Flywheels Don’t Spin Themselves.

A founder once asked me how to “build network effects into the platform.”

My answer?

You don’t build them in. You earn them in.

Network effects happen when each new user makes the product more valuable for others - think Airbnb: more hosts attract more guests, and vice versa.

Flywheels are self-reinforcing loops that gain momentum over time - but early on, you’re the one doing the pushing.

At the start, the flywheel is stiff.

You push it manually. One user at a time.

One connection at a time. One conversation at a time.

That effort creates the motion.

And if you structure it right, the motion starts creating value for others.

That’s when the flywheel begins to spin itself.

That’s when network effects kick in.

→ Building a platform or marketplace and need a sounding board? Email me: alan@rework.co.za