Who This Helps
This is for junior analysts who need to ship clean analysis with clear recommendations. It’s part of the Founder Finance Basics Mission Pack, which helps you understand unit economics, runway, and reporting for calm founder decisions.
Mini Case
Ben’s revenue was up 15% last quarter, but his cash balance stayed flat. He was spinning his wheels trying to decide between three new marketing experiments. He spent a day building a one-page unit economics snapshot. It showed that his Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) for social ads was $120, but the Lifetime Value (LTV) for those customers was only $95. Oops. That channel was actually losing money. He immediately deprioritized it and focused on the experiment with a healthy $45 CAC and a $200 LTV.
Do This Now (5 Steps)
- Grab last month’s revenue and marketing spend data.
- Calculate your core unit economics: CAC and LTV for your top two channels.
- Build a simple one-pager. Put the headline numbers at the top.
- Add a short note on what the numbers mean. For example, “Channel A is profitable, Channel B is not.”
- Recommend one next experiment based on the most profitable unit. Your work here is done.
Avoid These Traps
- Don’t overcomplicate it. A snapshot is not a 10-page report. One page is the goal.
- Don’t ignore payback time. A good LTV is great, but if it takes 2 years to pay back the CAC, you might run out of cash first.
- Avoid analysis paralysis. Use the data you have now, not the perfect data you wish you had.
- Don’t present raw numbers without a clear “so what.” Always link the data to a recommendation.
- Steering clear of vanity metrics. Focus on costs and value that tie directly to cash.
- Don’t forget to compare channels. The whole point is to see what’s working best.
- Avoid skipping the pricing impact. A small price change can massively improve your LTV.
- Don’t work in a vacuum. Run your one-pager by a teammate for a quick sense-check. Two brains are better than one.
Your Win by Friday
By Friday, you’ll have a clear, one-page unit economics snapshot. You’ll know which channel or product line has the healthiest economics. You’ll walk into your next planning meeting with a confident recommendation for the single highest-impact experiment to run next. No more guesswork, just focused effort. You’ve got this.