[GianFabien]

The universal rule, for business and personal affairs: earn more than you spend.

However, in business the general consensus is you need to spend money to make money. That is why you have starting capital. With oodles of VC funds, it is tempting to spend without keeping the ROI in mind. Accurately forecasting revenue and achieving it are an enduring challenge.

[rchaud]

The ROI goal is the IPO price. That's where founders and insiders get paid. Whatever happens after that is somebody else's problem.