I’ve been thinking about this a lot while looking back at early traction stories.
Some founders swear the brand story and positioning are what unlocked their first customers. Others say none of that mattered until they figured out distribution, fulfillment, and how to actually get the product in front of people.
For those of you who’ve built (or are building) product-based businesses: what moved the needle more early on?
Was it narrative and brand identity, or ops/distribution doing the heavy lifting?
Curious to hear real experiences, especially where your opinion changed after launch.
For product-based businesses: what mattered more in your early traction, brand story or distribution?
byu/catwantcookies inEntrepreneur
Posted by catwantcookies
3 Comments
Full funnel marketing
Distribution, hands down. My first product wasn’t some amazing brand story…it was just available in the right places. Once people could actually buy it without friction, traction followed. Branding came later when there was proof of demand.
Totally agree with this debate. I’d say at the very start, getting the product to the customer without issues probably matters more. Brand story comes in once people actually experience your product.