So true the philosophy that you can give things away free or generate near 0 revenue are unrealistic. If a business/service can not pay for itself then it requires debt(VC for example) which leads to dilution and in many cases the same result, a failed business/service. If you can make something the market will buy and the revenue sustain and grow the business/service then you have a real business/service otherwise it's just an artificial reality. It's so harmful the belief that you can make a business that is not profitable from the beginning and achieve success. You are already doomed to failure with this thinking. Learned this the hard way from several businesses and ideas in the past.