SaaS Metrics Coach Skill
Overview
Production-ready SaaS metrics toolkit for calculating MRR/ARR, analyzing cohort retention, and evaluating unit economics. Designed for SaaS founders, finance teams, and growth operators who need precise subscription revenue analysis without spreadsheet gymnastics.
Quick Start
# Calculate MRR, ARR, growth rate, and churn from subscription data
python scripts/mrr_calculator.py subscriptions.csv
# Run cohort retention analysis
python scripts/cohort_analyzer.py users.csv --cohort-period monthly
# Calculate LTV, CAC, LTV:CAC ratio, and payback period
python scripts/unit_economics.py metrics.json
Tools Overview
| Tool |
Purpose |
Input |
Output |
mrr_calculator.py |
MRR, ARR, growth rate, churn |
CSV with subscription data |
Revenue metrics + trends |
cohort_analyzer.py |
Cohort retention analysis |
CSV with user signup/activity data |
Retention matrix + curves |
unit_economics.py |
LTV, CAC, LTV:CAC, payback |
JSON with acquisition/revenue data |
Unit economics dashboard |
Workflows
Workflow 1: Monthly SaaS Health Check
- Export subscription data as CSV (columns: customer_id, plan, mrr, start_date, end_date)
- Run
mrr_calculator.py to get current MRR, ARR, net new MRR, churn rate
- Run
cohort_analyzer.py on user activity data to identify retention trends
- Run
unit_economics.py to validate LTV:CAC ratio stays above 3:1
- Review output for warning flags (churn > 5%, LTV:CAC < 3, payback > 18 months)
Workflow 2: Investor Deck Preparation
- Run
mrr_calculator.py --format json to get growth metrics for charts
- Run
cohort_analyzer.py --format json for retention curves
- Run
unit_economics.py --format json for unit economics summary
- Use JSON output to populate investor deck data points
Workflow 3: Churn Investigation
- Run
mrr_calculator.py with --breakdown to see churn by plan tier
- Run
cohort_analyzer.py to identify which cohorts churn fastest
- Cross-reference cohort drop-off periods with product changes
- Identify if churn is concentrated in specific segments or time windows
Reference Documentation
Key SaaS Metrics Definitions
- MRR (Monthly Recurring Revenue): Sum of all active subscription revenue normalized to monthly
- ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue): MRR x 12
- Net New MRR: New MRR + Expansion MRR - Churned MRR - Contraction MRR
- Gross Churn Rate: Lost MRR / Beginning MRR for the period
- Net Revenue Retention (NRR): (Beginning MRR + Expansion - Churn - Contraction) / Beginning MRR
- LTV (Lifetime Value): ARPU / Monthly Churn Rate (simplified) or ARPU x Gross Margin / Churn
- CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost): Total Sales & Marketing Spend / New Customers Acquired
- LTV:CAC Ratio: Target 3:1 or higher for healthy SaaS
- CAC Payback Period: CAC / (ARPU x Gross Margin) in months
See references/saas-metrics-guide.md for comprehensive framework details.
Common Patterns
Pattern: Subscription CSV Format
customer_id,plan,mrr,start_date,end_date,status
C001,pro,99.00,2025-01-15,,active
C002,basic,29.00,2025-02-01,2025-08-15,churned
C003,enterprise,499.00,2025-03-10,,active
Pattern: User Activity CSV Format
user_id,signup_date,last_active_date,activity_month
U001,2025-01-05,2025-06-15,2025-06
U002,2025-01-12,2025-03-20,2025-03
Pattern: Unit Economics JSON Format
{
"period": "2025-Q4",
"total_customers": 1200,
"new_customers": 150,
"churned_customers": 45,
"total_mrr": 89500.00,
"arpu": 74.58,
"gross_margin": 0.82,
"sales_marketing_spend": 45000.00,
"monthly_churn_rate": 0.0375
}
Healthy SaaS Benchmarks
| Metric |
Concerning |
Acceptable |
Strong |
| Monthly Churn |
> 5% |
2-5% |
< 2% |
| Net Revenue Retention |
< 90% |
90-110% |
> 120% |
| LTV:CAC |
< 1:1 |
1:1-3:1 |
> 3:1 |
| CAC Payback |
> 24 mo |
12-18 mo |
< 12 mo |
| Gross Margin |
< 60% |
60-75% |
> 75% |
1---2name: saas-metrics-coach3description: This skill should be used when the user asks to "calculate MRR", "analyze churn", "compute SaaS metrics", "do cohort retention analysis", "calculate LTV or CAC", "evaluate unit economics", or "track subscription revenue growth".4license: MIT + Commons Clause5---6# SaaS Metrics Coach Skill
7
8## Overview
9
10Production-ready SaaS metrics toolkit for calculating MRR/ARR, analyzing cohort retention, and evaluating unit economics. Designed for SaaS founders, finance teams, and growth operators who need precise subscription revenue analysis without spreadsheet gymnastics.
11
12## Quick Start
13
14```bash
15# Calculate MRR, ARR, growth rate, and churn from subscription data
16python scripts/mrr_calculator.py subscriptions.csv
17
18# Run cohort retention analysis
19python scripts/cohort_analyzer.py users.csv --cohort-period monthly
20
21# Calculate LTV, CAC, LTV:CAC ratio, and payback period
22python scripts/unit_economics.py metrics.json
23```
24
25## Tools Overview
26
27| Tool | Purpose | Input | Output |
28|------|---------|-------|--------|
29| `mrr_calculator.py` | MRR, ARR, growth rate, churn | CSV with subscription data | Revenue metrics + trends |
30| `cohort_analyzer.py` | Cohort retention analysis | CSV with user signup/activity data | Retention matrix + curves |
31| `unit_economics.py` | LTV, CAC, LTV:CAC, payback | JSON with acquisition/revenue data | Unit economics dashboard |
32
33## Workflows
34
35### Workflow 1: Monthly SaaS Health Check
36
371. Export subscription data as CSV (columns: customer_id, plan, mrr, start_date, end_date)
382. Run `mrr_calculator.py` to get current MRR, ARR, net new MRR, churn rate
393. Run `cohort_analyzer.py` on user activity data to identify retention trends
404. Run `unit_economics.py` to validate LTV:CAC ratio stays above 3:1
415. Review output for warning flags (churn > 5%, LTV:CAC < 3, payback > 18 months)
42
43### Workflow 2: Investor Deck Preparation
44
451. Run `mrr_calculator.py --format json` to get growth metrics for charts
462. Run `cohort_analyzer.py --format json` for retention curves
473. Run `unit_economics.py --format json` for unit economics summary
484. Use JSON output to populate investor deck data points
49
50### Workflow 3: Churn Investigation
51
521. Run `mrr_calculator.py` with `--breakdown` to see churn by plan tier
532. Run `cohort_analyzer.py` to identify which cohorts churn fastest
543. Cross-reference cohort drop-off periods with product changes
554. Identify if churn is concentrated in specific segments or time windows
56
57## Reference Documentation
58
59### Key SaaS Metrics Definitions
60
61- **MRR (Monthly Recurring Revenue):** Sum of all active subscription revenue normalized to monthly
62- **ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue):** MRR x 12
63- **Net New MRR:** New MRR + Expansion MRR - Churned MRR - Contraction MRR
64- **Gross Churn Rate:** Lost MRR / Beginning MRR for the period
65- **Net Revenue Retention (NRR):** (Beginning MRR + Expansion - Churn - Contraction) / Beginning MRR
66- **LTV (Lifetime Value):** ARPU / Monthly Churn Rate (simplified) or ARPU x Gross Margin / Churn
67- **CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost):** Total Sales & Marketing Spend / New Customers Acquired
68- **LTV:CAC Ratio:** Target 3:1 or higher for healthy SaaS
69- **CAC Payback Period:** CAC / (ARPU x Gross Margin) in months
70
71See `references/saas-metrics-guide.md` for comprehensive framework details.
72
73## Common Patterns
74
75### Pattern: Subscription CSV Format
76```csv
77customer_id,plan,mrr,start_date,end_date,status
78C001,pro,99.00,2025-01-15,,active
79C002,basic,29.00,2025-02-01,2025-08-15,churned
80C003,enterprise,499.00,2025-03-10,,active
81```
82
83### Pattern: User Activity CSV Format
84```csv
85user_id,signup_date,last_active_date,activity_month
86U001,2025-01-05,2025-06-15,2025-06
87U002,2025-01-12,2025-03-20,2025-03
88```
89
90### Pattern: Unit Economics JSON Format
91```json
92{
93 "period": "2025-Q4",
94 "total_customers": 1200,
95 "new_customers": 150,
96 "churned_customers": 45,
97 "total_mrr": 89500.00,
98 "arpu": 74.58,
99 "gross_margin": 0.82,
100 "sales_marketing_spend": 45000.00,
101 "monthly_churn_rate": 0.0375
102}
103```
104
105### Healthy SaaS Benchmarks
106
107| Metric | Concerning | Acceptable | Strong |
108|--------|-----------|------------|--------|
109| Monthly Churn | > 5% | 2-5% | < 2% |
110| Net Revenue Retention | < 90% | 90-110% | > 120% |
111| LTV:CAC | < 1:1 | 1:1-3:1 | > 3:1 |
112| CAC Payback | > 24 mo | 12-18 mo | < 12 mo |
113| Gross Margin | < 60% | 60-75% | > 75% |
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