You’ve Come This Far… But Should You Keep Going?

Episode notes

You’ve been there — waiting for a restaurant table long past the quoted time, convincing yourself it’s too late to leave because you’ve already waited this long. That same logic creeps into our product decisions, our projects, and even our careers. It’s called the sunk cost fallacy , and it quietly drains your resources, energy, and innovation. In this episode of Beyond Product Management , Heather Miller unpacks how sunk costs show up in business and leadership — from the infamous Blockbuster vs. Netflix story to her own 11-year career chapter that taught her the hardest lesson about walking away. You’ll learn: What the sunk cost fallacy really is — and how it sneaks into product and leadership decisions How to use Heather’s “Reset Question” to make clearer, more strategic choices Why “this is hard but worth it” isn’t the same as “we’ve gone too far to stop now” How to separate learning (which compounds) from investment (which is gone) Practical ways to build evaluation points into your projects and avoid emotional decision-making If you’ve ever felt trapped by the time, money, or effort you’ve already put in — this one’s for you.