So this is Day 10 of the challenge, and it’s been pretty interesting so far.
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Now, let’s talk about marketplaces.
I used to have this view of the world where I believed the next big company in any space had to be a marketplace to win. I mean, look at Uber; it connects drivers and riders. Airbnb connects hosts and guests. Even social media platforms are, in a sense, marketplaces that connect creators and audiences.
Jiji is another example. They outperformed Jumia and Konga in Nigeria because they understood and executed the marketplace model really well. They positioned themselves at the center of the exchange, efficiently connecting buyers and sellers.
For a long time, I thought that was the formula: to win, you had to sit in the middle of the connector, the platform, the bridge; if you wanted to dominate, be a marketplace.
But that perspective shifted when I joined Selar.
Selar wins when creators win. Literally. When creators make sales, Selar earns a commission that’s how we grow. So our success is tied to theirs. It’s not about being in the middle for the sake of it; it’s about enabling others to do well, because their success directly drives ours.
Now, even though Selar isn’t currently a traditional marketplace between creators and their audiences, something interesting has emerged. there’s still another form of marketplace happening inside the platform between creators and affiliates.
Creators upload products. Affiliates pick those products and sell them for a commission.
The more creators join, the more products affiliates can promote.
The more affiliates promote, the more creators are attracted to the platform because their products get sold faster.
It’s a self-reinforcing loop; a small marketplace inside the bigger platform. A small but powerful internal distribution loop, where one side’s activity feeds the other.
Over time, that loop builds its own momentum. It compounds quietly, creating a micro-ecosystem where everyone benefits.
And I think that’s the beauty of it. Sometimes, growth happens naturally when the system is designed for everyone to win together. Because when your users win, you don’t just grow; you grow with them.
And that’s one of the most sustainable forms of distribution you can build.