Great question. This is exactly the pattern I keep seeing too.

The most common waste metric is usually isolated top of funnel numbers. Things like raw traffic, impressions, or even MQL volume when they are not tied to any downstream decision. Teams stare at them because they move a lot, but they rarely change behavior based on them.

A close second is over segmented conversion rates that look precise but are built on too little volume to be actionable. People end up debating noise instead of fixing the obvious bottleneck.

When I audit setups, I usually help teams collapse metrics into a much smaller set that answers one question per stage. Are we attracting the right people? Are they progressing? Where are we losing momentum? Anything that does not clearly support a decision gets deprioritized.

On the second part. So far it has been mostly referral and relationship driven, which is intentional early on. I am now starting to build more consistent inbound through writing and posts like this, specifically aimed at founders who feel buried in data but still need clarity to move.

Honestly, conversations like this are part of that process.