You launched already. Find out what’s holding you back.
A guided month that shows you what kind of business you’ve built, what’s stopping it from growing, and what to do next.
You’re building, but something’s not right.
Grow is a one-month programme for founders with an existing business that isn’t going as planned.
You've built it, but no one's paying yet
The product is live and in front of people. Money hasn’t changed hands. You need to know why, and whether the idea holds.
You have paying customers, but you're stuck
People are paying, but sales don’t repeat. You can’t yet see the reliable way to win the next customer.
You're growing, but not fast enough
Revenue is coming in, but not at the pace you need. You want to know where the next growth comes from.
“Not only great at what they do, they’re even better people.”
George Karmelich · MartechGet unstuck, with a plan you can act on.
One month, guided by a DQ partner. We work through your business together and leave you with a clear, straight read of where you are and what to do about it.
Find what's really holding you back
We check what’s real in your traction and trace where growth actually stops.
See what kind of business you've built
A simple diagnosis identifies you as one of four business types and tells you plainly whether to fix or rethink.
Know exactly what to do next
You leave with a list of what to fix or test and a realistic growth plan grounded in your own numbers.
How the month runsCheck what’s real → find the gaps → agree what’s next.
What kind of business have you built?
Working directly with your DQ General Partner, you’ll identify what you’ve built as four business types.
Cash Cow
FixMakes money, but growth has stalled.
Star
ScaleMakes money and keeps growing.
The business worth scaling.
Dog
RethinkLoses money, and growth has stalled.
Cash Burner
FixGrowing fast, losing money on each sale.
- StarScale7 · 8 · 9
- Cash CowFix2 · 4 · 8 · 9
- Cash BurnerFix4 · 5 · 6 · 7
- DogRethink1 · 2 · 3 · 8
Numbers point to the nine questions below. We work them in that order, fixing what breaks first.
Fix what’s holding you back and move towards becoming a Star:
Dog → Cash Burner → Star
Cash Cow → Star
The questions we’ll ask.
To find what’s holding growth back, we work through nine questions together, starting with demand and moving toward growth. Your diagnosis decides what matters most.
Is the problem real?
Are you selling to the right people?
Is the solution right?
Do customers stick around?
Is it affordable to deliver?
Is the price right?
Does each sale make money?
Is the channel right?
Can growth be funded?
Winning customers
The right people, through the right channel.
Keeping them
Customers who stay, renew and come back.
Making money
The right price, and profit on every sale.
Proof, not promise.
A diagnosis is only as good as the evidence behind it. So we hold your traction to two simple bars, and count only real customers won through a named channel.
Early proof
A real customer, won and served at your full price. Enough to show the thing works outside your own head.
Repeat proof
It happens again, and again, through a channel you can name. Not luck, not a favour, not a warm intro.
- A real customer
- Someone who paid your full price for the core value. Not founders, friends, family, free pilots or letters of intent.
- A named channel
- A repeatable way of winning customers that keeps working: referral, inbound, outbound, paid, partner or marketplace. Not simply warm intros.
The goal is to create a path to a business that delivers value repeatably, at a profit, to customers that were previously unknown.
Three tangible takeaways, which are yours to keep.
A framework for understanding your business more clearly, a list of what to fix or test, and a realistic growth plan grounded in your existing numbers.
- FounderRepeat proofAll-in as full-time CEO.
- MarketRepeat proof6 real customers won through referral and outbound.
- SolutionEarly proofOne customer renewed; expansion still untested.
- OpportunityEarly proof$6k a year per customer, but thin margin once support is counted.
Growing fast, but losing money on each sale.
- 1
The price is too low.Gap
Priced below what it truly costs to serve.
- 2
Delivery costs too much.
Manual onboarding eats the margin.
- 3
Retention is unproven.
One renewal so far, too few to read.
- 4
Sales aren't profitable yet.
Negative once support time is counted.
Where to focus, in order.
- First · Fix the economics
Rework pricing, cut cost to serve, model the margin.
- Then · Prove it repeats
Test the channel, build sales assets, land a case study.
- Next · Get ready to scale
Financial model, go-to-market plan, first hires.
Sample. Company name and numbers are illustrative.
Simple, and tied to your proof.
Grow is US$2,000 for the guided month. What happens after is entirely your choice.
We become cofounders. DQ earns a 20–10% stake in your business, based on how much proof you’ve already created and how much early stage risk remains.
You keep paying US$2,000 a month until DQ receives its equity, at which point the monthly fee stops. DQ holds between 10% and 20%, set by the proof you brought.
Prefer to keep all your equity? Pay a monthly fee instead, for the same work and the same team. DQ takes no stake in your company.
The assessment, the plan and the recommendations are yours to keep, so you may also decide to put these into practice yourself. Take what we’ve developed in Grow and continue building without DQ’s support.
Founders trust the people behind Grow.
Grow is run by the same DQ partners who’ve supported more than 100 startups through our venture programmes. Here’s what founders say about working with them.
“Without DQventures, we wouldn’t own a business.”
“They genuinely care about me and my startup.”
“If you have an idea but can’t quite see how to move it forward, I’d strongly recommend speaking to DQ.”
“10/10. My experience with DQventures has been exceptionally valuable.”
“I feel really lucky to be able to test my ideas with professional company creators like them.”
“The education I’ve had in this process will stay with me.”
Stop guessing. Start with proof.
One month to see what you’ve built, and know what to do next.
Start Grow →We read every application and reply within a week.