Description
The cheapest channel is not always the best one
It’s tempting to pour budget into whichever channel brings in customers for the least money. But a cheap customer who churns in a month can cost you more than an expensive one who stays for a year — and most spreadsheets never put CAC and LTV side by side to show it.
This kit does exactly that: CAC and LTV calculated per channel, with the ratio that actually tells you where to put next month’s budget.
What you get
1. A 10-sheet Excel workbook
- Start Here — how the sheets connect
- Channel Spend Log — spend and new customers acquired, by channel and by month
- Customer Log — a tracked sample of customers with revenue, status, and tenure
- CAC by Channel — cost per customer, calculated automatically for every channel
- LTV by Channel — lifetime value and the LTV:CAC ratio, calculated automatically
- Payback Period by Channel — how many months it takes to earn back what you spent
- Cohort Retention — customers grouped by the month acquired, with retention tracked
- Monthly CAC Trend — blended CAC trend by month, with a chart
- Customer Lookup — type a customer, see their full record instantly
- Dashboard — blended CAC, average LTV, retention rate, and your best channel by ratio, live
2. An 11-page companion guide (PDF)
How CAC and LTV are calculated and what a healthy LTV:CAC ratio looks like, how to read a payback period, what cohort retention reveals that a single retention percentage hides, and a short monthly unit-economics review routine.
3. A Notion template
An importable Notion workspace mirroring the key tracking tables, with a quick-reference section and a next-actions checklist.
Built for
- Founders and marketers deciding where to put next month’s acquisition budget
- Anyone who has scaled a “cheap” channel only to find retention was the real problem
- Subscription and repeat-purchase businesses that need LTV, not just a one-time sale, to judge a channel
- Teams reporting unit economics to investors or leadership on a recurring basis
What’s in the file
- 1 x Excel workbook (.xlsx) — formulas live and editable
- 1 x PDF companion guide, 11 pages
- 1 x Notion import file (Markdown) — key tables ready to import
- Delivered as a single ZIP, available immediately after payment
Compatibility
Microsoft Excel 2016 and later, Microsoft 365, Google Sheets, and LibreOffice Calc. Works with any currency, any channel, and any naming convention — you enter your own data rather than being locked into a fixed list of platforms or categories.
This is a planning and organization tool. It does not constitute tax, accounting, legal, or financial advice. Results depend on the accuracy of the figures you enter.
Frequently asked questions
Does this calculate LTV the same way a VC or investor would?
It uses a simplified, transparent formula — average monthly revenue times average months active — explained fully in the guide. For most small and mid-size businesses this is the right level of rigor; the structure is there if you want to build on it.
How many customers do I need to log?
You don’t need every customer — a representative sample per channel (the kit ships with five per channel as an example) is enough for a reliable average.
Does it pull spend and customer counts from my ad platforms automatically?
No — you log the totals yourself monthly, which takes a few minutes and keeps the numbers accurate regardless of platform.
Will this work in Google Sheets?
Yes. Upload to Google Drive and open with Google Sheets — formulas, dropdowns, and the chart all carry over.
What’s a healthy LTV:CAC ratio?
A common rule of thumb is 3x or higher; the guide covers why, and the Dashboard shows you where every channel stands against it.
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