Building a Financial Dashboard: Metrics Your Startup Should Track
A well-designed dashboard puts the right numbers in front of the right people at the right time. Here's how to build one that drives decisions.
What Makes a Good Dashboard
A good financial dashboard surfaces key metrics in real-time, highlights trends and anomalies, and enables quick decisions. It should be simple enough to understand at a glance but comprehensive enough to guide strategy.
You can't manage what you don't measure. But tracking metrics without making them accessible is almost as bad. A startup financial dashboard bridges this gap—turning raw data into actionable insights.
In our work as fractional CFOs, one of the first things we build with new clients is a proper metrics dashboard. The clarity it provides transforms decision-making.
Why Dashboards Matter
A well-designed dashboard does more than display numbers. It:
Creates Alignment
When everyone sees the same numbers, everyone works toward the same goals. Dashboards create a shared reality across the organization.
Enables Early Detection
Problems show up in metrics before they become crises. A dashboard helps you spot declining conversion rates or rising churn before they hurt.
Accelerates Decisions
When data is readily available, decisions happen faster. No more waiting for someone to pull a report or run an analysis.
Builds Investor Confidence
Founders who know their numbers cold inspire confidence. Dashboards help you prepare for investor meetings and board presentations.
Essential Metrics to Track
Don't track everything—track what matters. Here are the essential metrics for most startups, organized by category.
Revenue Metrics
Revenue Dashboard
MRR / ARR
Total recurring revenue
MRR Growth Rate
Month-over-month % change
Net Revenue Retention
Revenue from existing customers
New MRR
Revenue from new customers
Expansion MRR
Upgrades from existing customers
Churned MRR
Revenue lost to cancellations
For detailed breakdowns, see our guides on ARR vs MRR and churn rate.
Unit Economics
Unit Economics Dashboard
Customer Acquisition Cost
Cost to acquire a customer
Customer Lifetime Value
Total value from a customer
LTV:CAC Ratio
Unit economics efficiency
CAC Payback Period
Months to recover CAC
Gross Margin
Revenue minus COGS
ARPU
Average revenue per user
Learn more about CAC, LTV:CAC, and gross margin.
Cash Metrics
Cash Dashboard
Cash Balance
Current cash on hand
Monthly Net Burn
Cash consumed per month
Runway
Months until cash runs out
Burn Multiple
Net burn ÷ net new ARR
See our complete guide to startup runway and burn rate explained.
Operational Metrics
Operational Dashboard
Active Customers
Total paying customers
Customer Churn Rate
% customers lost
New Customers
Customers acquired this period
Conversion Rate
Trial to paid conversion
Sales Pipeline
Value of open opportunities
Win Rate
% opportunities closed won
Dashboard Design Principles
Less Is More
5-10 metrics maximum per dashboard. More leads to dashboard blindness. If everything is important, nothing is.
Show Trends
Current numbers without context are meaningless. Include MoM and YoY comparisons, targets, and historical trends.
Highlight Anomalies
Use color coding to draw attention to metrics that are significantly above or below expectations. Red/yellow/green works well.
Enable Drill-Down
Summary metrics should link to detailed views. Let users go from "churn is high" to "here's why" in one click.
Dashboards by Audience
Different stakeholders need different views:
CEO / Founder Dashboard
High-level business health and trajectory
Board / Investor Dashboard
Strategic metrics and comparisons to plan
Sales / Marketing Dashboard
Pipeline, conversion, and acquisition metrics
Customer Success Dashboard
Retention, engagement, and health metrics
Dashboard Tools
You have several options for building dashboards, depending on your technical capabilities and budget:
| Tool | Best For | Complexity |
|---|---|---|
| Google Sheets | Early-stage, manual updates | Low |
| Notion | Simple tracking, team visibility | Low |
| ChartMogul | SaaS subscription metrics | Medium |
| Baremetrics | Stripe/payment analytics | Medium |
| Metabase | Custom queries, technical teams | Medium-High |
| Looker / Tableau | Enterprise, complex needs | High |
Starting Simple
Don't overthink it early on. A well-maintained Google Sheet with your key metrics, updated weekly, is better than a sophisticated dashboard that's never updated. Graduate to more complex tools as you scale.
Best Practices
Update Consistently
Pick a cadence (weekly or monthly) and stick to it. Stale dashboards are useless dashboards. Automate updates where possible.
Define Metrics Clearly
Document exactly how each metric is calculated. "Churn" means different things to different people. Remove ambiguity.
Set Targets
Numbers without context are hard to interpret. Include targets, previous period comparisons, or industry benchmarks for reference.
Review Regularly
Have a weekly or monthly meeting to review dashboard metrics. Build this into your operating rhythm.
Act on Insights
A dashboard is only valuable if it drives decisions. When metrics go off track, have a process for investigating and responding.
Common Mistakes
Dashboard Sprawl
Building 20 dashboards that nobody looks at. Better to have one great dashboard than ten mediocre ones.
Vanity Metrics
Tracking metrics that look good but don't drive decisions (total registered users, page views). Focus on actionable metrics.
Set It and Forget It
Building a dashboard and never updating it. Data must be fresh to be useful. Build maintenance into your process.
No Single Source of Truth
Different teams tracking the same metric in different ways. Establish one authoritative source for each key metric.
Key Takeaways
- 1Keep it simple: 5-10 key metrics per dashboard
- 2Include context: trends, targets, and comparisons
- 3Tailor dashboards to audience: CEO vs board vs team leads
- 4Update consistently and review regularly
- 5Start simple (Google Sheets works) and graduate as you grow
Need Help Building Your Dashboard?
Eagle Rock CFO helps seed and Series A startups build metrics dashboards, define KPIs, and create financial reporting systems. Get the visibility you need to make data-driven decisions.
Schedule a Consultation