When my dad and I started Philz, we didn’t open our second store until nearly 5 years after founding. It takes time to set the foundation. The beauty of brick & mortar is you learn in real time and can iterate in the moment.
Don’t get fooled by the insane outliers. It’s a long, slow road. But if you can stomach the wait, the embarrassment, and the frustration, you just might make it.
As people contort themselves to please the algorithm for short-term payouts, there’s even more of the less legible, less liquid, but ultimately more important long-term value up for grabs for you if you continue to just be yourself and talk about whatever lights your fire, algorithm be damned.