engine of growth

is a source of sustainable growth power feedback loops. Each is like a combustion engine, turning over and over. The faster the loop turns, the faster the company will grow.

These sources of sustainable growth power feedback loops that I have termed engines of growth. Each is like a combustion engine, turning over and over. The faster the loop turns, the faster the company will grow. Each engine has an intrinsic set of metrics that determine how fast a company can grow when using it.

is capable of being defined quantitatively, each has a unique set of metrics that can be used to evaluate whether a startup is on the verge of achieving product/market fit.

I believe the concept of the engine of growth can put the idea of product/market fit in a more rigorous footing. Since each engine of growth can be defined quantitatively, each has a unique set of metrics that can be used to evaluate whether a startup is on the verge of achieving product/market fit.

is designed to give startups a relatively small set of metrics on which to focus their energies and help them stay focused on the metrics that matter.

Engines of growth are designed to give startups a relatively small set of metrics on which to focus their energies. As one of my mentors, the venture capital investor Shawn Carolan, put it, 'Startups don't starve... they drown.' There are always a zillion new ideas about how to make the product better floating around, but the hard truth is that most of those ideas make a difference only at the margins. They are mere optimizations. Startups have to focus on the big experiments that lead to validated learning. The engines of growth framework helps them stay focused on the metrics that matter.

is the mechanism that startups use to achieve sustainable growth.

The engine of growth is the mechanism that startups use to achieve sustainable growth. I use the word sustainable to exclude all one-time activities that generate a surge of customers but have no longterm impact, such as a single advertisement or a publicity stunt that might be used to jump-start growth but could not sustain that growth for the long term. Sustainable growth is characterized by one simple rule: New customers come from the actions of past customers.

engine of growth, n.All

engine of growth