A Small Intense Fire
Graham: You've got to start with a small, intense fire. Suppose you're the Apple I — I think they made about 500 of those things. All they had to do was find 500 people to buy these computers, and they launched Apple.
It's necessarily going to be a small number of people. It's impossible to make something that a large number of people want a lot. You've got to find people who want what you're making a lot. And that's okay — that's how these giant things get started. You don't have to do any better than Apple and Facebook.
It's impossible to make something a large number of people want a lot. Start with 500 true fans.
One Beta User: Sam Altman
Graham: There's a startup in the current batch making a new mobile email client. Their beta group has one user — Sam Altman. Their goal is to just make Sam Altman happy.
Sam uses email a lot on the go. He's sufficiently demanding that if they make him happy — he knows what all the other options are — they've sort of used him as a positive for a mold. They can now make lots of people happy.
One beta user. Sam Altman. Just make him happy. That's the whole goal.
Act Like a Consultant
Graham: In extreme cases where you can just make one user happy — act like you're a consultant. Act like Sam has hired you to make an email app just for him. All you have to do is make Sam happy. It can say 'Sam Altman' at the top of the screen. That's okay.
The test: they have to be bummed if you stop working on it. Not like your friends say 'oh yeah, it's good, I'll use it.' They have to be bummed.
The test: they have to be bummed if you stop working on it. Not just 'it's good, I'll use it.'