In the early stages, focus on organic growth rather than paid users, as relying on paid growth can be misleading and should be avoided as much as possible.

Relying solely on paid acquisition for growth is risky. If your growth depends only on ads, it may not be sustainable in the long run, especially as competition increases.

The best consumer companies often have a growth split of over 80% organic to 20% paid. Relying too heavily on paid growth can lead to increased costs and reduced profitability as competition for ad space intensifies.

It's important to create a holistic marketing strategy that balances brand building with performance marketing, as neglecting one can harm overall effectiveness.

Many founders mistakenly believe that spending on marketing, especially through ads, will guarantee growth, but this often leads to wasted resources without learning valuable lessons.

Organic growth, which is growth that doesn't require payment, is often neglected by founders. For example, at Monzo, we reached a million customers before spending on direct marketing or advertising, primarily through virality and network effects.

In an organic growth company, you don't need to focus on grabbing market share quickly; instead, you should aim for long-term value creation.

For the first 20 crores, prioritize product-driven growth through word of mouth and community engagement rather than relying solely on performance marketing.

Paid growth involves spending money to acquire users. It's important to ensure that the lifetime value of a customer exceeds the cost of acquiring them, or else the growth strategy may not be sustainable.