The problem
From January 2024 to October 2025 I worked on my own with early-stage companies. Their whole marketing budget was under USD 1,000 a month.
At that size there’s no room for waste. Every leak eats a big part of the budget.
What I did
The clients were in different sectors. The rule was the same: find where people drop off, and fix that before spending more.
More money into a leaky funnel just makes the leak bigger. Fix it first, and the same budget brings more customers.
On each job I found the leaks, fixed them, and decided where the money went.
Results
20% lower customer acquisition cost across early-stage clients
The cost of each new customer fell by 20%, on budgets under USD 1,000 a month. One client hired me full-time in April 2026 to lead its growth team.
What I learned
On a small budget, every wasted dollar matters. When cost per customer goes up, find the leak before buying more traffic.