As a founder, it’s instinctive to fix your gaze on the numbers: revenue, burn rate, CAGR, LTV, CAC. But what if the most reliable path to sustainable wealth isn’t a relentless chase for money, but a relentless pursuit of product excellence and customer delight? In this post, I’ll argue that a great product paired with outstanding service creates a flywheel that makes money chase you, not the other way around.
Money is a byproduct, not a mission statement. Focusing on revenue at the expense of quality often leads
to quick wins followed by long-term churn.
Short-term metrics can distort decisions. When every KPI screams “hit the target,” you may neglect
product integrity, usability, or service quality.
The market feels it. Customers know when a company is obsessed with numbers rather
than solving real problems. Trust, once eroded, is hard to rebuild.
1) Build something people love to use
Solve a real problem or dramatically improve an important task.
Embrace simplicity. Inherently valuable products are easier to adopt and less costly to support.
Validate with real-world usage, not vanity metrics. Measure engagement, resilience, and retention.
2) Deliver service that feels personal at scale
Great service is a multiplier for a great product. It reduces friction, increases usage, and creates loyal advocates.
Automate where it adds value, but preserve human touch where it matters most (on onboarding, troubleshooting, and feedback loops).
Treat customer success as a design discipline: map the end-to-end journey, identify bottlenecks, and iterate.
3) Let the flywheel do the marketinge
Satisfied customers become ambassadors. Positive word-of-mouth compounds as your product improves.
Referrals, case studies, and social proof amplify reach more sustainably than short-lived ad spikes.
A reputation for reliability and generosity compounds over time, attracting better talent, partners, and investment.
- Product-led growth (PLG) aligns incentives around delivering value first.
- Revenue becomes a natural consequence
of usage, retention, and expansion.
- When your net value proposition is obvious, customers convert themselves. Pricing becomes a reflection of value,
not a gamble.
- Finance follows product excellence. Pruning features that don’t deliver value improves margins.
- Predictable usage patterns reduce risk.
- Start with the job to be done: define who you’re helping and what success looks like from their perspective.
- Prioritize ruthless usability: every feature should earn its place by delivering tangible value.
- Design for support from day one: how will customers get help? self-service docs, in-app chat, and proactive onboarding reduce friction.
- Design for security from day one: nothing will kill your sales and prospects as quickly as a data breach and the loss of confidence and trust it will inevitably bring.
- Build an feedback loop: customers must influence roadmap. Close the loop with transparent communication about what you’re shipping and why.
- Measure the right things: retention, activation, time-to-value, net promoter score, and support satisfaction often beat vanity metrics like signups.
1) Reframe your quarterly goals
Replace “hit revenue target” with “unlock X% weekly active usage by Y% of Z customers.”
Tie incentives to customer outcomes, not just dollars.
2) Audit the customer journey
Map onboarding, first value, and the moment of delight. Identify the top 3 friction points and fix them quickly.
Invest in proactive support: detect early warning signs and reach out before the customer notices a problem.
3) Invest in core product quality
Focus on the smallest viable unit of value that can scale. Don’t chase breadth at the expense of depth.
Embrace continuous improvement: ship smaller, more frequent updates with measurable impact.
4) Build a culture of service
Hire for curiosity and empathy as much as for tech chops.
Recognize and reward employees who turn customer pain into delight.
5) Let metrics guide, not dictate
Use dashboards to illuminate behavior, not to micromanage. Let qualitative feedback inform qualitative decisions.
Remember that trust compounds. If customers believe your product will be reliable, they’ll stay longer and advocate more.
As a longtime entrepreneur, I’ve learned that relentless focus on money often hides a deeper truth: you’re chasing a signal that your product isn’t yet delivering. When you shift focus to value creation—clear outcomes, delightful experiences, and trustworthy service—money becomes a natural outcome of a healthier business.
There is a paradox here: obsessing over money can paradoxically reduce its flow, while obsessing over value can create a sustainable, self-reinforcing revenue engine. The more you invest in real user value, the more durable the financial upside becomes.
Great products don’t need to beg for attention; they earn it through clear outcomes, delightful experiences, and reliable service. If you lead with value, money will follow as a natural byproduct of trust and advocacy.
Thanks for taking the time to read this blog post. I hope you found it informative and thought provoking.
My name is Paul Lomax, a serial entrepreneur for over 4 decades, CEO of Bluedog Cyber Security, SaaS
founder, Non-Exec Director, C# developer and SaaS Startup Advisor.
Over many years I've gained knowledge and insight into how to build a great business, and exit when the
time is right.
I'm available for freelance work, non-executive directorships and advisory roles. Check out my Services Pages for more information. Please feel free to
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