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How do you build something for a million people? How do you create the perfect experience? And how much easy or hard it is? Turns out, the secret sauce escapes many startups, leading to their downfall. It's no surprise, really, considering no startup kicks off with a million-strong user base. Enter Brian Chesky, the mastermind behind Airbnb, with his foolproof formula:
Photo taken via Newsroom
“How do you make something for a million people? I don’t know where to start. But if you pick one person, study them, and take their journey, you can actually build something really personal. You can design something and keep iterating until they love it. Don’t stop improving it until that person loves it, and you’re not allowed to move to the second person until the first person loves it. Then you get the second person and keep iterating until they love it. And so on.” This approach boasts multiple perks. Firstly, it allows you to zoom in on one individual rather than trying to please the masses. It's practical, especially for fledgling startups. Secondly, by winning over that one person, you're not just earning a fan—you're gaining an unpaid marketer, singing praises of your product far and wide. Chesky's method? Reverse-engineer this process and scale it up exponentially. That's precisely how Airbnb skyrocketed to success, matching the growth trajectory of hospitality giants like Hilton—but in a mere decade, not a century.