PricingGuidesLog inCreate your profileSign up
Customers5 min read

Simple metrics to track

Five to seven numbers that tell you whether the business is working, and how to review them every week.

Early on, you don't need a dashboard with 40 charts. You need a few numbers you check every week, together, and that change your decisions.

Pick one main metric

Choose the single number that best shows customers getting value: weekly active users, paid orders, revenue. Set a weekly growth goal. Many strong early startups aim for 5–7% a week.

The basic set

  • Revenue (or MRR, monthly recurring revenue, for subscriptions).
  • New customers this week, and from which channel.
  • Retention: how many customers are still active or paying after 1 and 3 months.
  • Conversion: what share of people who try it become paying customers.
  • Customer acquisition cost (CAC): what you spend to win one customer.
  • Burn and runway: money spent per month, and months left at that rate.

A weekly review

  1. 1
    Update the numbersSame day every week, same definitions.
  2. 2
    Compare with the goalUp, flat or down, and why?
  3. 3
    Pick one actionWhat one thing will you change this week to move the main metric?
Watch retention most closely. If people stop using it after a month, no amount of marketing will fix it. Improve the product first.
Do it together on FoundmatesSet a target for your main metric in Goals and update it every week.
Open Goals in your workspace
Read next
Pricing your first productInvestor updates: a simple templateWrite a one-page plan
Next guideFunding stages explained: pre-seed, seed and angels

General information, not legal, tax or investment advice.

Simple metrics to track · Foundmates