired Consultant, who worked as a Strategist, Innovator, Executive for Entrepreneurs, Small & Mid-Size, and Enterprise businesses. A thought leader who uses strategic, market, and situational analysis to assess strengths or areas for improvement. Expert at developing value propositions, strategic messaging, features & benefits that position products. B2B, B2C, High Tech, Services marketing, and sales experience. Product Launch Expert who has worked on 13 product launches or solution launches from inception to full release. That includes one B2C brand launch that brought in $500,000 for the firm. In April 2019, Mr. Fruges was a Guest Lecturer at Rutgers Business School for “Waterfall vs. Agile-Scrum Project Management.”

Learn more about Dom Frúges at his LinkedIn Profile including samples of his work: LinkedIn Profile

Mr. Frúges holds or has held the following certifications and degrees:

• MBA – Rutgers University

• CloudMASTER® Certificate – NJIT University

• Mini-MBA in Digital Marketing – Rutgers University

• Scrum Product Owner – Scrum Study

• Scaled Scrum Product Owner – Scrum Study

• Adaptive Lean Six Sigma Essential – AptoLean, LLC.

Ukranian children's story of deliverance and hope

Tell Me A Story Babushka by Carola Schmidt is an illustrated book recommended for children 5-8 years old. I don’t often review children’s literature, but the author’s story is based on her grandmother’s true experience as a child in Ukraine during the man-made famine known as the Holodomor (1932 to 1933). The relevant topic, as well as the old-world flavor of the full-color illustrations by Anita Barghigiani, piqued my curiosity as to how the author would make the story of interest to young readers. It did not disappoint.

The story opens with young Karina in the kitchen with her Baba (Grandmother) who tells her a story of a young Ukrainian girl who lived in a fairy-tale-like cottage with a thatched roof. The family was poor but happy. When you turn the page, the happy life is overtaken by “monsters” (Soviet Communist Party). These monsters took away the Ukrainian’s freedom and their food. This caused the death of many Ukrainians but the monsters promised to kill anyone who hid food from them. 

When the monsters arrived at Karina’s cottage, she hides under her bed, but they find her. Babushka explains to her granddaughter that, “Years later, these horrible happenings would be called the Holodomor, my darling […]. They took her whole family, including the other families, to a horrible camp in Siberia.”

 

This story has an unhappy start based on a dark time in history but the author does not dwell on this aspect. Her telling transforms into a story of deliverance and hope when the young girl, who is separated from her parents in the camp, finds a Matryoshka nesting doll under her mattress on the floor. Inside is a message. I won’t say more because I don’t want to spoil the experience for the reader.

This slice-of-life vignette about Author Carola Schmidt’s grandmother and her escape from a prisoner of war camp in Siberia to freedom is a timely tale in today’s world. Since my children are grown, I sat down with a nine-year-old friend, Nathaniel, who read it to me. He gave it a thumbs up. I asked what he liked about it and he said, “I like that it has history in it. And I like how the author explained things like that Baba means Grandmother in Ukrainian, and that Holodomor is a compound Ukrainian word that means hunger and plague.” (This child is currently learning Hebrew as a second language). Then he smiled and bobbed his head almost snickering. “And she says she refuses to capitalize Soviet communist party.”

I highly recommend this book. The story, the artwork, and the message of hope beyond the darkness. I give it a high-five stars and recommend it to parents who care about Ukraine's current struggle as a way to introduce their children to past and current events, and Nathaniel recommends people who enjoy this book to check out the Grandma’s Attic series by Arleta Richardson or her Beyond the Orphan Train series.

As BookHookup, I am a long-time book reviewer and I received Tell Me a Story Babushka as a free review copy and have not been compensated for reviewing or recommending it. This review is posted in collaboration with #Blackberry Book Tours. Some links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites.

About the Author

Carola Schmidt lives in Curitiba, Brazil. Called Carolina at birth, she was nicknamed Carola by her Baba (grandmother) Amelia who emigrated to Brazil from Ukraine. Wanting to know more about her grandmother’s homeland, Carola traveled to present-day Ukraine. She returned understanding that our memories are like a favorite blanket creating a cozy feeling of belonging. It was in Ukraine where she decided to write this story―a tale of how she imagined her missing family history and their escape from a difficult time long ago. Today, Carola writes children’s books and works as a pediatric oncology pharmacist, helping children going through cancer treatments.

Carola Schmidt is an award-winning author of kids' cancer books, and uses her experience as a pediatric oncology pharmacist to write scientific books for Springer Nature. You can usually find her on Twitter @CarolaSchmidt.