Momentum is built through hundreds of small, consistent decisions made in the same direction. That’s how you scale.
EXPERT OPINION BY DANIEL MARCOS, CO-FOUNDER AND CEO, GROWTH INSTITUTE @ CAPITALEMPRENDE
Oct 3, 2025
Photo: Peripitus via Wikimedia Commons
I’ve coached hundreds of CEOs through periods of intense growth, and one principle consistently separates those who scale with clarity from those who burn out: the flywheel.
Picture a massive steel wheel mounted on an axle. It’s heavy, so heavy that at first it hardly moves when you push. The flywheel is an engineering marvel: once it’s spinning, its own weight stores energy and keeps the motion alive with very little effort. The more consistent your pushes, the faster it turns and the more power it generates.
Scaling a company or transforming your own life works the same way. There is no single big push. Your strategy, systems, and culture are the pushes. Each disciplined action adds a little more speed until the momentum itself becomes your greatest asset.
Contrast this with organizations chasing “the one big thing.” They jump from program to program, pivot to pivot, looking for a shortcut to greatness. They push the flywheel one way, stop, then yank it in another direction. After years of starting and stopping, they have activity but no momentum. This concept is called the Doom Loop; lots of energy, no compounding effect. This too, applies to your business and your personal life.
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Jim Collins introduced this idea in Good to Great, and it remains one of the most powerful frameworks for building unstoppable momentum, whether you’re running a company or designing your personal life.
Applying the Flywheel to Your Business
In business, the flywheel starts with clarity. You must identify the small, repeatable actions that drive the core engine of your company.
Here’s the process I use with CEOs:
1. List successes and failures
Analyze past initiatives to understand what drives positive outcomes and what doesn’t.
2. Define Your Flywheel Drivers
What activities create energy in your business? Find replicable components.
Examples: a great customer experience that leads to referrals, efficient operations that free up cash, or a culture that attracts top talent.
Focus on the core: 4 to 6 essential activities that are connected to each other and aligned with the company’s purpose.
3. Design the Sequence
Map the cause-and-effect cycle. For example: Better Customer Experience → More Referrals → Lower Acquisition Costs → Higher Margins → More Investment in Experience.
Each step reinforces the next, making the wheel spin faster.
Prioritize customer service. This will normally be a starting point for sustainable growth.
4. Commit to Relentless Consistency
Pick a small set of critical pushes and repeat them daily, weekly, quarterly. Make them your priorities.
Resist the temptation to chase every new trend; pivots without purpose kill momentum.
5. Measure Momentum, Not Just Results
Track the speed of the wheel: lead indicators like referral rates, customer lifetime value, or cycle time.
These tell you whether the wheel is accelerating before revenue even shows it.
From the outside it looks like an overnight success. Insiders experience the grind, the learning, and the patient accumulation of effort.
Applying the Flywheel to Your Personal Life
The same principle applies to your habits, relationships, and personal goals.
Think of each small, daily action as a push on your life’s flywheel.
1. Choose Your Core Areas
Pick essential pillars: health, relationships, learning, or finances. Focus relentlessly.
Overcommitting scatters energy and slows the wheel.
2. Identify Keystone Habits
Which actions create a ripple effect?
Examples: a morning workout that fuels discipline all day, a nightly gratitude routine that strengthens relationships, or a weekly financial review that drives smarter decisions.
3. Stack and Reinforce
Link habits so one naturally triggers the next: exercise → better sleep → higher energy → stronger business performance.
Over time the loop strengthens itself.
4. Be Patient with the Buildup
Early pushes feel invisible. You have to commit and trust the process.
The “overnight” success people notice later is just the natural result of months or years of quiet, disciplined effort.
Action Items
When you operate this way, growth stops feeling like a heroic sprint. Your business’s own weight begins to work for you.
Today, list three small pushes: one for your business, one for your health, one for your relationships, and commit to repeating them this week. Your flywheel starts with that single turn.
The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.