We've all been force-fed this classic startup line: "Ideas are worthless; execution is everything." It's the startup gospel that's fueled a thousand LinkedIn humblebrags, late-night Red Bulls, and over-the-top hustle culture manifestos.
But lately, generative AI showed up and just obliterated that comfortable cliché. Writing code? ChatGPT just did your job in five seconds. Graphic design? Midjourney spit out something cooler before you finished your espresso. Execution, once the holy grail of startup success, has officially become table stakes.
Execution's dead, kids. Long live distribution.
Distribution: The New Kingmaker
Distribution—getting your product in front of people who actually care—is now the whole game. Your idea doesn't matter. Your flawless execution is cute, but irrelevant. If nobody knows about your product, congratulations—you just built the Betamax of whatever niche you're in.
Oh, speaking of Betamax:
Remember the VHS vs. Betamax showdown? Sony’s Betamax was technically superior—better picture, sharper audio, a true engineer's dream. But VHS won because it nailed distribution through strategic partnerships and just plain availability. Turns out, nobody gives a crap about superior specs if they can’t rent "Die Hard" easily at Blockbuster on a Friday night.
The Simpsons Did it ... in '96 (Pay Attention)
Ever seen the Simpsons episode, "The Twisted World of Marge Simpson" (Season 8)? Marge starts a pretzel business that's tanking until Homer secretly hires the mafia to "convince" everyone to buy her pretzels. Marge’s earnest hustle meant zilch until she secured distribution—albeit via Fat Tony’s crew. Lesson learned: even the Springfield Mafia understands distribution better than most startups today.
How to Actually Nail Distribution (Without Involved the Mafia)
1. Cultivate Direct ChannelsOwn your audience. Newsletters, podcasts, obnoxiously active social media—whatever it takes to bypass middlemen.
2. Strategic PartnershipsFind influential allies who can amplify your reach. Preferably someone less shady than Springfield’s favorite mobsters—but hey, do what works.
3. Content-Driven GrowthKeep feeding valuable content to your audience. People prefer authentic expertise to the endless clickbait BS. Shocker.
4. Master Platform AlgorithmsFigure out what LinkedIn, X (or Twitter, if you're nostalgic), and TikTok algorithms want. Feed the beast. Repeat.
5. Activate Viral LoopsMake your users feel like geniuses for sharing your product—remember Dropbox’s "free space" referral system? Do that, minus the lawsuits.
Personal Tips: Don't Suck at Distribution
- Audience Mastery: Use analytics like they're cheat codes in an NES game. Know your user's behavior better than Google knows your search history. There are a million decent twitter threads about this and a billion terrible ones. Next time I come across one I'll link it here. Or ask ChatGPT.
- Data-Driven Iteration: Test everything. Twice. Double down on what's actually working, not what's "supposed" to work.
- Deliberate Networking: Relationships matter. Seriously, stop skipping happy hour; that's distribution gold right there.
TL;DR (Because You're Busy)
In today’s AI-drenched reality, execution isn’t your bottleneck. Ideas? Please. Distribution is the whole game. If your product can't reach customers, you might as well be selling Marge Simpson’s pretzels—minus Fat Tony’s help. And we all know how that worked out.
Get better at distribution. Or don’t. But don't say I didn't warn you.