Tactical insights for first-time founders to outsmart the burn, the churn & the breakdown.
Hey Founder,
Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃
Today, we’re diving into something I see way too often:
Founders spreading themselves thin across every channel, thinking it’s “distribution.” But posting everywhere isn’t real distribution, and it’s definitely not your go-to-market strategy.
Distribution is where you show up.
Go-to-market is how you win: your message, pricing, and audience.
When you confuse the two, you end up busy but invisible.
The fix? Focus. Pick one channel. Go deep. Build momentum. Only then expand.
Let’s dive in.
The Margin
The Power of One
The instinct to be everywhere (TikTok, LinkedIn, email, podcasts) feels right. But more often than not, it dilutes your message and drains your resources, because your audience doesn’t live on every channel and your message doesn’t belong on all of them.
Effective distribution isn’t about reach, it’s about alignment. One channel, fully leveraged, can do more than five half-hearted attempts. Start with where your audience already listens and decides. Then go deep, until you’re unmissable there.
That’s exactly how breakout brands scaled:
Merit Beauty skipped the podcast circuit and leaned hard into Instagram, where their ideal customer actually scrolled. They built demand pre-launch - today, they’re past $100M in retail sales.
Copy.ai launched on Twitter, knowing founders and marketers lived there. One viral thread, and they were off: 380K users and $2.4M ARR.
Glossier grew from a beauty blog.
Lenny Rachitsky controlled Substack before expanding to podcasts.
Physics Wallah became a $2.8B edtech giant from YouTube alone.
It’s not about being everywhere. It’s about being undeniable somewhere.
So where’s your somewhere?
Tiny Reframe
Your customer picks the channel
Stop asking “Which platform should I use?”
Start asking “Where does my customer already spend time, and make decisions?”
The right channel isn’t about trends, it’s about behavior. It should reflect how your audience actually lives online.
If you’re selling to ecommerce founders, think X threads or email, not lifestyle Reels.
Designers? They scroll Pinterest and Dribbble, not X.
Students? Always on YouTube.
Your goal isn’t to be present, it’s to be native.
Pick the one place where your customer already is, and go deep until momentum builds.
Katelyn Bourgoin nailed this: she built one channel first (Twitter → “Why We Buy” newsletter) and only then expanded to LinkedIn 2 years later.
Why You Should Care
Distribution outperforms product, every time. A “good enough” product with strong reach will grow. A great product without a clear path to the right audience? It gets ignored.
Going deep in one channel builds familiarity, and trust compounds with repetition. Show up, solve real problems, and your audience will follow.
And focus isn’t just a strategic choice, it’s an operational advantage. One mastered channel means less waste, tighter execution, and faster feedback. Expand only after you’ve earned the right to.
6 Margin Moves To Scale a Single Channel Like Crazy
1. Go Where Your Customers Already Are
Forget static personas. Track the podcasts, Slack groups, forums, and DMs where your buyers hang out. Create a “Where They Live” doc with their top 5 digital spaces.
2. Pick a High-Leverage Channel
Choose the one that fits your style, breaks through the noise, and meets your audience where they’re already engaged, not where you wish they were.
3. Turn Your Profile Into a Landing Page
Your bio should clearly say who you help, what problem you solve, and why you’re worth their time. Every click should lead somewhere intentional.
4. Give Before You Ask
No cold pitches. Offer something real: a dataset, insight, or tool they’d save or share. Trust comes from usefulness, not urgency.
5. Let Your Metrics Guide You
Track 4 signals: audience growth, engagement, qualified leads, conversions. If they drop, pause. If they spike, double down. Your dashboard should tell you what to do next.
6. Make Community Your Multiplier
The fastest growth? Happens when your audience becomes your advocate. Highlight them. Involve them. Let them spread the message with you.
(Responding to the community with insights)
Finally…
(context: StartupGTM discussing Lenny’s Newsletter)
Tough Love Corner
Received this from a founder:
“I’m 38, bootstrapped, finally profitable… and haven’t touched my retirement in 8 years. My CPA mentioned a Solo 401(k), I had to Google it. I’ve been so focused on building the business, I forgot my own safety net.”
Sound familiar? You’re not alone, but it’s time to fix it.
A Solo 401(k) is the simplest, highest-leverage move for solo founders to catch up and cut taxes. Here’s the play:
1. Make sure you qualify
You need self-employment income and no full-time W-2 employees (spouse is fine). Have a team? Ask your CPA about small-biz 401(k) options, don’t DIY this.
2. Use the tax shield
You can contribute up to $70K/year (double with a spouse on payroll) and potentially cut $15K–$25K in taxes. You control the investments, even real estate or startups, and can borrow up to $50K.
3. Set it up now
Pick a custodian (Fidelity and Schwab are founder-friendly). The deadline is Dec 31 for this tax year. Automate contributions. Book an hour with your CPA, it could save you tens of thousands.
You built the business. Now build your backstop.
Got a burning founder question?
Send it my way, just hit reply.
Founder’s Toolbox
The smartest things we found this week, so you don’t have to:
Before you go…
Your distribution channel is like a well.
You can dig ten shallow holes and find nothing, or go deep and hit water that lasts.
Depth isn’t just strategy, it’s your moat.
Enjoy the turkey, the pause, and the perspective.
Happy Thanksgiving, and see you next Thursday,
— Mariya
What did you think of today’s issue?
Hit reply and let me know. I read every single one (for real).
About me
Hey, I’m Mariya, a startup CFO and founder of FounderFirst. After 10 years working alongside founders at early and growth-stage startups, I know how tough it is to make the right calls when resources are tight and the stakes are high. I started this newsletter to share the practical playbook I wish every founder had from day one, packed with lessons I’ve learned (and mistakes I’ve made) helping teams scale.
