Building business growth and finding the glimmer in small marketing wins

When Ulla Engeström launched her startup, ThingLink, in Finland, she wasn’t looking for overnight success. Her early victories were modest but crucial—like developing a prototype for her interactive media tool and gathering feedback from her first users.

These small wins paved the way for securing funding and scaling her business internationally. Today, ThingLink is used by thousands of educators and businesses across the globe, all because Ulla embraced the power of small, incremental victories.

For female entrepreneurs and solopreneurs, recognizing and celebrating these “glimmers” of success is critical. It’s easy to get caught up in the desire for big breakthroughs, but real, sustainable growth often comes from small wins—the first positive customer review, a spike in website traffic, or a handful of new social media followers. These moments of progress are the foundation for long-term success.

Let’s explore how female entrepreneurs can leverage small marketing wins to propel their business forward, navigate the inevitable plateaus, and ultimately turn those glimmers of progress into beacons of success.

Spotting the “glimmer moments in your marketing journey

In digital marketing, those early signs of success, or “glimmers,” may seem small, but they are critical. These glimmers often come in the form of incremental audience growth, positive engagement, or even constructive criticism.

Sophie Cornish and Holly Tucker, co-founders of Not On The High Street, began their business with just a few small partnerships. Their glimmers of success were these early collaborations, which built trust and credibility within their niche. By recognizing the importance of these small wins and nurturing them, Sophie and Holly were able to turn their e-commerce platform into a multi-million-pound enterprise.

These early achievements serve a dual purpose. They validate your efforts, providing motivation to keep going, and they offer insights into what is working. Whether it’s a rise in social media engagement or an uptick in email open rates, these glimmers give you the data needed to refine your marketing approach. Each small win opens the door for future growth opportunities, laying the groundwork for long-term success.

Small wins lay the groundwork for big breakthroughs

It’s easy to feel impatient when growth seems slow, but the truth is that small wins are the foundation of larger successes. If you’re waiting for that one major breakthrough, you might be missing the power of incremental victories. Take Jules Pieri, co-founder of The Grommet, an online marketplace for innovative products. Jules’ company didn’t take off overnight. Instead, her small wins included securing early, passionate customers, and cultivating relationships with smaller brands before scaling to larger partnerships​. By focusing on these small steps, she built a thriving marketplace.

In your own marketing, every slight increase in email open rates or small bump in social media engagement is a sign that your efforts are paying off. These moments of progress can feel small, but they accumulate into something bigger. Whether it’s a successful Facebook ad or a blog post gaining traction, each small win tells you that your strategy is working—and that’s something to celebrate.

Another great example of building momentum from small wins comes from Simona Barbieri, founder of HubDot. What started as a small community of women sharing their entrepreneurial stories at local events in Italy, soon grew into an international platform.

Simona’s initial wins were modest, but those early gatherings helped create a powerful, global community that now empowers female entrepreneurs through storytelling and connection Simona knew that small wins matter. Each new attendee at her events, every story shared, and each meaningful connection made, represented progress. By recognizing and amplifying those early successes, she built a global network of women entrepreneurs. Her journey shows that even small wins, when leveraged properly, can create a ripple effect that transforms your business.

Leveraging small marketing wins: from glimmer to business growth

So how do you transform these small wins into long-term growth? The answer lies in how well you amplify your successes. If a blog post starts gaining traction, don’t just let it sit there—optimize it by adding keywords, enhancing visuals, or updating it with fresh information. If a social media post takes off, consider repurposing that content across multiple platforms.

Let’s look at Emily Weiss, founder of Glossier, who famously leveraged early blog engagement on Into The Gloss to create a cult beauty brand. Each comment and share from her blog readers was a small win that she turned into a conversation, gathering feedback that directly shaped Glossier’s initial product line​. She built her business by capitalizing on these small victories—each like, comment, and share became a building block for a loyal community.

In your marketing efforts, amplify your small wins by:

• Highlighting them on social media. Share your achievements—whether it’s a spike in traffic or a positive customer review. Show your audience the value of your work.
• Repurposing content. Did a specific blog post or social media post perform well? Try turning it into a video or a series of posts for other platforms.
• Using data to your advantage. Keep a close eye on your metrics using tools like Google Analytics (GA4) or social media insights. These tools help you recognize trends, even if they’re small, and give you a chance to scale them.

Practical tips for celebrating and building on small wins

Now that you know the value of small wins, here are a few practical ways to make the most of them:

• Celebrate with your community. Share your small victories with your audience. Whether it’s a new email milestone, a product launch, or customer testimonials, these moments make your brand relatable and engaging.
• Replicate and expand. When something works, expand it to other channels. For instance, if a certain type of content is performing well on Instagram, try adapting it for LinkedIn or TikTok.
• Stay data-driven. Use tools like Google Analytics, Buffer, or email marketing metrics to track your progress. These tools can help you spot trends early and capitalize on small wins.
• Engage deeply. When a post gets more engagement than expected, take the opportunity to connect with your audience. Respond to comments, start conversations, and build those relationships.

The journey from glimmers to success

One potential downside to focusing solely on small wins is that you might hit plateaus where growth stalls. How do you keep the momentum going? This is where it’s important to have a long-term strategy in place. Small wins should be celebrated, but they need to be part of a bigger plan.

While rapid growth stories often capture headlines, the reality for most entrepreneurs is that success is built over time, with small wins that accumulate into something greater. Each glimmer of success is a stepping stone toward a bigger future. By recognizing, celebrating, and leveraging these small victories, you’ll not only build momentum but also create a sustainable path to success.

Start celebrating your glimmers today. What small win can you amplify right now? Track your progress, celebrate each milestone, and build the momentum to reach your next big breakthrough.

Image copyrights:
The image of Ulla Engeström: Kauppalehti
The image of Jules Pieri: julespieri.com
The image of Simona Barbieri: The Hubdot Collective
“Celebrate your glimmer” image is from Not On The High Street