Choose a Market Where You Can Own the Customer.

Some markets let you build a direct, lasting relationship with the buyer - their trust, their contact, their loyalty. Others permanently keep the customer at arm's length behind a platform or a gatekeeper you'll never get past. Always choose the first kind. The ability to own the customer relationship is the single factor that decides whether you build equity or just rent income for as long as you're allowed.

Before committing to any doorway, ask plainly: can I make this customer mine, or will they always belong to someone above me? If you can own them, the market is worth your life. If you can't, you're building on someone else's land no matter how well it goes. Own the customer or pick a different floor.