This is a summary review of Startup Growth Engines containing key details about the book.

What is Startup Growth Engines About?

Startup Growth Engines by Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown explores how companies like Dropbox, Uber, and LinkedIn achieved rapid growth. (Full Summary…)

Startup Growth Engines Summary Review

“Startup Growth Engines: Case Studies of How Today’s Most Successful Startups Unlock Extraordinary Growth” by Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown offers an insightful exploration into the innovative strategies that have propelled today’s fastest-growing startups to unprecedented success. The central theme revolves around the concept of growth hacking, a novel marketing approach that has enabled startups to achieve remarkable user acquisition and value creation without relying on conventional marketing strategies.

The book meticulously dissects the growth trajectories of renowned startups such as Uber, Snapchat, Square, Upworthy, Yelp, GitHub, Hubspot, Evernote, LinkedIn, and Belly. Each case study serves as a detailed exposé on the specific growth engines employed by these companies during their early stages and throughout their development. The authors aptly refer to these strategies as “growth engines,” shedding light on the unique tactics and playbooks that have fueled the extraordinary growth of these startups.

What sets this book apart is its focus on real-world case studies, providing readers with an in-depth understanding of the intricate strategies deployed by successful startups. The case studies unravel the growth hacks, innovative marketing techniques, and unconventional approaches that these startups employed to amass millions of users and generate substantial value. The inclusion of companies like Uber, with its sponsorship of tech events and provision of free rides to the tech community, showcases the diversity and creativity inherent in growth hacking.

The book excels in its presentation of not only the success stories but also the challenges and questions that arise from such rapid growth. The exploration of Upworthy’s transition from political content to emotionally charged content, accompanied by a critical examination of its sustainability, offers valuable insights into the dynamic nature of growth hacking.

Additionally, the authors skillfully incorporate visuals, links to websites, and graphics, enhancing the overall reading experience. The inclusion of these elements contributes to the book’s user-friendliness, making it accessible to a broad audience, from tech-savvy individuals to those interested in conceptual thinking about business growth.

While some readers may find familiarity with the presented facts, the book’s strength lies in its ability to provide comprehensive and informative content. It successfully navigates the balance between technical data and user-friendly presentation, making it an invaluable resource for individuals interested in growth strategies.

“Startup Growth Engines” is not just a compilation of statistics and facts but a thought-provoking exploration of disruptive business models and growth strategies. It serves as a practical guide for those seeking to understand the dynamics of growth hacking and offers a compelling narrative on how startups have revolutionized their industries through innovative and unconventional approaches.

Who is the author of Startup Growth Engines?

Sean Ellis is the author of several novels. He is a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom, and has a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Resources Policy from Oregon State University.

Morgan Brown is a growth product manager at Facebook and a startup marketing veteran with more than 15 years helping early stage companies find traction and breakout growth. With his MBA from the startup school of hard knocks, and a passion for uncovering what makes some companies grow and others fizzle, Morgan puts his expertise in digital marketing to work for businesses of all kinds.

How long is Startup Growth Engines?

• Print length: 166 pages

What genre is Startup Growth Engines?

Business, Entrepreneurship, Nonfiction

What are good quotes from Startup Growth Engines?

“In the past underwhelming products could survive and thrive merely on distribution alone. A bad product, backed by a large television campaign and retail distribution, could find growth and profits for the company, regardless of quality. This is no longer the case. Today, mediocre products can still be launched in this way, but their longevity and returns quickly crash as word of mouth spreads and demand dries up faster than ever before.”

“go viral. We just happened to combine our skills,”

“If you take the lowest common denominator approach using cross platform stuff, you by definition create something that’s average.”
“In just two short years, the Chicago-based startup Belly Card (commonly known as Belly) has helped thousands of small and medium sized businesses overcome customer retention problems through their novel and easy-to-use customer loyalty platform. Their solution is now used by over 5,000 merchants across 46 states, helping them reach well over a million customers.”

“Growth is not just a concern of sales and marketing, but of product, engineering and support too. It is this organization-wide commitment to growth that ultimately sets these companies apart.”

“Belly went against the trend of flash sales to create a more sustainable business model for their small business customer. They developed an affordable subscription-based product that helped these merchants cultivate longer, more meaningful, and more profitable relationships with existing customers—turning them into loyal shoppers who produce a sustainable and more valuable customer base.”

“Growth came from product innovations, unique acquisition channels that their competition hadn’t considered, and rigorous optimization driven by analytics and a deep understanding of their customers.”

“Because Belly hits four important psychological rewards (discovery of something new, achievement through points, status through loyalty, and monetary benefits) the app creates a powerful driver of sharing and adoption.”

“Uber has taken what could be seen as a massive business hurdle—litigation—and turned it into an asset that drives growth.”

“By combining an elegant integrated payments system with a distinctive conversation-triggering piece of hardware, Square has disrupted the credit card payments establishment while making credit card processing more accessible to small businesses everywhere.”

“By reimagining what it meant to take credit card payments, Square was able to catalyze word of mouth while unlocking untapped markets for new customers.”
“Growth hacking is not anti-marketing, it is the evolution of marketing, it is pro-growth.”