Growth Habits that trigger the Growth Flywheel!

“Success is the product of daily habits, not once-in-a-lifetime transformations.” – James Clear, Atomic Habits

You don’t need a game-changing strategy to grow your side hustle.

You just need momentum.

When I first started affiliate marketing, I was constantly searching for shortcuts. The perfect funnel. The most lucrative product. A secret “hack” that could give me an edge.

But all of that was just noise.

What actually worked was far less glamorous – publishing a blog post every week, sending out regular emails to a tiny list, and talking about products I genuinely used on my podcast.

In the beginning, none of it seemed to make a difference.

Some days, I’d get a few clicks.

Most days, I got nothing.

But I kept going.

And over time, those tiny efforts began to stack up. A listener replied to say thank you. A blog post got shared. A product recommendation converted.

The flywheel had started turning.

The Real Power of Small Wins

Most people overestimate what they can do in a week and underestimate what they can achieve in a year.

That’s the trap.

We expect quick results. We want big breakthroughs. But real growth happens when you commit to small, meaningful actions, even when no one’s watching.

That’s where compounding comes in.

Every blog post, email, podcast, or tweet is a tiny deposit into your growth account. At first, it looks like nothing is happening. But then, just like compounding interest, those deposits start to work for you.

You publish consistently, and your audience begins to trust you.

You recommend products, and your first commission shows up.

You stay the course, and your business quietly begins to grow.

No fanfare.

No fireworks.

Just consistent, compounding effort.

How I Learned This Firsthand

In the early days, I had weeks where I felt like quitting.

I’d spend hours creating content only to see two or three views. I’d promote a product and not make a single sale. I even started questioning whether I was cut out for this kind of work.

But one thing saved me – consistency.

I told myself: just hit publish.

Even when I doubted myself.

Even when no one responded.

Even when I felt like it didn’t matter.

Eventually, I got my first email from a listener saying, “Thanks, this helped me.”

That was the spark I needed. Not because it was a big result, but because it proved that someone was listening.

That was my first real win and I almost missed it.

The Growth Flywheel Explained

Think of your business like a flywheel. At the beginning, pushing it feels hard. You apply effort, but it barely moves. It’s discouraging.

But each small action is a push.

Write the blog post.

Send the email.

Share the product.

Push.

Push.

Push.

At first, the movement is imperceptible. But over time, the wheel gains momentum. Eventually, it starts to spin on its own. That’s when growth feels easy, when your content, reputation, and relationships start doing the work for you.

But here’s the catch: you don’t get to that point unless you keep pushing when it’s hard.

Growth Habits That Feed the Flywheel

If you want to build momentum in your side hustle, you need habits that support consistent action—not just occasional bursts of inspiration.

These five habits have helped me push through plateaus, avoid burnout, and grow steadily—even when external results were slow.

Let’s break them down.

1. Focus on the process, not just the outcome.

Outcomes are addictive.

We love tracking likes, followers, clicks, and commissions.

But the truth? Those are lag indicators.

They only show up after the work has been done consistently.

Instead, track your inputs:

• Did you publish this week?
• Did you send an email?
• Did you share your recommendation?

Keep a simple tracker. I used to mark an “X” on my wall calendar for every day I created something. It sounds basic, but it works. Over time, that visual record becomes proof that you’re making progress, even if you can’t see it yet.

2. Celebrate small wins like big ones.

When you’re building from zero, the tiniest wins matter more than you think.

Your first product click.

A reply to your newsletter.

Someone telling you your content helped them.

These are validation signals. Don’t brush them off because they seem small.

What worked for me was keeping a “Wins” document in Notion. Every time something positive happened, no matter how small, I wrote it down. And on days when I felt like nothing was working, I’d go back and read that list.

It was a mindset reset every single time.

3. Stick to a publishing rhythm.

You’ve probably heard this before, but I’ll say it again because it’s that important:

Pick a rhythm you can maintain and commit to it.

Weekly is great.

Bi-weekly is fine.

Even monthly works as long as it’s consistent.

Here’s a tip that helped me stay on track:

Create a recurring content day.

For me, it was Saturdays. I called it “Creator Saturday.” I’d block two hours and do nothing else.

Batching also helped. I’d record two podcast episodes in one sitting or outline 3 emails at once. That way, I had buffer for the weeks when life got in the way.

Consistency isn’t just about showing up. It’s about creating systems that help you show up when motivation runs dry.

4. Repurpose what works.

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel every time you post.

In fact, one of the biggest shifts in my business happened when I realized I could repurpose and redistribute existing content.

Let’s say you wrote a blog post that got good engagement. Here’s how you could repurpose it:

• Break it down into 3 LinkedIn or Instagram posts.
• Turn it into an email for your newsletter.
• Use the main idea as a script for a short-form video.
• Summarize the key insight into a quote or graphic.

One piece of content = multiple touchpoints.

This doesn’t just save time, it reinforces your message across platforms. And repetition builds recognition.

5. Reflect and refine monthly.

This habit is easy to skip, but it’s a game-changer.

At the end of each month, I do a 30-minute check-in with myself:

• What did I create this month?
• What performed better than expected?
• What felt easy or energizing to do?
• What felt like a drag?

Based on those answers, I’ll make one or two simple changes for the next month.

Sometimes it’s shifting my email send day.

Sometimes it’s stopping a format that no longer works.

Other times, it’s just doubling down on what’s resonating.

Reflection turns effort into insight. And insight fuels smarter growth.

These habits might sound simple.

And that’s the point.

They’re not hacks. They’re not flashy. But if you stay with them, they’ll quietly and powerfully build momentum behind your business.

The flywheel turns not because of one massive push but because of hundreds of small ones that don’t stop.

Books That Reinforce This Principle

If you want to go deeper into the power of small, consistent effort, here are three books I can’t recommend enough:

The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson – A classic on how simple disciplines, repeated over time, lead to success or failure. It’s all about daily decisions and how they quietly shape your destiny.

Essentialism by Greg McKeown – This one’s a must-read if you’re juggling too much. It teaches you how to focus on what truly moves the needle and let go of everything else.

Atomic Habits by James Clear – You’ve probably read this one, but it’s worth revisiting. The principles of identity-based habits and tiny improvements tie directly into building momentum.

These books aren’t about hype. They’re about long-term mastery. And they’ll give you the mindset to keep pushing that flywheel, day after day.

You Don’t Need to Go Big. You Just Need to Begin

You don’t need to be more talented.

You don’t need to figure everything out.

And you definitely don’t need to wait for the “right time.”

You just need to take one small action today.

That blog you’ve been meaning to write.

That email you’ve been afraid to send.

That idea you’ve been sitting on.

Do it.

Not because it’s the magic bullet.

But because it’s your next push on the flywheel.

That’s how small wins turn into big results.

Over to you now…

What’s one small, meaningful action you’ll take today?

Hit reply and tell me. I read every message.

And if you know someone else building something from scratch, forward this to them. Let’s keep the momentum going..

Recommended Newsletters

Here are few newsletters that I would recommend that you sign up to if you are interested in learning the art of running a side-hustle:

• Write, Build, Scale
• Why we buy
• The Book Bub
• The Stacked Marketer
• The Growth Bulletin
• Unconventional Productivity for Online Business Owners
• Side Hustle Weekly
• The Affiliate Guy
• I will teach you to be rich
• How Brands win
• For the Interested
• Send and Grow

Sign up to these and follow them. You will get a lot of information and content for your blog posts, podcasts and even social media posts.

I will share more such ideas in my future newsletters.

I put in about 18 hours every month to create this newsletter, starting from researching to writing and editing it.

So, If you enjoyed reading this Newsletter, I would sincerely appreciate it if you could recommend it to others. You can send them to https://thegrowthcreator.com to subscribe to it for FREE!

What am I reading?

I absolutely love books and I read a lot.

In fact, I don’t just read a lot, but I also take notes on every book that I read.

I have pages and pages of information in my Notion Second Brain, so that I can find them and use them when ever I need.

I have added some of the newest books that I have been reading, to the Amazon store, so you might want to check it out.

Want to know more about the books I read. You can check it out here!

That’s it for this week!

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