# Ramen Profitable ![rw-book-cover](https://readwise-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/static/images/article2.74d541386bbf.png) ## Metadata - Author: [[Paul Graham]] - Full Title: Ramen Profitable - Category: #articles - Document Tags: [[startups]] - URL: http://paulgraham.com/ramenprofitable.html ## Highlights - Is there a downside to ramen profitability? Probably the biggest danger is that it might turn you into a consulting firm. Startups have to be product companies, in the sense of making a single thing that everyone uses. The defining quality of startups is that they grow fast, and consulting just can't scale the way a product can. [[3](http://paulgraham.com/ramenprofitable.html#f3n)] But it's pretty easy to make $3000 a month consulting; in fact, that would be a low rate for contract programming. So there could be a temptation to slide into consulting, and telling yourselves you're a ramen profitable startup, when in fact you're not a startup at all. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gmpxssv1vg3cmpyhmsnhvrmy))