Stop Chasing Every Customer: How to Commit to One Growth Engine

As a founder, you have a hundred things on your plate every day. You’re building the product, managing the team, talking to customers, and trying to keep the lights on. Amidst all this, you know you need to grow. You’ve probably heard advice about SEO, social media, paid ads, email marketing, content, partnerships, referrals, and more. It’s easy to feel like you should be doing a little bit of everything.

The problem is, when you try to do a little bit of everything, you often end up doing nothing well. Your marketing budget gets spread thin across many channels, none of which get enough attention to actually move the needle. You spend time and money without seeing clear results, and eventually, you feel frustrated and overwhelmed, wondering if any of it even works.

This scattergun approach is a common trap. It leads to wasted effort, diluted resources, and a slow burn of your runway. There’s a better way to grow, one that helps you find what truly works for your business without draining your resources.

Why Focus Wins: The Power of One Channel

The core idea is simple: instead of dipping your toes into ten different growth channels, pick one, test it rigorously, and only scale it if it truly works. If it doesn't, you kill it and move on to the next most promising channel. This isn't about ignoring other channels forever, but about finding your primary growth engine first.

Think of it like digging for water. If you dig shallow wells in twenty different spots, you’ll likely find no water. But if you pick the most promising spot and dig deep, you have a much higher chance of hitting a strong, sustainable source. Your business needs a steady flow of customers, and that flow usually comes from one or two channels you’ve mastered, not from weak trickles across many.

This focused approach helps you conserve resources by spending less money and time on unproven tactics. You learn faster, quickly understanding what works and what doesn't for your specific audience. You build expertise, becoming proficient at operating that one channel, which provides a competitive advantage. And you see clear results, allowing you to properly measure impact and confidently invest more where it counts.

Your Playbook for Testing and Committing to a Growth Channel

This process helps you test growth channels cheaply and effectively, so you can commit to the one that delivers.

Step 1: List Every Possible Growth Channel

Start by brainstorming every way you can think of to reach your ideal customer. Don't filter yet. Just get them all down.

Consider channels such as content marketing (blog posts, articles, videos, podcasts), search engine optimization (SEO) to rank higher in searches, paid advertising (Google Ads, Facebook/Instagram Ads, LinkedIn Ads, TikTok Ads), and organic social media marketing (building a following and engaging on platforms like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or WhatsApp). Other options include email marketing (building a list and sending newsletters), referral programs (encouraging existing customers to bring in new ones), partnerships with other businesses, and events (hosting or attending industry gatherings). Don't forget cold outreach (directly contacting potential customers via email, phone, or DMs), public relations (getting media coverage), and offline marketing like flyers, billboards, or local community engagement.

Step 2: Prioritize Your Top 2-3 Channels

Now, narrow down your list to the 2 or 3 channels that seem most promising for your business and your customers. Ask yourself where your ideal customers spend their time. For example, if you sell consumer goods, Instagram or Facebook might be more effective than LinkedIn. If you sell enterprise software, LinkedIn or direct outreach might be more suitable. Consider what channels align with your business model: high-value customers might warrant direct outreach or partnerships, while many customers for a low-margin product might need paid ads or viral loops. Evaluate your existing resources – do you have a strong writer for content, a budget for ads, or good connections for partnerships? Also, think about how quickly you can get feedback; some channels like paid ads yield results in days, while SEO takes months.

Don't overthink this. Pick the channels that feel like the strongest fit based on your gut and limited information.

Step 3: Design a Small, Time-Boxed Test for One Channel

This is the most critical step. For your top channel, design a "minimum viable test" (MVT). The goal is to get definitive answers on whether the channel has potential, with the least amount of time and money.

First, define a clear, measurable goal. This isn't a vague "get more customers," but something specific like "generate 10 qualified leads," "make 5 sales," "get 20 email sign-ups from potential customers," or "book 3 discovery calls." Next, set a strict budget for both time and money to ensure efficiency. For time, 1-2 weeks is often enough for an initial read. For money, start with a small, uncomfortable-but-not-ruinous amount—perhaps NGN 5,000, NGN 10,000, or NGN 20,000—the point is to make it low-risk. Finally, outline the exact steps you will take, specifically detailing your actions.

• Hypothetical Example: Paid Ads (Instagram/Facebook)
  • Goal: Get 5 new sign-ups for a product demo at a cost of NGN 1,000 per sign-up or less.
  • Budget: NGN 5,000 over 5 days (NGN 1,000/day).
  • Steps:
    1. Create 2-3 ad creatives (images/videos) and ad copy targeting one specific customer segment.
    2. Set up a simple landing page to capture email addresses for the demo.
    3. Launch the campaign.
    4. Monitor daily spend and sign-ups.
• Hypothetical Example: Cold Outreach (Email)
  • Goal: Book 3 discovery calls with potential enterprise clients.
  • Budget: 1 full day of your time, no monetary spend beyond existing tools.
  • Steps:
    1. Identify 50 specific companies or individuals who fit your ideal customer profile.
    2. Find their contact information (email/LinkedIn).
    3. Craft a short, personalized email template.
    4. Send emails.
    5. Track responses and booked calls.

When I built the initial version of OPNMRT, the core idea was to enable sellers using WhatsApp and Instagram to easily get paid and manage orders. The "channel" we focused on was making existing social conversations transactional. We didn't try to build a new social network; we built tools to optimize the existing social commerce flow, making it easier for sellers to convert interest into actual sales without leaving the platforms their customers were already on. This focus allowed us to build specific features, like branded stores and automated checkouts, directly addressing the pain points within that specific customer journey.

Step 4: Execute and Measure Everything

Run your test exactly as planned. Be disciplined about your budget and timeline. The most important part here is to track everything.

• How much did you spend?
• How much time did you invest?
• What was the specific outcome (leads, sales, sign-ups)?
• What was your Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) or Cost Per Lead (CPL)? (Total spend / number of outcomes).

Use simple spreadsheets. You don't need fancy analytics tools for a small test.

Step 5: Analyze, Decide, and Double Down or Kill

Once your test period is over, objectively look at the data.

• Did you hit your goal?
• What was your actual CPA/CPL? Is this figure sustainable for your business? If your product costs NGN 10,000 and your profit margin is 30% (NGN 3,000), a CPA of NGN 1,000 is good, but NGN 5,000 means you're losing money.
• What did you learn? Did certain ad creatives perform better? Were your emails opened? What feedback did you get from prospects?

Make a clear decision: If the channel shows promise, double down. Invest more time and money, and optimize what worked – this is where "going deep" starts. If the channel did not work, kill it. Don't throw good money after bad. Instead, move on to the next channel on your prioritized list from Step 2 and design a new MVT.

When a channel shows promise, that's when you commit to making it a core part of your operation. For example, if content marketing proves effective, you don't just write one blog post a month. You build a system. That's what I engineered with FoundersDev: a system that, once the content strategy is set, automates the entire process of drafting, reviewing, and publishing blog articles. It means a founder can decide "content is our channel," and then focus on the strategy and insights, while the engine handles the consistent execution. Going deep means building the infrastructure to make that channel run efficiently and scalably.

Common Mistakes and How to Sidestep Them

I’ve seen founders make these errors repeatedly when trying to grow.

Mistake 1: Spreading Resources Too Thin

Trying to manage five different social media accounts, running a small ad campaign, and writing occasional blog posts all at once. How to avoid: Be ruthless in your prioritization. If you have limited budget and time, pick one channel and run a focused test. You can always come back to others later.

Mistake 2: Not Measuring Properly

"I think our Instagram is doing well." "We're getting some calls, so the radio ad must be working." Without clear numbers, you're guessing. How to avoid: Define your goal and metrics before you start the test. Track everything, even if it's just in a simple spreadsheet. Know your CPA, conversion rate, and lead quality.

Mistake 3: Giving Up Too Soon or Too Late

Giving up on a promising channel after only a few days, or conversely, pouring money into a failing channel for months hoping it will magically turn around. How to avoid: Set realistic timelines and budgets for your tests. Some channels, like SEO, take longer. Others, like paid ads, give faster feedback. Stick to your test plan, then make a data-driven decision.

Mistake 4: Scaling a Broken Channel

Discovering a channel has a high CPA or brings in low-quality leads, but scaling it up anyway because "it's the only thing working." How to avoid: Before you scale, ensure the unit economics make sense. Calculate your Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV) and compare it to your CPA. Your CLTV should ideally be at least 3x your CPA (this is a common rule of thumb). If it's not, your business model may be unsustainable.

Mistake 5: Not Understanding Your Customer Deeply Enough

Trying to reach customers on a platform they don't use or with messages that don't resonate. How to avoid: Spend time talking to your ideal customers. Where do they hang out online and offline? What problems do they need solved? What language do they use? Your channel choice and messaging should reflect these insights.

Your Growth Channel Checklist

Before you start your next growth experiment:

• I have listed at least 5 potential growth channels for my business.
• I have prioritized my top 2-3 most promising channels based on my customers and resources.
• I have picked one channel to test first.
• I have defined a clear, measurable goal for this test (e.g., "get 5 sales," "20 leads").
• I have set a strict time limit (e.g., 1 week, 2 weeks) for the test.
• I have set a strict budget (e.g., NGN 10,000, NGN 20,000) for the test.
• I have a plan for how I will track results and calculate CPA/CPL.
• I know what success looks like for this test (e.g., "CPA under NGN 1,000").
• I am prepared to either double down or kill this channel based on the results.

What You Can Do This Week

1. List: Take out a pen and paper. Brainstorm at least 5-7 distinct ways you could get new customers for your business. Don't worry about feasibility yet.
2. Prioritize: From that list, pick the single channel that you believe has the highest chance of success right now, given your current resources and understanding of your customer.
3. Design a Tiny Test: For that one channel, define a small, specific goal (e.g., "get 3 qualified leads," "make 2 sales"). Set a time limit of no more than 7 days and a monetary budget you'd be comfortable losing completely (perhaps NGN 5,000-NGN 15,000). Outline the exact steps you'll take.

Finding your growth engine takes discipline, but it's the most reliable way to build a sustainable business. By testing smart and committing deeply to what works, you'll see far greater returns than by scattering your efforts. Focus your energy, learn quickly, and build your foundation for strong, consistent growth.

— Samuel