Earn Your Cauliflower Ears

At Jiu Jitsu gyms, there's an often-repeated trope: a white-belt might say, "I don’t ever want those kinds of ears."

The response is often quick, even derisive, "Don’t worry, you won’t."
Cauliflower ears—painful, sometimes inconvenient—are also a mark of dedication and a testament to the years of work needed to build an athlete’s skills and resilience. I’ve been training casually for a few years, and I most likely will never get them. My instructors, who have practised daily for decades, have earned these "deformities" through countless hours of unscalable, manual effort.

They’re living examples of Paul Graham's widely repeated maxim, "Do things that don't scale."

In the world of startups, "doing things that don’t scale" is just as essential. These early labour-intensive actions are critical in building a strong foundation. They create value directly for the end users and allow founders to build strong customer connections before scaling.

From White to Black Belt: The Early Stages of a Startup

As a founder, I’ve often heard people, even investors say, "That’s not scalable." In most cases, these are people who have never run a company. grimy

Steve Blank once described a startup as "an organisation built to search for a repeatable and scalable business model." All the manual labour involved early on—each one-to-one meeting, each customer interview—is a way to gather insights: what customers value, what they expect, how the roadmap should develop, and what they’re willing to pay. You can't figure out if what you offer is valuable, or can be sold at scale if you don't spend time doing the gritty foundational work of delighting customers early on.

The unscalable is a means to uncover problems and opportunities that scalable processes might miss. It’s the fastest way to test ideas in the market, gauge real demand, and gather feedback before investing in complex solutions. As Graham suggests, these unscalable efforts provide a unique opportunity to test ideas and connect with early customers. Graham’s original article cites the "Collison Installation," where the Collison brothers personally set up Stripe accounts on the spot for anyone interested in their beta version. Obviously not scalable, but it was the fastest way to gauge demand and acquire early customers.

Similarly, AirBnB’s founders famously photographed early listings themselves, ensuring quality and building relationships with their hosts. When I spent a summer at NYU’s accelerator, program managers often cited Brooklinen’s founders, who packed every single order in the firm’s early days themselves.

At Tribal, we personally onboarded every early customer. Each conversation, each question and concern taught us far more than a dashboard with neatly laid-out metrics ever could. Founders learn from friction encountered during these non-scalable interactions. This feedback loop is invaluable; it highlights key areas for refinement, helping prioritise features and build a product users actually want.

What Does it Mean to Scale?

Before exploring when to scale, we must define what it means. While most founders intuitively understand scale, defining it often proves elusive.

First, growth is not scale. In its early days, a startup (with paying customers) has unit economics similar to a service-driven firm like a law firm—each new customer generates revenue but also requires more resources. In theory, one could grow very large without ever achieving scale.

Scale, by contrast, is the ability to serve more customers without proportional cost increases. Fixed costs, such as technology and infrastructure, are high initially, but a scalable startup leverages them to support a growing user base with minimal extra input. Network effects can amplify scale, where each new user adds value for existing users, creating a self-reinforcing loop that attracts and retains customers at low marginal cost. As this dynamic continues, the average cost per user decreases over time.

Growth is about size. Scale is about efficiency.

Recognising Inflection Points for Shifting to Scale

Identifying the right time to shift from non-scalable to scalable methods is crucial for growth without losing the advantages of early, hands-on practices.

• When Demand Outpaces Delivery: When demand exceeds manual capacity, it’s a clear signal for scalable solutions. If early onboarding involves high-touch sessions with each customer, rising demand may call for automated emails or videos to free up founder time.
• When Feedback Patterns Converge: In the beginning, each customer interaction provides unique insights. However, as feedback begins to converge—customers raising the same issues or requesting similar features repeatedly—it’s time to shift to scalable feedback mechanisms, like surveys or feedback forms.
• When Product/Market Fit is Achieved: Achieving product/market fit, where customers actively recommend and repeatedly use the product, signals readiness for scale. This is a good time to transition from high-touch acquisition to scalable strategies, such as automated referral programs or targeted ads, maximising reach with minimal added cost.
• When Resources Feel Stretched: As a small team’s manual efforts start to stretch resources, economies of scale come into play. Automating repetitive tasks, like customer support through a chatbot, reduces the load and frees up resources without excessive hiring.

Gradual Scaling: Implementing Scalability in Phases

Scaling should be phased and intentional to retain the benefits of the non-scalable foundation.

• Prioritising High-Impact Automations: Start by automating high-volume, repetitive tasks, like setting up workflows for onboarding emails. Prioritising low-risk automations lets the team focus on areas where a personal touch still matters.
• Introduce Semi-Automated Solutions: Instead of full automation, try a blend of manual and automated processes. A CRM system can track interactions and send automated follow-ups, while key accounts still receive direct contact. This hybrid approach ensures a smooth transition without compromising quality.
• Data-Driven Personalisation: Leverage customer data from early interactions to create targeted, automated experiences. Behavioural insights can trigger personalised onboarding steps or follow-ups, maintaining a tailored experience while scaling efficiently.

Balancing Efficiency with User Experience

Scaling should enhance rather than replace the insights gained from early manual efforts.

• Keeping Core Interactions Manual: Even at scale, high-impact moments, like VIP support, should remain personal. Manual support for high-value clients preserves relationship-building benefits amidst scaling. After all, clients care about experience, not your internal scale metrics.
• Iterative Optimisation Using Feedback: Scaling is a cycle, not a one-time event. Constantly refine automated processes based on feedback to maintain the empathy and understanding from early interactions. This iterative approach ensures efficiency gains without sacrificing customer loyalty.

Scaling Thoughtfully, Sustaining Value

Scaling is a strategic, phased approach, not a one-size-fits-all solution. Earn your "cauliflower ears." Put in the time. Build a body of work thoughtfully to reach true scale, ensuring your product is something customers genuinely want.

A balanced approach to growth and scale preserves early-stage gains and prepares your business for long-term efficiency and customer loyalty.