3 builders who never spoke to each other

Unbundle what you have into something sellable

When the finished service will not sell, sell a piece of it: the wholesale inputs you already buy, the software without the hardware that is blocking trials, or the part that keeps working when the servers do not. Each of these removes whatever is actually stopping the transaction rather than improving the whole offer.

The method

1. 01

   When you cannot sell the finished service, sell the raw inputs you already buy at wholesale directly to customers.

2. 02

   If getting a physical unit into someone's hands is what blocks the trial, sell the software on its own.

3. 03

   Sell hardware that still works when your servers do not, and make that independence part of the pitch.

4. 04

   Sell physical accessories alongside the software when the category has an obvious hardware analogue, because direct ecommerce carries a far better margin than a subscription at that price.

What it returned

• $30M

  Plaud sells a clip-on recorder at a reported $30M ARR and profitably, and its recording continues to work should the paired service shut down.

• 40

  Direct sales of shielding bags, camera covers and physical switches are put at 40 to 60 percent margin, and SLNT already sells to government and enterprise buyers.

• El Che Steakhouse ran a pop-up butcher selling its USDA Choice cuts online with curbside pickup

• Shipping to the United States ran four to six weeks, broken hardware meant returns and replacements at that same delay, and buyers wanted to try before paying, so a software-only version was released.

Sources

• The most creative Coronavirus company pivotsHarry Dry · Marketing Examples · 8) El Che Steakhouse · undated
• Take control over your smartphone usage with Unpluq - Ness LabsJorn Rigter · nesslabs.com · Take control over your smartphone usage with Jorn Rigter, co-founder of Unpluq · 2021-11-18
• Personal AI Agents: Skill Marketplaces, Compliance Wedge, Open Weights - Trends.vcDru Riley · trends.vc · 🏁 Players · 2026-05-28
• Privacy as a Service: Indie Opportunities, Product Bundles, Audit Moats - Trends.vcDru Riley · trends.vc · ☁️ Opportunities · 2026-04-23