How to Sequence Your Growth
Most teams try to grow in the wrong order.
They pour money into acquisition, hoping to buy growth, without fixing the leaks in their funnel.
They build pricing experiments before users even understand the product’s value.
They design “growth loops” for a product that hasn’t even become a habit among a subset of users.
And I don’t blame them, because it feels like the more logical thing to do. More users = more growth, right?
Not quite.
🔁 The right order is:
Activation
Monetization
Acquisition
Retention
Everything else – systems, loops, experiments – are specialties that support the core engine.
⚠️ Start with activation. Always.
Fix activation, and your retention improves. Fix activation, and monetization starts working.
Fix activation… and then acquisition becomes scalable.
This sounds obvious. But in practice, most teams start with paid ads and only later realize that they don’t have a repeatable way of getting new users to actually activate.
Instead:
Define what success looks like for a new user.
Remove friction to get them there.
Build onboarding that guides, not just welcomes.
Use reminders, nudges, and cues to form habits.
And if you’re B2B – activate accounts and individuals.
If your startup is still early, this is where the real leverage is.
We’ve helped teams triple activation rates just by rethinking their onboarding sequence or reworking their “aha” moment.
Let us know if you have any questions, topics, or suggestions for things you’d like to see us cover in a future issue of our newsletter.
📰 News, Updates, and Resources Worth Your Time
Meet Flow: AI-powered filmmaking with Veo 3, Google
Google introduces Veo 3, a powerful video generation model aimed at filmmakers and creators. Flow is the new interface – a creative workspace to direct, edit, and iterate AI-generated video.
OpenAI upgrades the AI model powering its Operator agent, TechCrunch
OpenAI has improved the underlying model behind its AI agent, Operator. The upgrade enhances its ability to autonomously execute multi-step tasks and interface with tools more effectively.
OpenAI buys iPhone architect – Jony Ive’s – startup for $6.4bn, The Guardian
OpenAI has acquired io, a hardware startup founded by former Apple designer Jony Ive, for $6.4 billion. The acquisition aims to develop a new AI device that integrates seamlessly into daily life, moving beyond traditional screens. Ive's design firm, LoveFrom, will oversee design across all OpenAI software, marking a significant step in OpenAI's expansion into consumer hardware.
✍️ Become A Better Writer – Question Marks Are Not For Emphasis
Writers often use question marks to soften a message, imply possibility, or sound conversational. But more often than not, it weakens the copy and creates a tone of hesitation – precisely when you should be guiding the reader with certainty.
Don’t Ask When You Mean to Say
Compare these:
“Why not give it a try?”
“Ready to take the next step?”
“Want to improve your workflow?”
These sound friendly, but they don’t say anything concrete. They make the writer seem unsure.
Now say it directly:
“Try it now – risk-free.”
“Take the next step today.”
“Improve your workflow in minutes.”
Each version becomes more confident and action-oriented simply by removing the question structure.
Questions That Don’t Help
In SaaS, product, or UX writing, you’ll often see empty lead-ins like:
“Looking for a way to simplify your process?”
“Tired of juggling multiple tools?”
“Need something more flexible?”
These don’t tell the reader what the product does – they just signal that a pitch is coming. They’re also dreadfully overused and generic.
A stronger approach? Lead with the solution:
“Simplify your workflow with a single tool.”
“Replace five apps with one unified platform.”
When Questions Do Work
Not all questions are bad. Used sparingly, they can prompt curiosity or engagement – especially in blog intros or storytelling.
“What if your support team never had to answer the same question twice?”
“What’s stopping you from automating your onboarding today?”
These work only when followed by a clear solution – and when they’re not stacked one after another.
✏️ Final Thought
If your sentence ends with a question mark, ask yourself:
Are you genuinely prompting the reader to think? Or just avoiding saying what you mean?
Clarity beats cleverness.
Say it with confidence. Say it without the question mark.
Note: If you’re new here, this is a series where I share quick, practical writing advice drawn from my 16+ years in the industry, 25+ years teaching, and the work we do at ScaleMath.
– Justin
😅 The “a little something different every week” section
–
See you next week.
Meanwhile, keep doing the work that matters.
Yours,
– Alex, Justin, and Naman at ScaleMath 💌