This week, I met with an Atlanta founder who bootstrapped his 18-month-old company to over $100 million in annual recurring revenue in under 12 months, and it’s profitable. He mentioned that Lovable is the only company he’s aware of, as of today, to have reached $100 million faster than his company. They did it in eight or so months and raised venture capital.

Having a front-row seat for this founder’s journey over the last year has opened my eyes to what was once unimaginable: reaching $100 million in revenue in a year or two. Seeing how he’s been able to scale his company rapidly has expanded my thinking around what’s possible. It’s one thing to read about $100 million-in-a-year growth stories (there are more and more every week). But it’s another thing to know someone who’s doing it and hear about the ups and downs of their journey. The latter makes it real and feel obtainable.

Rapid growth on this scale isn’t a smooth ride. It’s a nonstop fire drill with stuff breaking and a chase to try to get ahead of the growth. How many of these hyper-growth companies will endure? Time will tell, but my gut tells me that founders like the one I talk to this week are smart and will find a way to not only take their companies to $1 billion in annual revenue but be around for the long haul.