Why it matters
Growth is the work of finding what makes more of the right people get value from a product, then doing more of it on purpose. That sounds simple, but most teams skip the basics and jump straight to channels and tactics.
This station gives you the shared language of every growth team: how a funnel is measured, why one metric should guide the work, how loops differ from funnels, and why nothing scales before product-market fit.
After this station you can
- Explain the AARRR funnel and where it falls short
- Pick a North Star Metric for a product and defend the choice
- Tell a growth loop from a funnel, with an example of each
- Recognise the signs that a product has, or lacks, product-market fit
Every resource below is free to read or watch online. Links open in a new tab.
1.1 What growth is
| Resource | Type | Level | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Startup = Growth — Paul GrahamExplains why growth rate defines a startup and how weekly growth targets shape every decision. | Essay | Beginner | 25 min |
| Growth Hacker is the new VP Marketing — Andrew ChenThe essay that framed growth as a blend of product, data and marketing, with the Airbnb-Craigslist example. | Essay | Beginner | 10 min |
1.2 Frameworks: AARRR & beyond
| Resource | Type | Level | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Startup Metrics for Pirates (AARRR) — Dave McClureThe original AARRR funnel deck: acquisition, activation, retention, referral and revenue, with example metrics. | Slides | Beginner | 20 min |
| There's only a few ways to scale user growth, and here's the list — Andrew ChenNarrows growth down to a short list of scalable acquisition engines so you stop chasing random tactics. | Essay | Intermediate | 10 min |
1.3 North Star & metric trees
| Resource | Type | Level | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| What is a metric tree? The complete guide with examples — MixpanelShows how to break one top-level metric into input metrics that teams can actually move. | Guide | Beginner | 15 min |
| North Star Playbook — AmplitudeStep-by-step method for choosing a North Star metric and its inputs, with workshop exercises and examples. | Guide | Intermediate | 1 h |
| An Introduction to Metric Trees — Count.coExplains how metric trees link company goals to operational drivers and how to build one. | Article | Intermediate | 15 min |
1.4 Loops vs funnels
| Resource | Type | Level | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Growth Loops are the New Funnels — Brian Balfour, Casey Winters, Kevin Kwok, Andrew Chen (Reforge)Explains why closed loops, where output feeds new input, model compounding growth better than funnels. | Article | Intermediate | 20 min |
| Why the best way to drive viral growth is to increase retention and engagement — Andrew ChenShows how retention feeds referral loops, so improving one stage compounds across the whole system. | Essay | Intermediate | 10 min |
1.5 Product-market fit
| Resource | Type | Level | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it feels like when you've found product-market fit — Lenny Rachitsky (Product Hunt)Founders describe the concrete signs of product-market fit, which helps you recognise it or its absence. | Article | Beginner | 10 min |
| The only thing that matters (Pmarca Guide to Startups, part 4) — Marc AndreessenThe essay that popularised product-market fit and argues market matters more than team or product. | Essay | Beginner | 15 min |
| Do Things that Don't Scale — Paul GrahamWhy early growth comes from manual, hands-on work like recruiting users one by one. | Essay | Beginner | 25 min |
| How Superhuman Built an Engine to Find Product/Market Fit — Rahul Vohra (First Round Review)A repeatable way to measure product-market fit with the 40% survey and use it to guide the roadmap. | Article | Intermediate | 25 min |
| Casey's Guide to Finding Product/Market Fit — Casey WintersAn operator's practical guide to searching for product-market fit and knowing when you have it. | Guide | Intermediate | 20 min |
1.6 The growth process
| Resource | Type | Level | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| The First Step To Building A Growth Machine — Brian BalfourArgues for a repeatable experiment process before tactics, and outlines how to run that process. | Essay | Intermediate | 15 min |
| What Are Growth Teams For, and What Do They Work On? — Casey WintersClarifies the job of a growth team and which kinds of work belong on its roadmap. | Essay | Intermediate | 15 min |
Exercise.txt — Map one product's growth
- Pick a product you use every week.
- Write its AARRR funnel: one line for how it handles each stage.
- Propose a North Star Metric and two input metrics that drive it.
- Draw the loop that brings it new users, if it has one. If it doesn't, say what is missing.
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Terms in this station
AARRRNorth Star MetricInput metricGrowth loopFunnelProduct-market fit
On the bookshelf
Paid books that go deeper on this station: Hacking Growth by Sean Ellis & Morgan Brown, The Lean Startup by Eric Ries, Measure What Matters by John Doerr. See the full bookshelf.