Venn diagram of profitable growth

Profitable growth is a function of two things. First, is a product that solves a real problem for your customer and helps them get what they want. Second is a network of relationships with people who are complimentary with each other and look to one another for advice. Who also get value from your product.

If you want to build for the long-term, your product has to solve a real problem and help people get what they want. If it doesn’t, then you’re just scamming people. If you want to grow in a way that’s sustainable and not susceptible to algorithm changes, you need to build a network of relationships because every algorithm changes over time and will throw you off.

This is not to say that other methods of growth are bad, of course sales, marketing, social media, and all of that is valuable to spur more growth. But, these two things are what really set you apart over a long period of time and enable profitability to last over a long period of time.