Essay

Come for the tool, stay for the network

Chris Dixon · cdixon.org Free Intermediate

This is the constructive version of your strategy: use a single feature or channel to pull people in cheaply, then give them a reason to stay that you actually control. Dixon shows how OpenTable and others used a tool to reach critical mass, then built the durable relationship on top. It reframes platform reliance as a first step, not a resting place.

• Use the cheap channel to acquire, then earn the ongoing relationship.
• The tool gets the first users, the owned relationship keeps them.
• Plan your second act before the first channel dries up.