We plan to bring eChai across 100 cities in India. It starts with eChai Startup Demo Day on 26 September, all in person. 11 cities confirmed, 305 founders registered. Any city that reaches 20 interested founders is on too. See your city
Grow & market

What are the 'four fits' I need before growth compounds?

Brian Balfour's model: market-product, product-channel, channel-model, and model-market fit all have to line up. Growth feels effortless when they align and impossible when they don't, no matter how hard you push tactics. Nail the fits before you optimize campaigns.

Go deeper

2 resources, 2 link-checked.

📄 Article
✓ Link checked Free Advanced

The most influential framework for why growth feels effortless for some companies and impossible for others; essential reading before optimizing any tactic.

Four Fits for $100M+ Growth

From brianbalfour.com by Brian Balfour Multi-part essay series

  • You need market-product, product-channel, channel-model and model-market fit to align.
  • Channels won't adapt to your product; your product must fit the channel.
  • The fits form one ecosystem, so a weakness in any one caps your growth.
Open brianbalfour.com →
📄 Article
✓ Link checked Freemium Intermediate

Based on studying 100+ consumer companies, Lenny shows that lasting growth comes from becoming world-class at one growth engine, viral, SEO, or paid, rather than dabbling in all three.

The Growth Engine: Kickstarting & Scaling a Consumer Business (Step 6)

From Lenny's Newsletter by Lenny Rachitsky ~20 min read

  • Most successful startups run on a single dominant growth engine.
  • The three engines are viral/word-of-mouth, content/SEO, and paid.
  • Pick one and become world-class before layering on a second.
Open lennysnewsletter.com →

People also ask

What growth metrics should I actually track as an early-stage startup? 3 → How do I know if I have product-market fit before I try to grow? 2 → What is a growth loop and why is it better than a funnel? 2 → How should I set up a simple growth model or dashboard? 3 → Why did my marketing channel stop working after a few months? 2 → How do I calculate my North Star metric when I have both free and paid users? 3 →

Also in D2C

The same ground, over in Run paid ads, our D2C track.

What actually makes an ad creative convert in 2025? 4 → How is Google Ads different from Meta ads for my D2C brand? 3 →

Also in D2C

The same ground, over in Grow organically & retain, our D2C track.

How do I build a referral program that people actually use, not one that just sits unused in my Shopify admin? 4 → Should I be on Instagram, YouTube Shorts, and Pinterest, or just pick one? Where do I actually put my limited time? 4 →

Also in How Founders Use AI

How founders actually use AI for this, over in Ads & Performance Marketing.

How do founders use AI to generate and test ad creatives at scale? 18 → Why use AI for audience research, copy variants, and campaign analysis? 19 →

Also in GTM

The same ground, over in Let the product sell, our GTM track.

What does product-led growth actually mean, and how is it different from just having a free trial? 6 → Everyone says find your aha moment. What is it actually, and how do I find ours? 5 →

Also in GTM

The same ground, over in Keep and grow the customers you win, our GTM track.

When should I hire my first customer success person? 5 → What is net revenue retention and why does every investor keep asking me for it? 5 →
eChai Partner Brands