Porter Founder on Scaling with "Non-Scalable" Tactics
Justin Rhee, founder of Porter, shared that even after hitting $20M, his company doubled down on the non-scalable tactics YC teaches, like 1-on-1s and office visits. He advises founders to "spiral in" and dominate one channel before diversifying, noting that 30% of YC companies use his product due to this ground-game focus.
YC Partner Michael Seibel advises founders to initially select customers they already know who personally experience the problem the company is trying to solve. This approach provides crucial early feedback for product development and achieving market fit. The goal isn't a large group of lukewarm users, but a small set of customers who truly love the product. To find early adopters, go where your target audience congregates online. This includes niche subreddits, Discord and Slack groups, and industry-specific forums where people are already discussing the problems your product aims to solve. Engaging authentically in these communities to build rapport *before* pitching is a common strategy that works. For cold outreach without an established brand, personalization is key to breaking through the noise. YC Partner Gustaf Alströmer notes that even with a great product, it's a numbers game; a 50% open rate on 500 emails might only yield two customers. Tactics like personalized video messages or offering a free, high-level audit of a prospect's current solution can increase engagement. A successful outreach strategy often involves providing value before making a request. This could be sharing a relevant case study, a helpful resource that addresses a publicly mentioned pain point, or inviting industry leaders to share their expertise on a podcast. The goal is to shift the dynamic from asking for their time to offering them tangible value. Building a consistent pipeline for user discovery requires making it a weekly habit. Teresa Torres, a proponent of the continuous discovery model, recommends weekly touchpoints with customers by the team that is building the product. This can be automated by adding prompts within your product or in emails to schedule brief conversations about the user's experience. YC CEO Garry Tan emphasizes the power of being human and accessible, especially in the early stages. Founders of the B2B startup Zip, for instance, directly DMed hundreds of people on LinkedIn asking for advice on procurement products, which led them to their first beta testers. This direct, hands-on engagement is a core tenet of the "do things that don't scale" philosophy. The core loop for an early-stage company, according to YC's essential advice, is to write code, talk to users, and then iterate based on their feedback. YC Partner Paul Buchheit advises looking for the "90/10 solution"—a way to accomplish 90% of what a user wants with only 10% of the effort, allowing for faster iteration cycles.
