Outrageous Startup Growth

***NATIONAL BESTSELLER*** Create and market products that people can’t ignore using proven strategies from behavioral science. Are you ready to take your startup to the next level? Understanding user psychology is the difference between startups that go viral—and those that go splat. Outrageous Startup Growth is your playbook to adopt the mindset and strategies that drive explosive business success. ​Packed with real-world lessons, psychological insights, and actionable frameworks, this book is a must-read for entrepreneurs, product managers, and anyone looking to grow their business sustainably. ​ Colin Hodge, the co-founder of DOWN and creator of The Outrageous Growth Method, shares his hard-earned wisdom from scaling startups to over 100 million users, navigating high-stakes negotiations, and achieving successful exits. Hodge dives deep into the entrepreneurial mindset, teaching you how to embrace discomfort, build resilience, and learn from failures. With nearly two decades of experience in the tech industry spanning the globe, Hodge distills the essence of startup success into two key areas: cultivating a growth mindset and engineering user psychology for business growth. This book is your blueprint for: Harnessing behavioral science to optimize acquisition, retention, and user value Creating FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) to attract users and identify magic moments that lead to customer loyalty Designing experiences that nudge customer decisions toward success Unveiling your competitors’ hidden psychological tactics and applying them using robust principles. Whether it’s leveraging social proof, reducing friction, or crafting authentic branding, Outrageous Growth equips you with the tools to build a product that users love—and can’t stop talking about.

Foreword xi Introduction xiii Part I Getting Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable 1 Chapter 1 Undressing in Public 3 Chapter 2 The Foundations of User Psychology 11 Chapter 3 What’s Holding You Back? 29 Chapter 4 The Allure of Authenticity 41 Part II the Mindset of Outrageous Growth 51 Chapter 5 The Quiet Superpower 53 Chapter 6 When the World Comes Crashing Down 67 Chapter 7 Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop 79 Chapter 8 Shut Up and Ship 95 Chapter 9 The Psychology of Negotiating 115 Chapter 10 Exits and Entrances: How and When to Sell 125 Part III the Three Best Psychology Methods for Startup Growth 141 Chapter 11 Creating FOMO 143 Chapter 12 How Invisible Hands Guide Decisions 163 Chapter 13 A Game-Winning Strategy 193 Chapter 14 Finding the Magic 209 Chapter 15 Your User Psychology Toolbox 241 Notes 267 Acknowledgments 279 About the Author 283 Index 285