Essay · 20 min read
The Cold Start Problem, Chapter One preview
Andrew Chen · Andrew Chen (andrewchen.com) Free Intermediate
Chen's core claim, that the next big network product always looks like it is for a small, tight niche at first, is directly useful if your product has any network or community element. He walks through why a tiny, dense group has to work completely before you can ever expand to the next one, which is the network-effects version of the one-segment argument.
- Products with network effects have to nail one small, dense group before expanding, there is no shortcut
- Find the side of your market whose engagement disproportionately creates value for everyone else
- Winning one small network gives you a repeatable playbook for the next adjacent one
