For a startup to grow successfully, it's important to track the right metrics, not just collect data for reports. At different stages of the company's development, priority indicators change: if the product and users are important at the start, then financial performance and sales efficiency are important at the scaling stage. We analyze which metrics are critically important at each stage.

At this stage, it is important to make sure that the market really needs your solution. Key metrics:

• Customer Interviews (in-depth interviews) – How many users have confirmed the problem?
• Early Adopters (first users) – How many people have started testing the product?
• The MVP Conversion Rate is the percentage of users who have tested the product and expressed interest.
• Cost per Lead (CPL) – how much does it cost to attract one potential client?

The main question: Do people really want this product or is it just an idea on paper?

It is important to understand how well your product meets the needs of the audience.

• Retention Rate (retention rate) – how many users continue to use the product after 1, 7, 30 days?
• Churn Rate (customer churn) – how many users reject the product?
• Net Promoter Score (NPS) – Are your clients ready to recommend you to their friends?
• Revenue per User (ARPU) – average income per user.

The main question is: Do customers actually use and pay for the product or leave after the test?

Here, the startup is actively growing and expanding the market. Basic metrics:

• Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) – how much does it cost to attract one paying customer?
• Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) – how much money does the customer bring in for the entire time of using the product?
• LTV/CAC Ratio – if this ratio is < 3, it means it is too expensive to attract customers.
• Sales Conversion Rate – what percentage of leads turn into paying customers?

The main question: Is the business ready to scale without huge costs?

When a company is already making money, it's important to work on efficiency.:

• Gross Margin (gross margin) – shows the profitability of the company after deducting the cost.
• EBITDA (earnings before taxes and depreciation) – reflects the real profitability.
• Unit Economics – does every sale make a profit or is the business on fire?
• Burn Rate (the rate of burning money) – how quickly a startup spends its investments.

The main question is: Is it possible to make a profit and scale up without constantly attracting investments?

Different metrics are important at each stage of a startup's development. The main thing is not to monitor "indicators for the sake of indicators", but to track what really affects the growth and survival of a business. Choose key metrics, test hypotheses, and make decisions based on the data!