Launch & get your first customers
Founder-led selling & community
In the early days, you are the brand.
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Should I make myself the face of the brand, or keep the brand separate from my personal identity?
In the early days, especially in India, you basically don't have a choice - customers buy from a person before they buy from a logo, so lean into i...
Is it actually worth me personally replying to every DM and WhatsApp message in the early days?
Yes - Wakefit's founders personally delivered their first 100 mattresses and did on-the-spot video interviews, and that direct contact is exactly w...
What does 'founder-led selling' actually look like day to day in the first few months?
It's unglamorous and repetitive - replying to every Instagram comment and DM yourself, doing customer support personally, and following up on every...
Are there founder communities I should join to learn this stuff instead of figuring it out alone?
Yes - join a community of other founders, not just customers; D2C Insider started as a single WhatsApp group in 2019 and has grown into thousands o...
Related in Starting Up
Not D2C-specific, so it lives in our founder hub. Same engine, different corner.
Founder mental health, burnout and loneliness
Family, social pressure and the quit-your-job decision