The Viral TikTok That Brought 14,000 Users in Two Weeks (And What They Wish They'd Done Differently)

On the Levels Podcast, Guillermo Martinez, COO and co-founder of Buen Provecho, shared a story that every startup dreams about: a single piece of content going viral and bringing tens of thousands of new users. For Buen Provecho, that dream came true—but not without revealing some hard lessons about being prepared for unexpected growth.

When they had around 38,000 users, a relatively small influencer made a TikTok about the app. Within days, it exploded to 180,000 views and brought nearly 14,000 new users to the platform in just one to two weeks. It was the kind of organic growth most startups would celebrate. But for a company that's inherently supply-constrained, it created as many problems as opportunities.

The Lightning in a Bottle Moment

Buen Provecho had worked with influencers before, but always on a small scale—trading surplus food packages for content rather than paying for promotion. They'd never experienced anything close to viral growth.

"One influencer that wasn't actually quite big, we had like maybe like 15, 20,000 followers, just did a TikTok and it just went like massively viral. I don't know why. I just tried to replicate that and it was never able to," Guillermo explained. "We had like 180,000 views like three days. It was insane."

The numbers were staggering. Nearly 14,000 new users signed up in a matter of weeks—representing more than a third of their existing user base at the time. For most consumer apps, this would be pure celebration. But when you're running a marketplace for surplus food, rapid demand growth without corresponding supply growth creates serious friction.

The Supply Constraint Reality Check

The viral moment exposed the fundamental challenge of Buen Provecho's business model: they can only sell what stores actually have in surplus. Unlike traditional food delivery apps with near-infinite supply, or e-commerce platforms with warehouses full of inventory, Buen Provecho depends entirely on what stores didn't sell that day.

"That actually brought us like almost 14,000 new users in the time span of what? Yeah, one to two weeks. That was obviously super rewarding, but at the same time, you know, the problem, the supply side of things."

Imagine this from a new user's perspective: you see an exciting TikTok about an app that lets you buy surplus food at massive discounts while helping the environment. You download it immediately, open it up, and... find almost nothing available. The power users who've been on the platform for months have already claimed everything through their favorited stores. You try again the next day. Same result. After a week of empty shelves, you uninstall.

This is the dark side of viral growth for supply-constrained businesses. Every new user who has a bad first experience represents wasted acquisition that could actually hurt your brand more than help it.

What They Wish They'd Done

Looking back, Guillermo was candid about what they should have done differently. The key wasn't avoiding the viral moment—that's not something you can control anyway—but being prepared for when it happens.

"If I would start again, I would like to have a strategy planned ahead if that happens. Just in case, right? Because it's free publicity, it's free money. So you just be able to grab it. And if you're not capable, you're going to lose."

That strategy might include:

• Having a waitlist system ready to deploy that manages onboarding in waves matched to supply capacity
• Pre-negotiated relationships with stores that can quickly increase their surplus offerings during growth surges
• Communication campaigns to set realistic expectations for new users about product availability
• Geographic targeting to concentrate new users in areas with the best supply density
• Reserved inventory pools for new users to ensure their first experience is positive

The lesson extends beyond just supply constraints. Any business with operational bottlenecks—whether it's customer service capacity, fulfillment logistics, or quality control—needs to think through how they'd handle 10x or 100x growth happening overnight.

The Replication Challenge

Perhaps even more frustrating than the supply problems was the impossibility of replicating the success. Despite analyzing the content, trying similar formats, and working with other influencers, Buen Provecho never managed to recreate that viral magic.

"I don't know why. I just tried to replicate that and it was never able to," Guillermo admitted.

This reflects a broader truth about viral content: it's almost impossible to engineer. You can create conditions that make virality more likely—great product, shareable moments, working with creators—but you can't manufacture it on demand. The algorithm, timing, audience mood, and countless other factors all need to align in ways that are largely out of your control.

What you can control is being ready when it happens. Having the infrastructure, supply capacity, and user experience designed to convert viral attention into retained users rather than disappointed downloads.

Key Points

• A TikTok from a small influencer (15-20K followers) brought Buen Provecho nearly 14,000 new users in 1-2 weeks
• The viral moment exposed their supply constraints, as new users found limited inventory available
• Looking back, Guillermo wishes they'd had a strategy ready to manage rapid growth surges
• Despite numerous attempts, they've never been able to replicate the viral success
• The lesson: you can't engineer virality, but you can prepare your operations and user experience to capture it when it happens
• For supply-constrained businesses, managing growth velocity is as important as growth itself

Listen to the full conversation with Guillermo Martinez to learn more about how Buen Provecho navigates the unique challenges of scaling a supply-constrained marketplace in Latin America.