Go big right from the start or grow slowly?
I was watching an interview with one of Airbnb’s founders recently, and one specific detail really stuck with me.
In the beginning, they didn't try to conquer the travel industry; they barely even tried to conquer a city. They started with about 50 core users in the New York area. They catered to a hyper-specific, tiny niche and built their empire outward from that one small epicenter.
Right now, at NiceJourney, we are working with a client taking the exact opposite approach.
They have spent years quietly developing a comprehensive product designed to cater to as many people as possible across all of Europe right out of the gate. No hyper-specific niche. Just a massive net thrown straight into the ocean.
Seeing these two strategies side-by-side made me question the standard startup playbook.
On the one hand, the Airbnb route builds incredibly deep loyalty and an undeniable product-market fit, but it requires extreme patience.
On the other hand, the "go broad" route is risky and expensive, but a massive Total Addressable Market looks much more lucrative and attractive to investors right from day one.
What's your approach? What would you do or what path did you choose for your start-up?
Replies
minimalist phone: creating folders
It depends. E.g. when someone wants to cover the US market, it is already big (and many have this goal – US first)... even NY is too big.
But when you are from a small country like mine (5 million people in total), your chances are shrinking (+ there is competition too).
I started first only in Slovakia, was doing something for 3 years and managed to make like €250 in total. Then I packed it up and started doing things for the international (EN-speaking market).
Thanks to that, I have every week some opportunities, sponsors, paying clients, etc.
Expansion means more competitors, but that gives you a chance to raise your quality bar + cover a bigger market.
@busmark_w_nika Language is certainly an important factor!
If your product/service targets English-speaking people, then you can potentially reach almost anyone in the world.
If you're from a small country and target people there, chances of expansion are slim. But I think it's a good tactic to start small, see how it goes, and then expand!
minimalist phone: creating folders
@pamela_arienti To be honest, if I stayed only in my country, I wouldn't earn money even for salty water. :D The tactic with domestic → foreign markets is the most beneficial when you do physical stuff, and warehouses are needed.
With online services, it is way easier to expand.
I’ve come to see this less as either, and more as sequencing.
Starting narrow builds real signal — you learn fast, iterate faster, and earn trust. Going broad too early often means optimizing for assumptions instead of reality.
But once you have strong product-market fit in a niche, expanding intentionally can unlock real scale.
Curious where others draw that line.
@combajt That's a great point! Starting narrow certainly allows you to adjust your product based on real feedback better than building something big right from the start.
On the other hand, don't you think that potential investors are more interested in seeing a bigger product-market fit instead of a product that caters only to a small niche?