E9: Why Distribution is the Only Moat Left in the AI-First World (And How to Build It)

Founder Reality

AI has killed every competitive advantage for software founders except one: distribution. If anyone can build your app in a week, your code isn't your moat - your crowd is.

The brutal reality I'm seeing as a software founder since 2019:

• My first MVP took 8 months to build (April 2019 → January 2020). Today? That same product could be built in a week, maybe less.
• Feature parity happens instantly - competitors screenshot your app and rebuild it overnight
• We're in the "infinite builders era" - anyone with Cursor can ship an MVP
• I've abandoned AI tools we built (SimpleDirect Chat) because the space got too crowded too fast

What AI hasn't democratized: Your personal story and distribution.

The 2025+ founder playbook I'm using:

1. Build audience first - before you even have a product
2. Solve distribution, not just the problem - your unique voice matters more than your unique code
3. Earn referrals through authentic relationships - not ad spend
4. Bootstrap with high margins - you don't need huge teams anymore

My content journey reality check:

• Started tweeting in 2021 with zero followers after a friend said "build a founder brand"
• Bought the book "Founder Brand" but didn't read it for 4 years (just read it last month)
• Built a 20K+ contractor Facebook group by posting construction memes daily (yes, really)
• Learned that people buy from people they know and trust - not faceless brands

The uncomfortable truth: Less than 1% of people choose entrepreneurship. Your founder story is already unique - you just need to share it consistently.

Why most founders are too late: If you have a product now and you're just starting to think about content, you missed the window. Start building your founder brand while you're still building your MVP.

My framework: Authentic relationships scale differently than ad spend. Show your expertise before selling. Be uniquely you - because in an AI world where anyone can code, your personality and perspective are the only things that can't be replicated overnight.

New episodes Monday/Wednesday/Friday at 9am EST. Real founder lessons, not startup theater.

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