Preparing to write your annual investor update?

Here’s a template you can steal.

I’ve used it countless times to communicate progress against key results and initiatives.

open.substack.com/pub/cjgustaf...

As a CFO and a parent to a three-year-old, my life revolves around negotiations.

The toughest deals, though, are with the toddler—there’s no logic behind their demands.

At least with Salesforce, I know they’re just trying to raise the price on me.

Average revenue per User (ARPU) is tracked religiously by SaaS companies

I believe this is misguided.

This is a deep dive on ARPU, and its flaws.

Read it so you don’t average (lol) yourself out of a job

open.substack.com/pub/cjgustaf...

Today is the fourth anniversary of Mostly Metrics.

By my tally I’ve put out 426 pieces of content between the newsletter and podcast.

I remember when I put out the first few newsletters the ceo and cfo I was working for at the time said this is career suicide what are you doing ???

If you ever doubt the power of unions, just think about the multi-day trek required to get from your airline gate to the Uber pickup area at SFO or Logan.

Well played, Big Taxi. Well played.

“If you think it’s expensive to hire a professional, wait until you hire an amateur.”
– Red Adair

I recently re-read one of my all time favorite books - Once a Runner

It made me think… Running road races is a lot like reverse budgeting.

The runner wants to be broke at precisely the moment he no longer needs his coin.

open.substack.com/pub/cjgustaf...

Whenever someone joins a company I work at, I start by simply asking:

“Would it be helpful if I took a second to explain how we make money?”

Seems obvious, right?

Whenever someone at a big company says, ‘My department operates like a startup within the company,’ I can’t help but laugh and think, ‘You’ve clearly never actually worked at a startup.’

Diversification is a myth.

If you look at the most wealthy people in the world, they are all insanely concentrated.

They’re concentrated in the companies they started.

Diversification only achieves the risk adjusted average.

This is the OnlyFans business deep dive that you didn’t know you needed 👀
www.mostlymetrics.com/p/onlyfans-f...

What’s crackalackin everyone?

I’m CJ, a tech CFO who writes about business models and metrics.

If you want to learn about company valuation, SaaS metrics, and building high performing finance and ops teams, give me a follow.

And Walter here’s my editor in chief Walter