If you think getting past the first million users is tough, try reaching the first $1M in revenue and growing to $10M... many of these consumer-facing apps have no idea how to get to that first million, let alone the tenth. When I work with other startups, that's usually my first question: "How are you going to get to your first million dollars in revenue?" Even for those that have an answer as to WHAT they'll do, they haven't thought through HOW they'll do it. In many cases, for these consumer-facing apps, it will cost $2M in customer acquisition to get to $1M in revenue... if they can get there at all. Many are building to flip - hoping that the music doesn't run out before the money does.