Essays
Opinions and field notes from someone in the trenches.
Opinion meets evidence in the growth essays collected here. None of these are thought-leadership filler. They're GTM opinions formed from watching funnels break, pricing experiments fail, and channel bets pay off at ratios nobody predicted. The premise running through every growth strategy essay on this page: most conventional wisdom in SaaS growth is wrong, outdated, or borrowed from a context that doesn't apply to your situation.
You'll find essays on pricing, positioning, channel sequencing, CAC payback traps, and the org dynamics that make growth hard inside real companies. Read them when you're about to make a decision and want a second opinion that won't hedge or default to 'it depends.' Some you'll agree with, some you won't. That's the point.
All essays posts
44 results · sorted by most read
№105RevenueCredits Are the New Seats (And They'll Die the Same Way)
A framework for choosing the AI pricing model that actually fits your product.
№086RevenueWhy is June.so joining Amplitude? and what does it mean for Growth Hackers and GTM Engineers?
the story behind 2 product analytics tools merging and how to make sure that you don't get crushed between these 2.
№087AcquisitionAgent-First GTM : How AI Agents Let Jacob Bank Run a One-Person GTM at Relay.app
From zero users to 1,000 paying customers, (no ads, no growth team) just a founder, a swarm of AI agents, six-star support, and one high-leverage channel per stage.
№097AcquisitionGrowth Funnels vs. Growth Loops
Funnels leak. Loops compound. A practical guide to designing growth that feeds itself.
№060RevenueHow Ben Horowitz defines Good Product Manager vs Bad Product Manager?
№081AcquisitionHow Anthropic and Claude.ai Hacked Growth – Can you Adopt anything From It?
From stealth to $60 B: the growth hacks behind Anthropic & Claude.ai that every AI startup can steal
№010AcquisitionHow "Customer obsession" helped build a multi-million dollar company - The Story of Freo (MoneyTap)
№031ActivationProblem Validation vs. Solution Validation vs. Product Validation - Understand the Difference
№100RevenueGaaS Is Coming: What Jensen Huang’s GTC Keynote Means for Growth Teams
Learn why seat compression is killing SaaS revenue, how Intercom's $0.99/resolution model hit nine-figure ARR, and 5 moves growth
№035AcquisitionWhy 95% of the Startups fail? and How to Break the Cycle
Key Mistakes to Avoid as a First-Time Founder!
№114RetentionCustomer Retention Metrics: The 12 That Matter Most
A reference to the customer retention metrics worth tracking: what each measures, what good looks like for SaaS, and which one to make your north star.
№088AcquisitionHacking Growth with GPT-5
turn gpt-5 into an always-on growth engine: measurable, repeatable, fast.
№085ReferralHow we used our Existing Users to Gain More Users?
with Real-World Examples & Implementation Tips...
№041ActivationSo, You're Thinking About Product-Led Growth (PLG), Huh?
№115RetentionCustomer Acquisition and Retention: How to Balance Both
Why acquisition and retention are one growth system, where they meet in LTV:CAC, and how to weight the two by stage.
№083AcquisitionWhat happens when you don't steal like an artist? and 24 products that failed...
Twenty-four copycats, twenty-four shutdowns, what their collapse teaches about real innovation
№077RetentionHarmful Side Effects of Designing UX in Vacuum.
Why solo-designer magic turns into product mayhem, and five quick fixes to break the bubble.
№110RetentionWhat Is Customer Retention (and Why It Decides Growth)
A plain-English definition of customer retention, why it beats acquisition on the math, and how to measure it.
№006AcquisitionA/B testing a product feature - Straight Forward
![Misinterpreting and Finding the [REAL] Product-Market Fit](/_next/image?url=%2Fmedia%2Fposts%2Fmisinterpreting-and-finding-the-real%2F00-image.webp&w=3840&q=75&dpl=dpl_6EVNVFhUpLHXpNZo4MNLYaxGKdSb)
№032RetentionMisinterpreting and Finding the [REAL] Product-Market Fit
№112AcquisitionWhat Is Customer Acquisition (and What It Costs)
A plain-English definition of customer acquisition, the funnel it runs through, what it costs by industry, and how it stacks up against retention.
№093RevenueGrowth experiment that turned inbound sign-ups into high-ticket deals
The Juicy Customer Workflow: How We Turned Random Inbound Sign-ups into High-Ticket Deals
№073RevenueWhy Startups Should Be Customer-Obsessed, Not Product or Sales-Obsessed
Stop Worshiping Your Product—Your Customers Don’t Care (Yet!)
№069AcquisitionHow PLG Outperforms Traditional Sales Strategies in B2B?
Product-Led Growth is transforming B2B growth strategies, reducing acquisition costs, and empowering users to drive organic expansion.
№037RevenueResults-Driven Growth Hacking by Rishikesh - Consultancy
Working with me is a roadmap to sustainable, and exponential growth.
№020RetentionProduct Growth: Leveraging Product Metrics, Cohorts, and Counter-Metrics for Sustainable Success
№094RevenueFor Founders: How a GTM Engineer Can Unblock Your Revenue Engine.
Introducing the hybrid role that combines engineering discipline with revenue obsession.
№075ActivationUser Onboarding - How a Little Friction Can Boost Your Product’s Success!!!
Striking the Right Balance Between Easy Sign-Ups and Truly Engaged Users. How much frictionLess is too much frictionLess?
№092AcquisitionStart Here
Where growth hacking meets GTM engineering (and nothing is just theory)
№074AcquisitionIf Your Product Is Perfect, Then Why Is NO one Listening?
Tired of Being Ignored? Let’s Fix Your Product Positioning! - Straight-Talk Strategies to Grab Attention in a Busy World
№014AcquisitionThe Importance of Product Positioning in Marketing
№011RevenueHow Stack Overflow achieved product growth by treating different people differently
№001ActivationStory of Yelp's Product Growth: From a Slow Start to a Must-Have Service
№023ActivationUtilizing Customer Journeys, User Research, and Data Metrics for Product Growth Success
№009AcquisitionUser Behaviour Tracking: How Understanding User Behaviour drives the growth of your Product.
№038AcquisitionViral Growth of UPI in India and the World
How and Why UPI is Growing?
№025AcquisitionField of Dreams Fallacy: Why just building your product is not enough? Part II
№007RetentionHow Data Analysis and User Experience Strategies Led to Unprecedented Growth of Twitter.
№004AcquisitionThe Field of Dreams Fallacy: Why Building a Great Product Isn't Enough?
№024RetentionGamification to Fuel Sustainable Product Growth
№015AcquisitionWho are Product Marketing Managers? What does a product marketing manager do?
№008AcquisitionStand Out from the Crowd: The Importance of Product Positioning
№028RetentionMeasuring Success in Product-Led Growth
№026Acquisition