Lara GuevaraSupply Chain expert (Product and Service)

Emotional decision behind k*lling her product

28 Feb 2026 · 2 min

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1:31

In this first‑person monologue, the speaker recounts advising a founder to retire underperforming, sentiment‑laden SKUs that had been part of the brand’s origin story. The speaker frames SKU rationalization not as a dry spreadsheet task but as an emotionally charged decision, highlighting how the founder initially resisted letting go of her original designs despite their poor financial performance. By presenting hard numbers, the speaker prompted a pivotal conversation about the cost of keeping legacy products alive. The founder agreed to a structured sunset plan: a marked‑down sale, a public celebration of the products’ legacy, and a final purchase window for loyal customers. Three months later, the founder described the experience as liberating, noting that mental energy previously spent on dead weight could now be redirected to high‑performing offerings. The narrative concludes with a call to action for other founders to examine sentiment‑driven products and assess their true cost.

Chapters

The hardest part wasn't the math. It was telling her to kill the products she started the company with. SKU rationalization sounds like a spreadsheet exercise. It's actually an emotional one. These products have stories. Some have been around since day one. Letting go feels like failure. When I showed her the numbers, she got quiet. Two of the products in that kill bucket were her original designs. The ones she'd launched with, the ones that got her first 100 customers. She said, but these are the heart of the brand. I asked her, how much longer can you not pay yourself to keep them alive? That landed. Here's what I've learned. Products have life cycle. The ones that start a brand are not always the ones that carry it forward, and keeping them around out of sentiment is a business decision. It's just one that costs money. She didn't kill them overnight. We did a sunset sale, marked them down, celebrated their legacy on social media, gave loyal customers a last chance to buy, then she let them go. 3 months later, she told me it was the most freeing decision she'd ever made. The mental energy she'd been spending on underperforming products was now going to winners. Sometimes Letting go is how you grow. Look at your product line. Is there one you're keeping alive out of sentiment? What is it actually costing you? Save this for when you need permission to let go.