Explore every episode of the podcast SaaS Metrics School
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How to Handle Resellers and End Users in Your CRM and Metrics | 30 Aug 2024 | 00:04:31 | |
In episode #231, I’m addressing a very common pain point in our data when we have a partner or reseller channel. If not done right, it really screws up our data. - Reseller defined - CRM configuration - Invoicing - Metrics | |||
| The Big Assumption You’re Overlooking in Your CAC | 27 Aug 2024 | 00:04:16 | |
In episode #230, I’m talking CAC, the ubiquitous SaaS metrics. Seems so simple but there is a big assumption lurking in your spreadsheets that you can’t overlook. - Gross CAC - Unit Cost CAC - CAC feeds these metrics - The big assumption My SaaS metrics course begins September 17th. Click here to learn more! | |||
| Should I Code Wages and Benefits to COGS | 07 Aug 2024 | 00:03:10 | |
In episode #221, I address expense coding for tradeshows. This is a great question from a SaaS Metrics School podcast listener. - What departments are in COGS? - COGS vs. OpEx - Fully-burdened cost centers | |||
| Behinds Scenes Look at the SaaS Revenue Cycle | 23 Nov 2023 | 00:03:18 | |
In episode #131, I address the CFO’s utopia of quote to cash. What really happens when we land a customer? - Bookings - Invoicing - Rev rec - Cash collection 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 | |||
| Contract Dates versus Invoice Dates | 22 Nov 2023 | 00:02:37 | |
In episode #130, I address the world of dates in subscription businesses. Such simple data but often overlooked and not tracked. We need dates to drive correct invoice dates and revenue recognition periods. - Contract dates - Invoice dates - Dates and revenue recognition 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 | |||
| Is Your Services Backlog in Months Increasing or Decreasing? | 21 Nov 2023 | 00:02:32 | |
In episode #129, I address the world of professional services metrics. Backlog in months is an important metrics for our services team. Calculating this number helps us understand the balance between backlog and services capacity. - What is services backlog? - What is backlog in months? - The backlog tradeoffs 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 | |||
| Do You Have an FTE Report? | 20 Nov 2023 | 00:04:48 | |
In episode #128, I address the often-missing FTE report. This is a standard report that should be produced as part of your monthly close process. - What is an FTE? - Where does the data come from? - Importance of headcount coding - Use of the FTE report (documenting historical trends, rev per fte, variance analysis, serves as the headcount base for the forecast) 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 | |||
| I’m Passing 5M in ARR What S&M Efficiency Metrics Should I Calculate? | 18 Nov 2023 | 00:03:01 | |
In episode #127, I address a common question in the progression of our SaaS metrics. As our SaaS business scales, we have to implement additional metrics to guide the business. - 5 Pillar SaaS Metrics Framework - Questions that I ask first - What S&M metrics should I implement? Use my 5 Pillar SaaS Metris Framework (https://www.thesaascfo.com/downloads/five-pillar-metrics-framework/) 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 | |||
| Do I Need Cohort Analysis for My Revenue Streams? | 17 Nov 2023 | 00:03:13 | |
In episode #126, I address cohort analysis and when this framework is the right fit for your SaaS business. - What is cohort analysis? - Basic cohort analysis - Advanced cohort analysis - Are you high ACV or low ACV? 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 | |||
| 73% of Your SaaS Peers Raised Their Prices in 2023 | 16 Nov 2023 | 00:04:39 | |
In episode #125, I address an interesting report from Vertice.one on SaaS inflation. There is an art and science to increasing your prices. This fits nicely with a price increase question from a coaching client. - Are you raising your prices? - Don’t conflict with your terms and conditions - SaaS inflation Vertice report: https://www.vertice.one/inside-saas/reports/saas-inflation-index/ 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 | |||
| The 4 Pure Play SaaS COGS Departments | 15 Nov 2023 | 00:03:04 | |
In episode #124, I address the COGS, or Cost of Goods Sold, departments on your SaaS P&L. There are four common departments with pure play SaaS. - Technical Support - Customer Success - Professional Services - Dev Ops 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 | |||
| The 6 Possible Revenue Categories on Your SaaS P&L | 14 Nov 2023 | 00:03:03 | |
In episode #123, I address the major revenue categories in SaaS. It’s important to set this up correctly. It impacts how you manage your business and your metrics. - Subscriptions - Variable - Professional Services - Managed Services - Hardware - Other 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 | |||
| Can You Really Define ARR? | 13 Nov 2023 | 00:03:35 | |
In episode #122, I address a big metrics and sometimes a controversial metric. It’s your ARR. Can you really define your ARR? And is that definition appropriate? We are still in the Wild West of SaaS metrics. - A slam dunk version of ARR - Can I include usage-based revenue in ARR - What about services revenue? - ARR and valuations Subscribe to Ben’s daily 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 | |||
| Where Do I Code Tradeshow Expenses | 06 Aug 2024 | 00:04:21 | |
In episode #220, I address expense coding for tradeshows. This is a great question from a SaaS Metrics School podcast listener. - Scenario: we attend tradeshows for lead gen. Multiple staff attend the tradeshow. - Where do we code tradeshow expenses? - Where do we code staff expenses who attend the tradeshow? - Where do we code everyone else? | |||
| Make Sure You Code Software Expenses Correctly | 11 Nov 2023 | 00:02:38 | |
In episode #121, I cover internal use software and software embedded in our SaaS app. It’s easy to confuse where this spend should be posted to our SaaS P&L - Internal use software - Software embedded in our SaaS app Subscribe to Ben’s daily 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 | |||
| What ARR Number Should We Use in ARR Multiples? | 10 Nov 2023 | 00:02:38 | |
In episode #120, I cover a somewhat debated topic on ARR. Of course, this is debated between buyers and sellers. If I’m trying to achieve a specific ARR multiple, what ARR number should I use? - Trailing revenue? - Exit ARR? - CARR? Subscribe to Ben’s daily 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 | |||
| What is CARR and Why Do I Care? | 09 Nov 2023 | 00:04:04 | |
In episode #119, I cover committed annual recurring revenue (CARR). Yet, another SaaS metric. It can also be called contracted annual recurring revenue. It was an obscure metric, but now it is widely used even if you don’t call it CARR. - What is CARR? - What are the components of CARR? - SaaS valuations | |||
| How to Calculate the Cost of Expansion ARR | 08 Nov 2023 | 00:04:04 | |
In episode #118, I cover an important sales and marketing efficiency metric, the Cost of ARR. As our GTM team scales, it usually splits into new business hunters and the “farmers,” or our expansion team. We can calculate the cost of ARR expansion and benchmark our performance. - Fully-burdened sales and marketing expense - Allocate between new and existing - Pick your time period and average sales cycle - Benchmark your performance Cost of ARR blog post: https://www.thesaascfo.com/saas-cac-ratio/ Subscribe to Ben’s daily 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
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| Are You Tracking the Billable Utilization of Your Services Team? | 07 Nov 2023 | 00:04:21 | |
In episode #117, I provide an overview of the all-important utilization metric for professional services teams. Not calculating it? Then you don’t know if your team is burning out or if they have capacity to take on more customer projects. - What is an FTE? - What is billable utilization? - Interaction between utilization and backlog Subscribe to Ben’s daily 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 | |||
| Track Your Professional Services Backlog Number | 06 Nov 2023 | 00:04:15 | |
In episode #116, I provide an overview of professional services backlog in SaaS. Your professional services team play an important role in early customer satisfaction and retention. When we sign up a customer for a subscription and professional services, this creates a services backlog number. - What is backlog? - How do we measure backlog? - Backlog vs billable headcount Subscribe to Ben’s daily 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 | |||
| What is Professional Services? | 05 Nov 2023 | 00:02:39 | |
In episode #115, I provide an overview of professional services in SaaS. Your professional services team plays an important role in early customer satisfaction and retention. - What is PS? - COGS vs OpEx - Backlog and utilization Subscribe to Ben’s daily 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 | |||
| Do You Have Balance Between CAC Payback and Retention? | 04 Nov 2023 | 00:04:20 | |
In episode #114, I address the power of SaaS metrics in context. Two metrics that should be viewed together? CAC Payback Period and revenue retention. - do you have balance? - CAC Payback Period - Gross Revenue Retention Subscribe to Ben’s daily 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
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| The Perfect Storm for Cash Burn | 03 Nov 2023 | 00:04:06 | |
In episode #113, I address cash burn from the front lines. If you are still pivoting on product market fit, it can be very dangerous to scale your go-to-market (GTM) team and investment. - product market fit and ICP - scaling your GTM team - S&M efficiency with minimal spend Subscribe to Ben’s daily 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 | |||
| What Should Be Included in Your Dev Ops Expenses? | 02 Nov 2023 | 00:03:07 | |
In episode #112, I address Dev Ops expenses in our COGS area of the SaaS P&L. Let’s discuss the details of Dev Ops expenses. - hosting - 3rd party software - ongoing security and testing - dev ops staff - amortization of capitalized software development Subscribe to Ben’s daily 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 | |||
| 9 Legal Strategies for a $100M Exit – Tactics 7 to 9 | 03 Aug 2024 | 00:04:44 | |
In episode #219, I address preparing for an exit. You must prepare ahead of time for an exit. I hosted guest expert Omeed Tabiei, an attorney for SaaS companies. His tactics were golden. They must be followed so you don’t have a failed exit. - Have strong vendor contracts - Identify potential legal risks - Learn how to navigate complex deals Grab the replay and slides here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/pl/2148384654 Omeed's LinkedIn: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/pl/2148384654 Omeed's website: https://www.optimistlegal.com/ | |||
| Human Powered vs Product Powered Revenue | You Gotta Get This Right | 01 Nov 2023 | 00:03:47 | |
In episode #111, I address human powered versus product powered revenue. It’s so important to categorize your revenue and COGS correctly on your P&L. You don’t want to confuse potential investors and stakeholders. - Human powered revenue - Product powered revenue - Define your revenue categories - Define your COGS Subscribe to Ben’s daily 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 | |||
| Top 5 Accounting Software for SaaS Companies | 31 Oct 2023 | 00:04:04 | |
In episode #110, I address the core system in our financial process, our accounting software. I am in the midst of my 5th annual tech stack survey. I’ll share the top five accounting systems for SaaS. - Accounting software is our financial tracking engine - We don’t always stay with the same software - Top 5 software according to my survey Enter your tech stack at this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScwVmsrkm81TGANxd17ev3WuuDVX-5zRHXVwrtBCHiRmoyaww/viewform?usp=sf_link Subscribe to Ben’s daily 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 | |||
| Levers to Pull in Sales Compensation Planning | 30 Oct 2023 | 00:03:57 | |
In episode #109, I address sales compensation planning and how you can design your plans for maximum effectiveness. QuotaPath joined me on a webinar to my SaaS community. There were some eye-openers on how to design your compensation plans. - What is your north star metric that you are trying to solve for? - 3 common comp plans to drive to your metric - example levers Watch the replay in my No Fluff course series: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/offers/zz3ZR2WL/checkout Head to the Demo section. | |||
| Should Downgrades Count Against My Booked ARR? | 29 Oct 2023 | 00:03:07 | |
In episode #109, I address bookings, downgrades, and reporting. We may or may not want to include downgrades in our net ARR number. This is an important decision. - What is a downgrade? - Should I include this in my bookings report? - Should downgrades impact my sales and marketing efficiency metrics? Subscribe to Ben’s daily 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 | |||
| Am I Ready for Debt Financing to Fuel Growth? | 28 Oct 2023 | 00:03:56 | |
In episode #107, I address debt financing as a source of growth capital. Debt financing for SaaS companies is a hot space right now. We must assess first if we can absorb the payment schedule. - Step 1 – do you have your finances in order? - Step 2 – what are the basic terms of the debt? - Step 3 – can our cash flows support the payment schedule? - Step 4 - Cost of ARR Subscribe to Ben’s daily 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 | |||
| I’ve Got My SaaS P&L Set Up | What’s Next? | 27 Oct 2023 | 00:03:34 | |
In episode #106, I address early stage financial infrastructure. I was just talking to a SaaS founder who spent some consulting money to properly configure QBO. What’s next? - The progression in data - 4 key sources of data Subscribe to Ben’s daily 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 | |||
| High Growth High Confusion | 26 Oct 2023 | 00:03:28 | |
In episode #105, I address growing pains. If you are experiencing high growth, don’t let your financial infrastructure lapse. High growth can cause financial confusion if we don’t have our numbers set up properly. - Focus on SaaS COGS - Who really does what in your SaaS company Subscribe to Ben’s daily 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 | |||
| Mind the Gap in Your Renewal Dates | 25 Oct 2023 | 00:04:17 | |
In episode #104, I address a common issue that wreaks havoc on your MRR schedule. And it will create pain for you in due diligence and retention reporting. - What is an anniversary date? - Gaps in your customer MRR schedule - Impact on retention and due diligence - MRR schedule resources (https://www.thesaasacademy.com/offers/zz3ZR2WL/checkout) Subscribe to Ben’s daily 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 | |||
| Code Your Consultants and Contractors Separately | 24 Oct 2023 | 00:03:36 | |
In episode #103, I address consultant and contractor coding. It’s important to get this right in your chart of accounts. SaaS companies often supplement staffing with full or part-time contractors. For efficiency purposes, we need to treat this expense just like employees. Always consult with your HR professional on your labor classifications. That's a whole separate subject. - What are consultants - What are contractors - How to code on your SaaS P&L - ROSE Metric (https://www.thesaascfo.com/saas-rose-metric/) Subscribe to Ben’s daily 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 | |||
| What’s Lurking in Your G&A Expenses? | 23 Oct 2023 | 00:03:31 | |
In episode #102, I address a common dumping ground for expenses, your G&A cost center. There are many activities and roles within G&A. We must manage it like any area in our business. - What is G&A? - What sub-departments are located in G&A? - What’s a good spend target for G&A? - Should I allocate shared services? Subscribe to Ben’s daily 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 | |||
| 9 Legal Strategies for a $100M Exit – Tactics 4 to 6 | 02 Aug 2024 | 00:04:14 | |
In episode #218, I address preparing for an exit. You must prepare ahead of time for an exit. I hosted guest expert Omeed Tabiei, an attorney for SaaS companies. His tactics were golden. They must be followed so you don’t have a failed exit. - Manage your IP - Keep your corporate governance clean - Have strong customer contracts Grab the replay and slides here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/pl/2148384654 Omeed's LinkedIn: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/pl/2148384654 Omeed's website: https://www.optimistlegal.com/ | |||
| How Do I Handle Spikes in Sales and Marketing Expenses | 22 Oct 2023 | 00:02:28 | |
In episode #101, I address a common student question in my SaaS metrics course. We may have large spikes in S&M expenses due to events, conferences, or maybe, a major consulting project. - Should we ever exclude expenses? - How should I calculate S&M metrics with spikes in expense Subscribe to Ben’s daily 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 | |||
| How Do I Start Implementing SaaS Metrics? | 21 Oct 2023 | 00:03:06 | |
In episode #100, I thought it would be appropriate to address SaaS metrics at a high level. Where do I start with metrics? - Right metrics for the right stage of your business - Use my 5 Pillar SaaS Metris Framework (https://www.thesaascfo.com/downloads/five-pillar-metrics-framework/) - 4 key data sources for SaaS metrics Subscribe to Ben’s daily 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 | |||
| How to Really Determine What Should Be in COGS | 20 Oct 2023 | 00:03:54 | |
In episode #99, I address a very common question in SaaS finance. What should be included in COGS? It’s so important to get this right. If you don’t, you will mismanage your business. - Pure-play SaaS COGS departments - COGS dictated by your revenue streams - My test to determine COGS functions Subscribe to Ben’s daily 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 | |||
| Do You Include Sales Operations in S&M Expenses? | 19 Oct 2023 | 00:02:16 | |
In episode #98, I address the major functions that we see in Sales. Should these be coded to Sales or somewhere else? - Fully-burdened expenses - Common expenses in sales and marketing Subscribe to Ben’s daily 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 | |||
| What Churn % Should I Use for LTV | 18 Oct 2023 | 00:03:08 | |
In episode #97, I address churn and LTV. We think SaaS metrics are completely objective, but it is very easy to influence the result of a metrics calculation. Period of measurement is major factor in SaaS metrics calculations. - What churn number should we use? - What time period represents our churn? - LTV is a point-in-time metric! Subscribe to Ben’s daily 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 | |||
| CAC Calculation and Multiple GTM Strategies | 17 Oct 2023 | 00:02:52 | |
In episode #96, I address our core CAC calculation when we have different product lines and different go-to-market (GTM) strategies. We can’t blend these together when calculating customer acquisition costs. - What is CAC? - What is GTM - How do I calculate CAC? Subscribe to Ben’s daily 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 | |||
| These are the 4 Source Data Inputs for SaaS Metrics | 16 Oct 2023 | 00:03:17 | |
In episode #95, I address the major data source we need to calculate the complete SaaS metrics picture. It’s important to have clean and repeatable data that we can pull every month. - CRM / MRR schedule - Financial data - HRIS data - Operational/Revenue data Subscribe to Ben’s daily 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 | |||
| Have You Heard of the Dollar-based CAC Payback Period? | 15 Oct 2023 | 00:03:17 | |
In episode #94, I address a variation of the traditional CAC Payback Period. This is a great supplement to your traditional SaaS metrics. - What is CAC Payback Period? - What is Dollar-based CAC Payback - When should I use these? Subscribe to Ben’s daily 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
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| What Metrics Should I Measure as I move from $2M ARR to $4M ARR | 14 Oct 2023 | 00:02:43 | |
In episode #93, I address a student question from my live SaaS metrics foundation course. This is a great question and one that must be answered by all SaaS companies as they scale. - First, let’s understand your financial profile - Let’s review my 5 Pillar SaaS Metrics Framework (https://www.thesaascfo.com/downloads/five-pillar-metrics-framework/) - Right metrics at the right stage Subscribe to Ben’s daily metrics newsletter: https://saasmetricsschool.beehiiv.com/subscribe | |||
| What Should I Include in My Sales and Marketing Expenses? | 13 Oct 2023 | 00:02:31 | |
In episode #92, I address a student question from my SaaS metrics foundation course. It actually caught me off guard, because I talk a lot about fully-burdened cost centers. We can’t forget the foundational components. - Full-burdened expenses - Split Sales from Marketing Subscribe to Ben’s daily metrics newsletter: https://saasmetricsschool.beehiiv.com/subscribe | |||
| 9 Legal Strategies for a $100M Exit – Tactics 1 to 3 | 01 Aug 2024 | 00:04:46 | |
In episode #217, I address preparing for an exit. You must prepare ahead of time for an exit. I hosted guest expert Omeed Tabiei, an attorney for SaaS companies. His tactics were golden. They must be followed so you don’t have a failed exit. - The right deal structure - Manage your equity - Manage your employees Grab the replay and slides here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/pl/2148384654 Omeed's LinkedIn: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/pl/2148384654 Omeed's website: https://www.optimistlegal.com/ | |||
| How Much Should I Spend in S&M as a Percentage of Revenue? | 12 Oct 2023 | 00:03:14 | |
In episode #91, I address investments in the OpEx section of our SaaS P&L. We must monitor our spend in sales and marketing. We expect efficiency over time in our OpEx area. - What is OpEx? - What are the S&M benchmarks? - Careful with this benchmark - Benchmarkit.ai is your source for benchmarks Subscribe to Ben’s daily 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 | |||
| How Much Should I Spend in G&A as a Percentage of Revenue? | 11 Oct 2023 | 00:02:32 | |
In episode #90, I address investments in the OpEx section of our SaaS P&L. We must monitor our spend in G&A. We expect efficiency over time in our OpEx area. - What is OpEx? - What are the G&A benchmarks? - Benchmarkit.ai is your source for benchmarks Subscribe to Ben’s daily 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 | |||
| How Much Should I Spend in R&D as a Percentage of Revenue? | 10 Oct 2023 | 00:03:12 | |
In episode #89, I address investments in the OpEx section of our SaaS P&L. We must monitor our spend in R&D. We expect efficiency over time in our OpEx area. - What is OpEx? - What are the R&D benchmarks? - Benchmarkit.ai is your source for benchmarks Subscribe to Ben’s daily 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 | |||