Many of my first-time clients come in brimming with enthusiasm. They’ve got what they believe is a groundbreaking new product or service idea. Their energy is infectious, and their vision is often impressive. They’ve already imagined what the scaled-up version of their business looks like—teams of employees, nationwide distribution, online sales flowing in around the clock, and maybe even a feature in Forbes.
But here’s the reality check: none of that matters if no one wants to pay for the product.
It’s incredibly common for entrepreneurs to get ahead of themselves. They start worrying about how they’ll meet future demand, where they’ll get funding to scale, and which systems they’ll need to manage growth. But they haven’t yet validated whether there’s even demand in the first place. What they should be doing is focusing on adoption—not scaling.
Adoption First, Scale Later
Adoption means getting people—real, paying customers—to buy what you’re offering. It’s not about your friends telling you they like your idea. It’s about someone you’ve never met before pulling out their wallet and proving it has value to them. If you don’t have that, then you don’t have a business—you have a hobby or an experiment.
In the early stages, your number one job is to prove that your solution solves a real problem, that people are willing to pay for it, and that there’s enough of those people to eventually build a business around. Until then, thinking about how to “scale” is like planning a road trip without checking whether your car even runs.
In fact, according to Geoffrey Moore’s Crossing the Chasm, the biggest challenge for startups is not attracting early adopters—they’re excited by new and unproven things. The real hurdle is moving from early adopters to the “early majority,” who want proof, safety, and credibility before jumping on board. Until you’ve crossed that chasm, scaling is premature and potentially disastrous.
Many founders, swept up in startup culture, fall into what I call the “Shark Tank Fantasy.” They think, “If I could just get a big order or an investor, everything would fall into place.” But even if someone throws money at you, it doesn’t fix a fundamental lack of demand. In fact, it can worsen the problem by encouraging you to scale something that hasn’t been proven yet.
You can’t outsource product-market fit.
What you can outsource in the early days is production. If you’re selling a physical product, consider working with a co-packer (see definition) to fulfill early orders. This allows you to preserve capital, minimize risk, and focus on validating your business idea before investing in facilities or equipment. Once you’ve got enough traction and consistent sales, then—and only then—should you consider building infrastructure to scale.
The Danger of Premature Scaling
Premature scaling can kill a startup faster than almost anything else. You hire too many people, manufacture too much product, or invest in marketing before you’ve nailed your messaging. Suddenly you’re burning through cash with no real income, stuck with inventory or obligations you can’t meet.
If you’re in the early stages of building your business, ask yourself this: Are you spending more time dreaming about scale than actually proving demand?
Adoption isn’t just the first step—it’s the foundation. Without it, everything else will crumble.
Are you too focused on scaling when you should be focused on adoption?
