At what stage should SaaS companies start segmenting their metrics? In episode #320, Ben Murray breaks down when and how to segment your SaaS metrics — from revenue segmentation to go-to-market efficiency metrics — so your data actually reflects how your business operates.
Ben explains how segmentation becomes essential as you scale past $10M ARR or diversify product lines (for example, enterprise vs. SMB or PLG vs. sales-led models). He also shares how finance and ops teams can collaborate to align their chart of accounts, cost centers, and customer metadata to get meaningful insights that improve valuation and decision-making.
What You’ll Learn
- When to start segmenting SaaS metrics (typically around $10M ARR, but earlier for multi-product businesses).
- The difference between revenue segmentation and financial metric segmentation.
- How to align your chart of accounts and cost centers for accurate CAC, CAC payback, and LTV:CAC by segment.
- Why aggregate CAC or payback metrics are misleading without segmentation.
- The importance of metadata consistency between systems (HubSpot, CRM, accounting, billing).
- How clean segmentation improves your company valuation and investor confidence during fundraising or exit.
Why It Matters
- For CFOs & Finance Teams: Segmentation reveals where efficiency and retention differ by product line or customer cohort.
- For Founders & Operators: Understanding metrics by segment helps you scale profitably and target the right growth motion.
- For Investors: Segmented financial reporting and SaaS metrics reduce uncertainty and strengthen valuation models.
- For Accounting Leaders: Accurate cost allocation enables better financial modeling and Board reporting.
Resources Mentioned
The SaaS Metrics Foundation Course: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/#section-1744932157830
Quote from Ben
“You can’t say your CAC payback is 12 months when it combines enterprise and SMB customers — that data is worthless.”
