A crash course in unit economics — don't learn this the painful way
Visit LinkHa Nguyen shares a candid story from her time at a fast-growing fashion startup, where strong revenue masked poor unit economics. She reveals how excitement about top-line growth distracted from the reality that each customer lost money. The essay warns founders not to confuse growth with viability.
More in Unit Economics
Four Questions Every Marketplace Startup Should Be Able to Answer
Former Airbnb PM Jonathan Golden outlines a clear framework to evaluate marketplace viability. By mapping products by transaction size and frequency, he shows how to predict and improve unit economics through incentives and pricing. Excellent reference for marketplace builders.
The Slow Death of Neobank 1.0
William Morales examines the broken economics behind neobanks: high CAC, minimal revenue per user, and long payback periods. He uses napkin math to show why subscriptions or lending products are essential to survival. A hard-hitting read for fintech operators and analysts.
Death to DTC? Enabling the Future of Cross-Channel Commerce
Rick Zullo and Chelsea Zhang analyze why early DTC brands struggled to scale profitably. They discuss issues like inflated CAC, ad tracking limits, and high return rates—and how these led to omnichannel pivots. A detailed breakdown for operators and investors focused on margin-driven growth.