Mindmap - Paul Graham's Essay: 'Do Things that Don't Scale'
Paul Graham's Essay: 'Do Things that Don't Scale'
An essay promoting the idea that startups should engage in non-scalable, hands-on activities to fuel growth and understand their customers better.
Startups Should Do Unscalable Things
Paul Graham advises startups to not shy away from manual, labor-intensive tasks in their early stages.
Hands-on Customer Development
Interact directly with users to understand their needs and receive immediate feedback, helping to refine the product.
Manual Recruitment of Users
Target individuals and convince them to use your product, rather than relying solely on broad, automated marketing.
Exquisite Customer Support
Provide exceptional, personalized customer service to create a loyal user base and positive word-of-mouth.
Tackle Unscalable Tasks Early On
Startups should focus on growth, even if the approach doesn't seem scalable at first.
Focus on Core Users
Identify and cater to a small group of users who most benefit from and love your product.
Personalized Outreach
Connect with users on a personal level, which can lead to valuable insights and advocacy for the product.
Iterate Quickly
Rapidly experiment and make improvements based on the hands-on experiences and feedback from your early efforts.
Examples of Successful Unscalable Approaches
Paul Graham highlights successful companies that initially took unscalable approaches.
Stripe's Integration Assistance
Stripe co-founders personally helped companies integrate their payment system.
Airbnb's Professional Photography
Airbnb founders traveled to New York to take high-quality photos of users' properties to enhance listings.
Zappos Purchasing Shoes
The founder of Zappos personally visited stores to purchase shoes for their online orders.
Growth Becomes Scalable Over Time
The essay underscores the natural progression from unscalable to scalable growth methods.
Validating the Product
Initial unscalable efforts are crucial for validating the product-market fit.
Building a Brand
Early efforts in exceptional customer service and unique experiences contribute to a strong, scalable brand in the future.
Learning to Scale
Unscalable periods teach valuable lessons about what will eventually need to be automated and scaled.