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You built it.
They didn’t come.
You shipped your MVP.
You nailed your demo.
Maybe you even got some warm intros.
But traction didn’t stick.
You’re not alone.
Most founders underestimate distribution.
Or worse, they think they can hire for it after they raise it.
That barely worked in Web2, and it’s a recipe for failure in Web3.
In Web2, you could sometimes brute-force your way to growth.
Founders leaned on PR, paid ads, or hired a growth team after the build.
It was never ideal. But it occasionally worked.
In Web3? That approach breaks.
There’s no App Store to feature you.
No Facebook ad arbitrage to ride.
No central feed to give you attention.
Instead:
– Everyone is launching—every day.
– Attention is fragmented and fast-moving.
– Virality ≠ traction.
– Your product only spreads if you design it to.
Web3 rewards those who build distribution from day one.
We’re not just shipping code.
We’re shipping trust loops, monetizable objects, and networked interactions.
DREAM isn’t a growth hack.
It’s a ground game.
A DREAM Founder builds distribution into the product from day one.
They don’t wait until “after launch.”
They don’t hope for virality.
They treat distribution like code—critical infrastructure, not a nice-to-have.
The acronym is simple.
The mindset is radical:
D.R.E.A.M.
Distribution
Rules
Everything
Around
Me
This isn’t just wordplay.
It’s a worldview.
Your product isn’t your product.
Your distribution is.
In Web3, attention is earned, not granted.
Every builder is dropping something.
The feed moves fast.
Frames are everywhere.
Mints are constant.
But signal? Rare.
Distribution is how you cut through.
We’re not just building products.
We’re building audiences.
We’re earning trust.
We’re designing systems that attract, retain, and convert.
DREAM isn’t a checklist.
It’s a belief:
You can’t separate what you build from how it spreads.
DREAM Founders don’t need templates.
They work from first principles.
They ask:
– Who is this for?
– Where are they?
– What pain are they feeling—right now?
– Why should they care?
– How do I reach them today?
They believe:
– You ship to people, not into the void.
– You validate pain, not code.
– You describe the problem better than the user can.
– You earn trust before you ask for attention.
– You don’t wait for traction—you create it.
“You don’t find distribution. You build it.”
— A DREAM Founder, probably
DREAM is inspired by C.R.E.A.M. — “Cash Rules Everything Around Me.”
A 1993 Wu-Tang classic. A philosophy.
Back then, cash was the lever.
Today, it’s distribution.
Just like early hip-hop artists pressed their own records and promoted their own shows,
today’s founders build their own distribution engines.
Onchain is the new underground.
Farcaster and the Base App are the new street team.
Your Mini-app is your mixtape.
No gatekeepers. No middlemen. No excuses.
You build.
You drop.
You distribute.
Let the network decide.
Farcaster isn’t a social network.
It’s your distribution layer.
BASE isn’t just infrastructure.
It’s your launch velocity.
Together, they power the Farconomy—
the fastest, cheapest, highest-signal playground on the internet.
What makes them DREAM-native?
Frames are mixtapes.
Channels are street teams.
Tips, mints, and wallets? Distribution objects.
And the feed? A trust loop. You earn your slot by showing up.
BASE clears the path:
Fast. Affordable. Evangelized by builders, not marketers.
You’re not launching into the void.
You’re launching into the network.
Your MVP is not the finish line.
It’s the beginning of your distribution journey.
Stop thinking distribution comes after product.
Stop assuming someone else will figure it out.
Start asking:
– Who’s this for?
– Where are they?
– Why would they care?
– How can I reach them right now?
If you’re building with distribution in mind:
– Join the /distribution channel on Farcaster
– Drop your MVP like it’s a mixtape
– Tour it like you mean it
– Let the network decide
Because in this era, it’s not just about building.
It’s about being seen.
It’s about building trust that gets remembered and shared.
It’s about DREAM.
Share Dialog
Jonathan Colton
Solid and Inspiring!
Cody's right that distribution is the moat. Most founders optimize distribution mechanics before they solve a specific pain for a specific reachable user. All the loops and viral tactics in the world won't save you if you're distributing something nobody needs. Distribution doesn't start with growth hacks. It starts with answering: Who specifically has this problem? Where are they? Can I reach them today? DREAM Founders build distribution as infrastructure from day one—not as an afterthought. Wrote the foundation: https://paragraph.com/@jonathancolton.eth/dream-founders?referrer=0xe19753f803790D5A524D1fD710D8a6D821a8Bb55 https://x.com/codyschneiderxx/status/1990842475510972763?s=20
It was always distribution.
always
Absolute facts!
You built it. They didn’t come. 😡 Attention is earned, not granted. Your product isn’t your product. Your distribution is. DREAM isn’t a checklist. It’s a belief. It’s about being seen. It’s about building trust that gets remembered and shared.
gud read
Thank you
I absolutely get it.. Thanks for the great words🧡
In the latest blog post by @jonathancolton, the focus is on the importance of integrating distribution into the core of product development, especially for Web3 founders. The "DREAM" approach emphasizes that effective distribution is not just an addition post-launch, but needs to be part of the building process itself. Takeaways highlight the changing landscape of outreach where attention is earned, assessing audience pain points, and a proactive mindset are vital. With growth being fragmented, a solid distribution strategy becomes essential for success.