Go big right from the start or grow slowly?

I was watching an interview with one of Airbnb’s founders recently, and one specific detail really stuck with me.

In the beginning, they didn't try to conquer the travel industry; they barely even tried to conquer a city. They started with about 50 core users in the New York area. They catered to a hyper-specific, tiny niche and built their empire outward from that one small epicenter.

Right now, at NiceJourney, we are working with a client taking the exact opposite approach.

They have spent years quietly developing a comprehensive product designed to cater to as many people as possible across all of Europe right out of the gate. No hyper-specific niche. Just a massive net thrown straight into the ocean.

Seeing these two strategies side-by-side made me question the standard startup playbook.

On the one hand, the Airbnb route builds incredibly deep loyalty and an undeniable product-market fit, but it requires extreme patience.

On the other hand, the "go broad" route is risky and expensive, but a massive Total Addressable Market looks much more lucrative and attractive to investors right from day one.

What's your approach? What would you do or what path did you choose for your start-up?