1. Customer Acquisition
Where growth begins — but only if it’s measured. Model your channels, CAC, and conversion rates.
| Channel | Monthly Spend | Leads | Conversion Rate | CAC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paid Ads | $5,000 | 500 | 10% | $100 |
| Outbound Sales | $8,000 | 80 | 20% | $400 |
| Organic Search | $0 | 200 | 15% | $0 |
2. Customer Retention
Where enterprise value is built. Track churn and retention by cohort to signal product-market fit.
- **Churn Rate (Monthly):** The percentage of customers who cancel their subscriptions.
- **Average Customer Lifespan:** The average time a customer stays with your service.
- **Retention Curve by Cohort:** A graph showing the retention of customer groups over time. Showing this to investors signals strong PMF.
3. Revenue Modeling
Your strategy, in numbers. Start simple and show how revenue scales with low CAC and improving retention.
Start with a simple formula: `Revenue = ARPU × Active Users` or `Revenue = Unit Sales × Price × Frequency`
| Month | Active Customers | ARPU | Monthly Recurring Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | $50 | $5,000 |
| Feb | 150 | $50 | $7,500 |
4. Expense Modeling
A reality check on your burn rate. Break expenses into key buckets.
| Expense Category | Monthly Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Salaries | $25,000 | 5 employees |
| Hosting | $2,000 | AWS, Cloudflare, etc. |
| Marketing | $8,000 | Paid + Brand + Contractors |
| Tools & Software | $1,200 | Slack, HubSpot, Figma |
Hiring Plan
| Name | Role | Team | Salary | Start Date | Start Month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founder | CEO | Executive | $100,000 | 1/1/2024 | Jan-24 |
| Name if hired | Engineer | Engineering | $100,000 | 1/1/2024 | Jan-24 |
| Name if hired | Engineer | Engineering | $100,000 | 2/29/2024 | Feb-24 |
| Name if hired | Engineer | Engineering | $100,000 | 2/29/2024 | Feb-24 |
| Name if hired | Designer | Design | $100,000 | 2/29/2024 | Feb-24 |
| To be hired | Customer Support | Engineering | $100,000 | 5/31/2024 | May-24 |
| To be hired | Sales Account Executive | Sales | $100,000 | 6/30/2024 | Jun-24 |
| To be hired | Sales Account Executive | Sales | $100,000 | 6/30/2024 | Jun-24 |
| To be hired | Marketing Lead | Marketing | $100,000 | 8/31/2024 | Aug-24 |
| To be hired | Designer | Design | $100,000 | 9/30/2024 | Sep-24 |
5. Cash Flow & Runway
Don’t die. Forecast your oxygen and plan for different scenarios.
- **Opening Balance:** Starting cash.
- **Inflows:** Revenue + funding.
- **Outflows:** All expenses.
- **Runway:** Cash ÷ Burn Rate.
Scenario Planning:
Build 3 cases to show you've thought through the possibilities:
- **Best Case:** Revenue accelerates, churn drops.
- **Base Case:** CAC holds, ARPU steady.
- **Worst Case:** Growth slows, churn rises, fundraising delayed.