I’ve been working in SaaS sales for more than 15 years and in that time I’ve worked with countless early-stage founders. And I really can’t stress enough to founders the importance of doing things that “don’t scale” in those critical early days. It’s something I first read about in an article Paul Graham wrote back in 2013, and it’s a piece of advice I find myself repeating to founders over and over.
The Power of Non-Scalable Work
You see, too many founders are obsessed with finding the “cheat codes” – the shortcuts, the hacks, the quick tech fixes that will supposedly help them scale their business overnight. But that’s a dangerous mindset, and it’s a surefire way to miss out on some of the most valuable lessons you can learn as a founder.
Let me give you a classic example. When Airbnb was just getting started, the founders were literally knocking on people’s doors, asking them to list their homes on the platform. Now, that’s definitely not a scalable approach. But it gave them an unparalleled, intimate understanding of their customers and their needs. They were in the trenches, getting that firsthand feedback and experience.
That kind of hands-on, non-scalable work is absolutely crucial in the early days of a business. It provides invaluable insights that you just can’t get any other way:
- Responding to customer support tickets and calls to understand pain points
- Doing your own prospecting, outreach, and sales to master the process
- Manually onboarding new customers to identify friction points
The Hustle Mindset
Doing things that don’t scale also instills a “hustle” mentality that is essential for early-stage founders.
When you’re the one scraping together leads, writing personalised emails, and following up with every single prospect, it reinforces that this is all on you. The success or failure of the business falls squarely on your shoulders.
That mindset is what allows you to keep your team small and lean in the beginning. It prevents you from falling into the trap of just throwing money at problems by hiring a bunch of people or buying the latest sales automation or AI tool. Instead, you’re forced to figure things out yourself, using your limited resources as efficiently as possible.
Start Small with Your Tech Stack
Now, I’m not saying you should avoid technology and automation altogether. In fact, I’d argue the opposite – but with the right approach. Rather than immediately jumping to the most high-tech, complex solutions, start small. Build out just the most essential tech stack you need to get by.
Think about it – back in the day when I was first getting started in sales, I had to literally go door-to-door to get leads. I’d get soaked in the rain, lugging around a giant Lenovo laptop, just to meet with a single prospect. But you know what? That grind gave me an unparalleled understanding of the sales process. I knew exactly what to do with those leads, because I had put in the work to get them.
Contrast that with today’s world, where it’s so easy to just automate the lead generation process. You can set up LinkedIn blasts, Facebook ads, email sequences – and never even talk to a real human being. But I’d argue that’s a dangerous path, because you miss out on that crucial, hands-on experience.
Instead, start small. Do the manual prospecting, the personalised outreach, the one-on-one customer interactions. Get to know your buyers and your process intimately. Once you’ve got that solid foundation, then you can start thinking about ways to make things more scalable and efficient.
Know When to Scale
The key is knowing when to make that transition. And that all comes down to the data. When you’ve done enough of those manual, non-scalable tasks, you’ll start to see patterns emerge. You’ll know exactly how many calls or emails you need to book a meeting. You’ll understand the full customer journey, from lead generation to close.
That’s your cue to start looking at ways to automate or systematise certain parts of the process.
Maybe you hire an SDR to take over the prospecting. Or you invest in a marketing automation tool to streamline your lead nurturing. But you make those decisions based on hard evidence, not just a knee-jerk desire to “scale faster.”
Embrace the Grind
Honestly, I think founders today are way too quick to reach for the tech solutions and quick fixes. They can’t wait to bring in that new tool or hire that VA. But I’d urge you to slow down, roll up your sleeves, and do the hard work yourself first. That’s how you build a truly resilient, sustainable business – not by chasing shortcuts, but by mastering the fundamentals.
Because at the end of the day, no one is going to understand the problems you’re trying to solve better than you, the founder. When you’ve done that work in the trenches, you’ll have the credibility and the insights to build the right solutions, whether that’s through people, process, or technology.
So embrace the grind. Dive headfirst into those non-scalable tasks. Those learnings will be the foundation that allows you to scale intelligently and sustainably in the long run.
Author: Matthew Codd
I’m Matthew, I have 15 years of commercial leadership experience, helping VC-backed B2B technology companies scale revenue and transition from founder-led sales.
I use my experience to help early-stage start-ups with GTM expertise, sales best practice, and hiring insights.
I co-founded Cosmic Partners in 2022. We are SaaS sales recruitment specialists for VC backed B2B tech companies.
