I think there are the following models:
Model 1
If a business first creates a product that is excellent, high-quality, and affordable.
Then it starts generating traffic. If it can be well-operated, it can make money. For example: Genki Forest sparkling water. If there is no traffic, it won't sell and will fail. For example, Guangxi's Guihua brand watches; by the time the product had traffic, the factory had already closed.
Model 2
If a business first creates a product that is extremely outstanding, top-notch, and unique, and everyone can recognize it as a great thing, it can achieve long-term profitability because it has a very high moat. For example, Moutai, chips, operating systems.
Model 3
If a business first has some traffic, and the product is very ordinary, but it can still sell, generating a few orders each month to support 2-3 people, it operates with thin profits but can continue to build a brand. For example, cross-border e-commerce independent stores of small and medium sellers, or street stalls selling grilled skewers and baked flatbreads.
Model 4
If a business first has massive traffic, and then finds suitable products to sell to that traffic, they are like celebrity endorsers, no longer just salespeople. For example, Douyin influencers gain huge fan traffic through comedy, then sell products in live streams.
Analysis
There is a coupling relationship between product and traffic, like the famous philosophical question: which came first, the chicken or the egg?
It seems that no matter how you answer this question, it is both wrong and right. Each of these models has successful examples, and they are all viable; they just suit different people.
Model 1 suits people with abundant resources around them. Model 2 suits state-owned enterprises that are not afraid of losses and play a long game. Model 3 suits ordinary people who have no special talents but can generate small traffic. Model 4 suits people who can generate large traffic, such as artists who can sing, dance, make people laugh, or perform tricks.
Conclusion
So, if you are not a rich second-generation, not within the system, and not willing to be shameless, you should still insist on running a business with small traffic and ordinary products. Find your own business path through operations—this is the best approach.