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startup-metrics-framework skill

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This skill guides you through defining, calculating, and optimizing startup metrics with actionable steps and validation for SaaS and marketplaces.

npx playbooks add skill xfstudio/skills --skill startup-metrics-framework

Review the files below or copy the command above to add this skill to your agents.

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SKILL.md

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---
name: startup-metrics-framework
description: This skill should be used when the user asks about "key startup
  metrics", "SaaS metrics", "CAC and LTV", "unit economics", "burn multiple",
  "rule of 40", "marketplace metrics", or requests guidance on tracking and
  optimizing business performance metrics.
metadata:
  version: 1.0.0
---

# Startup Metrics Framework

Comprehensive guide to tracking, calculating, and optimizing key performance metrics for different startup business models from seed through Series A.

## Use this skill when

- Working on startup metrics framework tasks or workflows
- Needing guidance, best practices, or checklists for startup metrics framework

## Do not use this skill when

- The task is unrelated to startup metrics framework
- You need a different domain or tool outside this scope

## Instructions

- Clarify goals, constraints, and required inputs.
- Apply relevant best practices and validate outcomes.
- Provide actionable steps and verification.
- If detailed examples are required, open `resources/implementation-playbook.md`.

## Resources

- `resources/implementation-playbook.md` for detailed patterns and examples.

Overview

This skill provides a practical framework for tracking, calculating, and improving key startup metrics across business models from seed to Series A. It focuses on core SaaS and marketplace metrics (CAC, LTV, unit economics, burn multiple, Rule of 40) and gives actionable steps to implement measurement and optimization. Use it to align metrics with fundraising, growth, and profitability goals.

How this skill works

The skill analyzes the startup’s business model inputs (revenue, churn, acquisition costs, Gross Margin, ARPA/ARPU, cohort data) and applies standard formulas to produce metrics and diagnostic ratios. It returns prioritized recommendations for improving unit economics, cash runway, and growth efficiency, plus verification checks and implementation steps. When detailed examples are needed, it points to an implementation playbook for patterns and templates.

When to use it

Preparing metrics and narrative for investor meetings or diligence
Diagnosing poor growth efficiency or unit economics in SaaS or marketplace businesses
Setting KPI dashboards and data requirements for finance and product teams
Evaluating pricing changes, LTV sensitivity, or customer acquisition experiments
Estimating runway, burn multiple, and fundraising targets

Best practices

Start with clear goals: benchmark targets for growth, retention, and raise timing
Capture cohort-level retention and revenue to compute accurate LTV and CAC payback
Use Gross Margin-adjusted LTV and monthly churn for SaaS; separate supplier/buyer metrics for marketplaces
Prioritize experiments with measurable impact on churn or CAC before large feature investments
Validate metrics with reconciled finance and analytics sources and include confidence ranges

Example use cases

Calculate CAC, LTV, and payback period from acquisition and cohort revenue data
Assess Rule of 40 and suggest levers to hit targets (reduce churn, increase ARPA, control expenses)
Compute burn multiple and recommend fundraising sizing based on runway and growth efficiency
Design a dashboard spec listing required events, cohorts, and dimensions to track unit economics
Run sensitivity analysis showing how retention improvements change LTV and valuation-ready metrics

FAQ

What inputs do I need to compute LTV and CAC reliably?

You need acquisition cost by channel, cohort-level revenue over time, churn or retention rates, gross margin, and period definitions (monthly or annual).

How do marketplaces differ from SaaS in metric calculations?

Marketplaces require separate buyer and supplier metrics, take-rate/gross merchandise volume tracking, and careful attribution of CAC across sides; LTV and unit economics must reflect two-sided dynamics.

When is Rule of 40 relevant?

Rule of 40 is a quick health check for growing SaaS companies; use it when balancing growth versus profitability, typically in later seed and growth stages.