Normally: You need a lot of traction, big investors and a famous team member to gain respect from the average early adopter.
But are there any other ways to get people respect you and your product?
When we did our startup, we didn't think of anything like that. We didn't even start with the intention of doing a startup. We made a tool that solved our own needs. Eventually others found a need for the same thing and adopted it because of a want or need for what we developed. Respect wasn't needed.<p>Later, respect was earned through the commitment to improve, the excellent customer service, and numerous things we did to engage with the community and help users out. Don't focus on getting respect. Focus on solving a need or want for the users.
We had zero clients, no investors, and my dog was my only other team member (and neither of us are famous to my knowledge). I built a product that would solve a problem, and Black & Decker was my first customer. They didn't give a shit about the amount of respect we garnered in the startup or business community. They didn't care about the volume of other users we had, our investors, or the fame of our team - they just wanted a need met at a price that made sense to them.<p>And that's what we did.
Being genuine about 'hey! I am trying to solve a problem' helps (instead of putting up a made-up garb of 'we are the best').<p>Plus, focus on product is what brings respect - look around us : most of the companies we respect are because of the product quality which translates into great features, dependable support etc.