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Guides

Working notes on paid media and unit economics. One question per guide, the arithmetic in full, and the mistake it usually hides.

24 guides
Return on spend3 Sep 20266 min read
What Is a Good ROAS? Start With Break-Even, Not a Benchmark

A good ROAS is the one that clears your break-even, which depends on contribution margin. The formula, benchmark ranges, and what inflates it.

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Return on spend3 Sep 20266 min read
POAS: Profit on Ad Spend, and When It Beats ROAS

POAS measures gross profit per dollar of ad spend, not revenue. The formula, how it differs from ROAS, realistic bands, and where it breaks.

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Customer value28 Aug 20265 min read
CAC Payback Period: How Long Until a Customer Pays You Back

CAC Payback Period: How Long Until a Customer Pays You Back Your blended CAC is $180. Your LTV is $540. That is a 3:1 ratio, which every investor deck files under healthy, and you still cannot cover payroll in month four. Nothing in the ratio is arithmetically wrong. It is simply silent about when the […]

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Unit economics23 Aug 20265 min read
Margin vs Markup: The Difference That Costs You Money

Margin and markup describe the same profit from different bases. The formulas, a conversion table, and the pricing error that quietly erodes profit.

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Start with a calculator
ROAS calculatorFree ROAS calculator that also shows break-even ROAS, gross...CPM calculatorEnter spend and impressions to get cost per thousand, or set a...Profit margin calculatorRetail margin, gross margin and profit from price and cost, with...Break-even ROAS calculatorEnter order value, margin and variable costs to find the ROAS and...LTV calculatorEnter order value, purchase frequency, lifespan and margin to get...CPA and CAC calculatorSeparates cost per acquisition from full customer acquisition...