Who This Helps
Founder operators who are drowning in data and need to make faster decisions. If you track 20 numbers but still feel stuck, this is for you. The Metrics & Dashboards Basics course is built for busy people like you.
Mini Case
Meet Maya, a founder operator at a growing SaaS company. She had 12 metrics on her screen but couldn't decide which experiment to run next. Her team spent 3 hours every Monday debating priorities. After building a weekly scoreboard with 3 supporting metrics and a clear target, she cut decision time to 30 minutes. Her next experiment boosted trial-to-paid conversion by 15% in 7 days.
Do This Now (5 Steps)
- Pick your North Star Metric. Choose one number that captures the value you deliver. For Maya, it was weekly active users.
- Define 3 supporting metrics. These are leading indicators that predict your North Star. Maya used sign-ups, activation rate, and referral invites.
- Set realistic targets. Don't guess. Look at last month's data and set a target that stretches but doesn't break. Maya aimed for 10% growth in activation.
- Build a weekly scoreboard. List your North Star, supporting metrics, and targets in one view. Update it every Monday before your team meeting.
- Run one experiment per week. Pick the metric that's furthest from target. That's your highest-impact move. Maya focused on activation and ran a simple onboarding tweak.
Avoid These Traps
- Tracking too many numbers. More than 5 metrics and you'll freeze. Stick to 4 total: one North Star and three supporting.
- Changing targets every week. Give your experiment at least 7 days to show results. Patience is a superpower.
- Ignoring guardrails. Set a minimum acceptable value for each metric. If it drops below, stop the experiment and check for bugs.
- Making it perfect. Your first scoreboard will be ugly. That's fine. Ship it and improve next week.
Your Win by Friday
By end of week, you'll have a one-page scoreboard with your North Star metric, 3 supporting metrics, and clear targets. You'll know exactly which experiment to run next. No more 3-hour debates. Just calm, fast decisions. And maybe a little extra time for coffee.