Customer journey mapping is the process of understanding and documenting the steps a potential customer takes from problem/product unaware to becoming a loyal, repeat customer. This mapping includes identifying key touchpoints, understanding pain points, and recognizing the motivations that lead customers to choose a product or service. A thorough journey map highlights the “locksmith moments”—those high-urgency points where customers feel an immediate need for a solution, making them more receptive to engagement. By aligning messaging and offerings with these moments, businesses can improve acquisition and retention by providing the right support at the right time.

Growth model creation is about defining the specific factors that will drive sustainable growth for the business. This model includes selecting a North Star Metric (the ultimate measure of success), identifying the key drivers that influence this metric, and establishing the strategies, or “growth levers,” that will most impact these drivers. A strong growth model also highlights compounding effects through growth loops and identifies any bottlenecks or “rate-limiting steps” that might slow down progress. This model serves as a roadmap, guiding all growth initiatives and helping prioritize efforts for maximum impact.

• North Star Metric (NSM): A North Star Metric (NSM) is the single most important measure that indicates a business’s long-term success. It’s the guiding metric that aligns the team’s efforts and reflects the value the company provides to its customers. Unlike short-term metrics, the NSM represents sustainable growth, such as customer lifetime value (CLV) for a subscription service or active users for a social platform. The NSM keeps the team focused on high-impact activities that drive meaningful growth rather than short-term wins.
• Key Drivers: Key drivers are the primary factors that influence the North Star Metric. They represent the activities or areas of focus that, if improved, will have a significant impact on the NSM. Key drivers typically include aspects like customer acquisition, retention, and engagement. By understanding these drivers, a business can prioritize initiatives that directly contribute to the growth of its North Star Metric, ensuring resources are invested where they will have the greatest effect.
• Growth Levers: Growth levers are the specific strategies or tactics that directly impact the key drivers of growth. These are the activities that can be actively managed or optimized to increase customer acquisition, improve retention, or enhance engagement. Growth levers vary by business but might include tactics like referral programs, content marketing, product optimizations, or partnerships. By pulling these levers, a business can focus its growth efforts on the actions most likely to drive results.
• Growth Loops: Growth loops are self-sustaining cycles where one action leads to another, creating continuous growth without ongoing external investment. Unlike linear marketing efforts, growth loops create a compounding effect. Examples include a referral loop, where a satisfied customer refers new ones, or a content loop, where valuable content is shared widely, drawing in more users. Growth loops create a “flywheel” effect, generating momentum that sustains and accelerates growth over time.
• Rate-Limiting Step (RLS): The rate-limiting step (RLS) is the primary bottleneck in a growth model—the factor that limits or slows down growth the most. By identifying and focusing on the RLS, a business can address its biggest constraint to unlock additional growth. This might be a lack of brand awareness, low conversion rates, or limited visibility in target markets. Tackling the RLS has a disproportionately positive effect on growth, as it removes the main obstacle holding back the business.

Growth sprints are short, focused cycles of testing, learning, and iterating on new growth ideas. During each sprint, a team generates ideas based on customer insights, selects high-potential strategies, runs experiments, and gathers data on what worked. This agile approach allows businesses to quickly adapt, prioritize high-impact activities, and continuously refine their growth strategies. Growth sprints emphasize speed and learning, enabling teams to make data-driven improvements over time.