No Hopium

Most startup advice is hopium — "build it and they'll come," "just keep going." No Hopium is the opposite: weekly notes from real founders on distribution — how to actually get your first paying customers.

Dispatch

Distribution Autopsy: $5,000 ad on Product Hunt, 0 customers

Jul 9, 2026

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1 min read

Distribution Autopsy: $5,000 ad on Product Hunt, 0 customers

Organic traffic worked, so they bought an ad. Here is why it died.

Dmitry T

Dispatch

Your traction is a receipt, not a channel

Jul 7, 2026

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1 min read

Your traction is a receipt, not a channel

One good post, launch, or warm intro is evidence. It is not a system yet.

Dmitry T

Dispatch

Jun 30, 2026

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1 min read

The danger of buying your own traction

A founder told me he finally cracked customer discovery. He hadn't.

Dmitry T

Dispatch

Jun 24, 2026

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1 min read

Why average customers don't buy v1

A logical product can still fail when you design for the largest segment instead of the hungriest one.

Dmitry T

Dispatch

Jun 16, 2026

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1 min read

Are you shipping or learning?

Speed is a startup's main advantage, but only if it creates learning.

Dmitry T

Dispatch

You are using startup theater to avoid selling

Jun 9, 2026

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1 min read

You are using startup theater to avoid selling

Building automated funnels before closing manual sales is just procrastination.

Dmitry T