Protect your momentum like your life depends on It

If there’s one thing every entrepreneur needs to know, it’s this: momentum is everything. It’s the driving force that transforms your initial burst of energy into lasting success. You have to do everything you can to protect it.

That’s exactly what I did to bootstrap Jotform from a handful of customers to its current 25M+ users. Here’s how to build and sustain this vital force.

Keeping the Momentum Going: Key strategies

Find your why

Momentum begins with a strong sense of purpose and passion. Your purpose fuels your passion, turning your work into a mission. When you’re deeply connected to your mission, challenges become stepping stones rather than stumbling blocks. Your enthusiasm becomes infectious, inspiring those around you, and attracting customers. Even the toughest challenges become manageable. Find your why.

Establish a routine

Consistency creates momentum, and that requires discipline. Have specific times for focused work, breaks, and personal time. Having this structure offers you the comfort of predictability and keeps you moving forward by making sure you're always making progress.

Build in public

Posting about your progress on platforms like Twitter, Reddit, TikTok, and Indie Hackers makes you accountable and draws attention to your work. Being open about your process helps you stay motivated as you get real-time feedback and support from your community.

Balance your development and marketing efforts

Balance your time between development and marketing. A successful business needs both to keep growing. That's why I came up with the"50-50 rule," which means spending equal time on building your product and promoting it. That way, you aren’t just creating a great product, but also making sure the right people know about it. Set goals for both development and marketing and use customer feedback to keep improving each one.

Continuous learning

ABL: Always Be Learning. The business world is always changing, and staying updated helps you adapt. Whether it's through reading, getting a higher degree, taking courses, or meeting new people, continuous learning keeps you sharp, ready for new challenges, and keeps your passion and momentum strong.

Cultivate a growth mindset.

A growth mindset sees challenges as chances to learn and treats failures as opportunities to grow. With this mindset, you can keep moving forward even when things go wrong. It helps you stay persistent and strong, which you need if you’re going to be successful long-term.

Self care

Entrepreneurship is a marathon, not a sprint. To keep your momentum, taking care of yourself is a must. Regular exercise, enough sleep, and relaxation aren’t just nice to have — they're essential. A healthy routine keeps your energy up and your mind clear, so you can face challenges and stay on track.

Build a strong support network

Find mentors, peers, and a team that will help you. These people's support and advice can really help you stay inspired and get through hard times.

Celebrate every win

Momentum grows in steps. Every tiny success counts. Did you get a new customer? Celebrate that! Did you launch a new feature? Take a moment to enjoy it. Celebrating these small wins keeps your energy up and helps you keep moving forward. Let’s dig deeper into this one.

The science of momentum and celebrating wins

In business, momentum works much like it does in physics: an object in motion stays in motion. And studies show that momentum is maintained by noticing — and celebrating — the small things.

Harvard Business School’s "progress principle" shows that making steady, meaningful progress boosts motivation and performance. Each small success builds momentum for your business, making it easier to reach the next goal and increasing productivity and engagement.

Research from the University of Chicago also shows how important momentum is. Positive, future-focused feedback helps keep things moving forward. Recognizing accomplishments and getting advice on how to improve keeps people motivated and encourages ongoing progress.

Neuroscience also underscores the power of progress through the role of dopamine, the brain’s reward chemical. When you achieve goals, dopamine is released, reinforcing the feeling of accomplishment and motivating you to keep pushing forward, thus maintaining momentum

Real-world momentum in action

Let’s wrap up by looking at some successful entrepreneurs who have mastered the art of maintaining momentum:

• Pieter Levels - Seven products and counting: Pieter Levels keeps his momentum by building and marketing in public. His transparent updates generate excitement and attract a loyal following from the start
• Jason Fried - Basecamp: Jason Fried, cofounder of Basecamp, is a big proponent of self-care and work-life balance in achieving success long-term. By promoting a calm work environment and setting boundaries, he demonstrates how taking care of oneself and one’s team is a non-negotiable for maintaining long-term momentum and productivity.
• Arvid Kahl - FeedbackPanda: Arvid Kahl balanced building the product with staying connected to users. By engaging in teacher forums and using their feedback, he and Danielle Simpson kept things moving forward, leading to a successful exit.
• Mubashar Iqbal - Product Hunt Maker of the Year: Mubashar Iqbal, or Mubs, keeps his momentum strong by always launching new projects and products. His commitment to side projects and turning ideas into reality shows how consistent effort and a growth mindset can bring success.
• Me - Jotform: At Jotform, we keep our momentum by focusing on product quality and great customer support. By listening to our users and constantly improving our platform, we’re able to maintain steady growth.

Bottom line: If you’re lucky enough to find momentum, protect it. Maintain it. And you will ride it all the way to the bank.