To grow a startup, founders often need to acquire customers and gather feedback to improve their product, rather than focusing solely on creating an optimal product from the start. By doing things that don't scale, such as manually reviewing and improving customer documentation, Mintlify's founders were able to gain valuable insights and deliver a delightful customer experience, ultimately leading to rapid growth and expansion of the business. This approach allowed them to validate their idea, identify areas for improvement, and optimize their product before scaling up. By taking a laborious but effective approach to acquiring customers, Mintlify was able to overcome its initial limitations and establish itself as a successful startup.