Money, pricing & unit economics
Unit economics & contribution margin
Do you make money on order number one?
Showing 4 of 7 questions. Clear filters
What does a healthy CM1 / CM2 / CM3 actually look like for an Indian D2C brand?
Rules of thumb for Indian D2C: aim for CM1 (gross) of 60%+ so there's room to absorb the ecosystem tax, CM2 comfortably positive after shipping, RT...
My revenue keeps growing but I'm still losing money. Why does that happen?
Growth hides a broken unit economics model: if your CM3 per order is negative, every additional order digs the hole deeper, and topline just makes ...
How do I factor RTO, returns, COD, shipping and discounts into my true margin?
These are the silent margin killers that live inside CM2, and in India they're brutal: COD orders can cost 50-100% more to serve, RTO on COD often ...
What's a good LTV:CAC ratio, and when is my D2C brand actually profitable?
Compute LTV on contribution profit (not revenue), and the classic benchmark is a 3:1 LTV:CAC with CAC payback inside roughly 3-6 months; below ~1:1...
Related in Starting Up
Not D2C-specific, so it lives in our founder hub. Same engine, different corner.
Founder mental health, burnout and loneliness
Co-founder dynamics, equity splits and conflict
Founder pay, personal finance and mixing personal and business money
eChai Partner Brands
