The Dangers of LTV

Episode 119: LTV, or lifetime value, has become the gold standard for startups, specifically how they measure the effectiveness of their various marketing channels. LTV does have merit, and it is a helpful proxy to prioritize marketing and understand the economics of each customer you acquire, but if relied on entirely, it can be misleading at best and harmful to your business at worst. I’ve found what I believe to be one of the best pieces on the internet about the challenges of this methodology, a 12-year-old essay by investing legend Bill Gurley that is as relevant today as it was then. The Dangerous Seduction of the Lifetime Value (LTV) Formula: https://abovethecrowd.com/2012/09/04/the-dangerous-seduction-of-the-lifetime-value-ltv-formula/ DTC Metrics, Explained: https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/dtc-metrics-explained-2020-02-12 Send us an email and let us know what you think of the idea! [email protected] #FoundersJournal #Startups #Entrepreneur Listen to Founder’s Journal here: https://link.chtbl.com/OV4W93_W Watch Founder’s Journal here: https://www.youtube.com/@FoundersJournal/  Subscribe to Morning Brew! Sign up for free today: https://bit.ly/morningbrewyt Follow The Brew! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/morningbrew/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/MorningBrew Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@morningbrew Follow Alex! Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices