A while back I came across the concept of a flywheel. If you're not familiar, a flywheel is technically defined as a wheel with a heavy rim placed on the revolving shaft of any machinery put in motion by an irregular or intermitting force or meeting with an irregular or intermittent resistance, for the purpose of rendering the motion equable and regular by means of its momentum.
"A flywheel is a mechanical device designed to efficiently store rotational energy. Well, that’s how an engineer would describe a flywheel. I majored in English. To me, a flywheel is a wheel that’s really hard to get started. Once it gets going, however, it’s really hard to stop."
Of course, Rob Berger was referencing the concept in his article as a simile for building personal wealth, but there is also a strong parallel with the process of building a business.
Think about it. As founders we spend hours upon hours tweaking marketing funnels, building better features for our products, creating pitch decks; all to get those first few customers. And at the beginning, even a few customer conversions can seem like a lot. Some days you don't see any progress, but you keep going anyway.
Why? Because the startup process is a flywheel. If you are patient and consistent about your efforts, the momentum will build and the work will pay off. So keep building, keep iterating, and don't give up when it seems like things are moving slowly.
Get that flywheel spinning, and eventually it will become a difficult force to stop.
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