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Boosting B2B Startup Growth by Embracing Paul Graham’s ‘Do Things That Don’t Scale’

Paul Graham Do Things that Don't Scale

Are you betting on automation to fuel B2B startup growth, but missing out on key unscalable efforts that actually build traction?

Wondering why early-stage growth seems to stall despite having the perfect product and trying every B2B startup growth hack out there?

Could it be that you’re skipping over the unscalable efforts that truly build traction?

The reality is that before scaling, B2B startups must first invest in the unscalable—the personalized, high-touch efforts that connect with early users on a deeper level. These are the moments that define whether a product will become indispensable or remain unnoticed.

Why Going the Extra Mile Early On Matters In B2B Startup Growth

The story of Superhuman’s success is a testament to the power of doing things that don’t scale. Rahul Vohra’s hands-on approach, from personally onboarding users to tailoring the product to their exact needs, wasn’t a scalable solution. But it was exactly what was needed to build a strong foundation—one that propelled Superhuman into a beloved tool for its target audience.

This strategy may seem counterintuitive in a world obsessed with rapid growth and automation, but for B2B startups, it’s often the most effective path to long-term success.

At the core of this approach is a deep understanding of your users, combined with a relentless drive to make them successful. It’s about putting in the extra work early on, not just to win clients but to truly delight them, to build something that solves their specific problems in a way that feels personal. These efforts create a product people can’t live without, and more importantly, turn your early users into passionate advocates and build a product people can’t live without.

This hands-on, tailored effort might not scale in the traditional sense, but it is precisely this attention to detail and user experience that builds the foundation for scalable, long-term growth in B2B startups.

This idea—doing the unscalable to achieve scale—comes directly from Paul Graham’s iconic essay, Do Things That Don’t Scale.” His insights are a guiding light for founders navigating the tricky terrain of growing a B2B startup.

Graham’s essay lays out a framework that goes beyond the conventional advice of building for scale from day one. Instead, he reminds us that before you scale, you must first focus on what can’t be scaled: the individual conversations, the personalized solutions, and the relentless drive to make each user successful.

Do Things That Don’t Scale

An essay by Paul Graham (Y Combinator’s founder)

  • Ideas are cheap, execution is everything: Many aspiring founders believe that startups will either succeed immediately or fail. In reality, most require significant effort from founders to gain traction.
  • Manually recruit initial users: Don’t wait for them to come to you. Just like Vohra did with Superhuman, founders need to take the initiative and personally reach out to their early users.
  • Solve a problem for yourself first: Build something that you deeply understand. The most successful startups solve problems that the founders have experienced firsthand, which naturally attracts like-minded people.
  • Start small, grow gradually: Compound growth is powerful. A 10% weekly growth rate can turn 100 users into 14,000 within a year. This doesn’t happen overnight, but by delivering exceptional experiences, word spreads.
  • Delight early users: Take extraordinary measures to make early users happy. This helps you differentiate against big companies who can’t provide the same level of attention.
  • Deliver a great experience (not just a great product): Steve Jobs famously said that “insanely great” applies not only to products but also to how users feel using them. Focus on both the product and the experience.
  • Focus on a narrow market: Build a strong user base and gain critical mass. Much like how Facebook started with Harvard students, successful B2B startups often focus on a very specific market to achieve dominance before expanding.
  • Consult with users: Engage with them, act as a consultant, and gather valuable feedback for product improvement. The insights you get early on will shape the future of your product.
  • Don’t rely on a big launch: Launches matter less than making early users happy. Partnerships with big companies often don’t work as expected for startups. Focus on making each user a success story, rather than betting on a massive launch to drive growth.

For B2B startup founders, the path to growth starts with these unscalable efforts. Just as Rahul Vohra did with Superhuman, your focus should be on delighting early users, solving their specific problems, and building relationships that will fuel your company’s growth. Don’t be afraid to do what doesn’t scale. In the end, it’s the unscalable that paves the way to scaling your business.

Paul Graham Do Things That Don't Scale Strategy

Ready to accelerate your B2B startup growth? Start by focusing on what won’t scale today—those personal, hands-on efforts—and watch as they lay the foundation for long-term success.

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