After coaching 50+ startups and Fortune 500 companies, I found something surprising - every $100M startup had 5 things in common that most founders completely miss.
So, let me show you how to speed up your startup growth with 5 lessons from $100M startups. I will show you:
→ What they did differently
→ Why it worked
→ How you can use the same strategies in your startup right now
So, what are the 5 strategies $100M startups actually use to grow this fast?
Let’s break it down.
So, let me show you how to speed up your startup growth with 5 lessons from $100M startups. I will show you:
→ What they did differently
→ Why it worked
→ How you can use the same strategies in your startup right now
So, what are the 5 strategies $100M startups actually use to grow this fast?
Let’s break it down.
Lesson 1: Laser-focus on a niche market first
Here’s the #1 trap I see - and I fell into it myself. Many founders think like this:
"If I make a product that can do anything and help people with anything, I will get a lot of users".
Makes sense on paper, right?
But here’s what really happens:
"If I make a product that can do anything and help people with anything, I will get a lot of users".
Makes sense on paper, right?
But here’s what really happens:
👉 When you build a product for everyone, no one feels like the product is for them. So instead of more users, you get none.
So what do the $100M startups do instead?
✅ They choose one type of customer - and go all in.
They focus on a niche market first.
→ One problem
→ One audience
→ One clear message
So when people visit their sales page, they’re like:
"Yes, this is exactly for me."
And it’s a snowball effect: They get more users, more positive reviews, more users, and so on. That’s how they grow fast.
And once they own that niche, they expand into new markets by building new features. But first, they fully focus on that niche.
So how do you know who to focus on?
Here’s a simple framework you can use right now to define your niche - and I’ve used the same one.
• We help [target audience]
• Achieve [outcome]
• Without [pain point]
That little framework will help you make it crystal clear who you help, how you help them, and what pain point you remove. And that will later help you build a powerful message so people know exactly that your product is right for them.
And here is the interesting part: When you become the go-to startup for one niche, people come to you. You don't need to waste your money on expensive ads or on sales calls.
• Achieve [outcome]
• Without [pain point]
That little framework will help you make it crystal clear who you help, how you help them, and what pain point you remove. And that will later help you build a powerful message so people know exactly that your product is right for them.
And here is the interesting part: When you become the go-to startup for one niche, people come to you. You don't need to waste your money on expensive ads or on sales calls.
👉 So, think about it: Are you already focusing on a niche, or are you still going too broad? If so, use the framework to laser-focus on your ideal customers.
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Lesson 2: Build a product that solves a real pain, not just a cool idea
Let’s be honest - we all love cool ideas.
But here’s the truth:
❌ Cool ideas won’t pay your bills
❌ Cool ideas won’t grow your startup
You can have the slickest design and the best concept - but if it doesn’t solve a real pain, no one buys it.
Think about Segway. Think about Apple’s Vision Pro.
Technically impressive, sure, and sure it looks cool, but both flopped.
Why?
Because it doesn't solve a real problem.
So having a fancy product won't cut it. You need to solve something that really annoys people. And the best way to check this is to talk to your users. Ask what they really need. Look for frustrations.
But here’s the truth:
❌ Cool ideas won’t pay your bills
❌ Cool ideas won’t grow your startup
You can have the slickest design and the best concept - but if it doesn’t solve a real pain, no one buys it.
Think about Segway. Think about Apple’s Vision Pro.
Technically impressive, sure, and sure it looks cool, but both flopped.
Why?
Because it doesn't solve a real problem.
So having a fancy product won't cut it. You need to solve something that really annoys people. And the best way to check this is to talk to your users. Ask what they really need. Look for frustrations.
👉 So next time you plan features, don’t ask what’s cool - ask what frustrates users, and fix that. And then plan your feature roadmap accordingly.
That's the best way to build something people really need - not something that just looks fancy (and later flops). That's the key to growth.
So think about it, what’s the big pain you solve right now?
Lesson 3: Speed beats perfection - launch fast and iterate quickly
Quick story: When I started my first startup, I spent months building the perfect sales page. Every pixel, every word had to be perfect. So I delayed launch over and over.
And you know what happened when I finally launched?
Nothing.
Because perfect doesn’t matter if no one sees it.
And many founders make the same mistake:
❌ They spend years on the product
❌ Months on the sales page
❌ Weeks on content
But that's a big mistake. The winning strategy is launching fast, learning fast, and improving fast. That’s the only way to find what really works.
And you know what happened when I finally launched?
Nothing.
Because perfect doesn’t matter if no one sees it.
And many founders make the same mistake:
❌ They spend years on the product
❌ Months on the sales page
❌ Weeks on content
But that's a big mistake. The winning strategy is launching fast, learning fast, and improving fast. That’s the only way to find what really works.
👉 So your goal is not to build something perfect.
Your goal is to build SOMETHING and get it in front of users as fast as possible.
Your goal is to build SOMETHING and get it in front of users as fast as possible.
And here comes one of my favorite concepts for building a successful startup:
✅ Building an MVP - a minimum viable product.
An MVP is the simplest version of your product that still solves the core problem and delivers enough value that people would pay for it.
That's all it has to do.
So it doesn't have to be perfect. Yes, you still want to ship something that looks trustworthy, but you do not need to wait until it’s polished.
Reid Hoffman once said:
👉 "If you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late."
I love that.
So when you launch your startup, or even when you want to launch a new feature - ask yourself: What would be the smallest version that I could launch that people still find valuable?
And then go with that.
And based on the feedback you get, you improve.
Lesson 4: Data-driven decisions over gut feelings
Quick quiz:
You post two pieces of content on social media to promote your new product:
1. First one gets 100 likes
2. Second one gets 200 likes
Which one is better? The first one? The second one?
It looks pretty obvious... right?
But in fact, you cannot tell. It depends. Our intuition tells us - it's obviously the second post, but often, that's a trap.
I once spent six months posting content on Instagram for my startup.
Every day I got a few likes. But guess how many customers I got?
Zero.
But why did I keep posting? Because I didn't track my numbers. And if I had tracked the numbers earlier, I would’ve known: This isn’t working.
And that's what I mean with the 2 posts.
You post two pieces of content on social media to promote your new product:
1. First one gets 100 likes
2. Second one gets 200 likes
Which one is better? The first one? The second one?
It looks pretty obvious... right?
But in fact, you cannot tell. It depends. Our intuition tells us - it's obviously the second post, but often, that's a trap.
I once spent six months posting content on Instagram for my startup.
Every day I got a few likes. But guess how many customers I got?
Zero.
But why did I keep posting? Because I didn't track my numbers. And if I had tracked the numbers earlier, I would’ve known: This isn’t working.
And that's what I mean with the 2 posts.
👉 You cannot tell the entire story unless you know all the important metrics.
Like - how many website visitors and customers did we get from each post. Could be that the first post performed way better when we check these metrics.
So, the key to remember is:
✅ You need to make data-driven decisions.
$100M startups rely on data - not their gut feelings.
→ They run small experiments
→ Track the important metrics
→ Double down on the winners
Now depending on your stage, you’ll track different things.
But I can tell you this:
Ignore vanity metrics. These are metrics that look good but don't pay you, like likes, views, or shares.
Instead, you should always focus on metrics that really matter.
Like:
✅ Website conversion rate
✅ Customer acquisition cost
✅ Customer lifetime value
And one more pro tip regarding metrics:
✏️ Don't track everything. Pick a few key numbers that really impact your business and focus on those.
So take a second and think about it:
If you could pick 3 metrics you track – what would they be?
Write it down in an Excel sheet or put it on your dashboard and make sure you focus on these.
Lesson 5: Prioritize retention over pure acquisition
Many startups that later fail work like this:
✅ They get a few customers
❌ Lose a few customers
✅ Get a few customers
❌ Lose a few customers
Does this look like growth to you?
No. More like surviving.
So they are desperately trying to get new customers. Because they lose customers almost as quickly as they got them.
So instead of focusing on getting new customers, the $100M startups focus on keeping them. Every time. And the reason is simple:
✅ They get a few customers
❌ Lose a few customers
✅ Get a few customers
❌ Lose a few customers
Does this look like growth to you?
No. More like surviving.
So they are desperately trying to get new customers. Because they lose customers almost as quickly as they got them.
So instead of focusing on getting new customers, the $100M startups focus on keeping them. Every time. And the reason is simple:
👉 Getting new customers is expensive. You have to pay for ads, create content, do outreach - all of that costs time and money.
But keeping a customer is basically just listening and improving your product - something you do anyways in your startup.
And here’s the bonus:
Happy customers don’t just stick around - they tell other people. Their friends, their family. So you get even more customers without doing anything.
So how do $100M startups keep their customers?
What's their secret?
✅ They guide new users straight to the AHA Moment - fast. The AHA Moment is the moment where they users go:
"Ah, this is exactly what I needed."
So here is how it works:
Someone buys your product or signs up for your free trial and they have some kind of expectation. So, if you help them achieve it quickly, this is the AHA Moment - and people will stay.
That's the best way.
But if someone signs up and you show them a five-step tutorial, or a long setup, or a login screen with 12 fields, they will drop off.
👉 Here’s the golden rule: The longer the time to value, the more likely people will drop off.
So look at your customer flow right now and remove anything that is not important. Remember, you want to get people to the AHA Moment as quickly as possible.
Bonus Tip: Build systems
Let me tell you something I wish I knew earlier.
You can’t grow alone forever. Sooner or later, you need some help.
When I started out, I was doing everything myself
• Calls
• Emails
• Content marketing
It was a lot of work and I was struggling.
But if you want to build a real company, not just a project, you need two things:
✅ A team
✅ Repeatable systems
A system can be a simple checklist that somebody can follow step by step to do the work even when you are not at your desk. But even if you are a solo founder, this can be super useful.
Let me show you my system for creating a blog post. It’s a simple step-by-step checklist in Excel that covers every stage - from writing and SEO to uploading text and images into the CMS.
It just shows all the steps needed to publish the post.
And this doesn't have to be fancy. A Google Doc or an Excel sheet is a great start.
So start with your most frequent, highest-impact tasks. Like:
✅ Creating content
✅ How you do a sales call
✅ How you respond to customer feedback
✅ How you handle follow-ups
✅ Even how you write your cold emails
Write down each step clearly, and then improve it over time.
And here are two pro tips:
1. Include your scripts - like outreach scripts - right in the checklist.
2. Automate as much as possible.
And when you get a new team member or even if you work on this task, open up the checklist and work your way through it.
You will see you’ll save a ton of time.
What's next
Those are the 5 lessons from $100 million startups to help you speed up your startup growth:
1. Start with a niche
2. Solve a real problem
3. Launch fast
4. Use data
5. Focus on keeping your users
Now, to make your life easier and help you build a successful startup, I’ve got something for you!
A proven 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.
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