LRN · CONCEPTS STACK/REV. 2026-06
Sheet— 01 / 09 —Concepts
001 ·

The vocabulary of growth — metrics, frameworks, and the economics underneath every decision.

Know the word. Win the argument.

Here is the concepts stack — 4,250+ plain-English explainers of the metrics, frameworks, and theory that growth marketing runs on. CAC, LTV, attribution, the ad auction, AARRR, unit economics. Each defined precisely, with a worked example and the math. Start with a pillar, explore the metrics table, or filter the index.

0Concepts explained
0Metric families
0Metrics, mapped
0Jargon left undefined

Claim: the concepts stack holds 4,253 explainer pages. Source: RGM analysis, library census June 2026 (live page count). Context: a shared, precise vocabulary is what keeps a growth team aligned — vague words misalign budgets and reporting.

001
Load-bearing conceptsSheet — 02 / 09

Six ideas hold the roof.

Pick one. These six carry the rest of the stack. Understand what growth marketing is, how the auction works, and how CAC, LTV, and attribution fit together — and the other 4,000 concepts get easier.
Start here
  1. F-01What is growth marketingThe discipline defined — scope, economics, and where it ends.
  2. F-02What is performance marketingPaid media run against hard numbers, not impressions.
  3. F-03The Vickrey auctionThe Nobel-winning mechanism inside every ad auction.
  4. F-04Marketing attributionWho gets credit for a sale — models, myths, and math.
  5. F-05CAC payback periodHow many months until a customer repays their cost.
  6. F-06AARRR pirate metricsAcquisition to revenue — the funnel every growth team maps.
002
The concepts indexSheet — 03 / 09

Every idea, filed.

Look at the concepts library by theme. Filter by name or pick a family. The full stack runs 4,253 pages; the marquee concepts per theme are below, and search opens the rest.

Showing 22 of 22 guides

No guide matches that filter. Search the full library — it reads every page.

This is the curated index. The full concepts stack holds 4,253 pages — search the complete collection or jump to any theme above.

003
The growth metrics, mappedSheet — 04 / 09

The periodic table of growth metrics.

Hover an element. Twenty-nine metrics that decide whether growth is real, grouped into six families — acquisition, conversion, retention, revenue, efficiency, engagement. The top 10 carry the most weight in a growth review. Filter by family, or hit ★ Top 10.

Start with the master ratio — LTV:CAC →

004
The numbers to beatSheet — 05 / 09

The numbers to beat.

Read the bar. Growth has a few near-universal rules of thumb — the lines healthy businesses clear. Treat them as orientation, not law; every model has its own honest version.
0Healthy LTV:CAC

Below 3:1, growth tends to destroy value rather than create it.

Industry rule of thumbThe master ratio →
Did you know? ↗
<0CAC payback (SaaS)

Months to repay acquisition cost. A great ratio with slow payback can still sink cash flow.

Industry rule of thumbPayback →
Did you know? ↗
>0Net revenue retention

Best-in-class SaaS grows from its existing base alone, before any new logos.

Industry benchmarkRetention →
Did you know? ↗
>0SaaS quick ratio

New revenue added for every dollar lost to churn — efficiency of net growth.

Industry rule of thumbQuick ratio →
Did you know? ↗
+Contribution margin

Positive per order, every order. The number RGM reports instead of impressions.

RGM house standardContribution margin →
Did you know? ↗
Almost every growth argument is really an argument about one of these numbers — so define the number first.
— RGM analysis, 2026

Growth-economics benchmarks — common industry rules of thumb. Each links to the RGM concept that defines it.

005
RGM Core concepts toolsSheet — 06 / 09

Run the numbers.

Use these. RGM ships free calculators for the metrics above — no signup. Turn the concepts into your numbers in a minute.
RGM ToolCAC Calculator

Your true, fully-loaded cost to acquire a customer.

 RGM ToolLTV Calculator

Lifetime value from margin, retention, and frequency.

 RGM ToolCAC Payback Calculator

Months until a customer repays their acquisition cost.

 RGM ToolBlended CAC Calculator

Paid + organic blended cost per new customer.

 RGM ToolBreakeven ROAS Calculator

The ROAS you need just to cover cost.

 RGM ToolAOV Calculator

Average order value and how to lift it.

 RGM ToolContribution Margin

Revenue minus variable cost — the number that decides profit.

 RGM ToolChurn Rate

The silent tax on every growth model, quantified.

 RGM ToolBurn Multiple

How much you burn for every dollar of new ARR.

 RGM ToolAllowable CAC

The ceiling on what you can spend to acquire a customer.

 RGM ToolBudget Viability

Stress-test whether a growth goal is reachable on the budget.

 RGM ToolConversion Lift

Translate a conversion-rate gain into revenue.

Browse every calculator on the RGM tools floor.

006
The voices — top 10Sheet — 07 / 09

The voices — top 12.

Follow these. The thinkers who shaped how modern growth marketing defines its terms — from the people who named growth hacking and product-market fit to the ones quantifying brand. Each links to a profile.
01Sean EllisCoined “growth hacking”; the PMF survey 02Brian BalfourReforge; growth loops & frameworks 03Andrew Chena16z; network effects & the cold-start problem 04Lenny RachitskyLenny’s Newsletter; product & growth 05Elena VernaPLG & growth-model strategy 06Casey WintersRetention & growth-model design 07Eric RiesThe Lean Startup; build-measure-learn 08Byron SharpHow Brands Grow; mental & physical availability 09April DunfordPositioning; Obviously Awesome 10Seth GodinPermission marketing; the purple cow 11Neil PatelHigh-volume growth content & tooling 12Gary VaynerchukAttention, brand & social-first growth

Browse all marketing thought leaders →

007
Off the pressSheet — 08 / 09

Where to start.

New to the stack? These are the highest-leverage concepts to read first — the ones that change how you read every report after.
What is growth marketingFoundational

The discipline, defined precisely.

 LTV:CAC ratioEconomics

The master ratio of growth economics.

 Marketing attributionMeasurement

Who really gets credit for a sale.

 IncrementalityMeasurement

Did the marketing actually cause the sale?

 AARRR pirate metricsFramework

The funnel every growth team maps.

 The Vickrey auctionTheory

Why ad auctions work the way they do.

Or browse all 4,253 concepts via search.

008
Quick answersSheet — 09 / 09

Asked & answered.

Here is the short version. The concepts stack defines the metrics, frameworks, and economics of growth marketing in plain English — 4,253 pages, each with a worked example. Filter the index, explore the metrics table, or search.
What is in the concepts stack?
Plain-English explainers of the core ideas behind growth marketing: metrics (CAC, LTV, ROAS, churn), frameworks (AARRR, Jobs-to-be-Done, Ansoff), economics (unit economics, contribution margin), and theory (the ad auction, attribution, incrementality). 4,253 pages, each with a definition, worked example, and the math.
Which concept should I learn first?
Start with what growth marketing is, then the master ratio, LTV:CAC. Most growth arguments are really arguments about one of those numbers.
What is the difference between growth and performance marketing?

Performance marketing buys measurable outcomes inside ad platforms. Growth marketing owns the wider system — audience, offer, funnel, retention, and the economics connecting them. The growth marketing and performance marketing concepts draw the border precisely.

What is the most important growth metric?

There is no single one, but the LTV:CAC ratio comes closest — it ties acquisition cost to lifetime value, the two numbers every other metric feeds. Below roughly 3:1, growth tends to destroy value rather than create it. See the LTV:CAC guide.

What is CAC payback period?

The number of months it takes for a customer to repay what you spent to acquire them. It is a cash-flow reality check that LTV:CAC alone misses — a great ratio with a three-year payback can still bankrupt you. The CAC payback guide covers the math.

What is AARRR?

AARRR — “pirate metrics” — is a funnel framework covering Acquisition, Activation, Retention, Referral, and Revenue. It gives a growth team one shared map of where users enter, stick, and pay. The AARRR guide walks each stage.

What is marketing attribution?

Attribution is how you assign credit for a conversion across the touchpoints that led to it. Different models (first-click, last-click, data-driven) tell different stories on purpose; knowing why is the point. See the attribution deep dive.

Can I cite or share these concepts?

Yes. Cite freely with attribution and a link to the page. Every page ships a markdown twin so AI assistants can read it directly, and copied text appends its source automatically.

How is this different from the glossary?

The glossary gives short dictionary definitions; the concepts stack gives full explainers — definition, mechanics, a worked example with real numbers, common mistakes, and the math. Think dictionary versus textbook chapter.

How often is the concepts stack updated?

Continuously. New explainers and revisions ship as the field evolves — the AI-search shift, for instance, added new measurement concepts. The census on this page is dated June 2026.

Sources & provenance

  1. Library census — RGM analysis, June 2026; concepts-stack page count is a live total from the deployed tree.
  2. Growth-economics benchmarks (LTV:CAC ≥ 3:1, CAC payback < 12 months, NRR > 120%, quick ratio > 4) are widely used industry rules of thumb, not guarantees; each links to the RGM concept that defines and qualifies it.
  3. Metric definitions and the periodic-table groupings are RGM’s synthesis; every metric links to its full explainer with sources on the page.