Can’t lie, scale is kinda cool

Scale is the ability to operate effectively at a large size or scope.

Not everything we do needs to be with scale in mind. There’s validity to the argument that constantly chasing scale can stop you from actually doing anything meaningful — or from addressing the smaller, immediate needs around you.

That said, scale is a worthy goal, because there’s a clear difference between solving a problem for a handful of people and solving it for a million. For example, buying food with your own money and giving it to people who need it is valuable, but compare that to creating the economic conditions that allow 10 million people to feed themselves sustainably.

The first option is undeniably good, but if we relied only on it:

• Not enough people would do it. As frustrating as it is to admit, telling people to “just be better” won’t feed 10 million people.
• It’s not a sustainable solution, even for the handful of people who receive the help.

The point here isn’t to diminish small, good acts — they’re incredibly important. It’s to highlight that scale is a goal worth pursuing, even dedicating a lifetime to. And there’s no reason you can’t do both!

Earlier, I mentioned how the spirit of doing things that don’t scale can unlock asymmetric value. Now, I’m making the case for aspiring to scale, and I get how that might seem contradictory. But the truth is, solving problems — especially at scale — is extremely hard. Until a problem has been solved, no one knows exactly how to do it.

Solving problems at scale often requires starting with grunt work: digging, hunting, and quite literally fighting to figure out a solution. By embracing difficult problems and tackling them in ways others aren’t willing to, over time, you might just help uncover how to solve them at scale.