SaaS Metrics School

Ben Murray brings you actionable SaaS metrics lessons that he has learned through years of being in the SaaS CFO trenches. Whether you are new to SaaS or a SaaS veteran, learn the latest SaaS metrics, finance, and accounting tactics that drive financial transparency and improved decision-making. Ben’s SaaS metrics blog consistently rates a 70+ NPS, and his templates have been downloaded over 100,000 times. There is always something to learn about SaaS metrics.

How to Segment Your CAC

In episode #201, I address the foundation of CAC and segmentation. It takes a lot of good expense detail to get fancy with our CAC calculations. - New vs. existing allocation - CAC segmentation CAC webinar on May 29th: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/pl/2148321309

05-28
03:50

The Ultimate SaaS Metrics Checklist for Your Business

Episode 200 – The Ultimate SaaS Metrics Checklist for Your Business In episode #200, it’s fitting for episode 200 that I share my 5 Pillar SaaS Metrics Framework. It acs as your guide and roadmap to calculating the correct SaaS metrics for the right stage of your business. - Pillar 1 – growth - Pillar 2 – retention - Pillar 3 – margins - Pillar 4 – financial profile - Pillar 5 - efficiency Grab my framework here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/pl/2148255133 Join my SaaS metrics training here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/SMF-live-just-the-facts

05-25
03:43

My ARR when Switching from Long-term Contracts to Consumption Model

In episode #199, I address the tricky question of what is ARR. There are many revenue streams in SaaS and we have to be careful how add up our ARR. - SaaS revenue streams - What is ARR? - Subscription to consumption SaaS metrics course begins July 9th: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/SMF-live-just-the-facts

05-21
04:50

You Are Less Than 2M ARR and Want to Exit

In episode #198, I address what you need if you are early-stage and want to exit. I just gave a coaching call on this to someone prepping a smaller SaaS company for sale. - Accounting - SaaS P&L - MRR schedule SaaS metrics course launches July 9th SaaS CFO templates course

05-11
05:02

Your MRR Schedule is Worth its Weight in Gold

Episode 197 – Your MRR Schedule is Worth its Weight in Gold In episode #197, I address due diligence and your MRR schedule. Your MRR schedule will ALWAYS be requested in due diligence. - What is an MRR schedule? - How do you create an MRR schedule? - MRR schedules are gold - SaaS metrics course SaaS Metrics course launches July 9th SaaS CFO templates course

05-10
04:48

The Foundation of CAC Part 4

In episode #196, I address the foundation of CAC in this four-part series. Today, let’s talk PLG and SLG. And segmenting your CAC. - SLG and PLG impact on CAC - Don’t forget to segment your CAC The foundation of CAC blog post.

04-30
04:02

The Foundation of CAC Part 3

In episode #195, I address the foundation of CAC in this four-part series. Today, about the metrics that use CAC as an input. And what’s your prize? - CAC feeds these metrics - What’s your prize? Very important to define Learn more about CAC here!

04-25
03:06

The Foundation of CAC Part 2

In episode #194, I address the foundation of CAC in this four-part series. Today, let’s talk data sources. Where do we source CAC data? - SaaS P&L - Bookings data or your MRR schedule Foundation of CAC blog post.

04-24
03:43

The Foundation of CAC Part 1

In episode #193, I address the foundation of CAC in this four-part series. Today, let’s define CAC. It’s not as obvious as it seems. - Begins with your general ledger and your SaaS P&L - Gross CAC, customer acquisition cost Blog post on CAC: https://www.thesaascfo.com/the-foundation-of-customer-acquisition-costs-cac/

04-23
03:54

What SaaS Metrics Are Relevant When Passing $10M ARR?

In episode #192, I address the relevant SaaS metrics when hitting the big $10M ARR milestone. If you are a founder who is still far away from 10M, it’s good to understand what you’ll need at that point. - Do SaaS metrics matter? - What financial metrics do I need? - The 4 key finance data sources Grab my 5 Pillar Framework here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/pl/2148255133

04-16
02:52

What Metrics and Data Do Acquirors Want to See ASAP?

In episode #191, I address the data that is worth its weight in gold. You will always be asked for this data when buyers are evaluating your SaaS business. - The golden data - Where do you source this data? Grab my resource to create your MRR schedule here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/pl/2148292708

04-12
02:51

Do I Really Need to Use SaaS Metrics Benchmarks?

In episode #190, I address SaaS benchmarks and metrics. Benchmarks act as important guideposts for our business. - Do I really need benchmarks? - What benchmarks does Ben use? - Important for due diligence My 5 Pillar Framework: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/pl/2148255133

04-11
02:14

How Do I Count Reactivation MRR in My Metrics

In episode #189, I address reactivation MRR and counts. This is a common layer of MRR in self-service SaaS (low price point, high customer volume) business. - impact on revenue retention - impact on logo retention Subscribe to Ben’s SaaS metrics newsletter: https://saasmetricsschool.beehiiv.com/subscribe Subscribe to Ben’s SaaS monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/df1db6bf8bca/the-saas-cfo-sign-up-landing-page SaaS Metrics courses here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/ Join Ben’s SaaS community here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/offers/ivNjwYDx/checkout Follow Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benrmurray

04-10
02:29

Calculating CAC When You Have SLG and PLG Motions

In episode #188, I address today’s reality with our go-to-market motion and CAC. You must segment your CAC if you run a PLG and SLG motion. - new vs. existing CAC allocation - SLG vs PLG allocation - what to do with R&D Subscribe to Ben’s short SaaS metrics newsletter: https://saasmetricsschool.beehiiv.com/subscribe Subscribe to Ben’s SaaS monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/df1db6bf8bca/the-saas-cfo-sign-up-landing-page SaaS Metrics courses here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/ Join Ben’s SaaS community here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/offers/ivNjwYDx/checkout Follow Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benrmurray

04-05
03:56

Don’t Do This When Allocating Your CAC Expense

In episode #187, I address an important concept when trying to allocate CAC expenses between new and existing business. This came up again on a coaching call so it’s time to address it. - how not to allocate - how to properly allocate CAC - another good way to allocate CAC My 5 Pillar SaaS Metrics Framework: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/pl/2148255133  

04-04
03:21

Can CAC Be Calculated Per Product Line?

In episode #186, I address an important nuance in calculating your S&M efficiency metrics. CAC by segment. This is often harder than it appears. - Isolating bookings and revenue - Isolating expenses by product line - Expense structure Subscribe to Ben’s SaaS metrics newsletter: https://saasmetricsschool.beehiiv.com/subscribe Subscribe to Ben’s SaaS monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/df1db6bf8bca/the-saas-cfo-sign-up-landing-page SaaS Metrics courses here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/ Join Ben’s SaaS community here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/offers/ivNjwYDx/checkout Follow Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benrmurray

03-26
02:43

Should We Include Customer Success Cost in Our CAC?

In episode #185, I address an important nuance in calculating your S&M efficiency metrics. Where does customer success belong? - What role does Customer Success play? - Should CS be in both COGS and OpEx? Subscribe to Ben’s SaaS metrics newsletter: https://saasmetricsschool.beehiiv.com/subscribe Subscribe to Ben’s SaaS monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/df1db6bf8bca/the-saas-cfo-sign-up-landing-page SaaS Metrics courses here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/ Join Ben’s SaaS community here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/offers/ivNjwYDx/checkout Follow Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benrmurray

03-25
02:03

Sales Cycle Impact on S&M Efficiency Metrics

In episode #184, I address an important nuance in calculating your S&M efficiency metrics. - How do you measure your sales cycle? - Impact on S&M metrics measurement Subscribe to Ben’s SaaS metrics newsletter: https://saasmetricsschool.beehiiv.com/subscribe Subscribe to Ben’s SaaS monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/df1db6bf8bca/the-saas-cfo-sign-up-landing-page SaaS Metrics courses here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/ Join Ben’s SaaS community here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/offers/ivNjwYDx/checkout Follow Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benrmurray

03-22
02:09

Bookings Data is Finance Data Source 1

In episode #183, I address the four key sources of SaaS finance data. This data feeds our forecast, SaaS metrics, financial analysis, Board reporting, and more. We must implement a clean monthly data process. - What is a booking? - Data sources for bookings - Feeds our S&M metrics Subscribe to Ben’s SaaS metrics newsletter: https://saasmetricsschool.beehiiv.com/subscribe Subscribe to Ben’s SaaS monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/df1db6bf8bca/the-saas-cfo-sign-up-landing-page SaaS Metrics courses here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/ Join Ben’s SaaS community here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/offers/ivNjwYDx/checkout Follow Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benrmurray

03-13
03:39

Contracted MRR vs P&L MRR

In episode #182, I address the nuances of MRR. We could be talking about an accounting number, a CRM number, and a number from who knows where. - What is MRR? - Accounting MRR - Contracted MRR Subscribe to Ben’s SaaS metrics newsletter: https://saasmetricsschool.beehiiv.com/subscribe Subscribe to Ben’s SaaS monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/df1db6bf8bca/the-saas-cfo-sign-up-landing-page SaaS Metrics courses here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/ Join Ben’s SaaS community here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/offers/ivNjwYDx/checkout Follow Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benrmurray

03-12
02:25

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