Customer experience vs Numbers while starting a startup

Let me start with my experience with one of the startups to which I applied for the business development job. The main problem they were facing was, their users were not increasing and they tried to re-launch the product after the first failed attempt. 

When I got involved they asked me just the blunt question How many users I can onboard within a quarter(3 months)?

Before telling my answer consider this.

There are two kinds of growth 

Non-Sustainable Growth: For example getting a spike of growth after smoking money on an advertisement.

Sustainable Growth: User comes from the actions of the existing customers.

And my answer was "Nobody can give the numbers while the startup is in the initial stage. Even if I give a number, that is bullshit".

I think giving importance to the "Numbers" in the early stage is every startup's problem. While it's important to keep an eye on the number it's equally important to not get bothered about it as well.

Whenever that startup posted something on Facebook they only got single-digit likes despite having followers in few thousands and it clearly stated that it was paid followings, and it was the same story for all the social media handles.  

While beating around the bush in the early stage the main thing they missed was on giving the customer the best possible experience.

I told them that even if they can get 500 or 1000 users by smoking money in marketing they will require 10X money and effort to reach 10,000 from 1000 and this thing will continue to follow.

Customer experience is the thing which should be given the highest importance. Not how many users you gain in a quarter. Even if you give the one customer the best experience of his/her life then he/she will tell 10 other people to use your product and thus making Sustainable growth.