Distribution Cold Start

No audience, no customers, no track record. The classic chicken-and-egg problem for new products.

The Challenge

We need customers to prove the product works. We need proof to get customers. Meanwhile:

• No existing audience to launch to
• No case studies or testimonials
• No brand recognition in the space
• No revenue to fund marketing

Relation to Chain-Link Illegibility

This is a component of the broader chain-link illegibility challenge. Distribution cold start is the mechanism by which the chain remains illegible—we can’t demonstrate the chain-link value without customers, and we can’t get customers without demonstrating value.

Why It’s Not THE Diagnosis

Distribution cold start is generic—every startup faces it. The deeper insight is that our specific strategy is illegible until demonstrated. The chain-link structure means:

• Can’t sell Murphy without SmartBoxes working
• Can’t sell SmartBoxes without the Murphy vision
• Each link is hard to sell standalone

Distribution cold start is real, but it’s a symptom of the deeper illegibility problem.

How We Navigate It

The dogfood-first policy addresses this directly:

1. Be our own first customer
2. Build the proof through internal use
3. The client validation gate proves transferability
4. Only then does distribution become possible

Distribution follows proof, not the other way around.

Evidenced By

• Execution: One team, many products
• Market timing: Is the market ready for agent-native?

Constrained By

• No Audience
• Single Founder
• Limited Capital