Everything works. Nothing works. Here’s why.
The biggest organic growth myth I had to unlearn.
Hi fam!
When I started building Olympia, my AI SaaS company, I did what most first-time founders do: I tried everything.
Cold outreach. Twitter threads. SEO articles. Instagram reels. PR campaign. Tiny partnerships.
And for a long time, it felt like I was stuck in an endless loop of hustle, constantly chasing the next quick win.
At first, I thought I needed to find the one tactic that would finally unlock growth. But the real breakthrough didn’t come from a single hack — it came from a mindset shift.
Key insight
Then I realized:
Everything works, but nothing works in isolation.
That’s the paradox no one talks about in early-stage growth. Founders see playbooks everywhere — "LinkedIn is the answer," "SEO is everything," "Build in public or you’ll fail" — and try to copy individual tactics without building a cohesive system.
Why nothing works alone
The hard truth is that no single tactic can carry your business alone.
Organic growth is a slow, compound game. You’re building trust, brand, and momentum all at once. If these layers aren’t designed to work together, your growth remains random and fragile.
What actually works: a cohesive system
Over time, I learned that strong organic growth needs multiple "trust-building layers" working together like gears in a machine.
Here are the core pillars I used to take Olympia to $6K MRR — without paid ads:
Content that drives discovery — SEO articles, long-form thought pieces, newsletters, blog posts, demos. Content that ranks and educates.
Social media to nurture and engage — LinkedIn and Instagram posts, stories. This is how people connect to you as a human.
Email marketing to deepen trust — The direct channel where your true fans live.
Partnerships & community to expand reach — Coworking events, guest podcasts, brand collaborations.
Product-led experiences to convert — Letting people experience real value early so they choose you without pressure.
When these elements work together as a system, you stop relying on random virality and start building consistent, sustainable growth. As Joan Westenberg says,
“People don’t care about what you do, they care about what it does for them.”
That’s why a cohesive growth system beats random hacks — it creates meaningful progress your audience actually cares about.
If you want to dig deeper into this mindset, check out Joan’s brilliant piece here: How to Make People Give a Damn
A blueprint to get started
If you're tired of "trying everything" without clarity, I created a 90-day Organic Growth Blueprint based on this exact system.
It breaks down what to focus on each month, what to prioritize, and how to turn all these moving parts into a cohesive engine.
🟢 Download the free 90-day Growth Blueprint!
Need help building your own system?
If you want to skip the guesswork, I also offer a 90-minute Organic Growth Audit Call.
In this session, I’ll analyze your startup’s current growth approach, identify what’s blocking you, and design a personalized action plan that actually makes sense for your stage.
After the call, you’ll have a clear strategy — no more random tactics, no more wondering what’s next.
🎁 Here’s what you’ll get during and after the call:
✅ 90-min 1:1 strategy audit — actionable, no-fluff deep dive
✅ Custom 90-day organic growth roadmap (PDF)
✅ Follow-up email within 2 weeks
✅ BONUS: Olympia ProPlus AI team (annual plan!) — EXCLUSIVE OFFER to execute like I did! And I’ll give you the exact examples of how I used Olympia.
💥 Walk away with clarity, focus, and a practical system — no random hacks!
Extra resource
Want to see more behind the scenes of how Olympia grew?
Check out my HackerNoon article: 👉 How We Grew Our SaaS to $6K MRR Organically in 10 Months Without Burning Cash
#GoldenFindings
🎙️ Need more inspiration while I prepare Season 2 of The First-Time CEO podcast? Check out all of Season 1 episodes here →
YOUTUBE, SPOTIFY, APPLE PODCASTS
And if you want to explore even more about organic growth systems, here are some more decent resources:
#CEOCheck
If you stopped trying "everything" and instead focused on building one integrated system, what would that look like for your business?
Hit reply and share — I'd love to know!
Closing
If there's one thing I want you to remember from today’s piece, it’s this:
Nothing works alone. But everything works together.
When you stop chasing tactics and start designing a system, real growth becomes inevitable.
— Yours truly,
Victoria
Let’s connect! For more authentic content like this and first-time CEO insights, follow me on Linkedin and Instagram and The First-Time CEO show on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts. I launch Season 2 this month.If you’d like to be my podcast guest, please fill in this form, and I’ll contact you if it's a good fit!