👋 Hi, it’s CJ Gustafson and welcome to Mostly Metrics, my weekly newsletter where I unpack how the world’s best CFOs and business experts use metrics to make better decisions.

Part II: The Metrics that MATTER

Every piece of data you present should support one of these three pillars:

  1. Revenue: Are we growing?

  2. Efficiency: Are we growing sustainably?

  3. Runway: Can we afford to keep growing?

Think of these as the “big three” every board member and executive team is looking for clarity on during your presentation (whether they are vocal about it or not). If your metrics don’t answer these questions, they don’t belong in your report.

Let’s dig into tactics to elevate your reporting across each of these pillars below.

(With LOTS of BOARD templates…)

Pillar 1: Revenue

Revenue is the ultimate measure of success. No matter how many fancy dashboards you include, the board will always come back to this: Are we driving top-line growth?

Key Metrics to Track:

  • ARR Additions: Break this down into new logos and expansions to highlight the engines of growth, and show how successive periods are building on one another.

  • Net Revenue Retention (NRR): Dissect this metric into expansion, upsell, down sell, and churn. A bridge is the most helpful way to illustrate the changes (more below).

  • Pipeline Conversion Rate: What percentage of qualified opportunities are turning into revenue? It’s critical to segment this by your sales teams and the customer types they are serving.

Tactics to Elevate Your Revenue Reporting:

  • Show Progress with an ARR Waterfall.

    • This visualization helps your board see where growth is coming from—and where it’s slipping.

      • Example: “Last quarter, ARR grew by $1.5M. Expansions contributed $1.2M, while churn reduced ARR by $300K. Our churn mitigation program in mid-market accounts is already showing early results.”

(TEMPLATE BELOW)

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