Doing things that don’t scale

We’re in tech right? Not just any tech, but O…S…S!

Nah we’re in the people business. No matter where we sit in the org chart, we need to understand people to build solutions
Paul Graham talks about doing the things that don’t scale. Does he have some great ideas or what?

What doesn’t scale:
Understanding customers rather than assuming.
Building relationships.

So many of us fail to understand the customer because we fail to get out into the customer’s domain. It’s cozier behind our desks. There’s so much to do at our desks.

Consulting is the canonical example of work that doesn’t scale. But (like other ways of bestowing one’s favors liberally) it’s safe to do it so long as you’re not being paid to. That’s where companies cross the line. So long as you’re a product company that’s merely being extra attentive to a customer, they’re very grateful even if you don’t solve all their problems. But when they start paying you specifically for that attentiveness—when they start paying you by the hour—they expect you to do everything.”
Paul Graham

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