Do Things That Don't Scale
9 days ago
- #user-acquisition
- #startups
- #growth
- Startups often need to do things that don't scale initially to succeed.
- Founders must actively recruit users manually rather than waiting for them to come.
- Examples like Stripe and Airbnb show the effectiveness of aggressive early user acquisition.
- Early-stage startups are fragile, and initial efforts can make the difference between success and failure.
- Delighting early users with extraordinary measures can lead to long-term success.
- Focusing on a narrow market initially, like Facebook did, can help achieve critical mass.
- Hardware startups may need to assemble products manually at first to overcome manufacturing hurdles.
- Consulting for a single user can help tailor the product to fit broader market needs.
- Avoid relying on big launches or partnerships as they often don't yield the expected results.
- Startup ideas should be thought of as pairs: the product plus the unscalable initial effort to get started.