How we work with founders
We bring you the customers. Your product makes them stay.
When a startup hires a go-to-market partner, the partner should own the road into the product: ads, outbound, landing pages, signup, the onboarding front door and nurture emails. The product team owns what happens inside it: activation on one leading feature, retention and pricing. Spend should only go up once activation, cohorts and payback all hold. Growth breaks at retention far more often than at acquisition, so this split decides whether ad money compounds or leaks.
Who owns each step of the customer journey
| Step | Owner |
|---|---|
| Ads and outbound | Big Shorter Media runs it |
| Landing page | Big Shorter Media runs it |
| Signup | Big Shorter Media runs it |
| Onboarding front door | Big Shorter Media runs it |
| Activation on one feature | Agreed together |
| Retention | You run it, we advise |
| Pricing and plans | You run it, we advise |
| Upgrades and expansion | You run it, we advise |
Our job ends once a lead is inside your product. Activation sits on the line: we bring every new user to the front door of one leading feature, and your product has to deliver the moment it clicks. Deeper product work is a separate engagement.
Six things we expect from you on the product
- Activation
Define your activation moment before launch
The one moment a new user gets real value, written down and tracked. It is the first sign a lead became a user, and every ad and landing page points at it.
- Cohorts
Track cohorts, not signups
How many users from each week are still active at 30, 60 and 90 days. Signups can rise while the business shrinks. A flattening curve is the signal that it works.
- Users
Talk to users every week
Including at least one person who signed up and left. AI-run interviews keep it cheap. Users tell you why people stay or go, and no dashboard can.
- Focus
Ship one retention fix a week
One bet, one owner, measured the week after. One fix you can read beats a roadmap of ten you cannot.
- Pricing
Price for retention
Annual plans, onboarding help and a clear outcome on the pricing page. Customers who stay longer pay back their cost sooner, and we model that payback with you.
- Speed
Give us fast decisions and access
Tracking, ad accounts and analytics from day one, and one decision maker who answers quickly. Slow answers cost more than a weak ad.
Your operating rhythm
Items marked expected are part of working with us. Items marked advised are what we recommend.
Before launch
- Expected: agree your one leading feature with us
- Expected: write down a measurable activation moment
- Expected: track activation and key product events, and give us read access
- Expected: name one decision maker for product and onboarding
- Advised: cut every step between signup and activation that is not needed
- Advised: write down your value ladder: trial, paid, annual, upgrades
Every week
- Expected: talk to users, including one who left
- Expected: ship one retention fix with one owner
- Expected: keep or drop last week's fix, based on the numbers
- Expected: share last week's activation rate with us
- Advised: read our buyer feedback from ads and outbound next to your user notes
Every month
- Expected: review cohorts at 30, 60 and 90 days
- Expected: if the curve is not flattening, put the next fixes on the product
- Expected: review cost per paying customer against the payback line with us
- Advised: offer an annual plan
- Advised: add onboarding help, such as a setup call
The scale gate: four checks before we spend more
- Check 1
Activation holds
Most new users reach the activation moment in their first week.
- Check 2
Cohorts flatten
Weekly cohorts level off by day 60 to 90.
- Check 3
Payback line holds
Cost per paying customer stays under the line we agreed, month after month.
- Check 4
Ready for more customers
Cash to fund growth ahead of payback, and a team that can serve more customers without quality slipping.
Add fuel
We add budget, then new channels and markets before the first one saturates.
Hold and fix
Spend stays where it is. We name the leaking step, agree one fix that week, and re-test.
We set the payback line with you before anything goes live. Ads and outbound keep running while a check is red, at a level that keeps the data coming.
Get ready for growth before you need it
Once growth works, the limits move from marketing to money and operations. Three things we advise every client to prepare early:
Cash
Paying for customers today and earning it back over months needs cash up front. Line up financing that fits a payback model, such as revenue-based financing.
Delivery
Hire for support, onboarding and delivery ahead of demand. Quality that slips at double the volume undoes the growth.
Channels
Every channel saturates and costs rise as audiences get colder. We test the next channel while the first one still works.
Frequently asked questions
Does a growth agency own retention?
Not in our model. We own the road into your product: ads, outbound, landing pages, signup, the onboarding front door and nurture emails. Retention, pricing and upgrades are run by your product team, and we advise on them. Activation on one leading feature is agreed together.
What is an activation moment?
The one moment a new user gets real value from your product, written down and tracked as an event. It is the first sign a lead became a user, so every ad and landing page should point at it.
When should a startup increase ad spend?
When four checks hold: most new users activate in their first week, weekly cohorts level off by day 60 to 90, cost per paying customer stays under the agreed payback line month after month, and the business has the cash and team to serve more customers.
What happens if retention is not working?
Spend stays where it is. Ads and outbound keep running at a level that keeps data coming, we name the leaking step, agree one fix that week and re-test.
Keep reading
What products that keep their customers do differently
The retention practices behind products that last: value in the first session, one core job, a reason to return, weekly listening and retention before spend.
Building the product people stay in
A founder product playbook: five answers to write before you build, the shortest path to a first win, a shared tracking plan, launch gates and a weekly rhythm.
The examples here are common industry practice, not Big Shorter Media results. Results vary by product, audience, offer and budget. Nothing on this page promises a specific result.