Scaling to $10M ARR: How 10 Founders Cracked the Code (and You Can Too!) ??
Jagadish Velagapudi
Business Growth Planning & Execution | Go to Market Strategies | Sales & Pre-sales Support
Let’s be honest—scaling a business sometimes feels like climbing Mount Everest... without oxygen... and in flip-flops. ?? But guess what? Plenty of founders have done it, and their stories are loaded with lessons that’ll make your journey a little less crazy.
Actually I thought of starting this news letter with insights and strategies. But decided to get inspired first.
Inspiring stories from various founders who cracked the scaling phase.
Here are 10 epic tales of founders who hit that magical $10M ARR mark—featuring some brilliant minds from India too!
Every story needs a long detailed overview but for now let's just assure ourselves that its doable with brief founder inspiring snippets.
"$10M is the new $1 Million", for weekly insights, strategies, and success stories to fuel your growth.
Let's get into these founders' business growth snippets. Last one comes up in all guides for a startups, one of founders' favorite stories.
1. Palash Soni - Goldcast
Challenge: User engagement tanked due to a clunky interface.
Key Move: Revamped the user experience and pivoted to a full-blown video content platform. Outcome: Customers loved it, retention rates soared, and Goldcast became a B2B marketer’s BFF. ??
Pro Tip: Sometimes, listening to your users is all the pivot you need.
2. Kunal Shah - Cred
Challenge: Breaking into a competitive fintech market.
Key Move: Focused on making paying credit card bills rewarding and oddly addictive (hello, coins and perks! ??).
Outcome: Millennials and Gen Z jumped on board, pushing CRED to elite startup status.
Pro Tip: Find a boring task (like paying bills) and make it ridiculously fun.
CRED Kunal Shah (His tweets are also famous)
3. Vlad Magdalin - Webflow
Challenge: Over-reliance on freelancers limited growth.
Key Move: Built in-house marketing teams and shifted focus to enterprise clients.
Outcome: Webflow became the name in no-code website building. ???
Pro Tip: Know when to grow your own team instead of outsourcing.
4. Ritesh Agarwal - OYO Rooms
Challenge: Rapid growth led to inconsistent quality across properties.
Key Move: Invested in tech-driven property management and formed win-win partnerships with local hotel owners. ??
Outcome: OYO became the poster child for Indian startups going global.
Pro Tip: A solid tech backbone can do wonders for scalability.
5. Soham Mehta - Interview Kickstart
Challenge: Funding roadblocks stalled expansion plans.
Key Move: Raised $10 million to scale up course offerings and upgrade the tech platform. ??
Outcome: Became a leader in tech interview prep, helping thousands land dream jobs.
Pro Tip: When your product has proven value, don’t hesitate to invest in scaling it up.
6. Harsh Jain - Dream11
Challenge: Convincing users (and regulators) that fantasy sports weren’t just gambling.
Key Move: Educated the market, partnered with big names like IPL, and made sports fans feel like strategists. ????
Outcome: Dream11 became a household name, dominating the fantasy sports industry.
Pro Tip: Tackling legal and trust issues upfront can clear the path for rapid growth.
7. Eric Yuan - Zoom
Challenge: Competing with giants like Skype and Google Meet.
Key Move: Made video calls seamless, reliable, and almost fun (remember those virtual backgrounds? ??).
Outcome: Became a lifeline for remote workers during the pandemic.
Pro Tip: Exceptional reliability can turn a good product into a global sensation.
8. Melanie Perkins - Canva
Challenge: Getting non-designers hooked in a crowded design tools market.
Key Move: Simplified the design process and leaned on viral marketing with user-generated content. ??
Outcome: Everyone from bloggers to CEOs fell in love, propelling Canva to massive success.
Pro Tip: Solve for accessibility, and the users will come.
I am a paid user of Canva. Love what they have done for non-designers like me.
9. Ankur Warikoo - Nearbuy
Challenge: The hyperlocal deals market was messy and unstructured.
Key Move: Focused on user-friendly design and curated quality deals.
Outcome: Nearbuy became the go-to app for everything from spa bookings to food discounts. ????♂?
Pro Tip: Make your product the easiest and most reliable option in a chaotic market.
Note: Paytm acquired Nearbuy in December 2017
Ankur is helping many people in multiple ways with his actionable learning courses.
10. Brian Chesky - Airbnb
Challenge: Scaling globally while maintaining trust in the community.
Key Move: Introduced host verification and built a strong sense of community among users. ??
Outcome: Became the world’s favorite travel accommodation platform.
Pro Tip: Community-building is your secret weapon for growth.
Top Takeaways (a.k.a. Your Cheat Sheet) ??
Scaling doesn’t have to feel like you’re reinventing the wheel. Take notes from these founders, and you might just hit your $10M ARR goal faster than you think. ??
What’s your biggest takeaway? Drop a comment or share this with a fellow entrepreneur who could use some inspo! ???
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