

Why you should blog before you build your startup - andygcook
http://andygcook.com/2013/09/why-you-should-blog-before-you-build/

======
grinnick
This is something which I now can't agree with enough. Unfortunately it has
taken me two years to get to this point.

It's embarrassing how many times I built products with the sole marketing
strategy of "post it to HN and hope it gets 200 votes".

It never felt like that was the strategy at the time. It always felt like I
had some better, bigger plan - becoming an active member of some domain
forums, writing whitepapers, cold-calling etc. But, had I been honest with
myself, it would have been painfully honest that I just didn't know how to
reach my customers.

 _Distribution is the hardest problem startups face these days._ Solve that
problem first, then write code.

~~~
andygcook
I've had to learn this lesson on multiple failed projects, which is why I
finally took the time to write the post.

Personally, focusing on distribution is not as fun as hacking all day, which I
think is how much other technical types feel. I think a 70%/30% split is
probably the right way to go. Spend 70% of your day building, and the last 30%
writing blog posts. I find the act of writing very cathartic, with it usually
clearing my head and allowing me to remain focused on the grander vision.

