What’s In This Email

• Mastering startup key metrics that matter to investors

• Insights: Building your personal brand

• Writer’s Room Rooftop is *chef’s kiss

• IKEA Warehouse Sale

• Notable Spotlight: KOTN Sample Sale

• Notable Plug 🔌

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Mastering Key Metrics: A Guide for Startup Founders

Understanding the numbers that drive investor decisions is crucial for early-stage startup founders. As an experienced angel investor, Amir Shevat shares which KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) are critical. Here's a breakdown of the essential metrics investors look at and why they matter.

Key Metrics Investors Care About

• Engagement

  • Identify the ideal customer persona and usage patterns.

  • Evaluate if usage grows organically or needs intervention.

  • Ensure founders know their customer metrics inside out.

• Growth

  • Track customer acquisition, growth rate, and cost.

  • Understand the go-to-market strategy beyond the initial customer base.

  • Determine if the product’s value increases with its user base.

• Churn

  • Investigate why customers leave and how to prevent it.

  • Look for honesty and critical self-reflection in founders.

  • Assess solutions for customer dissatisfaction.

• Bonus KPIs

  • Identify usage patterns that ensure customer engagement and retention.

  • Determine the most important KPI for the startup and why it matters.

Market and Business Metrics

• Market Size

  • Define the total addressable market (TAM), serviceable available market (SAM), and serviceable obtainable market (SOM).

  • Ensure realistic market size estimations.

• Annual Contract Value (ACV) / Revenue per Customer

  • Understand customer payment habits and pricing models.

  • Align customer base size with revenue goals.

• Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR)

  • Measure current revenue, its predictability, and growth rate.

  • Indicator of company value and health.

• Burn Rate and Runway

  • Track monthly expenditures and future growth plans.

  • Calculate runway based on current financials and realistic projections.

Prior Investment and Deal Numbers

• Current Valuation and Amount Raised

  • Know the last company valuation and total funds raised.

  • Avoid raising from unfavorable investors.

• Cap Table Numbers

  • Ensure founders hold sufficient equity.

  • Identify any problematic equity distribution.

• Deal Terms

  • Understand pre/post-valuation impacts on ownership.

  • Determine the raising amount, lead investors, and possible allocation.

  • Evaluate SAFE terms, including cap and discount.

Why this matters: For those in the startup ecosystem, understanding these metrics is essential. It equips founders with the knowledge to attract investment, navigate financial challenges, and build sustainable businesses. Investors gain confidence when founders can articulate their numbers clearly, showing a deep understanding of their business and market potential.

Read the full article here.

Building Your Personal Brand: Insights from Alexa Curtis

Alexa Curtis has been navigating the entrepreneurial world since she was 12. Her journey from blogging about mental health to founding Be Fearless Inc., a successful lifestyle brand, offers valuable lessons on growing a personal brand and securing business partnerships. Here are some key takeaways from her experience:

Key Strategies for Building a Personal Brand

• Find Your Niche and "Why"

  • Define your niche and the motivation behind your brand.

  • Alexa’s "why" was to create an outlet for herself and connect with others online.

  • Reflect on your strengths and passions to identify a unique problem you can solve.

• Be Bold in Pitching—and Ready to Act Fast

  • Don’t hesitate to reach out to potential partners or clients with a compelling pitch.

  • Alexa’s big break came from sending cold emails to over 400 media executives, leading to a deal with Radio Disney.

  • Be prepared to take calculated risks and act quickly when opportunities arise.

• Create a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)

  • Use an SOP to document processes, best practices, and lessons learned.

  • This framework helps streamline operations and avoid repeated mistakes.

  • Alexa’s SOP has improved efficiency and helped her manage multiple partnerships.

• Focus on Value

  • Genuine connections and diverse skills are more important than follower counts.

  • Alexa has developed skills in negotiation, content strategy, social media marketing, and analytics.

  • These additional skills make you more valuable and help secure better partnerships.

• Embrace Change and Learn from Mistakes

  • View mistakes as learning opportunities.

  • Alexa learned to articulate her value and create standard pricing structures after initially undervaluing her services.

  • Continuously adapt and grow your brand with each experience.

Why this matters: Alexa Curtis’ journey emphasizes the importance of authenticity, boldness, and continuous learning in building a personal brand. By finding your niche, taking risks, creating efficient processes, focusing on value, and embracing mistakes, you can establish a successful and fulfilling entrepreneurial path. For more in-depth advice and inspiration, listen to Alexa’s full interview on Shopify Masters.



Read the full article here.

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Notable Life is Canada for young professionals, entrepreneurs, and culture generators operated by The Notable Group. Notable Daily inspires ideas and sharpens the minds of over 40,000 top-tier professionals in competitive industries.

Disclosure: While we utilize artificial intelligence (AI) to assist with certain aspects of content development, all information provided in our content is thoroughly vetted and edited by our team of humans. We strive to ensure the accuracy and reliability of all information. However, we recommend that readers conduct research or seek professional advice to make informed decisions. This email may contain sponsored content.