Growth plan for Board, 6 Oct 2026
Scale spend. Hold CAC.
Board sells a $399 console with seven games included, then $34.95 for each extra game. The plan protects one number: a target CAC of $16.80. We test creator-led family night ads until winners earn more spend.
- Target CAC
- $16.80
- New ads a week at peak
- 20
- Creators live by week six
- 10
- Test spend, six weeks
- $24,000
Contents
10 chapters, then the gates and every number’s source.
01 The number
One number to protect: $16.80 CAC on a $399 console
The number is target CAC: $16.80. It is 0.6 of the $28.00 ceiling, built from a $35 average order, 40% margin and one repeat order. Those inputs are my guesses until I see your data. Every test answers to it.
Protect
Target CAC: $16.80 on a first purchase
Ceiling = average order × margin × (1 + repeat orders): $35 × 40% × (1 + 1) = $28.00. Guard line = 0.6 × $28.00 = $16.80. Across the ranges: $10.47 to $538.65.
Three moves
- Kill any ad that cannot get near $16.80 inside its test budget.
- Move spend to the console and add-on game angles that win, not the ones that look good.
- Report daily CAC so any drift shows within a day.
- star rating shown on the site
- 4.96
- Published
- reviews the site displays
- 403
- Published
- price of the console with seven games included
- $399
- Published
02 Variety
Seven included games give every ad a different job
Each ad concept has to carry one reason to buy: the shared screen, the physical pieces, the seven games in the box, or the $34.95 add-on games. One reason per ad, one variable per test, so a loser still tells us something.
| Reason to buy | Proof you already have | Ads (proposed) |
|---|---|---|
| Physical pieces, shared screen | Pick up a piece, make a move, and watch Board respond like magic. | 6 |
| All ages at one table | Board makes it easy for people of different ages and gaming experience to play together, face to face. | 5 |
| No subscription for games | Additional games are sold individually—no subscription, no bundles. | 2 |
| Seven games included | Console: $399 (includes seven games and their piece sets) | 2 |
| Reviews with 4.96 stars | 4.96 stars from 400+ reviews | 1 |
| 30-day return window | a 30-day return window lets families try the console at home before deciding. | 1 |
| Cord-free play | Play anywhere, cord-free. | 1 |
| Total | The ad concepts tab | 18 |
Each row is a reason to buy that the brand already has proof for. The count is how many of the ads carry it: a reason with a single ad is a bet, not a pattern, and the next batch of concepts moves toward the reasons that win.
03 Disturbances
A $399 purchase makes slow payback the main risk
| Disturbance | Likelihood | Impact | Owner | Gate (proposed) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payback runs long on a $399 console before add-on games repeat | High | High | Both | Stop a concept when its CAC stays above $28.00 after its full test budget |
| The 30-day return window lets buyers send the console back after ads convert | Med | High | Your team | Track returns by ad cohort; pause a cohort whose returns erase its margin |
| Canada ads reach Quebec buyers, but Board does not ship there | Med | Low | Me | Exclude Quebec from Canadian targeting before the first spend |
| Creators show the pieces badly and the shared screen reads as a toy | Med | Med | Me | Cut any creator whose first two videos miss the hook bar we set in advance |
| Tracking misses add-on and warranty orders, so CAC looks wrong | High | High | Your team | Test orders in the store must match tracked events before spend scales past week two |
| Ad claims drift from the site: games, free expansions, return terms | Low | High | Both | Every ad claim maps to a line on the claims sheet before launch |
| Shipping at $5 can sting on a single $34.95 game order, and CAC rises | Med | Med | Your team | Test a free-shipping message; keep it only if CAC holds at $16.80 |
Scores are my read from outside the company, re-scored in week one with your data. Each risk has one owner and one gate that can be checked with a number, so nobody has to argue about whether it happened.
04 The ceiling
The $28.00 ceiling rests on guesses until week one
| Line | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Average order | $35 (range $19.95–$399.00) | Assumption Range from the site product prices (Published); the midpoint is a guess |
| Gross margin | 40% (range 35–45%) | Assumption Replace in week one |
| Repeat orders after the first | 1 (range 0.5–2) | Assumption Replace with cohort data in week one |
| Margin per customer, all orders | $28.00 | Calculated Average order × margin × (1 + repeat orders) |
| Guard line for CAC | $16.80 | Calculated 0.6 × the margin per customer |
The math, with the assumed lines
Ceiling = average order × margin × (1 + repeat orders): $35 × 40% × (1 + 1) = $28.00. Guard line = 0.6 × $28.00 = $16.80. Across the ranges: $10.47 to $538.65.
Range across the assumptions: $10 to $539.
None of the ceiling inputs is a Board fact. The $35 order, 40% margin and one repeat order are Assumptions. Week one replaces them with your real order value, margin and repeat rate.
The ceiling is a range, not one number: the most a new customer can cost before shipping and packaging, which I do not have. Replace the guessed lines with yours and every figure below recalculates.
05 Test ramp
Six weeks of tests cost $24,000, ramped from $3,000
| Week | New ads × budget / ad (proposed) | Weekly test spend | Cumulative | Creators posting | CAC target (proposed) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 × $250 | $3,000 | $3,000 | 0 | $17 |
| 2 | 12 × $250 | $3,000 | $6,000 | 2 | $17 |
| 3 | 12–20 × $250 | $4,000 | $10,000 | 4 | $17 |
| 4 | 12–20 × $250 | $4,000 | $14,000 | 6 | $17 |
| 5 | 20 × $250 | $5,000 | $19,000 | 8 | $17 |
| 6 | 20 × $250 | $5,000 | $24,000 | 10 | $17 |
Weeks 1 and 2 run 12 ads at $250 each, $3,000 a week. Weeks 3 and 4 run 12–20 ads, $4,000 a week. Weeks 5 and 6 run 20 ads, $5,000 a week. Total $24,000 of tests, Proposed. Losers die before the next week.
The math. Week 1: 12 × $250 = $3,000; Week 2: 12 × $250 = $3,000; Week 3: 16 × $250 = $4,000; Week 4: 16 × $250 = $4,000; Week 5: 20 × $250 = $5,000; Week 6: 20 × $250 = $5,000. Total $24,000 (96 ads × $250). A range such as 12–20 counts as its midpoint.
Weeks one and two test what the brand already has, rewritten per reason to buy. From week three, creator videos enter paid only after they beat their own account median. A range of new ads counts as its midpoint in the spend column.
06 Volume
Volume is the lever: 20 to 80 concepts
More concepts mean more winners. At 20 concepts the plan assumes 2 winners and $18,000 of added spend; at 80 concepts, 8 winners and $72,000. Hit rate and spend per winner are Assumptions, not Board data.
| Concepts tested / month | Hit rate (assumed) | New winners / month | Spend each winner holds (assumed) | Added spend at target CAC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 10% | 2 | $300 / day | $18,000 / month |
| 40 | 10% | 4 | $300 / day | $36,000 / month |
| 60 | 10% | 6 | $300 / day | $54,000 / month |
| 80 | 10% | 8 | $300 / day | $72,000 / month |
The math. 20 concepts × 10% = 2 winners × $300 × 30 days = $18,000 a month; 40 concepts × 10% = 4 winners × $300 × 30 days = $36,000 a month; 60 concepts × 10% = 6 winners × $300 × 30 days = $54,000 a month; 80 concepts × 10% = 8 winners × $300 × 30 days = $72,000 a month.
The hit rate and the spend each winner holds are placeholders. The first thirty days of tests replace them with real numbers, and the table is recalculated the same day.
07 Allocation
The $100,000 budget follows the winners
- Paid tests and scaling winners on Meta
- $45,000
- 45%
- Creator pay and bonuses
- $25,000
- 25%
- Landing pages built around the $399 console
- $20,000
- 20%
- Reporting, tracking and a reserve
- $10,000
- 10%
Split of the $100,000 budget, Proposed. Spend moves toward the console and add-on game angles that hold CAC at $16.80.
The math. 45% × $100,000 = $45,000; 25% × $100,000 = $25,000; 20% × $100,000 = $20,000; 10% × $100,000 = $10,000. Sum 100% = $100,000.
This split is a proposal. It moves toward scaling as winners prove out, and toward testing when fatigue shows.
08 Channels
Meta first, then where families already watch
| Channel | Open when (proposed) | Why wait |
|---|---|---|
| Meta | Week 1, with 12 ads at the start of the ramp | Family game night video suits the feed and the test volume this plan needs. |
| TikTok | Once creator videos hold CAC under the $16.80 guard on Meta | Creators can show the pieces on a shared screen; short video is native there. |
| YouTube | When a console demo cut keeps CAC under $28.00 | Seven games in the box need more room to explain than a feed ad gives. |
| Google search | When Meta winners prove the $399 offer | Board's site compares it with PlayStation 5 and Switch 2, so buyers weigh options. |
| Once first orders land and signups collect | The site invites signups for news and offers; $34.95 games give repeat reasons. |
A channel opens when its condition is true, not when the calendar says so. Until then the budget stays where the CAC is earned.
09 Payback
Payback decides: stop when CAC passes $28.00
Payback is the real constraint. With a $35 average order, 40% margin and one repeat order, each customer returns $28.00. At CAC $10 the first order pays back, $18.00 left. At $15, after repeat orders, $13.00 left. At $30 or $40 we stop.
Cumulative margin per customer, order by order, before CAC: $14.00, $28.00.
| CAC (scenario) | First-order margin | Year-one margin | Left after CAC | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10 | $14.00 | $28.00 | $18.00 | First order |
| $15 | $14.00 | $28.00 | $13.00 | After repeat orders |
| $30 | $14.00 | $28.00 | −$2.00 | Never: stop |
| $40 | $14.00 | $28.00 | −$12.00 | Never: stop |
The math. CAC $10: $28.00 − $10 = $18.00 left; pays back: First order; CAC $15: $28.00 − $15 = $13.00 left; pays back: After repeat orders; CAC $30: $28.00 − $30 = −$2.00 left; pays back: Never: stop; CAC $40: $28.00 − $40 = −$12.00 left; pays back: Never: stop.
Read each row left to right: the margin of the first purchase, the margin over the whole horizon, what is left after CAC, and the purchase on which the CAC is earned back. A scenario that never pays back is a stop, not a test.
10 Scope
What I cover for Board, and what stays with your team
Covers
- Meta ad tests and the hook library for the Board console and games
- Creator sourcing, briefs and the weekly video count
- Landing page briefs built on the claims sheet
- Daily CAC, weekly learnings, monthly cohort payback
Doesn’t
- Event tracking build: I spec it, your team implements it
- Product, pricing and the game release calendar
- Store operations, shipping and returns
- Console category experience: I have none, so your team checks game claims
What this plan covers is what I can change inside the ad account and the creator program. Everything outside it is named on the right so nobody assumes it is handled.
Gates, written before spend, so stopping isn’t a negotiation.
| Day | Keep going if (proposed) | Stop or change if |
|---|---|---|
| Day 14 | Tracking matches store orders and at least one concept sits near $16.80 CAC | Tracking still disagrees with store orders, or every concept sits above $28.00 |
| Day 30 | Winners scale with CAC at or under $16.80 and creators post on schedule | CAC above $28.00 on every winner after the full ramp |
| Day 60 | Cohorts show add-on game repeat orders and CAC holds as spend rises | Cohorts do not repeat and CAC stays above $28.00 |
| Day 90 | Spend has scaled toward the $100,000 budget with CAC held at $16.80 | CAC rose above $28.00 as spend scaled, with no new winner |
Each gate is checked on its day with the numbers in the daily and weekly reports. If the stop condition is true, the spend stops and nothing renews until we talk.
What exists, what’s missing, and the order that’s forced.
| Piece | Exists today | Missing | Forced order |
|---|---|---|---|
| creative | Piece photos for Chop Chop, Spycraft, Mushka and more | A hook library of ad concepts | 1st |
| creators | Photos of friends playing around the Board tabletop | Creator roster and briefs | 2nd |
| claims sheet | $399 console, seven games, no subscription, free expansions | One approved claim per line | Week 1 |
| landing pages | Product pages from $34.95 add-ons to the $399 console | One page per ad concept | 2nd |
| reporting | Orders at $399 and $34.95 to separate in reports | Event tracking spec | 1st |
The order is forced on purpose: creative and creators come first because they are what moves CAC, and everything else waits for that data.
Every number, and where it came from.
| Figure | Where it came from | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 4.96 star rating shown on the site | https://board.fun/ | Fact |
| 403 reviews the site displays | https://board.fun/pages/reviews | Fact |
| $399 price of the console with seven games included | https://board.fun/blogs/news/family-game-console | Fact |
| Product prices $19.95–$399.00 | product prices in the site product data (22 products), read 2026-10-06 | Fact |
| $35 average order · 40% margin · 1 repeat order | Placeholders, replaced in week one | Assumed |
| $16.80 target CAC | 0.6 of the $28.00 margin per customer | Calculated |
| $28.00 margin per customer | Price × (margin − discount), summed over the orders | Calculated |
| $24,000 of tests (96 ads × $250) | Danilo’s plan, matches Month one | Calculated |
| 0→10 creators in 6 weeks · 7 videos per creator a week | Danilo’s plan, matches Month one and the Creator engine | Proposed |
| $100,000 first budget split 45% / 25% / 20% / 10% | Danilo’s plan, re-set with the team in week one | Calculated |
| 10% hit rate · $300 a day per winner | Placeholders, replaced by the first 30 days of tests | Assumed |
| 303 creator videos a month at 10 creators | 10 creators × 7 videos a week × 52 ÷ 12 | Calculated |
| $5.74 per 1,000 views against a $1 target | Creator cost over the views the assumptions give | Calculated |
| $1,000 base pay · $50 bonus past 100,000 views | Danilo’s plan | Proposed |
| 1,500 median views · 4% breakout (10×) · 0.5% viral (750,000) | Placeholders, replaced by the first month of posts | Assumed |
| Pay bands $300–$600, $500–$1,000, $800–$1,500 | Danilo’s plan | Proposed |
Every figure on this page is listed here with where it came from. Fact means read on the site. Assumed and Proposed are Danilo’s own numbers, to be replaced in week one. Calculated is plain arithmetic on those, with the formula shown next to it.
Month one is where it starts.
In week one I build the claims sheet, spec event tracking with your team and launch the first 12 ads, two experiments and one landing page. Then I report daily CAC against $16.80.