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Grow & market

How should I set up a simple growth model or dashboard?

Model growth as an equation: new + resurrected users minus churned, broken down by your two or three real acquisition channels. Build it in a spreadsheet first so you understand the levers before buying a tool. If you can't explain your growth in one formula, you don't yet understand it.

Go deeper

3 resources, 1 link-checked.

📄 Article
✓ Link checked Freemium Intermediate

Based on studying 100+ consumer companies, Lenny shows that lasting growth comes from becoming world-class at one growth engine, viral, SEO, or paid, rather than dabbling in all three.

The Growth Engine: Kickstarting & Scaling a Consumer Business (Step 6)

From Lenny's Newsletter by Lenny Rachitsky ~20 min read

  • Most successful startups run on a single dominant growth engine.
  • The three engines are viral/word-of-mouth, content/SEO, and paid.
  • Pick one and become world-class before layering on a second.
Open lennysnewsletter.com →
📄 Article
Freemium Intermediate

Lenny distills how the best product teams pick a single North Star that captures real customer value and drives the whole growth model, with concrete company examples.

The North Star Playbook & Choosing Your Growth Metrics

From Lenny's Newsletter by Lenny Rachitsky ~20 min read

  • A good North Star metric measures delivered customer value, not vanity signups.
  • Break the North Star into a small set of input metrics you can actually move.
  • Fewer, well-chosen metrics reviewed weekly beat sprawling dashboards nobody reads.
Open lennysnewsletter.com →
📄 Article
Free Intermediate

Julian Shapiro's growth handbook frames brand and messaging as downstream of who you're for and what you replace, practical foundations, not brand theory.

Positioning (Startup Handbook: brand and marketing foundations)

From julian.com by Julian Shapiro 20 min read

  • Brand is a consistent promise and feeling, not a logo
  • Mine customer language from calls, reviews and communities
  • Nail who you're for before investing in visual polish
Open julian.com →

People also ask

What growth metrics should I actually track as an early-stage startup? 3 → How do I know if I have product-market fit before I try to grow? 2 → What is a growth loop and why is it better than a funnel? 2 → What are the 'four fits' I need before growth compounds? 2 → Why did my marketing channel stop working after a few months? 2 → How do I calculate my North Star metric when I have both free and paid users? 3 →

Also in D2C

The same ground, over in Run paid ads, our D2C track.

What actually makes an ad creative convert in 2025? 4 → How is Google Ads different from Meta ads for my D2C brand? 3 →

Also in D2C

The same ground, over in Grow organically & retain, our D2C track.

How do I build a referral program that people actually use, not one that just sits unused in my Shopify admin? 4 → Should I be on Instagram, YouTube Shorts, and Pinterest, or just pick one? Where do I actually put my limited time? 4 →

Also in How Founders Use AI

How founders actually use AI for this, over in Ads & Performance Marketing.

How do founders use AI to generate and test ad creatives at scale? 18 → Why use AI for audience research, copy variants, and campaign analysis? 19 →

Also in GTM

The same ground, over in Let the product sell, our GTM track.

What does product-led growth actually mean, and how is it different from just having a free trial? 6 → Everyone says find your aha moment. What is it actually, and how do I find ours? 5 →

Also in GTM

The same ground, over in Keep and grow the customers you win, our GTM track.

When should I hire my first customer success person? 5 → What is net revenue retention and why does every investor keep asking me for it? 5 →
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