Despite knowing customers would pay far more, Shopify intentionally underpriced its product. This lowered the barrier to entry for entrepreneurs, focusing on massive user acquisition and solving merchant problems first.

Even while losing significant money, a company's massive user base can be its core asset. This leverage allows it to influence the market cap of its suppliers simply by choosing them, demonstrating that user aggregation is more powerful than immediate profitability in today's market.

A key vendor's motivation for participating isn't profit, but spending quality time with her family. The market's low-cost structure enables diverse definitions of success, fostering a community where financial return isn't the sole goal. This creates a unique, less competitive atmosphere and deeper vendor loyalty.

The decision to offer zero-commission trades was not an incremental price reduction; it was a fundamental shift in the business model. The team intuitively recognized that "free" possesses a unique marketing power far stronger than a nominal fee. This is key for any company aiming for mass-market disruption.

Beyond not competing with partners, genuine trust is built by preventing "extreme favoritism to the bigger partner." Partners watch to see if you provide a level playing field for everyone, regardless of size. Trust is also solidified by how you act when things go wrong; a vendor that "shows up" during a crisis builds loyalty.

Inspired by Satoshi, decentralized finance protocol Hyperliquid intentionally avoided VC funding to preserve its 'credible neutrality.' The team believes that any early-stage insider investment creates a permanent 'scar' on a protocol's genesis, undermining the long-term, impartial trust required for a platform intended to house global finance. This principle was deemed more important than rapid, VC-fueled growth.

Successful, long-term vendor relationships are built on cultural alignment and a shared vision, not the lowest bid. Intensive due diligence should focus on finding a partner who is transparent, trustworthy, and willing to innovate and grow with your organization. A mismatched culture will lead to revisiting the selection process within a year.

The strategy of setting an artificially high price to negotiate down is dangerous in an era of high transparency. When customers inevitably discover they paid more than peers, it destroys trust and reputation. Maintain a consistent price, offering flexibility only through standardized commercial levers.

Unlike typical founders, Wang has been transparent about the market's finances, even telling the Wall Street Journal about his losses. This candor, born from not expecting the project to last, became an accidental asset. It fostered trust and showed he wasn't exploiting the community, deepening his connection with vendors and patrons.