Blinkit launching ambulance service. Zepto launching car delivery. A viral tweet saying Indian founders just burn VC money and build their brand, instead of focusing on running a business.

It is easy to understand the game. Not the meta game.

Game: 10 min delivery. The meta game: Knowing when services are almost equivalent, pricing is almost the same, the meta game is being in the news. And creating new anchors.

Zomato has cracked it. We are still discussing the Chief of Staff hiring.

Ambulance service is a critical service. Focus on safety. Needs to be urgent. SOPs need to be perfect.

If a 10 min delivery app can run an ambulance service well, the implication is that they can probably deliver your high ticket items safely too.

If a 10 min delivery app can deliver a car in 10 mins (details don’t matter here), they can deliver your diet cokes too. And other high ticket items like Electronics too. You are now anchoring on car delivery. Every other delivery is easier.

The cost of launching a new product or service is almost 0. But the masses talk about your brand.

This is why on every meme reel you will see Swiggy and Blinkit’s reply on the top. They are not real people. They talk like one.

If you have achieved PMF, there is always an advantage in posting the incremental tweet, the incremental interview, the incremental launch announcement. It is free distribution. And you get top of mind recall. Eventually it leads to brand used most often (BUMO).

The meta-game is knowing that Shark Tank has turned into a soap opera because, when the product is a commodity and distribution is the same for CPG, storytelling (narrative engineering) is what gets you the initial audience.

Founders should pay for theatre lessons rather than advisors.