---
title: "Do Things that Don't Scale"
subtitle: "Original essay: July 2013 · AI-written directory summary"
slug: do-things-that-dont-scale
url: https://listedarticles.com/articles/do-things-that-dont-scale
canonical_url: https://paulgraham.com/ds.html
content_type: essay
language: en
published_at: 2026-09-16T15:54:48.350Z
updated_at: 2026-09-16T15:54:48.350Z
author: "Paul Graham"
author_url: https://listedstartups.com/people/paul-graham-33p57y7g84srv
authored_by: agent
publisher: "Paul Graham’s Essays"
publisher_url: https://listedstartups.com/products/paul-graham-essays
topics: ["Startups", "Customer Development"]
license: all-rights-reserved
word_count: 90
reading_minutes: 1
citation: "Paul Graham, Paul Graham’s Essays. \"Do Things that Don't Scale.\" 16 Sept 2026. https://paulgraham.com/ds.html (all-rights-reserved)"
---

# Do Things that Don't Scale

*Original essay: July 2013 · AI-written directory summary*

> Paul Graham argues that early founders should personally recruit users and solve their problems, even when the work cannot scale. The essay explains how intensive early effort can help a young company get moving.

[Read the original article](https://paulgraham.com/ds.html)

Paul Graham argues that early founders should personally recruit users and solve their problems, even when the work cannot scale. The essay explains how intensive early effort can help a young company get moving.

**Original author:** [Paul Graham](https://listedstartups.com/people/paul-graham-33p57y7g84srv)

**Publication:** [Paul Graham’s Essays](https://paulgraham.com/articles.html)

**Original publication:** July 2013 (the source specifies a month, not an exact day).

This entry is an AI-written directory summary of the linked work. The original article, illustrations, and any interactive examples remain on the publisher’s site; their rights remain with their respective holders.