GrowthX Experience

After 5 yrs of working with some of the smartest folks in the Indian startup ecosystem at Shiprocket, Cleartax & Cogoport, I still felt that I had a lot more to learn. Practically, I was learning on the job which I think 80%+ folks do for their 50%+ responsibilities. To know about my background, go here.

I has previously known about GrowthX via LinkedIn but never thought much about it before. I started exploring GrowthX after a trigger via this post by Kiran Nair (an ex-GXer). And, I finally applied to see what’s the hoopla is all about. I was already fascinated with the community-building part which I closely saw at IIT Kanpur, Shiprocket & ClearTax. I also wanted to build one at Cogoport but couldn’t build-up a strong case due to other strategic priorities.

Foot in the door

Now, let's fast forward to the moment when I first set foot in GrowthX. I had missed my initial interview due to personal circumstances but managed to secure a slot just before Diwali. The interview process was well-structured, involving a small group session where a GX moderator presented a growth problem statement to a group of 8-10 folks. Our task was to increase the stagnant revenue of Hinge within India. We were expected to explore the product, understand its market, and identify potential problems. I vaguely recall that I was asked to suggest 1-2 points on “why is the revenue stagnant in India?”. I prepared points on onboarding & CRO but most of that was already covered by folks before me. So, I had to dig deeper and mentioned about the lack of growth loops like strong referral & partner program for matchmakers & happy customers.

I liked how the moderator said to not talk about the solution but rather problems & product constraints like once-in-lifetime usage product, channel-product fit, onboarding leakage funnel, engagement hooks & pricing-market inefficiency.

The interview felt less like a test and more like a collaborative problem-solving exercise. I was fascinated by the emphasis on community and structured approach to problem-solving in GrowthX, which finalized my decision to join. Within 36 hours, I received the acceptance email and immediately joined the GX18 Batch starting in January 2024.

As the program start date approached, my reasons for choosing GrowthX became clearer:

• To learn growth as a discipline to solve impactful, purpose-driven problems in a collaborative environment.
• To become part of a community that encourages diverse ideas and avoids echo chambers.
• To adopt a structured approach to identify and prioritize work that brings both purpose and pleasure.

Learning by doing

The GrowthX experience is not just about learning. It's about applying what we learn to real-world situations. This was evident in the Immersion Program, where we applied growth fundamentals to real products, and the Capstone Project, where we tackled a real problem of a real product (Perfora).

Feel free to explore the projects I initially thought were impossible to complete on-time but were able to do it right before the deadlines (max 15 mins):

1. Immersion Program: Learn growth fundamentals by applying to real products

   GrowthX Immersion Program | Projects

   

   Shiprocket Amplify | Acquisition

   

   Cleartax | Onboarding

   

   Cleartax | Engagement & Retention

   

   Cleartax | Monetisation
2. Capstone: Learn end-2-end growth problem-solving by applying to a real problem of a real product

   

   GrowthX Capstone | Project

   

   Perfora | Growth Strategy

   Note: The capstone was one of the most intense & transforming experiences of my life, period. More on this later.

   

3. Crafts: Learn specialised growth crafts from industry veterans
   • Data Led Growth (DLG) by Tanmay Nagori: More about it here.
   • Partnership Led Growth (PLG) by Ashutosh Cheulkar. More about it here.
   • Brand Led Growth (BLG) by Swati Mohan. More about it here.

   GX Crafts | Projects

   

   Google Calendar | Data-led Growth

   

   Reforge | Partnerships-led Growth

GrowthX: Community for Growth of India

GrowthX is more than a program - it's a community for growth in India. I want to leave you with some insights shared by one of my favorite GXers about "Selling: Ditch Ads & Make Stories" during a GrowthX podcast episode. You can listen to the full episode here.

• “As a leader, focus on creating public goods that allow other people to innovate. Don’t just think about the short-term.”
• “Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. As long as you’re not making the same stupid mistake twice, you’re learning and adding value.”
• “Always focus on input, not output. Input metrics are what you should be looking at to measure success.”
• “Content is bigger than advertising. Stories are what works. Make it work, forget whatever you’ve learned about advertising.”
• “The best salespeople are storytellers. Tell stories of redemption, struggle, and victory.”
• “Don’t listen to people who say you need to be an extrovert to be in sales. You don’t need any of that.”

Join me on this journey of growth and learning at GrowthX. You can sign up here.