Stop funding losers for weeks — and stop panic-killing winners on day two.

If you run ads on a small budget with no media buyer, you know this pain: an ad set burns cash for weeks because "lifetime average looks okay"... while the one that could have worked got killed out of panic on day two. Every day without kill rules is tuition paid to the ad platform.

The Ad Kill-or-Scale Decision System is a pre-written decision protocol for small-budget advertisers (Meta, TikTok, Google — $10–$100/day). You set your target CPA once. Then the workbook tells you, per ad set, exactly what to do: KILL, KEEP TESTING, or SCALE — with the rule that fired, color-coded.

The four rules

1. Zero conversions at 2× target CPA spend → KILL

2. CPA above 3× target CPA → KILL

3. CPA at or below target CPA → SCALE

4. Everything else → KEEP TESTING

What's inside (file by file — v2.0, 13 files)

• Ad-Kill-Scale-Workbook.xlsx — Setup (target CPA, AOV, margin → break-even CPA/ROAS auto) / Kill Rules (per-ad-set verdicts) / Break-Even ROAS calculator / Testing Budget allocator (up to 8 ad sets) / Decision Log

• QUICK-START-GUIDE.md — full onboarding: the 4 rules, sheet walkthrough, first-15-minutes plan, scaling safely, troubleshooting

• Kill-Rule-Playbook.md — the 4 rules, when each applies, one worked example (marked EXAMPLE), with cited practitioner sources

• WORKED-EXAMPLE.md — one complete FICTIONAL campaign, Day 1 → Day 30

• Creative-Fatigue-Checklist.md — weekly fatigue check for scaling ad sets

• Daily-10-Minute-Routine.md — the exact 10-minute daily workflow

• FAQ-AND-LIMITS.md — 13 product-specific FAQs + honest limits

• WHATS-INSIDE.md — file-by-file inventory + version history

• README.md + cover.png + 3 workbook preview images

Free sample (try before you buy)

Read the free sample — the 4 rules, a mini worked example, and the first 3 steps:
https://github.com/fexo9/ad-kill-scale-system/blob/main/FREE-SAMPLE-Ad-Kill-Scale.md

FAQ (product-specific)

1. Does it guarantee my ads will be profitable? No. It is a decision protocol, not a profit guarantee. It stops you from funding losers and panic-killing winners — it cannot make a bad offer convert.

2. What is the break-even formula? Break-even CPA = AOV × gross margin. Break-even ROAS = 1 ÷ gross margin. Example: AOV $80, margin 40% → break-even CPA $32.00, break-even ROAS 2.5×.

3. Why 2× target CPA for Rule 1? Two full CPAs with zero conversions is the earliest moment you have meaningful evidence of failure. The cited practitioner sources converge on the same line.

4. Why 3× target CPA for Rule 2? A CPA more than three times target almost never optimizes down to profitability on a small budget.

5. My ad set has 1 conversion at $90 CPA against a $25 target. Kill? Yes — Rule 2. CPA $90 > 3× $25 ($75) → KILL. One conversion does not save economics that far off target.

6. My ad set spent $30 with 0 conversions against a $25 target. Kill? No — Rule 4. $30 is below the $50 kill line. You do not have a decision yet.

7. How fast should I scale a winner? Increase budget by 20–30%, then wait 2–3 days before the next increase. Larger jumps re-enter learning.

8. Does it work for Google / TikTok, or only Meta? Any platform where you can read spend and conversions per ad set. The rules judge economics, not platform mechanics.

9. Does it work in Google Sheets? It opens and calculates there, but layout was designed and tested for Excel (desktop & web). Standard formulas only — no macros, no add-ins.

10. What if two sheets disagree? Trust the Kill Rules verdict for the per-ad-set decision; use Break-Even ROAS as a cross-check and put the ad set on tomorrow's watch list.

Honest limits

• Not a profit guarantee. It calculates verdicts from your inputs.

• The rules judge per-ad-set economics only. They do not judge creative quality, offer strength, landing pages, lifetime value, or attribution.

• Target CPA is your input and your responsibility. Wrong target → wrong verdicts. Revisit Setup monthly.

• The 20–30% scale step and 2–3 day wait are practitioner conventions from the cited D2C source, not platform rules.

• No tax, legal, or platform-policy advice.

• Excel-first; Google Sheets "opens and calculates," not pixel-perfect layout.

• No sales, review, or testimonial claims.

Details

• Price: $29 one-time. Commercial license.

• Format: ZIP download (13 files: Excel workbook + Markdown docs + cover + previews). Excel desktop & web; no macros.

• Version: v2.0 (2026-10-17). Changelog: added quick-start guide, worked example, FAQ + limits, inventory. Workbook unchanged (formulas re-verified). Price unchanged.

Demo video

Watch a 72-second walkthrough of the real v2.0 files:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnVKLLLrMuM

Pay by card or crypto at checkout.