Do Things That Don’t Scale
INTRO:
I first penned this blog in 2018 during the early days of building Petalfox. As you read, keep in mind that I was just six months into the startup journey, and my perspective was that of a founder in the thick of it. Despite the changes since then, my belief in the value of ‘doing things that don’t scale’ remains as strong as ever.
Kelly and I are obsessed with podcasts. We’re constantly sharing inspiring stories we have listened to with each other. Two of my personal favorite are the NPR podcast: How I Built This with Guy Raz and How to Start a Startup from Sam Altman with Y Combinator which originated as a Stanford Business School lecture series and you can watch it on YouTube. I love that they share real stories from founders as they built their own success stories. In one of our first few months, I listened to the How to Start a Startup episode entitled How to Get Started, Doing Things that Don't Scale and I remember it having a real impact on how I was thinking about what we were doing then… and even what we’re still doing today.
Building a startup is all about testing a bunch of theories and figuring out what sticks. Literally you sometimes feel like you’re blindfolded, drunk, in a clown car trying to pin the tail on a moving donkey. Testing those theories can require a lot or a little from you, they can take a really long time or sometimes if you’re lucky you can find an answer real quick. There are also usually about 1000 other things that you’re taking into consideration along the way. And pretty much all of these things involve doing things that don’t scale.
We want to be real and share with you what’s it really like as a founder. I think this is our first real ‘peek behind the curtain’ to some of the not so fun things you might do as a founder. I’m hoping to employ one of these guys to take over this task soon:
Introducing the Petalfox: SHIPPING HOW TO SOP_GSO_AUGUST 2018
I wrote this SOP back in August of 2018 with the fear that if I ever got hit by a bus no one would know how to use our systems to ship our bouquets!
Overview Shipping Process
This document provides an overview of the flower shipping process to customers. Each section includes detailed step by step instructions. Complete in the following order:
Open Shopify
Click on Orders tab in top left corner, under Home
Sort orders by ‘open orders’
Click Export button, top left corner
Choose ‘orders that match search’ and ‘plain CSV’ *this format is important in order to correctly sort zipcodes
File will download, Open file
Sort by column “Lineitem Name” ~ line item name means product name
Delete hand deliveries and extra ticket items like Wine & Design or other payments
Sort by reference #
Next, go to column “Company Shipping Name”, copy and paste name into any blank cells of “Shipping Name” Columns. -
Note if there is already a name in the Shipping Name Column do not copy company name. This is only for blank cells.
Save file without spaces or special characters (Ex:PetalfoxOrdersShipDate82018) - use actual ship date
Save as CSV (not numbers or xls file)
Move file to USB drive and then eject USB from computer
YUP - there is a USB involved and separate computer involved
Print Labels - Ship GSO (DELL laptop)
Laptop Password: Nope not sharing that!
Open ShipGSO program - icon in middle of the desktop
Click Prepare Batch tab
Select Batch Name: GSO
Click File Name …
Change default to All Files for type
Find and open file on USB drive
Select Signature: ‘Not Required’ (THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT)
Click start (labels should print)
Review any ‘mapping exceptions’ (printing errors)
correct information and press ‘save’ to print
Note: you may need to google to get the correct city / zip combination - if unsure, please email customer to confirm
Note: The first exception should be the header row and can be cleared after all exceptions pushed through, double check
Use ShipStation for order summary organization & gift messages
Skip orders in Shipstation if order is being paused or skipped until following week
Log into ShipStation
Check with Rhenee for any Fedex orders
Click ORDERS tab and hit the refresh symbol in the top right hand corner → update all stores in order to update current status of orders
Sort by ‘date ordered’
Download a PDF of each order type summary and Print
Check quantity #’s of order
Organize shipping labels in order based on reference # to streamline matching with Order Summary order & products
Select quote for cards - track in google doc
Use order summaries to write handwritten notes in order (create stacks as you go card / label, card / label)
Buyer comments will include the custom gift message
Only write the custom gift message on the first shipment - you will delete the gift notes in Recharge later so they don’t push through on future orders
Create Tracking Report
Open ShipGSO
Click ‘File’
Click ‘Shipment History’
Select correct shipping date - should be same day as labels are printed
Select ‘GSO’ ‘Export Mapping’
Select USB drive for ‘Directory’ (…)
Adjust File Name (Ex PetalfoxTracking82018) - ship date
Drag tracking file to USB and Click ‘Export’
Hide all columns except, Tracking #, Ship to Attention, State Column,Shipment Reference, Ship to Company Name - this will help streamline
Sort by State and then Alphabetize by name
Print
Add tracking info to Shopify
One by one add the tracking number to each order
Scroll down and open first Order
Attach tracking numbers from tracking file to corresponding orders in Shopify:
Open Order
Click ‘Mark as fulfilled’
Copy and paste tracking number
Shipping carrier, select: other
Type in Tracking URL: www.gso.com
Click Fulfill items
Repeat for each shipment
When finished with an order go back to tracking file and highlight tracking number cell in yellow to confirm it is complete
Save Documents - Google Drive GSO Folder
Save order export file to: drag file from USB to ‘GSO Orders to Ship’ folder
Complete ‘weekly shipment tracker’ form in order summaries folder at Rhenee’s desk
File printed paperwork
Ship Station Clearing
Check all orders that were shipped
Click Other Actions and select Mark as Shipped
Leave tracking blank
Choose ‘Other’ for carrier
Leave Notify customer and marketplace UN-checked
Clear Gift Messages
Find customers with custom gift messages and delete recurring message
Look for ‘buyer comments’
The ‘Auto Renew’ or ‘Prepaid’ information under an order indicates it is a subscription
Click on Apps
Click on Recharge Recurring Billing & Subscriptions
Click on Customers
Search for Customer Name
If customer not found then look up order in shopify to find shipper name
Click on subscription # in blue
Expand Additional Info & Setting
Click Edit Cart Note
Delete ShopifyCartToken and/or gift message
Save
You’re asking yourself… is it over yet?
Using printed document of tracking numbers
Cross off delivered packages as delivery notices are received
For attempted deliveries:
Email GSO customer service with request to redeliver today and customer contact information
Reach out to customer to provide update and ask for any information GSO may be missing (business hours, security gate code, etc).
Late or missing deliveries:
Request shipping cost credit via email
Request GSO to send claim packet for declared value
Confirm all shipments delivered
File tracking documents in folder at Rhenee’s desk
And we’re done!
For those of you that are actually still reading, I’m impressed. For those of you that just scrolled through shaking your head with your jaw gaping open, good choice.
To answer the burning question in the back of your mind, yes, we’re still doing this. But the end is in sight thanks to our friends at Ship Junction. I had my first conversation with them in June, decided we weren’t ready for them yet, went round and round with about 10 or 20 other possibilities, learned a lot along the way and ultimately decided this was the best solution for us now and in the future. So back to the original point, it’s ok to do things that don’t scale!
AUTHORS THOUGHTS IN 2024:
Doing things that don’t scale might seem counterintuitive in a world that often prioritizes efficiency and automation. However, it’s precisely this approach that can lay a strong foundation for long-term success. In the early stages of a startup, the focus should be on building deep, meaningful connections with your initial users and truly understanding their needs. By engaging directly and personally with a small, dedicated user base, you gain invaluable insights and create a loyal following that can help drive your growth. These non-scalable efforts, whether it’s through one-on-one customer support or manual processes, can reveal critical feedback and foster a culture of genuine engagement that scales organically over time.
Moreover, embracing non-scalable tactics allows startups to experiment and iterate quickly without the constraints of complex systems or processes. This flexibility is crucial in the formative stages when adapting to feedback and pivoting based on real-world data can make or break your business. It’s in these early, hands-on efforts that you build the core values and relationships that will guide your scaling strategy. By investing in these foundational activities, you ensure that as you grow, you do so with a deeper understanding of your customers and a solid groundwork for scaling efficiently in the future.
