The Power of Traction: Why Small Gains Matter More Than You Think

In the early days of building something — a startup, a product, a service, a movement — the hardest part isn’t the idea. It’s traction.

You launch, tell your friends, post on socials… and the response? Crickets. Maybe a few curious clicks. Maybe $1 in revenue. And that’s on a good week.

It’s in this fragile phase — the first 3 to 6 months — where most projects die quietly, not from failure, but from discouragement. You can’t see the curve yet. It just looks flat.

But here's the secret: every big curve starts flat.

Start With $1 and Add 10% a Week

Let’s run a simple example to illustrate the power of traction.

Say you earn $1 in your first week of launch. Not impressive, right?

But now say you improve revenue by just 10% per week — whether by improving your product, refining messaging, or reaching more users. Here’s what that looks like:

• Week 1: $1

• Week 4: $1.33

• Week 10: $2.59

• Week 20: $6.73

• Week 30: $17.49

• Week 40: $45.44

• Week 52: $117.39

  
  

After a year, you’re making $117 a week. That’s still not a massive business — but you’ve multiplied your revenue 117x in a year with just 10% growth per week. The growth rate may look slow at first, but it becomes exponential over time.

Now imagine applying this to a SaaS product, newsletter, or service with higher price points or broader reach.

For example, start with just one user paying $25 a month, and if you grow that user base by just 10% a week, you’ll be making nearly $345,000 a month in two years — proof that small, consistent gains scale into something massive if you give them time.

The key takeaway? Traction often starts looking like nothing.

The Power Of Traction, What It Means.

Traction is momentum, plain and simple. It’s what happens when something you’re doing starts to consistently work, even in small ways.

It might look like:

• An increasing number of repeat customers

• Slightly better open rates on your emails

• A few referrals you didn’t ask for

• 3 paying customers turning into 4 next week

• Your 10th blog post getting a tiny spike from Google

  
  

It’s not a hockey stick graph. It’s not a TechCrunch headline. It’s a whisper that grows louder, if you keep showing up.

How to Drive Traction in the First 6 Months

Getting traction early on is less about "going viral" and more about learning fast and stacking small wins. Here’s how:

1. Talk to Users (Even If You Have None)

• Interview people in your target market before building features.

• Show mockups, MVPs, or ideas and ask how they'd solve the problem without you.

• The more real conversations you have, the faster you’ll hit product-market fit — or know what to kill.

  
  

2. Make Weekly Experiments Non-Negotiable

• Pick a simple metric (signups, MRR, active users).

• Set a goal of improving it every week, even by 1%.

• Run quick experiments: new headline, tweet thread, landing page tweak, cold outreach batch, video demo, or pricing test.

  
  

You don’t need to get it perfect. You just need to learn, adjust, repeat.

3. Build in Public or Share the Journey

Early traction often comes from storytelling.

Share:

• What you're building and why

• What you're stuck on

• Small wins and milestones

• Customer feedback (good or bad)

People root for builders. The earlier you share your story, the more others will want to follow it.

4. Follow The Smell

Big markets are tempting, but in the early stage, you don’t need 10,000 people. You need 10 people who care a lot.

In the early days, you need an instinct to smell where the niche is - it may be that your idea niche is not what you thought and this can unlock a pool of other users.

Smaller niches give you clearer signals and faster feedback. Follow your nose and find the golden niche.

5. Follow the Traction Signal, Not the Plan

Let go of rigid roadmaps. If a blog post brings 80% of your leads, write more. If cold DMs convert better than ads, double down.Don’t chase what you thought would work. Chase what’s working now.

Staying Motivated When It Feels Like Nothing’s Happening

This is the real battle — not tech, not tools, not tactics. It’s the psychology of progress.

Here’s how to keep going when the gains are invisible:

1. Track the Right Metrics

Avoid vanity metrics (likes, traffic) unless they directly lead to outcomes (signups, usage, revenue). Focus on:

• Weekly Active Users (WAU)

• Retention (do people come back?)

• Or, if in doubt, paying users (even if just 1!)

  
  

Even if small, seeing a number that is actually important go up is powerful.

2. Celebrate Small Wins Loudly & With The Team

Got your first paying customer? Tweet it. Journal it. High-five yourself.The early wins matter more because they’re harder to get. Recognising them keeps your momentum alive. Net A Porter used to ring a bell every time they sold something online, FB showed their user count go up in real time. It all helps.

3. Have a “Why” That Outlives the Lows

You need a reason to keep going that isn’t just “get rich.” That fades when the dopamine fades.

Maybe it’s:

• Solving a real problem you’ve lived

• Proving to yourself that you can build something real

• Creating freedom from the 9-to-5 loop

Your “why” is your anchor during the quiet weeks.

4. Set Time, Not Just Targets

Don’t say “I’ll work on this until it gets big.” Say, “I’ll give this six focused months of experiments.”Commit to the process, not just the outcome.

Remember: Compounding Is Invisible at First

Growth feels disappointing in the beginning because our brains are wired for linear thinking, but progress is often exponential — it starts flat, then climbs fast.

If you quit too soon, you miss the upswing.

• Your first 3 YouTube videos might flop.

• Your first 10 newsletter issues might get 12 opens.

• Your first month might make $7.

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But if you keep improving, learning, and showing up — it adds up.

10% weekly growth over time is a superpower. But only if you give it time to compound.

Final Thought

Traction doesn’t always look like success. In the beginning, it just looks like something small that keeps happening.

One new user this week.One person who shares your link.One idea that lands better than the last.

It’s not magic. It’s math.It’s not luck. It’s showing up.And it’s not overnight. It’s relentless iteration.

Start with $1.Grow 10% a week.And give yourself the time to become undeniable.