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

Jul 21, 2026

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1 min read

The $100 validation trap

If you pay someone to talk, you tested the incentive, not the market.

Dmitry T

Autopsy

Jul 16, 2026

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1 min read

Distribution Autopsy: 20,000 SEO pages, zero signups

Why broad traffic doesn't mean distribution, and what actually works.

Dmitry T

Dispatch

Jul 14, 2026

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1 min read

Stop looking for direct competitors

"We have no competitors" means you don't know your market. Look for substitutes instead.

Dmitry T

Autopsy

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