This founder burnt $10k in 3 months and got no users

September 07, 2025

Hey there,

Last month, I got on a call with a founder who was panicking:

"Steven, I've spent $10,000 on ads and got nothing. My app has 2,000 downloads and maybe 50 paying users."

I pulled up his Facebook Ads account. The damage was brutal.

$5 per download. $200 per paying customer.

I could hear the desperation in his voice. He had been throwing money at Facebook for months with nothing to show for it.

This dude was lighting money on fire and calling it marketing.

If you don't know your numbers, you're gambling.

The math is simple. If your user is worth $10 and you're paying $15 to get them, you're screwed. Doesn't matter how pretty your ads are.

This founder made a fatal mistake early on:

He skipped the boring part. Never calculated his LTV. Never tested organic content first. Just threw money at ads because some guru told him to scale fast.

I told him my apps acquire users for $1. But here's the thing:

It doesn't even matter that it was that low. I calculated that I could spend up to $4 to acquire a user and still profit. 

The difference is knowing your math before you spend a dime.

95% of founders who "can't make ads work" are just paying more than their users are worth. The ads aren't broken. The math is.

Before you light your money on fire like this guy, know your numbers.

Peace,
Steven