How to Know If Your Flywheel Is Working

Hey Revenue Writers,

Today is the next chapter in Mini Book Flywheel: Become the Person, Brand, and Category People Remember.

I’ve noticed so many awesome creators, authors, and aspiring business owners stop right before they begin making traction.

It makes me want to scream and say “WAIT! YOU ARE SO CLOSE!”

So this chapter is pulling back the curtain on the 3 stages I’ve observed in my journey creating two different flywheels for different successful businesses.

1. In my IA Path business serving independent adjusters the past 9+ years

2. Building the Mini Book business the past year+

Just as a quick reference point of my version of success. IA Path does $40k+ a month with a small team and my Mini Book business flywheel is around $8k this month and its just me.

The full chapter is available to all Revenue Writer members but a quick glimpse into it is available for everyone.

3 Stages of Creating a Flywheel

I’ve found there are 3 distince phases to creating a flywheel.

1. The Fog Zone – everything feels confusing and you aren’t sure you are headed the right direction.

2. Signal Zone – you begin seeing signals that you are finding traction and resonating with your audience.

3. Category Core – this is where your category is ultra clear to you and your audience and you can begin to scale.

Most of us stop in the early stages of the Fog Zone.

It is a terrifying place to be, but for those that push through to the later phases the reward is waiting for them.

Let’s look at each phase and what to do and NOT do while in each one.

Phase 1: The Fog Zone

Like most early morning departures on the water, every flywheel journey begins in fog.

You know where you want to go, your person, problem, and POV are mapped, but it feels like no one hears you. Progress is hard to see because the landmarks are hidden.

This is normal for a new category, product, or business.

The danger isn’t the fog itself, it’s what most founders do in response. They panic, jerk the wheel, and crash into an unseen obstacles or quit and go home. The work in this phase isn’t to find perfect clarity. It’s to keep your heading steady.

Like a hurricane forming over warm water, the path isn’t predetermined, it’s about moving where there’s least resistance and letting feedback shape your direction.

What You Should Do in the Fog Zone

Stay focused.

Most social platforms and audiences take time to recalibrate when you shift topics. If you change too often, both the algorithm, and your audience, will penalize you. Stay consistent long enough for your POV to sink in.

At this stage, measure success by conversations, not clicks.

Look for people saying things like, “This finally makes sense,” or “I can’t wait to try this.”

Early signals will come one person at a time. Serve them generously for free. DM them. Offer feedback. Build goodwill.

These early believers become the seeds of your future storm.

What Not to Do in the Fog Zone

Don’t jerk the wheel. Resist the urge to pivot your POV after a few posts flop or someone says they don’t get it. It takes time for resonance to show.

Don’t chase vanity metrics. Likes and impressions are noise. Belief is the signal.

Don’t assume repetition is bad. You can say the same POV a hundred different ways. The right phrasing will stick and once it does, double down.

The fog is lonely, and it tests your patience.

I remember posting about auto claims for months and feeling like nobody was listening. But then a single message came through: “Chris, this finally makes sense, I had no idea auto was an option. I think you just saved my career.” That moment mattered more than a hundred likes. One believer became two, and two became ten, then ten eventually became 10,000.

The fog feels like failure, but it’s actually proof that you’re early and if you stay steady, the storm will gather around you.

(see all the practical tip and the next two stages as a Revenue Writer member)

Practical Tip