Crate Expectations
Grow a subscription box without letting growth break fulfillment: churn is driven by what's in the box AND whether it arrives, and marketing money is wasted the moment operations can't keep up.
You run a monthly snack box. 600-ish subscribers, a rented corner of a warehouse, and a fulfillment process held together by one very tired spreadsheet.
Each month you set marketing spend, ops investment (warehouse staff, packing systems, carrier contracts), the box price, and how much you actually put in the box. Here's the trap: every burst of new subscribers strains fulfillment. Late or wrong boxes torch reliability, reliability drives churn, and churned subscribers don't care how good your ads were.
Bank $25,000 in cumulative profit by year end. Run out of cash and the warehouse keeps your deposit.