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Metrics & Definitions

Explaining SaaS metrics


Why CAC Payback Is More Useful Than LTV to CAC

Aug 30, 2026

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9 min read

Why CAC Payback Is More Useful Than LTV to CAC

Benchmarks for Operators 8/30/26

CJ Gustafson
CJ Gustafson
Masking Your Metrics

Aug 2, 2026

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7 min read

Masking Your Metrics

Benchmarks for Operators 8/3/26

CJ Gustafson
CJ Gustafson
How Fanatics Thinks About LTV to CAC Across Multiple Product Lines

Jun 2, 2026

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7 min read

How Fanatics Thinks About LTV to CAC Across Multiple Product Lines

Getting to a Single View of the Fan

CJ Gustafson
CJ Gustafson
NDR is Slowly Being Euthanized

May 31, 2026

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11 min read

NDR is Slowly Being Euthanized

Benchmarks for Operators 5/31/26

CJ Gustafson
CJ Gustafson
Is it Cake? (Revenue Edition)

May 3, 2026

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10 min read

Is it Cake? (Revenue Edition)

Benchmarks for Operators 5/3/26

CJ Gustafson
CJ Gustafson
Why Customer Count Can Be a Misleading Metric

Apr 5, 2026

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14 min read

Why Customer Count Can Be a Misleading Metric

Benchmarks for Operators 4/5/26

CJ Gustafson
CJ Gustafson
A CFO Explains: The History of EBITDA

Feb 15, 2026

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21 min read

A CFO Explains: The History of EBITDA

Benchmarks for Operators 2/15/26

CJ Gustafson
CJ Gustafson
The "Right Way" to Calculate Rule of 40

Dec 7, 2025

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16 min read

The "Right Way" to Calculate Rule of 40

Benchmarks for Operators (12/7/25)

CJ Gustafson
CJ Gustafson
Can BAD Gross Margins ever be a GOOD sign?

Nov 9, 2025

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16 min read

Can BAD Gross Margins ever be a GOOD sign?

Benchmarks for operators 11/9/25

CJ Gustafson
CJ Gustafson
How to Build (and Explain) Cohort Charts

Oct 9, 2025

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4 min read

How to Build (and Explain) Cohort Charts

Download templates to build your own cohort charts

CJ Gustafson
CJ Gustafson
The Great AI “ARR” Illusion

Sep 28, 2025

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20 min read

The Great AI “ARR” Illusion

Benchmarks for Operators (9/28/25)

CJ Gustafson
CJ Gustafson
A Guide to Choosing Your Net Retention Formula

Sep 18, 2025

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4 min read

A Guide to Choosing Your Net Retention Formula

Looking at how public companies like MongoDB, Hubspot, and Snowflake do it, and how it impacts forecasting and valuation

CJ Gustafson
CJ Gustafson
The Top Metrics for Consumer Businesses

Sep 11, 2025

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11 min read

The Top Metrics for Consumer Businesses

With real examples from Airbnb, Netflix, Spotify, and more

CJ Gustafson
CJ Gustafson
The History of EBITDA

Jul 15, 2025

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12 min read

The History of EBITDA

EBITDA & the Evolution of Street Metrics: From Cable Lines to Rap Lines

CJ Gustafson
CJ Gustafson
How Public Companies Calculate Net Dollar Retention (NDR)

Jul 13, 2025

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13 min read

How Public Companies Calculate Net Dollar Retention (NDR)

7/13/25 Benchmarks for Operators

CJ Gustafson
CJ Gustafson
Why do investors care about LTV to CAC so much?

Jun 22, 2025

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12 min read

Why do investors care about LTV to CAC so much?

6/22/25 Benchmarks for Operators

CJ Gustafson
CJ Gustafson
How Public Companies Define ARR

Jun 15, 2025

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13 min read

How Public Companies Define ARR

6/15/25 Benchmarks for Operators

CJ Gustafson
CJ Gustafson
How Upwork Optimizes LTV to CAC

Jun 12, 2025

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4 min read

How Upwork Optimizes LTV to CAC

A Masterclass in Marketplace Economics

CJ Gustafson
CJ Gustafson
How to Build a Net Dollar Retention Bridge

Mar 27, 2025

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3 min read

How to Build a Net Dollar Retention Bridge

With a template for paid readers

CJ Gustafson
CJ Gustafson
The Wild West of EBITDA Adjustments

Mar 20, 2025

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5 min read

The Wild West of EBITDA Adjustments

A deep dive into the dark arts of EBITDA adjustments

CJ Gustafson
CJ Gustafson
The Top Metrics for Vertical SaaS Companies

Jan 23, 2025

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11 min read

The Top Metrics for Vertical SaaS Companies

With real examples from successful vSaaS businesses

CJ Gustafson
CJ Gustafson
Is your retention "too good”?

Jan 14, 2025

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7 min read

Is your retention "too good”?

And finding your cohort floor

CJ Gustafson
CJ Gustafson
What metrics do Marketplace companies report on?

Jan 12, 2025

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9 min read

What metrics do Marketplace companies report on?

01/11/25 Benchmarks for Operators

CJ Gustafson
CJ Gustafson
A Deep Dive on Average Revenue Per User (ARPU)

Dec 10, 2024

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8 min read

A Deep Dive on Average Revenue Per User (ARPU)

And where it goes wrong

CJ Gustafson
CJ Gustafson
What Metrics do the Top Security Companies Report On?

Dec 1, 2024

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9 min read

What Metrics do the Top Security Companies Report On?

12/1/24 Benchmarks for Operators

CJ Gustafson
CJ Gustafson
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yo, btw…

none of this is intended to be financial or legal advice. do your own homework. call your mom once a week. and make sure to hydrate.

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