[Vula_Design]

Despite the humour and, on the surface, being a story about ordering a burrito, I think this is actually a very useful 'what not to do' cautionary tale for startups. They've clearly got a concept which, on paper, sounds like a good idea. They've then rushed development and gone to market without actually testing enough to know that they can deliver (literally) what the customer wants. That kind of early0stages growing needs to hapen before the company can gain a public reputation.

[jacquesm]

That's simply a function of growth. You can not prepare for runaway growth like this, it's easier said than done and from the sidelines it looks like a piece of cake.

At this level of growth any action that you did not automate away will bite you in a terrible way. And that's what all the handbooks say right: wait with automation until you've found your product:market fit. But what if that outruns you?

[Vula_Design]

I agree, but in this context I think that it's a valid criticism as their business model is a sort of 'all things under one roof' delivery system that should be prepared to offer a simple delivery like this one ate a competetive price/timeframe. I'm definitely not saying that people starting a business, particularly one in a service capacity, shouldn't expect to have to adapt with growth. I suppose the main point I was making is that prior to launching you should ensure that you are fulfilling your core functionality to at least a market-comparable level.