Why Growth stops working, and how AI startups can hit 10x

Fast growth is exciting, but it hides what’s actually driving it. Building a scalable growth system

I’ve seen this again and again in my work with AI founders. The first wave of users comes in fast, through your network, early buzz, or strong product intuition. But soon, growth feels unpredictable.

Some weeks are great. Others feel off. You start asking yourself:

• Where is the traction really coming from?

• Which channels are actually driving ROI?

• What deserves my next euro of spend?

You’re not losing momentum, you’re losing visibility. And that’s what kills scale.

Every growth curve flattens eventually, especially if you don’t know what’s sustaining it. In early stages, you can grow customers faster than revenue. But without understanding which customers generate compounding value, the line between them gets flatter every month.

That’s why foundations matter. Not as a process checklist, but as the operating system that tells you what’s working and why.

My approach: the “Signal Stack”

When I come into a company, this is where I start. I call it the Signal Stack, a simple framework for founders to find and measure their next compounding signal.

1. Product signal: Which use cases keep users coming back?

2. Market signal: Who’s actually paying, renewing, or expanding?

3. Channel signal: Which motions create efficient acquisition?

4. Story signal: Which message consistently converts?

The goal is simple: Track, test, and double down on what’s creating growth.

Field Note: The ICP shift that doubled growth

I worked with an AI SaaS company in early growth (~$1M ARR). They had a great product designed for mid-market businesses, yet most of their customers were small startups. They converted fast but churned faster.

We reframed the ICP, shifted channels from broad paid to targeted LinkedIn outreach, and refined their narrative to speak directly to the buying cycles pain points.

Same budget. Same team. 2× qualified pipeline in 90 days.

That’s what happens when you track the right signals instead of chasing new ones.

How to build your foundation for a scalable growth system 

You don’t need a big team or complex stack to get this right. You just need discipline in how you look at growth.

Start here:

• Audit what’s working (and who it’s working for) 

• Set up basic tracking, attribution, retention, win/loss

• Identify the top 2 channels that convert consistently 

• Refine your positioning until it speaks to one ICP 

• Measure success by signal strength, not speed

This is what separates the startups that hit their first plateau from those that keep compounding.

The mindset shift

Foundations aren’t about slowing down. They’re about creating the clarity that makes fast growth repeatable.

The best founders I work with don’t ask “how do we grow faster?” They ask, “what’s really driving our growth, and how do we scale that?”

Coming next: “GROWTH , When the curve flattens”

Every company hits the plateau. The best ones see it early, and use it as a map.

I’ll share how to diagnose a flattening curve, how to reallocate resources, and what to fix first when momentum stalls.

If you’re scaling past $2M ARR and want structured growth thinking, let’s talk.