In the console every team enters one number a week. One — because with ten numbers you are accountable for none of them.
Which number
It changes with the stage of the product:
| Stage | Number | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Before the product | Customer conversations | There is nothing else yet |
| First version | Weekly active users | Do they come back |
| First payment | Weekly revenue | Money is the honest signal |
| Growth | New paying customers | Is the channel working |
If the number does not grow, that is an answer too. An honest zero beats a flattering figure.
How to measure it
Not by hand. One query, the same every Friday:
-- customers who paid this week
select count(distinct customer_id)
from payments
where paid_at >= date('now', '-7 days');
Three mistakes
- Changing the number — conversations last week, users this week. Nothing compares.
- Cumulative numbers — "400 signed up in total" says nothing. How many this week?
- Pretty numbers — views, likes. If they do not turn into money, they are not numbers.
The tracker looks at the number every Monday. If it did not grow, that is the conversation.