The 99 Product Challenge

Over the past 24 hours, I’ve been knee-deep in what might be the most underrated part of starting a business: getting set up to actually handle customers. You know—credit card processing, email tracking, contact management, analytics. The unglamorous infrastructure. It’s not flashy, but it’s foundational.

But here’s the twist: underneath all that tech setup is something even more fundamental—building a network. And that’s where things get real.

The Unseen Challenge: Starting From Zero

Let’s be honest: building a business network is hard. Especially if, like me, you’re an introvert. I’ve always found outreach intimidating. Networking events feel like social landmines. Cold emails make my palms sweat. And yet—I’ve learned, painfully and repeatedly—that your network is the engine of your business.

Not the website. Not the product. The people.

A business, at its core, is the care, feeding, and nurturing of a tribe—your groupies. The ones who resonate with what you’re building. The ones who root for you. The ones who buy what you make and tell their friends. That group doesn’t magically appear. You have to create it intentionally.

The Myth of “Build It and They Will Come”

I’ve fallen into this trap before—maybe you have, too. You’ve probably heard it:

“If the product is good enough, people will find it.”

That’s the fantasy. We imagine that our product, once launched on a website or an app store, will somehow generate its own gravitational pull. That if we just build something awesome enough, the customers will show up.

They won’t.

I’ve launched multiple products over the years, and I still find myself drifting into that belief, despite knowing better. It’s comforting. But it’s also a lie.

The Truth: Find the Customer First

I now believe the opposite is true:

Find the customer, then build the product.

This is why, even with a full list of 99 product ideas in front of me, I’m focused not on launching—but on listening. On discovering my early fans. My “groupies.” The people who might care.

Because until I find them, the product doesn’t matter. Not really.

The Real Job: Building the Relationship Engine

So what’s my job right now?

• Setting up tools to accept payments? Yes.
• Configuring email automations? Sure.
• But most importantly: figuring out who my people are.

Who gets excited about what I’m doing? Who comes back for more? Who’s already halfway sold before I even pitch? That’s the network.

When you build relationships first, products become easier to design, market, and sell—because you already have someone to build for. And more than that: you already have someone who believes in you.

Final Thought: It’s Customer Discovery, Not Product Launch

This early phase? It’s not about the product. It’s about customer discovery. About showing up. About talking. About sharing. About slowly growing the tribe.

Because in the end, it’s not “build it and they will come.”

It’s: “Find them, and then build what they’re already looking for.”