Lesson learned: distribution beats perfect code early on

I refactored the backend for a month while competitors with worse products grew faster. Code quality mattered to me; customers couldn't tell. When I finally spent equal time on distribution—guest posts, partnerships, community answers—signups moved without a single architecture change. The product was already good enough for early adopters. Perfect code with zero reach is a hobby. Good enough code with consistent reach is a business. I still refactor, but only after weekly growth experiments run.