New products feel exciting, but repeat purchases actually build a business.
At @cutsclothing@stevenborrelli found that the best strategy is giving your best customers more reasons to come back, not chasing the next SKU.
Send this to someone deciding whether to expand a line
TLDR: Products people love deliver more than functionality:
→ Create value beyond utility
→ Reduce the time to joy
→ Study user behavior for unexpected insights
→ Revisit pricing as value increases
→ Apply AI intentionally
"The best builders are both scientist and artisan. They solve real problems, then shape the experience until the product earns a place in people's lives." - @joeldflory
Want to build a product customers love? Link in bio.
4. Test pricing as the product evolves.
Most founders set pricing early and leave it. VSCO tested a price increase once the product delivered more value than at launch.
Result: no meaningful drop-off. Customers were willing to pay more.
3. Watch where users break the product.
VSCO power users kept applying a preset, saving, reimporting, and stacking another, because the app didn't support it. That workaround shaped future features.
Unexpected behavior reveals needs users haven't said out loud.
2. Shorten the time to joy.
Most founders track "time to value." Joel also tracks time to joy.
VSCO's early presets gave users an instant visual upgrade. One tap transformed a photo's whole look. Minimal effort, immediate wow.
1. Move beyond utility.
The most durable products give people a reason to care beyond the task itself, often through belonging or identity. VSCO did this through community features that let creators express themselves and connect.
Utility attracts users. Identity keeps them.
A useful product can solve a problem and still get abandoned.
Features get copied. Bigger platforms bundle them for free. Customers move on when something new comes along.
@vsco founder @joeldflory built a different kind of product. Here's his playbook ↓
Exciting news! @originpete is now on Intro.
Peter is the founder behind two bootstrapped, American-made brands doing $250M+ in annual revenue.
He built @OriginUSA into a 400-person company on a mission to bring American manufacturing back, producing everything from footwear in
