4 ms·

Any arguments for/against the following? Quote: the "build it and they will come" mentality is a fallacy. You need to build something great and have distributi

by brlewis 19y ago

Any arguments for/against the following? Quote: the "build it and they will come" mentality is a fallacy. You need to build something great and have distribution in order to succeed. And distribution is hard to get.

nickb 19y ago
I'd love to see someone try to dispute that! If there's one thing that makes or breaks a startup, it's the distribution.
- mixmax 19y ago
  Google - but they are clearly an exception. I remember reading a study (can't find it right now) that actually tried to investigate how good your product had to be to attract users without marketing. Their finding was that if your product is 200 - 300% better than what is already there you will win. Google fits that description pretty well.
  - skmurphy 19y ago
    Most startups have to be 10X (1000%) along a dimension of interest to be able to break through. Because you will be weaker in other areas, you normally can't compete across the board with existing players as a startup, you don't have the resources. You have to pick your battles. See Kathy Sierra's post "How to come up with breakthrough ideas" http://headrush.typepad.com/creating_passionate_users/2005/11/how_to_come_up_.html http://headrush.typepad.com/creating_passionate_users/2005/1...
mixmax 19y ago
I've tried and it's true. I built a great social networking website, but there were problems with just about everything (including a programmer that had a nervous breakdown and quit, one that had a heart attack and quit, one that got pregnant and quit, a change in the law that made our business model obsolete, etc. etc) We launched just for the hell of it, but didn't follow through on it. I think there are around 50 users now...
- sutro 19y ago
  Upmodded for unintentional hilariousness. Are you sure a plague of locusts didn't also descend upon your programmers? Note to self: never accept a programming job from mixmax.
  - mixmax 19y ago
    he he, I'm the devil :-) but no, none of it had anything to do with me - it was all external and not related to the startup at all. Just seriously bad luck...
    - dualogy 19y ago
      No offense, but personally I think this is the one sentence a person in charge should never permit him/herself to utter... :) On the other hand, bad luck happens.
      - mixmax 19y ago
        None taken. But I do find that humor goes a long way in management. In the above example it was the only way of dealing with it.
    - mironathetin 19y ago
      Really bad luck would have been, if the one who suffered the stroke had not quit but gone into hospital while you still had to pay him. In the office near to mine is also a collegue who brings her baby every day. While she is there in principle, she does not work a lot, but starts to develop a strong sense to control everything. If these people stay, thats really bad luck.
- edw519 19y ago
  "one that had a heart attack and quit, one that got pregnant and quit" If you had put locks on your office doors, chances are both of them would still be with you.
  - 19y ago
webwright 19y ago
GREAT post! Absolutely awesome (and inspiring, given that we are in the 100-300 signups per day camp at RescueTime). I would throw in my omnipresent "think viral, if you can". Viral stuff doesn't easily translate to all businesses, but I literally know 3 or 4 guys who have gone the "build it and they will come" route with blog widgets and facebook apps. If you build a blog widget that people want, you can pretty much just sit back and watch customers accumulate (not that you SHOULD). Of course, monetizing businesses like that is another story. And because it's so easy, it's crowded as hell. But if you can add a sprinkle of virality (like the "Proudly powered by Weebly. Create a free website." on the footer of weebly sites) that's a big deal.
tim2 19y ago
Agreed. The internet isn't a magical place where the best product automatically wins. Much to the misfortune of us hackers.
- wastedbrains 19y ago
  Very true, great comment. I have found that it can be hard to watch a similar product with half the features growing faster than your own. I guess it means your in a good space that people are interested in, but you aren't doing enough to attract those users...
  - drm237 19y ago
    You should read Getting Real by the 37 Signals group. Might explain why some with fewer features are growing faster. http://gettingreal.37signals.com/ http://gettingreal.37signals.com/
    - wastedbrains 19y ago
      My co founder read the book, so I haven't picked it up. I understand that keeping things simple and easy can be really important. We have been focusing on simplifying and usability for the past couple weeks, because we saw how many users were having a hard time using the site. Our usability tests have been paying off really well.

by brlewis 19y ago

nickb 19y ago

I'd love to see someone try to dispute that! If there's one thing that makes or breaks a startup, it's the distribution.

mixmax 19y ago
Google - but they are clearly an exception. I remember reading a study (can't find it right now) that actually tried to investigate how good your product had to be to attract users without marketing. Their finding was that if your product is 200 - 300% better than what is already there you will win. Google fits that description pretty well.
- skmurphy 19y ago
  Most startups have to be 10X (1000%) along a dimension of interest to be able to break through. Because you will be weaker in other areas, you normally can't compete across the board with existing players as a startup, you don't have the resources. You have to pick your battles. See Kathy Sierra's post "How to come up with breakthrough ideas" http://headrush.typepad.com/creating_passionate_users/2005/11/how_to_come_up_.html http://headrush.typepad.com/creating_passionate_users/2005/1...

mixmax 19y ago

I've tried and it's true. I built a great social networking website, but there were problems with just about everything (including a programmer that had a nervous breakdown and quit, one that had a heart attack and quit, one that got pregnant and quit, a change in the law that made our business model obsolete, etc. etc) We launched just for the hell of it, but didn't follow through on it. I think there are around 50 users now...

sutro 19y ago
Upmodded for unintentional hilariousness. Are you sure a plague of locusts didn't also descend upon your programmers? Note to self: never accept a programming job from mixmax.
- mixmax 19y ago
  he he, I'm the devil :-) but no, none of it had anything to do with me - it was all external and not related to the startup at all. Just seriously bad luck...
  - dualogy 19y ago
    No offense, but personally I think this is the one sentence a person in charge should never permit him/herself to utter... :) On the other hand, bad luck happens.
    - mixmax 19y ago
      None taken. But I do find that humor goes a long way in management. In the above example it was the only way of dealing with it.
  - mironathetin 19y ago
    Really bad luck would have been, if the one who suffered the stroke had not quit but gone into hospital while you still had to pay him. In the office near to mine is also a collegue who brings her baby every day. While she is there in principle, she does not work a lot, but starts to develop a strong sense to control everything. If these people stay, thats really bad luck.
edw519 19y ago
"one that had a heart attack and quit, one that got pregnant and quit" If you had put locks on your office doors, chances are both of them would still be with you.
- 19y ago

webwright 19y ago

GREAT post! Absolutely awesome (and inspiring, given that we are in the 100-300 signups per day camp at RescueTime). I would throw in my omnipresent "think viral, if you can". Viral stuff doesn't easily translate to all businesses, but I literally know 3 or 4 guys who have gone the "build it and they will come" route with blog widgets and facebook apps. If you build a blog widget that people want, you can pretty much just sit back and watch customers accumulate (not that you SHOULD). Of course, monetizing businesses like that is another story. And because it's so easy, it's crowded as hell. But if you can add a sprinkle of virality (like the "Proudly powered by Weebly. Create a free website." on the footer of weebly sites) that's a big deal.

tim2 19y ago

Agreed. The internet isn't a magical place where the best product automatically wins. Much to the misfortune of us hackers.

wastedbrains 19y ago
Very true, great comment. I have found that it can be hard to watch a similar product with half the features growing faster than your own. I guess it means your in a good space that people are interested in, but you aren't doing enough to attract those users...
- drm237 19y ago
  You should read Getting Real by the 37 Signals group. Might explain why some with fewer features are growing faster. http://gettingreal.37signals.com/ http://gettingreal.37signals.com/
  - wastedbrains 19y ago
    My co founder read the book, so I haven't picked it up. I understand that keeping things simple and easy can be really important. We have been focusing on simplifying and usability for the past couple weeks, because we saw how many users were having a hard time using the site. Our usability tests have been paying off really well.