Embracing the Three-Month Rule: A Practical Approach to Non-Scalable Solutions
In the tech startup landscape, the well-known adage from entrepreneur Paul Graham encourages entrepreneurs to “do things that don’t scale.” However, the challenge lies not just in understanding this advice but in effectively putting it into practice—especially in coding.
After dedicating eight months to develop my AI podcast platform, I’ve stumbled upon a straightforward yet impactful framework: every non-scalable hack gets a trial period of three months. Following this timeframe, I assess its effectiveness—if it proves valuable, I enhance it; if not, it’s time for it to go.
The startup Mindset: Rethinking Scalability
Typically, engineers are conditioned to aim for scalable solutions from the very beginning. We often emphasize robust architectures such as design patterns, microservices, and distributed systems, suitable for handling large user bases. But in the early stages of a startup, investing time in scalability can sometimes equate to procrastination.
So, what’s the core of my three-month rule? It compels me to prioritize simplicity and expedience over perfection—resulting in “bad” code that’s quickly deployable and offers real insights about user needs.
Streamlining My Infrastructure: Smart Hacks
Here are some of my current infrastructure hacks that may raise eyebrows but serve a clear purpose:
1. All Services on a Single VM
I host my database, web server, background jobs, and caching on one $40/month virtual machine, foregoing redundancy in favor of manual backups. While seemingly reckless, this setup has been invaluable. In just two months, I gained a deeper understanding of my actual resource requirements than any capacity planning exercise could have provided. For instance, my “AI-heavy” platform maxes out at 4GB of RAM—had I pursued a complex Kubernetes setup, I would have been left managing idle containers.
2. Hardcoded Configuration Values
Instead of implementing a configuration management system, I utilize hardcoded constants for elements such as pricing tiers and user limits. This method makes it simple to search and track changes through version control. Over three months, I’ve only adjusted these values three times, underscoring the efficiency of my approach compared to the extensive time it would take to establish a dedicated service.
3. Utilizing SQLite in Production
Surprisingly, I opted for SQLite to power my multi-user web app. Despite its small footprint of
