How product, media and community reinforce each other to compound acquisition, unlike a linear growth engine
Sophie Buonassisi · GTMfund
Published September 6, 2024Explore the lesson. Sign in to access the slide download.
The speaker contrasts a linear growth engine with a flywheel that compounds through mutually reinforcing product, media, and community efforts. The session explains how this approach can create more sustainable acquisition and customer value.
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“different parts of the business reinforcing each other and so once it's set in motion it has this compounding growth effect and a much more sustainable growth impact so it's self-reinforcing and sustainable versus a growth engine that is linear and predictable it's momentum driven versus more input driven and it has a compounding effect versus more of a direct”
“Community to support their professional goals in SAS companies that can be you know prospects in your funnel that can be customers and for us it also serves as a revenue source for community events and last but certainly not least is community it supports our product product by providing built-in goto Market support for portfolio companies on the media side it helps by providing insight and expertise to share through that content and support the”
“other so with a flywheel growth is baked in not bolted on there's a few key benefits to doing so and thinking about this at a very early stage while you're building number one is efficient growth so building a flywheel can help reduce your ca in the long run as it creates more sustainable organic channels it also just helps you overall do more with less I know it sounds”
“relationships so because we've got these long-standing deep rooted connections it does help in the long run for contributing to higher customer lifetime value in addition to any kind of top of funnel acquisition so any kind of pillars of the business any growth strategies the way we recommend always thinking about it and looking about it is are you compounding momentum or are you”
“Growth Flywheel vs. Growth Engine FLYWHEEL ENGINE”
“Our Growth Flywheel Community Fund Industry landscape visibility to share insight around etc. Media Brings LPs together etc.”
“Growth is baked in, not bolted on With a flywheel…”
“#3 - Builds Deeper Relationships Focus on fostering relationships through media and community creates deeper connections, which helps contribute to higher customer LTV, in addition to top of funnel acquisition. Benefits of building a flywheel”
Video
Building a Growth Flywheel, Rather than Engine: Product, Media, and Community - Slide Deck
VP of Marketing at GTMfund, specializing in venture capital investments for B2B SaaS companies.
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Each slide with a short explanation of what it shows. Open the slide text for its exact wording.
16 passages
SaaSOpen, September 2024 Building a Growth Flywheel vs. Engine: Product, Media, and Community Sophie Buonassisi VP of Marketing, GTMfund & GTMnow
The talk moves from comparing flywheels and engines to a worked example, then to the flywheel’s benefits.
Over the next 20 minutes I’m going to show you PART 1 Flywheel vs. Engine Breakdown of a Flywheel Example 3 Key Benefits of Building a Flywheel PART 2 PART 3
A flywheel is represented as a reinforcing loop, while an engine is shown as a set of connected mechanisms. The visual sets up two different models for how growth is produced.
Growth Flywheel vs. Growth Engine FLYWHEEL ENGINE
A flywheel builds momentum as each activity feeds the next and can require less effort over time. An engine follows sequential steps and needs continued inputs to keep producing growth.
Growth Flywheel vs. Growth Engine Growth Flywheel Growth Engine Self-Reinforcing and Sustainable: - One part of the system builds momentum that feeds back into itself, requiring less effort over time. - Once it's in motion, it generates compounding effects, where growth accelerates naturally as each part feeds into the next. - More fluid in nature. Linear and Predictable: - Typically linear and focuses on a series of steps that drive growth. - Each step leads to the next in a structured way, often requiring constant fuel (resources, marketing, sales, etc.) to keep running. - More mechanical in nature, like an engine that runs only as long as you keep feeding it. Momentum-Driven: - Focuses on building momentum. Over time, as more interactions occur, the flywheel gains energy and requires less direct input to keep spinning. Input-Driven: - Heavily reliant on continuous input (such as ad spend, lead generation, etc.) to produce growth. Once you stop the input, growth slows down or stops. Compounding Effect: - Produces a compounding effect, where efforts in one area boost other parts without a direct increase in resources. Each action adds to the system’s overall momentum. Direct Effort: - Tends to involve direct efforts like marketing campaigns, sales outreach, and paid ads. While effective, these methods require ongoing, often increasing investment and focus to maintain or grow the output.
Fund, media, and community are arranged in a circular loop, suggesting each part reinforces the others.
Our Growth Flywheel
The fund gives media industry visibility and insight to share, and brings limited partners together through community.
Our Growth Flywheel Community Fund Industry landscape visibility to share insight around etc. Media Brings LPs together etc.
Media increases brand visibility, distributes portfolio company work, and gives community members a platform for thought leadership and events.
Our Growth Flywheel Community Media Increases brand visibility Provides meaningful distribution for our portfolio companies Revenue source for portfolio company programs Fund Amplify the thought leadership of GTM LPs to support their professional goals Revenue source for community events
Community gives portfolio companies go-to-market support, while media receives insight and expertise to share as content.
Our Growth Flywheel Media Community GTM support for portfolio companies Fund Insight and expertise to share through content Distribution for content
A fund, media, and community cycle is shown as a simple loop, emphasizing that the three parts work together.
A flywheel makes growth part of how the business operates, with momentum compounding across its connected parts.
Growth is baked in, not bolted on With a flywheel…
Product, media, and community can reinforce one another to support sustainable organic growth and reduce reliance on more expensive acquisition channels.
#1 - Efficient Growth Different parts of the business—media, community, and product—create sustainable, organic growth. Reduce reliance on more expensive acquisition channels and shift to a model where growth accelerates naturally through product improvements, community engagement, and media amplification. Benefits of building a flywheel
The combined model creates differentiation that competitors may find more challenging to replicate.
#2 - Creates a Competitive Moat Creates a more differentiated model that becomes more challenging for competitors to replicate. Benefits of building a flywheel
Media and community create deeper connections, which the slide links to higher customer lifetime value as well as top-of-funnel acquisition.
#3 - Builds Deeper Relationships Focus on fostering relationships through media and community creates deeper connections, which helps contribute to higher customer LTV, in addition to top of funnel acquisition. Benefits of building a flywheel
The closing question asks whether growth is compounding through a flywheel or depends on continually adding fuel.
Are you compounding momentum or constantly feeding the fire?
The recap covers the flywheel and engine distinction, an example built from fund, media, and community, and benefits in efficient growth, differentiation, and relationships.
Over the last 20 minutes, I showed you: PART 1 Key differentiation between a growth flywheel and a growth engine PART 2 PART 3 A real example of a flywheel (ours!) - the breakdown 3 key benefits of a flywheel Efficient growth Competitive moat Strong long-term relationships
The speaker closes with a thank-you and invites the audience to get in touch.
SaaSOpen, September 2024 Thank you! [redacted email] Sophie Buonassisi VP of Marketing, GTMfund