Most developers think:
Better code → more users
Reality:
Code + Distribution → Users
Most developers have at least one of these.
A side project that took weeks (sometimes months) to build.
Clean architecture.
Nice UI.
Thoughtful code.
And yet…
0 users.
Not because the product was bad.
But because of one missing skill.
Distribution.
The Common Path Most Developers Take
It usually looks like this:
Idea → Code → Launch → Hope for users
You work on the product in the evenings.
You polish features.
You finally launch.
Then…
Nothing happens.
No signups.
No feedback.
No traction.
The Problem Isn’t the Code
Developers are trained to optimize for things like:
performance
scalability
architecture
clean code
Those things matter.
But when it comes to products, they’re only half the equation.
What actually determines traction is this:
Code + Distribution = Users
Without distribution, even great products stay invisible.
The Internet Is Full of Invisible Products
There are thousands of:
useful dev tools
clever side projects
beautifully designed apps
that nobody uses.
Not because they’re bad.
Because nobody knows they exist.
A Different Way to Think About Building
Instead of this:
Build → find users
Try this:
Find users → build solution
Start with the people.
Understand the problem.
Then build something small that solves it.
A Skill Developers Rarely Learn
Developers spend years learning:
programming languages
frameworks
system design
But almost nobody teaches:
how to get users.
This is essentially Go-To-Market thinking for developers.
What I’m Exploring
I’m interested in the space between:
code → traction
How developers turn:
side projects into real products
tools into startups
code into users
In upcoming posts, I’ll share ideas and experiments around what I call Developer GTM - practical ways developers can launch products and find their first users.
If you’re building things and wondering how to get traction, this might be useful.
I'm exploring Developer GTM - how developers go from code → traction.
If you're building side projects, I'd love to hear:
What was the hardest part about getting your first users?
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