7 Lessons for Successfully Launching a Consumer-Focused Business on Solana—What I Learned from 500 Rejections and 3 Failures

Having been involved in the Web3 industry for four years, I dedicated time and passion to three infrastructure projects. But reality was harsh. Account abstraction wallet SDKs, rollup scaling solutions, zero-knowledge proof technologies—all of these were “hot technologies” attracting VC attention, but there were no users actually using them.

The Illusion that Complexity = Value

Back then, I believed that the more complex the technology, the higher the chance of success. zkML, zk voting, zk authentication—sounds impressive, but in reality, no one was using them. VCs advised that “building infrastructure is the path to success,” but after nearly two years and over 500 rejection attempts, I finally realized: Great technology and useful products are two different things.

In 2025, I entered the Solana ecosystem with this lesson in mind. It’s a completely different world. People care about use cases. Revenue matters. Speed is critical. I want to share seven specific strategies I learned through seven months of building consumer applications.

1. Build Around Young Z-Generation Users

The first thing to understand for success in consumer Web3 products is target user selection.

Generation Z (ages 11–26) places technology at the center of their lives more than any previous generation. According to the Consumer Technology Association’s 2024 survey, 86% of Gen Z consider technology indispensable in daily life. They tend to own more devices and are willing to spend more on tech products.

They are quick to try new apps, experiment, and change habits, making them ideal early adopters for entrepreneurs. Conversely, users over 25 generally do not accept new systems unless there are strong economic incentives.

Additionally, psychological facts show social activity peaks around ages 20–21. This means products designed primarily for young users naturally have viral potential. Therefore, selecting the right age group in early-stage user acquisition is a strategic priority.

2. Create a Product That Becomes Its Own Marketing Channel

For startups without large marketing budgets, the only solution is to create a product that “markets itself.”

This is especially important in the crypto industry. There are three reasons: KOL marketing is expensive, trust levels are very low, and many stakeholders expect rewards or incentives.

Instead, embed reasons within your product that make users want to share it voluntarily with friends and communities, enabling viral spread without advertising costs. Designing and optimizing this in the early stages is challenging but worth investing in for long-term scalability.

3. Immediate Response to User Feedback Can Make or Break You

When users report bad experiences or bugs, especially those that hinder usage, respond immediately.

I used to apply all patches at the end of each day. But then a user sent a message saying, “I’ll switch to a competitor because this feature is missing.” Once users migrate and form new habits, it becomes extremely difficult to bring them back.

Ideally, respond within 2–5 hours.

If multiple users request a specific feature and it’s technically feasible, implement it within 2–3 days and communicate, “We launched based on user feedback.” Offering rewards can make users feel the product is “their own.” This sense of ownership creates incredibly strong stickiness in early-stage products.

4. The App Name Is More Important Than You Think

It seems simple, but many entrepreneurs overlook this.

The app name should have high recognition and be easy to share verbally. My previous product, “Encifher,” was very hard to remember, and even investors and partners misspelled it when creating group chats. Later, I changed it to “encrypt.trade,” which was concise, memorable, and gave a sleek impression, greatly reducing sharing friction.

A wrong branding decision early on can negatively impact user acquisition and trust building later through rebranding.

5. Cold Outreach for User Acquisition Is an Essential Skill

Finding and engaging users is extremely difficult. This difficulty is amplified if what you’re building isn’t part of the current “hot trend.”

When I was working on privacy tech, it wasn’t in the spotlight. I contacted about 1,000 people via cold messages, with a reply rate of around 10%. Only 3–4 actually cooperated.

For anyone showing even slight interest, I recommend engaging with all of them. Iterating with these early adopters helps improve the product and generates word-of-mouth effects similar to affiliate marketing.

Effective cold DM template elements:

• Start with a warm greeting
• Highlight funding status or transaction volume upfront
• Explain where you found them
• Include a kind, non-pushy call to action
• Follow up persistently

There’s no perfect cold DM. Finding what works for your target customers requires constant testing and refinement. Be aware that in crypto communities, scams are rampant, so reply rates are very low—this is normal. Still, you must go through this process.

Your goal at this stage isn’t to acquire 1,000 users but to find 10–20 early adopters who are aware of the problem, willing to try your product, and provide honest feedback. These early users will become your support system.

6. Rapid Iteration Cycles to Respond to Market Changes

The crypto industry is constantly changing, and user attention spans are very short.

Don’t just listen to what users say—study their behavior patterns:

• What do they repeat doing?
• What alternatives are they using?
• What are they already willing to pay for?

Many ideas sound great in theory, but if users aren’t willing to pay, they won’t survive. Building products without market validation is one of the most dangerous traps for entrepreneurs.

7. Simplify Website and UX to a “Anyone Can Use” Level

Never assume how users perceive things.

As a developer, you see your product after hundreds of hours of work and it seems obvious. But for beginners without crypto knowledge, it’s a completely different experience. Avoid introducing new terminology or complex processes, and minimize clicks.

Your core value proposition should be clearly communicated within 5 seconds of entering the app. This principle minimizes onboarding friction and significantly reduces early drop-off rates.

Conclusion

Building consumer Web3 products is both fun and challenging. More than perfect technology, speed of iteration, user-centric thinking, and execution capability are far more important.

In this entirely different realm from infrastructure-based business models, lessons learned from failure are your greatest assets. By implementing these seven strategies early on, you can adapt to market needs and lay a foundation for sustainable growth.