Five Laws of Growth

Non-negotiable laws for every growth function.

1️⃣ Product Market Fit (PMF), then data, then growth.
Growth creates the maximum product distribution via the scientific method. This applies to brand-new companies or new products within an existing company.

• PMF first: focusing on the distribution of a product that is not yet ready, often leads to PMF failure.

• Data second: few intuitive wins are great, but are not sustainable. To create predictability, it is necessary to apply the scientific method, which needs data.

2️⃣ Scale with frameworks, not hacking.
Frameworks help create a replicable process for problem-solving, learning, and wins. A hack is okay, but it won’t be a scalable effort.

3️⃣ Build loops, not funnels.
Loops are flywheels where outputs are reinvested as inputs, creating self-sustained compounding growth. Funnels are linear, with constant pressure on the top of the funnel, and no amount of new channels, dollars, or tactics will ever be enough to fill at scale. Successful growth leverages funnels to feed loops but prioritizes building loops.

4️⃣ Growth is evolution, not revolution.
Growth evolution = lasting success by creating a predictable, sustainable, competitively defensible growth system. Revolution brings chaos, unpredictability, and a high likelihood of rejection (internal or by market). From investing in growth internally vs. bringing an outside leader to expanding to adjacent users vs. picking a brand new persona - evolution is always a winning path.

5️⃣ Embrace failure turned into learning.
The growth team aims to discover the biggest perception and reality gaps in existing product<>customer interaction. Applying the scientific method, such as experimentation, is the most predictable way to speed up this discovery. The process leverages failures to refine hypotheses and deliver wins. The growth team goal should learn (and be allowed to fail) regularly.

P.S. Substack is the new home for my long(ish)-form posts.