Earlier today I was talking to a growth stage startup in town and was reminded of the importance of gross margin when considering metrics. From Wikipedia:
Gross margin is the difference between revenue and cost of goods sold, or COGS, divided by revenue, expressed as a percentage.
In the SaaS world, gross margins are assumed to be in the 75-85% range such that the heuristics, like The Golden Metric for SaaS – $1 Burned for $1 of Recurring Revenue is consistent from company to company. Yet, most companies don’t have SaaS gross margins (and different cost of goods sold), such that when thinking about metrics and best practices, they should be recalibrated for the gross margins of the specific company. Meaning, if the Golden Metric for SaaS is $1 of cash burned for $1 of net new annual recurring revenue, that assumes 80% gross margins. If the company has 40% gross margins, the Golden Metric would be $1 of cash burned for $2 of net new annual recurring revenue (half the margin so need twice the revenue).
Whenever you hear metrics and best practices mentioned, factor in the gross margin.
What else? What are some more thoughts on considering gross margin when thinking about metrics?
David Cummings on Startups 
After what duration is the $1 spent / $1 ARR metric meant to apply? 12 mo? 24 mo? How early can this metric be applied?
Thx!
Good question. This is $1 of burn for $1 of net new ARR in a calendar year. So, if you burn $2M in 2017, you add $2M of net new annual recurring revenue in 2017.