Every founder wants growth - but most are doing it wrong.
In fact, there are 5 simple startup growth principles you need to know. Miss just one – and your startup will struggle, no matter how good your product is.
I’ve coached over 50 startups and Fortune 500 companies, and I’ve built two startups myself. Let me show you the 5 growth principles the most successful startups use - and how YOU can use them today, no matter your industry.
Stick around - because missing even one of these could slow down your growth more than you think.
In fact, there are 5 simple startup growth principles you need to know. Miss just one – and your startup will struggle, no matter how good your product is.
I’ve coached over 50 startups and Fortune 500 companies, and I’ve built two startups myself. Let me show you the 5 growth principles the most successful startups use - and how YOU can use them today, no matter your industry.
Stick around - because missing even one of these could slow down your growth more than you think.
Growth principle 1: Focus on your ideal customer
Most founders want to build the best product ever. A product that does everything. A product that works for everyone.
So they invest months and thousands of dollars into building 50 different features.
And at first, that feels smart.
You want growth, right?
More features = more markets = more users = more revenue.
Right?
So they invest months and thousands of dollars into building 50 different features.
And at first, that feels smart.
You want growth, right?
More features = more markets = more users = more revenue.
Right?
❌ But that's a mistake. And here is why: If you try to build a product for everyone, you end up getting no one.
Because your message will be all over the place. So when someone visits your website, they don't clearly see that your product is right for them.
I made that mistake myself in the beginning.
And you guessed it – 0 customers.
So here is the smarter move:
✅ Go all-in on your ideal customer.
I made that mistake myself in the beginning.
And you guessed it – 0 customers.
So here is the smarter move:
✅ Go all-in on your ideal customer.
You need to become really specific about who you are building your product for. Ask yourself:
✅ Who are your customers?
✅ How do they think?
✅ What do they want to achieve?
And when you know exactly who you’re building your product for, everything becomes easier. That's what I love most about it.
✅ Who are your customers?
✅ How do they think?
✅ What do they want to achieve?
And when you know exactly who you’re building your product for, everything becomes easier. That's what I love most about it.
👉 Your messaging becomes clear. Your product becomes simpler. You don't waste months on features that nobody really wants. And you stop second-guessing every decision.
So, how do you know who your ideal customer is?
A great way to find out is by building customer personas. Think of personas like made-up customers – but based on real people.
You give them a name, a face, and a story. And to make them real and understand how they think, you answer these 3 questions:
• What keeps them up at night?
• What motivates them to solve their problem?
• How does success look like to them?
Building your personas is simple, but you wouldn't believe how powerful they are. Once you clearly understand who is going to use your product, your startup can grow way faster.
A great way to find out is by building customer personas. Think of personas like made-up customers – but based on real people.
You give them a name, a face, and a story. And to make them real and understand how they think, you answer these 3 questions:
• What keeps them up at night?
• What motivates them to solve their problem?
• How does success look like to them?
Building your personas is simple, but you wouldn't believe how powerful they are. Once you clearly understand who is going to use your product, your startup can grow way faster.
✏️ So if you haven’t defined your personas yet, block off some time this week and get it done - it will save you months and thousands of dollars down the line.
Before we move on to the next growth principle, let me show you something that will help you on your startup journey - my Startup Success Bundle.
The Startup Success Bundle is perfect for you if you are looking for a step-by-step, actionable system to guide you to startup success.
Check it out!
The Startup Success Bundle is perfect for you if you are looking for a step-by-step, actionable system to guide you to startup success.
Check it out!
Growth principle 2: Simplify to core value
The second growth principle is a powerful one. And most founders get it wrong.
Because it usually goes like this:
1. Founders build a product
2. They get some customers
3. They add some features
4. They get more customers
5. They add more features
... and you know what happens?
They overbuild. Most founders overbuild because they don’t truly know how customers use their product.
So when someone in a team meeting says: "Hey, we should build feature XYZ", they just do it.
No good.
Because it usually goes like this:
1. Founders build a product
2. They get some customers
3. They add some features
4. They get more customers
5. They add more features
... and you know what happens?
They overbuild. Most founders overbuild because they don’t truly know how customers use their product.
So when someone in a team meeting says: "Hey, we should build feature XYZ", they just do it.
No good.
👉 You not only need to understand what problem you are solving, you need to understand how people use your product. So your product should work like this:
At the core, your product should solve one painful problem – really well. Everything else is secondary.
I mean think about Instagram for example. It didn’t start with DMs, stories, filters, or video. It started with photo sharing. Easy as that.
And that was one reason why it became so popular.
If you want a dead-simple way to find out which features really matter to grow your startup, try the Kano Model.
I have made a separate video on how you can use it, but to make it super easy, you talk to your customers about your feature ideas and based on their answers, you can rank your feature ideas in the Kano evaluation table.
I mean think about Instagram for example. It didn’t start with DMs, stories, filters, or video. It started with photo sharing. Easy as that.
And that was one reason why it became so popular.
If you want a dead-simple way to find out which features really matter to grow your startup, try the Kano Model.
I have made a separate video on how you can use it, but to make it super easy, you talk to your customers about your feature ideas and based on their answers, you can rank your feature ideas in the Kano evaluation table.
So if you are unsure about what features you need to grow your startup faster or if you just want to build a clear roadmap of what to build next, use the Kano Model.
POWERFUL STARTUP RESOURCES
Growth principle 3: Prioritize retention over acquisition
When you talk to founders and ask them what growth means to them, most will tell you it means getting more customers. So that's their number one goal.
So they do everything to get new customers. They use:
✅ Ads
✅ Outreach
✅ Cold emails
✅ Content marketing
– and hey, that can work.
But most founders forget the second part of it. You need to keep those customers.
So they do everything to get new customers. They use:
✅ Ads
✅ Outreach
✅ Cold emails
✅ Content marketing
– and hey, that can work.
But most founders forget the second part of it. You need to keep those customers.
👉 If you’re constantly adding new users who quickly leave, that’s not growth. That’s like pouring water into a bucket with a hole in the bottom.
So the most successful startups don't focus on getting more and more customers – they focus on keeping those customers.
And this is particularly important for SaaS companies – like Netflix or Spotify. I mean think about if they would lose half their customer base every other month.
So keeping the users you already have is where real growth is. Because they buy more, they stick longer and most importantly – they tell their friends.
So how do you make your customers stay with you longer?
One of the most important concepts you need to understand is that when customers buy your product or test your free demo, they want this one outcome you promised them.
Simple as that.
No extras, not fancy stuff, only that one thing you promised them.
That's the so-called AHA Moment, the magic moment when people say: “Yes, this is exactly what I wanted.”
And this is particularly important for SaaS companies – like Netflix or Spotify. I mean think about if they would lose half their customer base every other month.
So keeping the users you already have is where real growth is. Because they buy more, they stick longer and most importantly – they tell their friends.
So how do you make your customers stay with you longer?
One of the most important concepts you need to understand is that when customers buy your product or test your free demo, they want this one outcome you promised them.
Simple as that.
No extras, not fancy stuff, only that one thing you promised them.
That's the so-called AHA Moment, the magic moment when people say: “Yes, this is exactly what I wanted.”
👉 The longer the time to value, the longer the time to this AHA Moment, the more people will leave. But if you bring people immediately to this moment, they will stay.
But many founders make the mistake of showing users all the features instead of bringing them to the AHA Moment quickly. So when someone opens their app, they see this for example:
And then it starts:
→ Tooltip #1: Here is feature number 1
→ Tooltip #2: Here is feature number 2
→ Tooltip #3: Here is feature number 3
→ Tooltip #1: Here is feature number 1
→ Tooltip #2: Here is feature number 2
→ Tooltip #3: Here is feature number 3
Super annoying.
No one wants to learn about all your features. Your leads want results fast. They want to see how you deliver value.
So you identify the core feature of your product - the one feature that made people sign up for your free demo in the first place. Let me give you an example:
Let’s say you sign up for a project management tool.
1. You log in
2. You create a project
3. You add your team
4. You assign a task
Boom. In 3 minutes, you’re done. That’s the AHA Moment.
No one wants to learn about all your features. Your leads want results fast. They want to see how you deliver value.
So you identify the core feature of your product - the one feature that made people sign up for your free demo in the first place. Let me give you an example:
Let’s say you sign up for a project management tool.
1. You log in
2. You create a project
3. You add your team
4. You assign a task
Boom. In 3 minutes, you’re done. That’s the AHA Moment.
👉 So here’s what I want you to do -
Answer these 3 questions:
✅ What is the first win your users can experience?
✅ How can you guide them to it in under 5 minutes?
✅ How can you remove friction from that path?
So no fancy quizzes at the beginning or anything that might distract your users from the AHA Moment. Because that’s how your leads turn into customers.
Growth principle 4: Create a strong personal brand
Quick pop quiz:
Who would you rather buy from?
1. A faceless company
2. Someone you know, like, and trust?
Easy answer.
✅ People follow people
✅ They trust stories, not logos
And here’s where most founders go wrong:
They hide behind their product.
❌ When they post on social media, they post it on their company account.
❌ They write blog posts like a corporation.
And you know what happens?
Nothing. Nobody cares. Nobody buys.
Because it feels like promotion. There is no trust.
Who would you rather buy from?
1. A faceless company
2. Someone you know, like, and trust?
Easy answer.
✅ People follow people
✅ They trust stories, not logos
And here’s where most founders go wrong:
They hide behind their product.
❌ When they post on social media, they post it on their company account.
❌ They write blog posts like a corporation.
And you know what happens?
Nothing. Nobody cares. Nobody buys.
Because it feels like promotion. There is no trust.
👉 So what builds trust?
You – the founder. You are unique, you are human.
You – the founder. You are unique, you are human.
And I think especially in times of AI, this will be the main differentiator of startups who grow and startups who will be left behind.
This human voice.
So I want you to start sharing your personal startup journey.
Like, talk about the real stuff:
✅ Your wins
✅ Your losses
✅ What you’re building
✅ What you’re learning
It doesn’t have to be dramatic – just real. When people trust you, they’re way more likely to care about your startup.
That 's one of the most powerful ways to grow.
This human voice.
So I want you to start sharing your personal startup journey.
Like, talk about the real stuff:
✅ Your wins
✅ Your losses
✅ What you’re building
✅ What you’re learning
It doesn’t have to be dramatic – just real. When people trust you, they’re way more likely to care about your startup.
That 's one of the most powerful ways to grow.
✏️ Take a second – what could you post today to build trust with your community? Don't overthink – show something that's currently important in your startup. And start posting it on your personal account.
POWERFUL STARTUP RESOURCES
Growth principle 5: Invest in content marketing
I want to show you one of the most powerful growth tools you have – so powerful – I would bet my startup on it.
It's content marketing.
We are basically building trust until people are ready to buy from us.
So, write blog articles, create valuable posts on social media, or create YouTube videos – whatever makes sense for our audience.
It's content marketing.
We are basically building trust until people are ready to buy from us.
So, write blog articles, create valuable posts on social media, or create YouTube videos – whatever makes sense for our audience.
But here is the thing: Most founders completely ignore this.
But why?
Because it takes time, and it doesn’t always give you that instant dopamine hit. But the upside is massive:
✅ The content you create builds trust
✅ It positions you as the expert and your product as the right solution
✅ It makes selling your product so much easier.
And what I love most about it:
✅ The content you create today keeps working for you, and it can bring in customers years from now.
Now, the key to make this work is this:
1. Pick one channel.
2. One content type.
3. Post once a week - consistently.
That’s all it takes to build momentum.
But why?
Because it takes time, and it doesn’t always give you that instant dopamine hit. But the upside is massive:
✅ The content you create builds trust
✅ It positions you as the expert and your product as the right solution
✅ It makes selling your product so much easier.
And what I love most about it:
✅ The content you create today keeps working for you, and it can bring in customers years from now.
Now, the key to make this work is this:
1. Pick one channel.
2. One content type.
3. Post once a week - consistently.
That’s all it takes to build momentum.
👉 Remember, good content is like planting a seed – it keeps working for you long after you post it.
I have one more powerful bonus tip for you – a tip that most founders don’t even know about.
Bonus tip: Learn from competitors – without copying
What comes to your mind when I mention the name of your competitor?
Buuuuh – right?
Yeah, I get it.
I know competitors aren’t fun to think about - but you know what? They’re your best learning opportunity. You can learn about what they do great, what they are missing, and what you can improve so you can get the customers they have.
So I recommend you study your competition.
✅ Sign up for their products
✅ Watch their onboarding
✅ Read their reviews – especially the bad ones.
Those comments are gold. Because this shows you what you can improve in your product or what features you can add that those people were missing.
Now, I am not saying you should copy them. But I recommend you watch them closely and then build something even better – so customers choose you over them.
Buuuuh – right?
Yeah, I get it.
I know competitors aren’t fun to think about - but you know what? They’re your best learning opportunity. You can learn about what they do great, what they are missing, and what you can improve so you can get the customers they have.
So I recommend you study your competition.
✅ Sign up for their products
✅ Watch their onboarding
✅ Read their reviews – especially the bad ones.
Those comments are gold. Because this shows you what you can improve in your product or what features you can add that those people were missing.
Now, I am not saying you should copy them. But I recommend you watch them closely and then build something even better – so customers choose you over them.
What's next
So these are the 5 growth principles you need to grow your startup. But here's the thing – if you don’t get customers, none of this matters.
So how about a proven system 4-step framework that’s already helped 50+ startups and billion-dollar companies build a marketing strategy to get new customers?
You can get it in my Marketing Channel Bundle.
And best of all - you can achieve results in just 3 hours, thanks to smart AI prompts that guide you through every step with ease.
So click the button below and get the Marketing Channel Bundle right now!
So how about a proven system 4-step framework that’s already helped 50+ startups and billion-dollar companies build a marketing strategy to get new customers?
You can get it in my Marketing Channel Bundle.
And best of all - you can achieve results in just 3 hours, thanks to smart AI prompts that guide you through every step with ease.
So click the button below and get the Marketing Channel Bundle right now!
