v1.7.0

Phase 6.6: Growth Loops (the engine that compounds)

vibe-check now helps a beginner find the one way their app recruits its next user on its own, preferably viral and organic, right after the Distribution phase.

Added

• Phase 6.6: Growth Loops. Reframes growth from a one-way funnel ("pour effort in the top forever") to a loop ("using the app creates the next user"), with three buildable shapes in plain language:
  • Content loop — public output found on Google (Reddit, recipe blogs, Substack)
  • Invite loop — using it pulls in someone new (Box, Figma, Google Docs)
  • Signal loop — others see it and copy (Livestrong bands, "Sent from my iPhone", Calendly links)
• Pushes building the loop into the core flow tied to the Phase 2 aha moment, names the one metric that proves it's spinning, and is honest that not every app has a loop — a faked one is worse than none.
• references/GROWTH-LOOPS.md — the fuller playbook: why a loop beats a funnel, the canonical examples (Netflix, LinkedIn, Uber, Substack, Airbnb), the full loop taxonomy, how to find and sketch your loop, and the four accelerators.
• A matching Growth Loop section in the plan document.

Credits

Brian Balfour / Reforge (growth loops), with Casey Winters and Kevin Kwok (loop taxonomy).