What Actually Works: Pattern Analysis
Data from 2,619 startup case studies. Which growth channels, pricing models, and categories correlate with the highest revenue — and which ones don't.
Highest-Revenue Growth Channels
Ranked by average MRR of companies using each channel.
Lowest-Revenue Growth Channels
Channels that correlate with the lowest average MRR. Not necessarily bad — but the data says these alone aren't enough.
Channels by $50k+ MRR Hit Rate
Among companies with MRR data, what percentage reached $50k+? This filters out outlier averages and shows which channels most reliably scale.
Pricing Model vs Revenue
How pricing strategy correlates with MRR.
Category vs Revenue
Average MRR by business category.
Key Takeaways
Direct sales dominates
Enterprise direct sales has the highest average MRR and the highest $50k+ hit rate. Indie hackers tend to avoid sales — the data says that's a mistake.
Product Hunt alone isn't enough
Product Hunt launches show the lowest average MRR across all channels. Great for initial visibility, but it doesn't sustain growth.
Community is a slow burn
Community-driven growth has a low average MRR but reasonable hit rate. It works, but takes significantly longer to monetize.
Cold email punches above its weight
With the highest MRR-reporting rate (52%), cold email shows companies that do it are more likely to have paying customers.
Where Do Winning Ideas Come From?
"Scratch your own itch" vs "find a market gap" — which approach leads to the most revenue? Data from 2,000+ founders.
See idea origin analysis →Methodology
This analysis is based on 2,619 case studies collected from Indie Hackers, Starter Story, podcasts, and other sources. 642 companies have reported MRR data. Averages are computed only from companies with reported revenue. "Hit rate" measures the percentage of MRR-reporting companies that reached $50k+/month. Data updates daily.