The Founder IS the Distribution Channel
The old model: build the product, find the audience. The new model: build the audience, then the product finds its way to market. 4AM's founders built 230,000 followers across TikTok and Instagram before they had a retail shelf, then walked into Target with four sold-out production runs as proof. Neutonic exists because Chris Williamson and James Smith spent a decade building audiences that trust them on exactly the topics the product is designed for. George Clooney and Rande Gerber don't need to pitch a distributor, Casamigos made the introduction for them. Jason Burke spent ten years becoming the person that store managers would answer the phone for. And the cabbage trend is being built on TikTok by dietitians who don't have a product to sell, yet.
