Product vs. distribution

What it means

Product vs. distribution is a practical part of introduction to distribution. It should help the founder make a clearer decision about who to reach, what to say, what to build, or what to measure.

The useful version of this topic is not theoretical. It should change something visible: the customer you choose, the words on the page, the offer in the email, the onboarding step you remove, or the metric you watch every week.

A good test is whether a founder could use this page and do something before lunch. If the answer is no, the topic is still too abstract.

Actions

Start with the smallest action that creates contact with reality. For early distribution, reality usually means a buyer, a user, a search result, a conversation, or a payment.

• Define what product vs. distribution means for this product and ICP.
• Collect customer evidence before turning it into a process.
• Choose one next action that can be tested this week.

Measure

Measure the signal closest to customer progress. Vanity numbers are allowed only if they predict something better later.

• Customer signal
• Conversion impact
• Learning speed

Template

Assumption: [what we currently believe]
Evidence: [what customers have said or done]
Action: [one practical thing to try]
Owner: [who will do it]
Metric: [how we know it worked]

References

• YC Startup Library