Show HN: A directory of startups that did things that don't scale
Startups should focus on unscalable tactics to build customer loyalty, engage directly with users, validate problems manually, and foster relationships with early adopters before pursuing broader scalability.
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Startups often fail by attempting to scale too quickly, neglecting the importance of unscalable tactics that can foster strong customer loyalty and drive growth. Founders are encouraged to provide personalized experiences, such as manually onboarding users and offering rapid support. Engaging directly with potential customers in their environments can also enhance user activation. Validating problems through manual fulfillment and creating a contained user base can lead to a more engaging product. Resourcefulness is key; startups should surprise users with creative campaigns and consult with them to better understand their needs before scaling. Building relationships with early adopters and leveraging existing platforms can further accelerate growth. Successful examples include Airbnb, which improved bookings by enhancing listing images, and Reddit, which initially populated its site with content from fake accounts to attract real users. Brex and Tinder also exemplified these principles through targeted outreach and campus ambassador programs, respectively. These strategies highlight the value of focusing on customer relationships and experiences before pursuing broader scalability.
- Startups should prioritize unscalable tactics to build customer loyalty.
- Engaging directly with customers and personalizing experiences can drive growth.
- Validating problems manually and starting with a contained user base can enhance product engagement.
- Resourcefulness and creativity in marketing campaigns can generate significant buzz.
- Building strong relationships with early adopters is crucial for long-term success.
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6 commentsAnd since you're asking, here's a few things that come to mind regarding the design:
- Stick to one font family. There seems no need to semantically distinguish different parts of the text; the use of font size and decoration already take care of that. I would keep the Bricolage Grotesque and ditch the monospace font.
- It should be interesting to read the stories on the main page, but in the current setting, three columns (on 1920x1080) feels to crowded. Two columns seems to be okay for that screen size, but perhaps three columns work as well if the padding is a bit different (see next point).
- Try fiddling around with the left and right padding in the quotation blocks, as well as text justification. On smaller screens, there's about three to four words on each line, and lots of empty space.
- The ten "things to do" are identically styled as the call to action buttons ("Share your story" in the menu bar, "Start doing things that don't scale"), but there's no action involved. I think the quotation block style would be better: blue background, yellow title (e.g. "Ask for help and referrals"), white text (e.g. "Leverage your network for initial users and incentivize them to refer others to rapidly expand your user base."). The user can easily distinguish the important stuff (title) from the accompanying explanation, and it doesn't look clickable.
And some other nits:
- A few "Source" links are broken.
- Privacy Policy gives a 404.
- On the /startups page, I already forgot what the ten recommendations were. Perhaps add ten filters that automatically select the stories that involve the particular recommendation.
- Does the epicness scale go from 1 (low) to 10 (high) (or 5 it seems?)
You sure about that?
Other than that....Great site by the way :)
also me: "I have no interest in working on things that don't scale"