SaaS Unit Economics Review
Calculates CAC payback, LTV:CAC, burn multiple, magic number, Rule of 40, GRR and NRR from your data, benchmarked by stage.
Before & after
Same prompt, same agent — the only difference is the skill.
Customer acquisition cost tracking is essential for understanding unit economics. To analyze trends, you'd want to look at cohort data by acquisition month, segment by marketing channel, and see if CAC is trending up or down. I'd recommend breaking it down by customer segment too—your enterprise CAC might look very different from SMB. Do you have data on LTV alongside CAC? Knowing CAC payback period would be really insightful. What channels drove most of your acquisition this quarter?
CUSTOMER ACQUISITION COST ANALYSIS: Q3 2026 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY → Blended CAC: $485 (up 12% vs. Q2) → Best-performing cohort: June SMB (CAC $310) → Worst-performing cohort: August Enterprise (CAC $920) → Primary driver of increase: Paid advertising cost inflation (18% quarter over quarter) COHORT BREAKDOWN BY MONTH June Cohort: → Total customers acquired: 124 → Total acquisition spend: $38,440 → CAC: $310 (best performer) → Primary channel: Organic + Referral (68%) → LTV estimate: $8,100 (CAC payback: 2.9 months) July Cohort: → Total customers acquired: 98 → Total acquisition spend: $46,200 → CAC: $471 (middle) → Primary channel: Paid search (52%) + paid social (35%) → LTV estimate: $7,200 (CAC payback: 4.2 months) WARNING August Cohort: → Total customers acquired: 67 (lowest volume) → Total acquisition spend: $61,640 → CAC: $920 (worst performer) CRITICAL → Primary channel: Paid social + LinkedIn (88%) → LTV estimate: $6,800 (CAC payback: 5.5 months) CRITICAL CHANNEL PERFORMANCE → Organic: CAC $180, 35% of total volume → Referral: CAC $220, 18% of total volume → Paid search: CAC $580, 28% of total volume → Paid social: CAC $720, 19% of total volume KEY FINDINGS 1. Organic + Referral cohorts have 65-75% lower CAC and superior retention 2. Paid channels showing declining efficiency (bids rising, conversion falling) 3. Enterprise segment consistently 2x+ CAC vs. SMB 4. August paid social scale hurting unit economics RECOMMENDATIONS → IMMEDIATE: Reduce August paid social spend by 40%, pause high-cost keywords → STRATEGY: Invest 20% of freed budget into referral program (proven $220 CAC) → CONTENT: Scale organic with 3 new comparison content pieces (June cohort gold standard) → FORECAST: Q4 blended CAC should return to $420-450 range if actions implemented FINANCIAL IMPACT Current trajectory: $920 August CAC × expected 85 Q4 customers = $78,200 acquisition spend for Q4 With recommendations: $450 CAC × 95 customers = $42,750 (46% savings)
About this skill
See your SaaS metrics the way an investor will. This skill calculates every efficiency metric from your own numbers, shows the formula inputs, and flags definitions investors will challenge.
What it does
- Computes ARR bridge, gross margin, CAC, CAC payback, LTV:CAC, magic number, burn multiple, Rule of 40, GRR and NRR
- Checks that S&M is fully loaded and gross margin includes support and hosting
- Benchmarks against stage-appropriate rules of thumb
- Traces the weakest metric to its inputs and splits by segment or channel
- Quantifies the top 3 levers with what-if scenarios
What you get
A metrics review with a formula-backed metrics table, ARR bridge, diagnosis, definition flags with adjusted values, levers, and assumptions with sensitivities.
Best for
SaaS founders and finance leads preparing for fundraising, board meetings, or deciding whether to spend more on growth.
SKILL.md preview
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name: saas-unit-economics-review
description: Review a subscription business's unit economics from its own numbers - ARR bridge, CAC and CAC payback, LTV to CAC, gross margin, burn multiple, magic number, Rule of 40, and net revenue retention - benchmarked by stage, with the 3 levers that would most improve efficiency. Use when a founder or finance lead asks "are our SaaS metrics healthy?", "prep unit economics for fundraising", "what's our CAC payback?", or has a P&L and revenue export and wants an investor-grade metrics page. Also triggers on "what's our CAC payback?", "is a 2.5x burn multiple bad?", or "check my LTV math".
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# SaaS Unit Economics Review
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