Grow & market

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

The short answer

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, your way

3 hand-picked resources, 1 link-checked. Pick how you want to dig in.

📄 Article
✓ Link checked Freemium Intermediate

Why we picked it 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

Why we picked it 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

Why we picked it 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 →

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