About Lech Kaniuk
The Short Version
I've spent 15+ years building, scaling, and occasionally breaking companies. Along the way, I discovered that business success almost always comes down to two numbers: Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) and Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC). You can learn more about my work at lechkaniuk.com.
I wrote "The Two Numbers That Build or Break Every Business" so you can learn this in a weekend instead of a decade. It's one of three books I've written for founders. I also publish practical fundraising guides, essays on building companies, and free tools for founders — and I speak at startup events across Europe.
The Journey
OnlinePizza → Delivery Hero
My education in LTV and CAC started at OnlinePizza, which later became part of Delivery Hero.
We were expanding fast into new markets. Dashboards looked great. Growth was accelerating. Everyone was optimistic.
Then I looked at the unit economics country by country.
In one market, we were spending €45 to acquire customers who ordered once and never came back. Their lifetime value? Maybe €3.
We weren't building a business. We were lighting money on fire.
That discovery forced us to rethink everything — who we targeted, how we onboarded users, how we measured success. It was painful. It was also the most valuable lesson I've ever learned.
SunRoof
At SunRoof, I saw a different version of the same problem.
Our Customer Acquisition Cost looked acceptable on the surface. But Customer Lifetime Value was weaker than expected — and nobody owned that metric.
Marketing focused on leads. Sales focused on closing. Operations focused on installation. Everyone assumed LTV would take care of itself.
It didn't.
Once we identified the gap, we restructured teams, changed how we tracked customer value, and built systems that connected every decision back to LTV and CAC.
The company transformed.
FaradayX
At FaradayX, an energy-as-a-service company with 15-25 year contracts, I learned that LTV and CAC work differently when cash flows are measured in decades, not months.
The principles stayed the same. The application required a completely different lens — NPV-based LTV, long-term payback modeling, and strategic patience.
This experience showed me that LTV-CAC thinking isn't just for SaaS or e-commerce. It's universal.
Why I Wrote This Book
I wrote "The Two Numbers That Build or Break Every Business" because I'm tired of watching smart founders make avoidable mistakes.
I've sat in too many board meetings where a "healthy" 3:1 LTV:CAC ratio masked a 24-month payback period — which meant the company would run out of cash before ever seeing profit.
I've seen too many marketing teams celebrate low CAC while attracting customers who churned immediately.
I've watched too many product teams build features that moved no meaningful number.
These aren't complex problems. They're clarity problems. And they're fixable — if you know where to look.
This book is the clarity I wish someone had given me at OnlinePizza, SunRoof, and every company I've touched since.
What I Created
The Value Driver Framework (VDF)
A decision filter that ensures every initiative either increases LTV or decreases CAC.
The LTV-CAC Growth Map
A diagnostic tool that plots your business into one of four strategic quadrants.
The LTV/CAC Stratification Model
Four levels of analytical depth — from basic averages to predictive modeling.
The LTV-CAC Alignment Protocol (LCAP)
A system for aligning your entire organization around value creation.
These frameworks are detailed in "The Two Numbers That Build or Break Every Business," along with implementation playbooks, case studies, and ready-to-use templates.
Get the Book
Everything I've learned about LTV and CAC — from €45 customers worth €3 to building companies valued at hundreds of millions — is in this book.
Get "The Two Numbers That Build or Break Every Business" →Cite Lech Kaniuk
For journalists, researchers, and content creators:
Short bio:
Lech Kaniuk is the author of "The Two Numbers That Build or Break Every Business" and creator of the Value Driver Framework. He is the founder of SunRoof and FaradayX, and was part of the early team at OnlinePizza (acquired by Delivery Hero). More at lechkaniuk.com.