Momentum

The Core Principle

In physics, an object with momentum tends to keep moving. The heavier it is and the faster it's going, the harder it is to stop. This principle applies directly to growth programs.

A growth program with momentum—established brand recognition, growing word of mouth, compounding content assets—becomes easier to sustain and harder for competitors to disrupt. Every dollar invested yields more than the last.

A program without momentum requires constant force just to maintain position. Every dollar invested yields less than the last because you're fighting inertia.

How to Recognize Momentum

Growth momentum shows up in your metrics, but you have to know where to look:

Positive momentum indicators: Declining CAC over time. Increasing organic traffic share. Rising brand search volume. Shorter sales cycles. Higher close rates. More inbound vs. outbound pipeline. Content that generates leads months after publication.

Negative momentum indicators: Rising CAC despite consistent spend. Increasing dependence on paid channels. Flat or declining brand search. Longer sales cycles. "We need more leads" as a constant refrain despite increasing spend.

Building Momentum

You can't buy momentum directly. You can only create conditions for it to develop:

Invest in mass before velocity. Market position (your "mass") amplifies everything else. A strong brand, clear positioning, and established trust make every campaign more effective. Investing in velocity (more campaigns, more content, more spend) without mass just burns energy.

Compound, don't campaign. One-off campaigns create spikes, not momentum. Build assets that compound: content that ranks and continues to drive traffic, communities that grow through network effects, partnerships that expand your reach over time.

Reduce friction. Momentum and friction are opposing forces. Every point of friction in your funnel dissipates momentum. A 10% improvement in conversion rate often beats a 10% increase in top-of-funnel spend.

The Inflection Point

Momentum has a critical threshold. Below it, every dollar of reduced investment causes disproportionate decline. Above it, the system becomes self-sustaining.

This is why the "should we scale growth spend?" question is often wrong. The right question is: "Have we achieved escape velocity?" Scaling spend before you have momentum just burns cash faster. Scaling after you have it compounds your advantage.

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Diagnostic Questions

When evaluating your growth momentum, ask:

• Is our CAC trending down over time, or up?
• What percentage of pipeline comes from organic vs. paid sources?
• How much of our content generates leads 6+ months after publication?
• Are our sales cycles getting shorter or longer?
• Would reducing growth spend by 20% reduce results by more or less than 20%?

The last question is the most revealing. If a 20% cut causes more than 20% decline, you don't have momentum—you have a treadmill.