The document discusses the Founders Growth Machine, a process for testing growth experiments in a structured way. It involves maintaining a backlog of experiment ideas, documenting each experiment in a template, and tracking experiments through a pipeline. This provides structure, visibility, and improved learning about what growth tactics work best. The key is applying it with rigor and focus on learning, not just activity. Resources for the Growth Machine process are available for free online.

1. THE GROWTH MACHINE
Doing growth hacking the right way
- including free resources and templates -
based on hands-on execution from growing 10+ companies

2. Uber got their first 10.000 drives mostly
from early adopter advocacy in the tech
crowds of San Francisco
Dropbox got 70.000 users overnight by
creating a 2 min video intended for a
Digg audience
Airbnb hustled their first $30k by
designing politically themed cereal
boxes
Dropbox got 70.000 users overnight by creating a
2 min video intended for a Digg audience
What works
for them will
not work for
you…

3. Uber got their first 10.000 drives mostly
from early adopter advocacy in the tech
crowds of San Francisco
Dropbox got 70.000 users overnight by
creating a 2 min video intended for a
Digg audience
Dropbox got 70.000 users overnight by creating a
2 min video intended for a Digg audience
What works
for them will
not work for
you…
Airbnb hustled their first $30k by
designing politically themed cereal
boxes

4. Dropbox got 70.000 users overnight by
creating a 2 min video intended for a
Digg audience
Dropbox got 70.000 users overnight by creating a
2 min video intended for a Digg audience
What works
for them will
not work for
you…
Uber got their first 10.000 drives mostly
from early adopter advocacy in the tech
crowds of San Francisco
Airbnb hustled their first $30k by
designing politically themed cereal
boxes

6. THIS IS BULLSHIT

8. In 1948 Brownie Wise invented the
Tupperware Party to distribute the
product

9. It was the first growth hack

10. The way your customers meet your
product is part of your product

11. “Your audience is different
Your product is different
Your customer journey is different
Your BUSINESS is different”
Brian Balfour

12. This is a story about PROCESS

13. This is a story about PROCESS
Why?

19. The number one reason that we pass on
entrepreneurs we’d otherwise like to back
is that they focus on product to the
exclusion of everything else...
Many entrepreneurs who build great
products simply don’t have a good
distribution strategy. Even worse is
when they insist that they don’t need one,
or call no distribution strategy a “viral
marketing strategy”.
– Marc Andreesen
“
”

20. All Growth Machine tools are free to download
Download the Growth Machine template
Companies using the Founders Growth Machine

21. Our story

22. In the process of
building 10+
companies we did
several experiments

23. Complication
Many opportunities
Lack of insights
So much noise

24. Outcome
No prioritization
No awareness of impact vs. costs
No learning

25. NOT ABLE TO
SEE ANYTHING

27. We needed a structure
We needed a process
to provide us the tactics

28. We needed a GROWTH MACHINE

29. Founders Growth Machine
- the process for finding your silver bullet -
Backlog
Experiment doc
Pipeline

30. The Backlog
- to quickly list, score and prioritize experiments -
Backlog
Experiment doc
Pipeline

31. 1 2 3
List all good ideas
for innovative
experiments
Quickly define
each activity on
expected result,
time to be used
and costs
Distinguish
between
acquisition,
awareness and
other activities
The Backlog
- to quickly list, score and prioritize experiments -

32. Structured according to AARRR funnel
The Backlog
- to quickly list, score and prioritize experiments -
1 2 3
List all good ideas
for innovative
experiments
Quickly define
each activity on
expected result,
time to be used
and costs
Distinguish
between
acquisition,
awareness and
other activities

33. The Experiment Document
- to document experiments and learnings -
Backlog
Experiment doc
Pipeline

34. Describe the ac.vity you would
like to promote – keep it simple!
1
The Experiment Document
- to document experiments and learnings -
Structure:
1. Objective
2. Hypothesis
3. Experiment design
1. Expected results
2. Expected costs
3. Gut feeling score (1-5)
1. Results
2. Learnings (why)
3. Next steps

35. Describe the ac.vity you would
like to promote – keep it simple!
1
2
The Experiment Document
- to document experiments and learnings -
Quickly and simply describe
purpose, hypothesis, experiment
design
Structure:
1. Objective
2. Hypothesis
3. Experiment design
1. Expected results
2. Expected costs
3. Gut feeling score (1-5)
1. Results
2. Learnings (why)
3. Next steps

36. Describe the ac.vity you would
like to promote – keep it simple!
1
2
The Experiment Document
- to document experiments and learnings -
Quickly and simply describe
purpose, hypothesis, experiment
design
3
Take advantage of wri3ng things
down before doing anything else
Structure:
1. Objective
2. Hypothesis
3. Experiment design
1. Expected results
2. Expected costs
3. Gut feeling score (1-5)
1. Results
2. Learnings (why)
3. Next steps

37. Structure:
1. Objective
2. Hypothesis
3. Experiment design
1. Expected results
2. Expected costs
3. Gut feeling score (1-5)
1. Results
2. Learnings (why)
3. Next steps
Completed
before
experiment
Completed
after
experiment
Describe the ac.vity you would
like to promote – keep it simple!
1
2
3
The Experiment Document
- to document experiments and learnings -
Quickly and simply describe
purpose, hypothesis, experiment
design
Take advantage of wri3ng things
down before doing anything else

38. Backlog
Experiment doc
Pipeline
The Pipeline
- to track and get overview of experiments -

39. 1 2 3
Place all your
promoted
experiments in the
Pipeline
Quickly define
each activity on
expected result,
time to be used
and costs
Distinguish
between
acquisition,
awareness and
other activities
The Pipeline
- to track and get overview of experiments -

40. The tools mentioned above are all free at
growth.founders.as
Download the Growth Machine template
Companies using the Founders Growth Machine

41. How to apply the Growth Machine
Epiphany
of a new
growth
hack
Put it in
the
Backlog.
Fill out
step 1-6
in the
experimen
t doc.
Discuss
steps 1-6
at the
weekly
meeting.
Promote
to
Pipeline,
start exp.
Reflect
on WHY.
Note
down
learnings.
Present
findings at
the
growth
meeting.
1
2
3
45
6
7

42. What we got out of it
More structure
Better visibility
Improved learning
A simple and
structured
overview of our
marketing
experiments
Better tracking of
performance by
comparing initial
hypothesis with
actual results
Better
understanding of
what works and not
- and WHY

43. BUT…

44. A TOOL IS ONLY AS GOOD AS THE
PERSON APPLYING IT
Learning & Impact
over
Activity & Ideas
RIGOROUS
DISCIPLINE
Main Purpose is to
Learn & Become better

45. It’s a MINDSET
A TOOL IS ONLY AS GOOD AS THE
PERSON APPLYING IT
Learning & Impact
over
Activity & Ideas
RIGOROUS
DISCIPLINE
Main Purpose is to
Learn & Become better

46. All resources mentioned in this presentation are available for free
growth.founders.as
Download the Growth Machine template for free
Companies using the Founders Growth Machine