Growth Levers and How to Find Them

We don’t buy things at random; we buy specific items in specific situations to achieve specific goals. Our actions, including purchases, are based on our beliefs about what can help us achieve those goals.

When hiring for early growth roles, I’m looking for ability, not experience. I worry less about what a candidate has done and more about what they can learn how to do. I want to know whether they’re open, curious, and non-defensive.

This couple could’ve bought a house with all those characteristics four years ago. But they didn’t. The real reason they pulled the trigger is that they realized life is short.

Struggle: Triggers: What situations make them aware of this struggle? What triggers them to start looking? Where are they, literally? Who are they with? What are they trying to do? What’s suddenly changed or happened? Pain: What makes the situation bad? What’s wrong with the current situation before they find your product? What exactly do they hope

Effort: How much time, effort, money, and engineering would be required? Blend those costs into one number from 1 to 5.

This book starts with the premise that your startup’s success depends on the pace and quality of your learning. Our approach boils down to listening to your customers, prioritizing the most impactful work, and rapidly experimenting to find what works best. That sounds reasonable. Could you imagine doing the opposite? (Ignoring your customers, doing

Struggle Unaware: Most of the time, people are unaware of most of their problems. We either ignore them or get by with painful workarounds. In our weight loss example, many prospects don’t even realize they’ve gradually become overweight.

Marketplace: Typically a transaction metric where both sides of the marketplace come together (e.g., buyers and sellers, workers and employers) Airbnb – Nights booked eBay – Gross merchandise volume Uber – Rides per week

Deliberation, execution, hiring, and delegation are all critical; no business succeeds without a healthy blend of those. However, in early-stage startups, these strategies consistently fail for one important reason: missing information.