HowTheyGotUsersHowTheyGotUsers

Do the Unscalable Things by Hand

Do the Unscalable Things by Hand is a first users & traction tactic for getting your first users: Personally hustle each of your first users in — manual onboarding, live demos, even setting the product up for them — and treat that early cohort as your research and development team.

It's a strong fit for B2B SaaS, Dev tools / technical, and Info products / courses teams, and works especially well for B2B SaaS, dev tools, complex-setup products. As a first users & traction play, plan for high effort and expect results to build gradually over time, all grounded in 4 linked primary sources.

First users & tractionHigh effortSlow

Why does first users & traction work for this?

Hands-on, high-touch effort removes adoption friction and surfaces exactly what to fix, which is why companies like Stripe famously set up the product for users in person to get going.

The exact steps (4)

The full step-by-step this founder ran, what they posted, where, and in what order, plus the watch-outs, is part of the library.

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Sources

Works for
B2B SaaSDev tools / technicalInfo products / courses

Frequently asked

What kind of products does the "Do the Unscalable Things by Hand" tactic work for?
It is a good fit for B2B SaaS, Dev tools / technical, and Info products / courses — pick it when your product looks like one of those, since the play is shaped around how those users find new tools.
How is the "Do the Unscalable Things by Hand" tactic verified?
It is drawn from 4 primary sources — real founder write-ups and interviews, not generic advice. They are linked in the Sources section above so you can read the original accounts yourself.
How much effort is it and how fast are results?
It is high effort, and results tend to be slow.
Where can I see the exact step-by-step?
The full step-by-step a founder ran, documented via Why Paid Ads Too Early Kill Startups and 7 Actionable Bootstrapped SaaS Success Stories & Playbooks for 2025, is in the paid library.

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