The advice to do things that don't scale is counterintuitive but provides startups with a unique advantage over larger competitors by fostering deep customer understanding and rapid experimentation.

Taking advantage of high-leverage activities that larger companies might avoid can be a key strategy for startups to differentiate themselves.

Doing things that don't scale is essential in the early stages of a startup, and founders should expect to look very different from larger competitors.

YC encourages doing things that don't scale, like Airbnb did by taking high-quality photos of homes to increase bookings. Don't wait for processes to be perfect before scaling; just get started in an unscalable way to unlock potential.

Doing things that don't scale is crucial for early-stage startups because it helps founders engage directly with customers and understand their needs.

For a startup to be successful, it often has to be something that larger companies would dismiss as unimportant or stupid, as they wouldn't overlook obvious opportunities.

YC encourages a culture of techno-optimism, pushing founders to think bigger and believe in their ability to solve complex problems.

The way startups win is when they can iterate faster than big companies and do it at a much lower cost.

Doing things that don't scale means engaging in handmade, artisanal efforts early on, even if you know you can't maintain them forever, because it helps you learn and grow your startup.