How to Over-Subscribe Your Startup Before the Product Exists
- Erdinc Ekinci
- 5 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Most founders believe traction begins after something is built. After the MVP. After the launch. After the deck is polished. After everything looks “ready.”
After working with hundreds of startups and making the same mistakes myself, I’ve learned that this belief is backwards.
In the video “How to Over-Subscribe Your Startup,” I break down a different reality: traction doesn’t start with a product. It starts with people. With conversations. With momentum that’s intentionally built long before anything ships.
This is the modern startup playbook, and it challenges almost everything founders are taught early on.
Watch the Full Video here -
You Don’t Need a Product to Build Traction
One of the hardest mindset shifts for founders is accepting this simple truth: “You don’t need a finished product to create traction. You need people who care.”
Traction isn’t revenue or downloads alone; it’s forward movement. It’s proof that people are interested enough to give you their time, feedback, attention, or support. And that can start with conversations, not code.
In the earliest stages, your first real “product” isn’t software.
It’s trust.
It’s attention.
It’s an audience that believes something valuable is forming.
When founders wait until everything is perfect, they miss the chance to build the most important asset of all: momentum.
Traction Can Be Engineered (PMF Can’t)
This is a nuance many founders miss:
Traction can be engineered.
Product–market fit cannot.
You can design systems that create visibility, conversations, and demand. You can intentionally put yourself in places where people discover you, talk about you, and engage with what you’re building.
But PMF? That’s decided by the market, not by how hard you push. “Traction is what you create. PMF is what the market confirms.”
The mistake is trying to force product–market fit before building traction. The right sequence is momentum first, validation next, scale later.
Talk to 3–7 New People Every Day
On paper, this sounds simple. In reality, it’s uncomfortable. If you talk to just 3–7 relevant people per day, you can build over 1,000 warm relationships in a year. Even a modest 10–20% engagement rate compounds into a powerful base of collaborators, partners, and early supporters.
Most founders avoid this because they fear rejection.
But here’s the truth:” Most conversations won’t turn into deals, and that’s perfectly fine.”
Winning isn’t getting a “yes.” Winning is making the other person feel glad they talked to you. Small, genuine interactions compound faster than any viral moment ever will.
Warm Networks Beat Cold Pitches
Oversubscription doesn’t come from luck. It comes from warm networks, repeated touchpoints, and small collaborations stacked over time.
Instead of pitching investors, customers, or partners immediately, focus on:
Simple collaboration ideas
Shared value projects
Early feedback loops
Creating visibility and credibility for others
When people feel included early, they root for your success. And when momentum becomes visible, doors open faster than any cold email ever could.
Oversubscription Is a Strategy, Not an Accident
Founders often say, “We got lucky.”
But luck usually looks like:
Clear timelines
Visible demand
Social proof
Consistent signals of progress
Oversubscription is manufactured. It’s created by designing pre-launch momentum, teasing progress, and keeping your audience close to the journey.
When people feel like something meaningful is happening with or without them, demand starts pulling you forward.
The Real Takeaway
You don’t need:
A perfect product
A polished deck
Investor meetings lined up
You do need:
Conversations
Collaborations
A system that turns small “yeses” into momentum
If you’re building a startup or planning to raise capital, this way of thinking will fundamentally change how you approach traction, fundraising, and early growth.
Momentum isn’t a result. It’s a decision.