Thank You, Early Adopters

Three Cheers for the Early Adopters

In marketing terms, an early adopter is part of a special group, the second wave on the innovation curve, right after the true pioneers (called “innovators”). Early adopters are adventurous, influential, and optimistic. They help shape trends, give meaningful feedback, and most importantly, they show up early, while others are still on the fence.

Yokl, as a new startup, needs and appreciates these bold and generous souls in many aspects of our business.

First, restaurateurs who believed in the idea and brought it to life with their food, their hospitality, and their heart.

Second, the business owners who said yes to being featured on our site, not because we have a million views, but because they saw our mission and the vision of our site.

And of course, there are the tour participants—the guests who bought tickets to a brand-new experience in Hershey. They didn’t know exactly what they were getting into, but they showed up with curiosity and kindness. They gave us feedback, told their friends, and helped us make it better.

Reid Hoffman, founder of LinkedIn, famously said, “If you’re not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you launched too late.” Our business is a work in progress and we delight in listening to your feedback, making changes, and growing.

Thank you, all of you believers, testers, and brave “why not”ers. Without you, Yokl would still be just an idea in a spiral notepad on my kitchen table.