Growth Engineering Playbook · Wave 5

The LTV in your deck is probably revenue in disguise.

"LTV:CAC of 8" only means something if the LTV is contribution margin — revenue minus discounts, returns, and cost of goods — not gross revenue, which flatters every channel. This computes realised per-customer contribution from the real Northstar Outfitters order data, groups customers by how they were acquired, and puts it next to a documented CAC table to get the LTV:CAC ratio and payback period — flagging the channels that look fine on revenue but are marginal on profit. Toggle revenue vs contribution to see the gap. Deterministic, client-side.

Loading order data…

LTV:CAC by acquisition channel

The line is the 3:1 rule of thumb. Green clears it; amber is marginal; red loses money on every acquisition.

Healthy (≥3:1) Marginal / slow payback Acquired at a loss

Payback

How long one segment takes to earn back its CAC.

Unit economics by segment

Realised contribution to date — not a projection. Small segments are labelled with their customer count so you can see where the numbers are thin.

The Decision