Thinking one step ahead

A lot of startups figure out expansion way too late.

They nail one problem for one customer, then start spinning their wheels when growth stalls. The best companies? They design for expansion from the jump.

Think of it like creating a blast radius of value, you solve the immediate pain, but you build in flexibility to grow into adjacent problems down the road.

Three ways to do this:

Start with the core pain, but see what's next

Solve the urgent problem first. But ask: what problem will they hit after this one? When you're solving for a job to be done, there is often a next step or next job that you might already be considered for. Twilio didn't stop at SMS, they built a platform ready for voice, video, and whatever came next.

Design for modularity

Build so you can add value without breaking what works. Shopify acts as a flexible foundation for e-commerce and offers infrastructure where they can flip a switch and add new functionality. That's the kind of architecture that can compound over time.

Build trust and surface area

Every interaction is a chance to earn trust. Solve their biggest pain today, and they'll let you solve the next one tomorrow. But you need enough surface area in your product to actually grow into those opportunities.

Don't just solve today's problem. Design your product to grow with your customers. That's how you build something that keeps expanding.