The original version of this is from Paul Graham. Very Y Combinator, super start up-y advice, you get your first 50 users by manuallyl onboarding them, etc. etc.
Where I think it’s more interesting is a two parter - by doing things that don’t scale, that can be by closing the last-mile for a user for a startup (i.e., they think it’s automated, but it’s you running a script or something.)
There’s also an aspect of you-can-just-do-thing to this; using cold email to reach out to potential mentors, putting a project together and emailing it to decision makers, things like that.
One recent example I saw was from Patrick McKenzie. Remarking on Ai 2027, he notes:
…single-essay microdomains with a bit of design, a bit of JS, and perhaps a downloadable PDF are a really interesting form factor for policy arguments (or other ideas) designed to spread.
Back in the day, “I paid $15 to FedEx to put this letter in your hands” was one powerful way to sort oneself above the noise at a decisionmaker’s physical inbox, and “I paid $8.95 for a domain name” has a similar function to elevate things which are morally similar to blog posts.
Here’s another good cold email example (note: prob need to blow this out into it’s own note.)
Pro tip:
When sending a cold email, make your subject line do the heavy lifting. Most people use boring, forgettable subjects and that’s why they get ignored. Back then, my go-to line was: “3 ways I can add value to your firm.” It stood out, sparked curiosity, and my response rate shot up. Sometimes, all you need is a compelling hook.
My little brother keeps having lunch with the head of his division (maybe 120 people) and put on interesting projects
He does actually work in the office though