Flywheel

Also called Growth Flywheel

A self-reinforcing loop where each part feeds the next, so momentum builds over time, Amazon's lower prices to more customers to more sellers to lower prices. The opposite of a funnel you must constantly refill.

Why it matters

A flywheel compounds: early pushes are hard, but a spinning one makes growth cheaper and more durable. Designing your business as a flywheel rather than a leaky funnel is a powerful strategic frame.

For example

Amazon's flywheel: lower prices bring more customers, which attract more sellers, which enable still lower prices, each turn making the next easier.

Worth your time

Creator Flywheels: The Operating System for Your Business nathanbarry.com · article Barry built ConvertKit's growth almost entirely on flywheels, content, community, and audience, rather than outbound, and this essay is his own breakdown of why that compounds while manual, one off effort does not. It is a useful contrast to cold email: instead of one email getting you one reply, a flywheel spins a little faster every time you turn it. Open nathanbarry.com →

Related terms

Growth Loop Network Effects Moat

Go deeper

See how founders actually handle this on Growing and marketing, part of the Starting Up hub.

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