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PODCAST

SaaS Metrics School

Ben Murray brings you actionable SaaS metrics lessons that he has learned through years of being in the SaaS CFO trenches. Whether you are new to SaaS or a SaaS veteran, learn the latest SaaS and AI metrics, finance, and accounting tactics that drive financial transparency and improved decision-making. Ben’s SaaS metrics blog consistently rates a 70+ NPS, and his templates have been downloaded over 100,000 times. There is always something to learn about SaaS and AI metrics.

business management

All Episodes

5:01

How Public Tech Companies Are Categorizing ARR

SaaS Metrics School ·

2026/01/13

In episode #344 of SaaS Metrics School, Ben Murray shares insights from his research into how public tech companies define and disclose ARR in press releases and SEC filings. By analyzing U.S. and global public companies, Ben identifies common ARR “buckets” and explains how different revenue models influence what gets included in ARR.Rather than debating whether ARR is “dead,” this episode focuses on how companies are actually reporting ARR today—and what private SaaS and AI companies can

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5:45

Demystifying SaaS Revenue: A Hierarchy for...

SaaS Metrics School ·

2026/01/10

In episode #343 of SaaS Metrics School, Ben Murray demystifies SaaS revenue by breaking down the core revenue types that software, SaaS, and AI companies should be modeling on their P&L. Rather than focusing on labels, Ben explains why pricing models and revenue streams are the real drivers of financial clarity.He walks through the most common revenue categories—subscriptions, variable usage-based revenue, professional services, managed services, hardware, and other emerging models—and

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5:15

Where is Your Cost of ARR Trending This Year?

SaaS Metrics School ·

2026/01/08

In episode #342 of SaaS Metric School, Ben breaks down the Cost of ARR metric and explains why it’s one of the most practical and revealing go-to-market efficiency metrics for 2026 planning. He covers where the metric originated, how to calculate it correctly, and how to use it to sanity-check forecasts and budgets. Ben walks through the three variations of Cost of ARR (blended, new, and expansion), explains why bookings data—not revenue—is required, and shows how benchmarking by ACV

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6:20

The ROSE Metric is Your Key to Durable Growth in 2026

SaaS Metrics School ·

2025/12/31

In episode #341 of SaaS Metrics School, Ben Murray explains why revenue per FTE is a misleading metric for modern SaaS and AI companies and introduces the ROSE metric (Return on SaaS Employees) as a more accurate way to measure durable scaling.Ben walks through how ROSE removes labor-cost bias, incorporates contractors and Agentic AI spend, and directly connects people investment to recurring revenue generation. He also shares practical benchmark ranges and explains how founders and

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4:33

CFO Confidence at a 4 Year High

SaaS Metrics School ·

2025/12/28

In episode #340 of SaaS Metrics School, Ben breaks down what rising CFO confidence—now at a four-year high—means for SaaS and AI operators planning for the year ahead. Using insights from Deloitte’s latest CFO survey, Ben explains why optimism alone isn’t enough and why companies must pair confidence with strong financial systems, accurate forecasting, and reliable metrics.The conversation centers on how leaders should prepare for potential market upturns while still balancing growth,

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3:06

Change of Control Provisions in Customer Contracts...

SaaS Metrics School ·

2025/12/21

In episode #339 of SaaS Metrics School, Ben explains how change of control provisions in customer contracts can quietly derail due diligence, fundraising, or a future company exit. Drawing from real-world CFO experience and a recent webinar with a SaaS-focused tech attorney, Ben breaks down why seemingly standard legal language can introduce major risk into a SaaS company’s recurring revenue profile.Ben highlights how buyers and investors scrutinize customer contracts during due

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3:35

How to Call BS on Your 2026 Sales and Marketing Budget

SaaS Metrics School ·

2025/12/19

In episode #338 of SaaS Metrics School, Ben explains how to quickly sanity-check your sales and marketing forecast for the upcoming year using one high-signal SaaS metric: the Cost of ARR. As founders and CFOs finalize budgets, Ben shows how mismatches between projected bookings and planned go-to-market spend can reveal unrealistic assumptions before they turn into missed targets. Using simple examples, Ben walks through how the Cost of ARR connects sales and marketing spend, net new ARR

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6:05

Demystifying SaaS Revenue: A Hierarchy for...

SaaS Metrics School ·

2025/12/16

In episode #337 of SaaS Metrics School, Ben breaks down why software revenue categorization is a foundational requirement for strong finance, accounting, and SaaS metrics. He explains the core revenue types every SaaS, AI, or software company should separate on their P&L—and why commingling revenue creates downstream issues in MRR tracking, retention metrics, forecasting, and company valuation.Ben walks through the major recurring and non-recurring revenue categories, then shows how

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4:54

My Top 3 Go-to-market Efficiency Metrics You Should...

SaaS Metrics School ·

2025/12/11

In episode #336, Ben Murray breaks down his top three go-to-market efficiency metrics that every SaaS and AI operator should master. He explains when each metric becomes meaningful, how they differ across go-to-market motions, why ACV-based benchmarking matters, and how these metrics become forward-looking tools through forecasting. Ben also highlights the importance of having fully burdened sales and marketing expenses in place so these efficiency metrics are accurate and defensible.What

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2:58

Should Your Customer Success Team Count Towards CAC?

SaaS Metrics School ·

2025/12/08

In episode #335, Ben answers a common operator question: Should Customer Success be included in the cost of customer acquisition (CAC)? He explains how Customer Success should be coded based on responsibilities, when it belongs in COGS vs. Sales, and when CS expenses should be included in expansion efficiency metrics.What You’ll Learn Why CAC applies only to acquiring new customers. How Customer Success roles differ between adoption, retention, renewals, and expansion. When Customer

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4:57

How Leading Public Tech Companies Report AI Value...

SaaS Metrics School ·

2025/12/04

In episode #334, Ben Murray breaks down how leading public SaaS and tech companies are reporting AI-driven value creation across their earnings calls. After analyzing more than 130 public tech earnings transcripts, Ben identifies five consistent themes in how incumbents communicate AI monetization, margin impact, revenue growth, and operational transformation to Wall Street.These insights are critical for private SaaS and AI founders who want to understand how to position their own AI

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3:34

Should Expansion Revenue Be Included or Excluded From...

SaaS Metrics School ·

2025/12/02

In episode #333, Ben answers a foundational SaaS metrics question: Should expansion revenue be included in your Lifetime Value (LTV) calculation? Ben walks through the correct LTV formula and highlights how misalignment between LTV and CAC can distort your LTV:CAC ratio. He also covers when expansion should be included.The episode provides a practical framework for SaaS founders, CFOs, and operators to ensure they calculate LTV accurately, compare it properly to CAC, and model unit

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4:44

Why Your Low Margin AI Company Must Be 6x Larger Than...

SaaS Metrics School ·

2025/11/28

In episode #332, Ben Murray explains why AI companies with high inference costs and lower gross profit margins must scale dramatically faster—up to 6x larger—to match the financial performance of a comparable SaaS business. Using simple financial modeling and the core principles of SaaS economics, Ben breaks down how AI margins, variable COGS, and TAM expansion interact to shape the financial trajectory of AI-native companies.This episode builds on a recent blog post and downloadable Excel

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6:36

The Real Economics of SaaS versus AI Companies

SaaS Metrics School ·

2025/11/21

In episode #331, Ben breaks down the true financial and economic differences between a SaaS company and an AI company. Inspired by a tweet claiming that “SaaS metrics are broken” and that AI companies generate more absolute profit per customer, Ben puts the theory to the test using real financial modeling.This episode walks through detailed revenue, gross margin, EBITDA, pricing power, TAM dynamics, and unit economics scenarios to determine whether AI companies actually outperform SaaS

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4:00

Don't Forget to Allocate Your CAC

SaaS Metrics School ·

2025/11/18

In episode #330, Ben explains one of the most common and costly SaaS finance mistakes: failing to allocate CAC between new and existing customers. This oversight leads to misleading KPI’s, inaccurate CAC payback, flawed LTV to CAC ratios, and unreliable unit economics. Ben walks through exactly how to allocate CAC the right way, how to segment sales and marketing expenses, and why this matters for accurate revenue efficiency metrics and due diligence.Key Topics Covered Why fully burdened

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5:14

Do You Know the Difference Between SaaS Math and AI...

SaaS Metrics School ·

2025/11/15

In episode #329, Ben Murray, The SaaS CFO, breaks down the growing debate around SaaS economics versus AI economics. A recent post claimed that “SaaS metrics are broken” and that traditional KPIs no longer apply to AI companies.Ben challenges this idea and walks through why recurring revenue metrics still matter, how revenue models differ across SaaS and AI, and what CFOs need to understand about gross margin, unit economics, and total addressable market. Key Topics Covered Why claims

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4:20

When Should Founders Fire Themselves as the CFO?

SaaS Metrics School ·

2025/11/13

At what point should a founder stop running finance and accounting and hand the numbers to an expert? In episode #328, Ben Murray walks through the inflection points when SaaS founders should consider hiring a bookkeeper and/or fractional CFO to protect data accuracy, improve forecasting, and strengthen company valuation. You’ll learn the warning signs that your financial systems and reporting are holding back growth—and how to build a finance function that scales with your business. What

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4:56

The Dirty Secrets Behind SaaS Gross Margins

SaaS Metrics School ·

2025/11/11

Your gross margin might not be telling the truth. In episode #327, Ben Murray exposes the seven “dirty secrets” that distort SaaS gross margins — from incorrect COGS coding to missing allocations for shared resources and misclassified expenses. Whether you’re a CFO, finance lead, or operator, you’ll learn how to clean up your P&L and get accurate unit economics that reflect your true performance and valuation. What You’ll Learn The 7 big offenders that make SaaS gross margins

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5:04

Legal Readiness Can Make or Break Your SaaS Exit

SaaS Metrics School ·

2025/11/08

Thinking about raising capital or selling your SaaS company? Your legal readiness can make or break the deal.In episode #326, Ben Murray breaks down what investors and acquirers look for during due diligence — and why preparing your cap table, contracts, IP, and financial systems at least six months in advance is essential to protect your company's valuation and ensure a smooth process. What You’ll Learn Cap Table Management: Why tracking every issued share, option, and agreement matters —

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2:55

Are SaaS Metrics Really Dead?

SaaS Metrics School ·

2025/11/04

“SaaS metrics are dead.” You’ve probably seen that post on LinkedIn or X lately. In episode #325, Ben Murray cuts through the noise to explain why SaaS metrics aren’t broken — they’re just evolving to match modern recurring revenue business models. Whether you’re running a SaaS, AI, software, or managed services company, the same financial principles apply. The key is understanding your revenue types — subscription, usage, consumption, or transaction — and applying the right metrics

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364 results

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