O’Rourke lacked the infrastructure necessary to organize his own supporters. Lawmakers and major Democratic donors could not get calls returned. When the campaign’s skeletal staff promised to reach out, it sometimes forgot.

…O’Rourke’s alienated reporters by refusing to provide basic information about his schedule — including, for many outlets, the location of his campaign’s first public event.

Inside Beto O’Rourke’s collapse – POLITICO

Having infrastructure in place before jumping in is a handy thing