KPIs for CEOs and Founders
These are the KPIs a CEO or founder reviews to see whether the company is growing, profitable and secure. The aim is a short list that shows direction, not every number the business produces.
The KPIs to track
Revenue growth rate is the percentage change in recognised revenue from one period to the next.
Formula and SQL query on the Revenue Growth Rate page.
Gross profit margin is the percentage of revenue left after paying the direct costs of producing what you sold.
Formula and SQL query on the Gross Profit Margin page.
Net revenue retention shows how much recurring revenue you keep from existing customers after churn, downgrades and expansion.
Formula and SQL query on the Net Revenue Retention (NRR) page.
Burn rate is how much cash a business spends each month in excess of what it earns.
Formula and SQL query on the Burn Rate page.
Cash runway is how many months a company can operate before running out of cash at the current burn rate.
Formula and SQL query on the Cash Runway page.
Customer concentration ratio is the share of revenue that comes from your largest few customers.
Formula and SQL query on the Customer Concentration Ratio page.
Revenue per employee is annual revenue divided by average headcount, a rough measure of workforce productivity.
Formula and SQL query on the Revenue per Employee page.
Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
Customer acquisition cost is the average spend needed to win one new customer, including marketing and sales costs.
Formula and SQL query on the Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) page.
Where the data usually lives
The accounting system, billing or sales system, CRM and payroll, usually brought together in one reporting view.
Measurement mistakes to avoid
- Numbers from different systems must use one definition of revenue, or leadership meetings argue about the data.
- Cash and profit move differently; look at both, especially when growing quickly.
- A single blended figure can hide a weak segment; look at the biggest drivers beneath it.
Questions to ask your data
You can type these as plain questions. SchemaChat turns each one into SQL against your connected database or uploaded file, runs it, and shows the SQL and the figures it used so you can check the answer before you share it. Check that the result matches how your business defines each KPI.
- How did revenue, margin and cash change this month compared with last month?
- How many months of cash runway do we have at the current burn rate?
- What share of revenue comes from our five largest customers?
- Which customer segments are growing fastest?