Guide
What are the best KPIs for my business?
To suggest the most relevant and critical Key Performance Indicators for a business, AI needs a clear picture of how the company operates, what it wants to achieve, and how it defines success. The essentials break down into five categories.
1. Business profile & model
- Industry & sector
- SaaS, e-commerce, manufacturing, healthcare, retail — a SaaS business tracks churn rate while a retail store focuses on sales per square foot.
- Revenue model
- How you make money — subscriptions, one-time sales, freemium, ads.
- Target audience
- B2B (business-to-business) or B2C (business-to-consumer).
2. Strategic goals & timeline
- Growth stage
- Pre-revenue startup chasing product-market fit, an established company scaling, or a mature business focused on profitability.
- Primary objectives
- What is the 12-month goal — increase market share, improve retention, launch a new product line.
- Time horizon
- Daily operational metrics, monthly team targets, or annual executive KPIs.
3. Customer journey & sales cycle
- Acquisition channels
- How customers find you — organic search, paid ads, outbound sales reps.
- Sales cycle length
- Five-minute online checkout versus a six-month enterprise contract.
4. Operational setup & team structure
- Department focus
- Which department will the KPI drive — marketing, customer success, product, finance.
- Team size & resources
- Who will track and own the metric day-to-day.
5. Current data capabilities
- Tech stack & tools
- Salesforce, Google Analytics, HubSpot, QuickBooks — make sure the KPI is actually measurable with the data you already have.
Thinking about your own business?
We've included a form and an AI link inside the Quick KPIs app that will give you a tailored starting point. Keep it simple at first and focus on the KPIs you believe are critical to success. Three answers will unlock a recommendation:
- What industry are you in and what is your revenue model?
- What is your number-one business goal right now?
- Which department or team are these KPIs for?
A starter library of KPIs
Not a comprehensive list — a prompt to help you decide what is critical to measure and manage in your business.
Business profile & model
- # of active customers
- # of patients
- Total daily revenue
- Monthly recurring revenue
- # of subscriptions
- # of transactions per day
Strategic goals & timeline
- Monthly profitability
- Monthly expenses
Customer journey & sales cycle
- # unique visitors to website
- # page views
- # new customers per day
Operational setup & team structure
- # in team
- # new customers
- Total revenue
- Total expenses
- Net profit
- Cash at bank
- Total accounts receivable
- Accounts receivable by period
- Average days receivable outstanding