How Kondo Grew to Hundreds of Paying Users in Months

Welcome to Maven Club. If you're an early-stage founder navigating go-to-market challenges, searching for product-market fit, or figuring out how to scale, this newsletter is for you. Today, we break down the journey of Mitchell Tan, founder of Kondo—a better inbox for LinkedIn DMs that quickly grew to 500 paying users in just a few months, all while bootstrapping.

Instead of relying on traditional SaaS growth playbooks, Kondo found success through a laser focus on its ICP, word-of-mouth virality, and disciplined prioritization. Let’s dive into their approach—and the lessons founders can take from it.

1. "Solve a Problem You Can’t Stop Complaining About"

How Kondo Was Born

Mitchell didn’t start Kondo by brainstorming startup ideas—he built it because he was drowning in LinkedIn DMs and no one had built a better inbox. Working in B2B SaaS, he and his team had spreadsheets just to track conversations, but the existing solutions were clunky and inefficient.

When no one else built the tool he desperately wanted, he took matters into his own hands.

“For years, I was whining about why no one built this tool yet. I kept searching for it, but it didn’t exist. So I decided to build it myself.”

Founder Takeaway

• If you keep ranting about a problem, others are likely struggling with it too. That’s an opportunity.

• Your frustration is a strong filter—if you’re willing to build a solution for yourself, chances are others will pay for it.

2. "Word-of-Mouth > Growth Hacks"

How Kondo Grew to 400 Paying Users

Kondo didn’t scale through ads or viral content. Instead, users told their friends about it in private groups and DMs.

A financial advisor discovered Kondo through a friend, posted about it in a WhatsApp group, and that one message led to 10 signups. Founders, consultants, and agencies shared it naturally because it solved a real pain point.

“I ask every user how they found us. More than half the time, they say: ‘My friend told me about it.’ That’s when you know word-of-mouth is working.”

Founder Takeaway

• If people aren’t talking about your product, it’s probably not solving an urgent enough problem.

• You can’t force word-of-mouth, but you can design for it:

  • Make sure users see immediate value (Kondo helps users reclaim lost deals in their inbox).

  • Make it easy to share—can users casually recommend it in a DM or group chat?

  • Add moments of delight so users want to tell others.

3. "Not Every Customer Is Your Customer"

Why Kondo Doesn’t Build for Everyone

Kondo serves power LinkedIn users—those sending and managing hundreds of messages a week. But not everyone on LinkedIn has that problem.

Some users complained about performance when handling 1,000+ messages a day. Rather than trying to fix everything for every user, Mitchell made a tough call: prioritize the 95% over the 5%.

“We spent a lot of time trying to optimize for the 5% who send 1,000 messages a day. But we realized—why are we doing this? Our core users don’t have this issue. We had to let go and focus on the 95%.”

Founder Takeaway

• Not all feedback is worth acting on. Be clear on who you’re building for and ignore edge cases that distract you.

• If your product is for everyone, it’s for no one. Define a clear ideal customer profile (ICP) and optimize for them.

4. "Prioritization Is the Hardest Part of Early-Stage Growth"

How Kondo Decides What to Work On

Mitchell and his co-founder have limited resources, with 10 mission-critical problems but only the bandwidth to solve a few at a time. Their approach:

• Fix urgent problems first—if a bug prevents a user from working, it gets fixed in 48 hours.

• Ignore minor annoyances—if a feature request isn’t core to the product’s mission, it’s deprioritized.

• Make big bets—instead of small tweaks, they invest in features that fundamentally improve the product.

“We can’t fix everything at once. If we did, we’d drown. So we pick what moves the needle the most.”

Founder Takeaway

• Every startup has more problems than it can solve. The key is deciding what NOT to work on.

• If it doesn’t help your ICP, it’s a distraction. Don’t let random feature requests dictate your roadmap.

5. "Ignore Most Advice—Including This One"

The Best Advice for Founders? Don’t Follow Advice Blindly.

When asked for advice, Mitchell said: "Ignore most advice." Why? Because every startup is unique.

Many founders waste time chasing playbooks that don’t fit their market, team, or business model. Instead, he suggests focusing on what works in your specific context—what your users actually need, not what worked for someone else.

“Most advice is useless unless it fits your specific market and constraints. Don’t blindly copy what worked for someone else—analyze why it worked for them and whether it applies to you.”

Founder Takeaway

• Question every piece of advice. Ask: "Did this work because of the market or the execution? Would it work for me?"

• Instead of searching for the perfect playbook, study failures. Understanding why things don’t work is often more valuable than why they do.

Final Thought: Build Something Talk-Worthy

Kondo’s journey highlights the power of word-of-mouth, ICP clarity, and ruthless prioritization. Their experience reinforces the importance of sticking to a core vision, resisting distractions, and focusing on the right customers.

For founders, the key question is: Are you building something that people genuinely want to talk about? Too many startups chase tactics before fixing their product’s core value.

If this strategy resonates with you, keep refining, prioritizing, and making bold product bets.

Until next time,

Maven Club 🚀