The SaaS Academy

If you’re new to SaaS metrics, it can feel like drinking from a fire hose.

ARR. MRR. NRR. CAC. LTV. Rule of 40.

Every investor, advisor, and operator seems to have a different opinion on what you should track. But here’s the truth: early-stage SaaS founders don’t need 50 metrics. They need the right 10. And depending on our stage, this could be just 3 SaaS metrics to begin with.

The goal is not to build the most complicated dashboard. The goal is to understand whether your SaaS or AI business is growing, retaining customers, generating healthy margins, and acquiring customers efficiently.

That’s why I organize SaaS metrics around my Five Pillar Framework:

1. Growth — Are you getting bigger?
2. Retention — Are you keeping what you’ve built?
3. Gross Margins — Is your core business model healthy?
4. Financial Profile — Are you balancing growth and profitability?
5. Efficiency — Are you acquiring customers economically?

In this guide, I’ll walk through the 10 SaaS metrics every beginning s...