Startup Confidential Episode 159 -YoY Growth is Slowing? — Do This!
Feb 1, 2026
They discuss why brands stall as they scale and why adding retail accounts is often an illusion. The conversation covers escaping tiny niches by finding larger, similar audiences and reframing products around more frequent behaviors. Practical tactics include positioning for daily-use occasions, diluting niche appeal without losing credibility, and using storytelling to unlock mainstream household penetration.
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Find A Broader Outcome Early
- Use your early niche to discover a broader, outcome-based bridge to mainstream audiences.
- Market heavily to that much larger audience using modern digital techniques to scale past $100M.
Nano Niches Won't Scale Forever
- Narrowly targeting identical niche fans risks burying your brand in a nano niche that won't scale.
- Niche lifestyle worlds can get you early traction but usually can't push reliably past $100M.
Reframe Around Frequent Behavior
- Find the most broadly appealing consumer outcome your product can credibly claim and tell that story.
- Focus storytelling on behavior (occasions) that leads to more frequent usage and recurring purchases.
