Build A Growth Machine
I'm Brian Balfour, Founder/CEO of Reforge, previously VP Growth @ HubSpot. I've started multiple VC backed companies, and grown user bases to millions of daily active users. I write detailed essays on growth and user acquisition that have been featured in Forbes, Hacker Monthly, and OnStartups to help you build a growth machine.
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Growth @ Uber
"Brian's thoughtful writings on growth touch on key strategic and tactical considerations, making his blog a must-read."
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Founder KISSMetrics
"Brian writes thorough, structured actionable posts about growth and user acquisition. Every post of his is a must read."
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CEO AppSumo
"Brian has been at forefront of growth marketing, virtual goods and social networks. He spends a lot of time writing in-depth posts with lots of meaty goodness for sharing :)"
Growth Strategy + The Four Fits Framework
The Four Fits For $100M+ Growth
This is the framework I use to evaluate and drive growth strategy for my portfolio companies.
Why Product Market Fit Isn't Enough
We have become over focused on product market fit. Here is why it is just the beginning, what's needed to achieve it, and how to measure it.
Product Channel Fit
Execution won't matter unless you have product channel fit. Here is what it is and how to find it.
Channel Model Fit
Most focus on LTV:CAC. But that is typically not the limiting factor for channel growth. It is Channel Model fit.
Learning Growth + Customer Acquisition
7 Principles To Master Growth
7 foundational principles to follow to excel as a growth practitioner.
How To Become A Customer Acquisition Expert
The guide I wish I had when I started to learn customer acquisition and growth.
Seek Authentic Growth
The cycle of meaningless growth and how to avoid it.
Retention + Engagement
The One Metric That Moves Acquisition, Monetization, and Virality
Everyone has heard retention is important, but why? We break down how retention influences the rest of your growth model.
Why Retention Is The Silent Killer
Why retention is still the #1 factor for why a product fails highlights some important lessons of how we should be thinking about it.
Retention Is Getting Harder, Here Is Why
Retention is the differentiator between the top performing companies and everyone else. Why is it getting harder to execute against?
How Patreon Doubled Activation
A quick case on how Patreon doubled their activation rate.
High Performance Growth Teams
How To Run Growth Meetings That Get Results
One great meeting can save you from countless additional mediocre meetings. Here is how to implement and get results.
Why Focus Wins
I have come very close to a few very big wins in my career. Close, is the key word in that sentence. Here is the one thing that was missing.
Be The Best At Getting Better
Learning is a competitive advantage in the long run. Here is how to get the best at it.
Advanced Courses
I co-host selective 8 week programs designed for experienced practitioners with some of the most amazing leaders from Uber, Pinterest, Grubhub, Atlassian, SurveyMonkey, LinkedIn, Google and more. Every program is designed to apply to your role/product today to create meaningful impact.
Growth Series
The Reforge Growth Series focuses on actionable/applicable frameworks to help you construct a cohesive strategy and system around growth for your product. This program is best for product/marketing/data team leads (or soon to be team leads).
Deep Dive: Growth Modeling
The Reforge Deep Dive on Growth Modeling is taught by myself, Casey Winters (former Pinterest/Grubhub), Kevin Kwok (Greylock Ventures), and Andrew Chen (former Uber). The program goes deep on the most important tool and skill for any growth professional, building and optimizing your growth model.
Retention + Engagement Series
The Reforge Retention and Engagement series is taught by myself, Casey Winters (former Pinterest/Grubhub), Shaun Clowes (former Atlassian), and Andrew Chen (former Uber). The program is an intense deep dive on how to create and solve key problems around retention and engagement.
Data For Product Managers
Data Analysis and Analytical Thinking is one of the foundations for any great growth practitioner. This program focuses on these abilities through real world growth problems/projects. It is designed to help you apply these abilities immediately to your product and company.