What Works for Startups Like Yours?

Matboard and More is the number one online retailer of custom matting and framing in the US, founded in 2012 by Mehdi Kajbaf and co-founders. The company achieved $170,000/month in revenue primarily through a focused digital marketing strategy centered on Google's search engine (both PPC and SEO), spending thousands of dollars to optimize campaigns over several years. Kajbaf's background as an engineer and MBA graduate, combined with disciplined iteration on marketing ROI and website conversion optimization, transformed a simple initial website into a market-leading e-commerce platform.

First customers: Paid search (AdWords) - customers found through PPC campaigns

Dick At Your Door is an e-commerce novelty product company selling chocolate penises, started as a joke between friends in a garage in 2016. The business grew to $25k/month ($300k/year ARR) primarily through viral social media content, PR coverage (notably a Huffington Post feature that provided initial traction), and word-of-mouth marketing. Adam attributes the rapid scaling to the viral nature of the product, strong content marketing around chocolate and pranks, and persistent outreach to press and marketing partners.

First customers: Friends and acquaintances who received prank packages, then expanded through website discovery

Hawkers is a fashion sunglasses e-commerce company founded with just a $300 investment that grew into a $60M valuation. The founders leveraged influencer marketing partnerships and word-of-mouth advertising to expand across Europe, North America, and Asia, eventually generating €6M in monthly revenue. President Alejandro Betancourt led a €50M funding round in 2016 that catalyzed explosive scaling through social media marketing and strategic brand partnerships.