A glossary of the key terms, acronyms, and ratios commonly considered business basics.

Finance and Metrics

TermDescription
Accrual AccountingRecords revenue when earned and expenses when incurred, regardless of cash movement - gives a truer picture than cash accounting
ARPUAverage Revenue Per User: Revenue ÷ total customers Useful in SaaS
B2BBusiness to Business: Selling to other companies Often longer sales cycles, higher ticket
B2B2CBusiness sells to another business that serves end consumers (eg, Shopify → merchants → buyers)
B2CBusiness to Consumer: Selling directly to end users Usually higher volume, lower ticket
BAMFAMBook A Meeting From A Meeting: Sales discipline to never leave a conversation without scheduling the next step [100M Closing Playbook §Closes]
Bottom LineNet profit after all expenses; the final measure of profitability.
CACCustomer Acquisition Cost: Total cost to acquire a new paying customer (ads + sales + marketing overhead ÷ new customers) [100M Leads p208]
Churn% of customers who cancel in a given time period Inverse of retention [100M Retention Playbook §Churn Math]
Churn RatePercentage of customers lost over a specific period.
Close RatePercentage of leads or prospects that convert to paying customers.
COGSCost of Goods Sold: The direct cost of purchasing the goods a company sells, and it is a key expense that directly impacts profit. It includes expenses like raw materials, direct labor, and manufacturing overhead, but not indirect costs like marketing or salaries.
Cost to ValueThe perceived value must significantly exceed the price paid; customers buy when the benefit outweighs the cost
CROConversion Rate Optimisation: Improving the percentage of visitors who take a desired action (e.g., purchase, sign up).
EBITDAEarnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization: A cleaner view of profitability before financial structuring
FCFFree Cash Flow: Cash left after operating expenses + capital expenditures Critical because cash pays bills, not “profits” [100M Money Models p233]
FunnelThe stages a prospect moves through before becoming a customer (e.g., awareness, interest, decision, action).
Grand Slam OfferOffer so good people feel stupid saying no [100M Offers p22]
Gross Margin(Revenue – Cost of Goods Sold) ÷ Revenue High gross margin = scalable business
Gross Margin / Gross ProfitThe revenue remaining after deducting the Cost of Goods Sold (COGS).
Gross vs NetGross = before costs (top-line) Net = after costs (bottom-line)
Industry CAC BenchmarkVaries heavily Rule of thumb: aim for CAC ≤ 1/3 of LTGP [100M Leads p208]
Lead MagnetA valuable piece of content or service (e.g., a free PDF guide, training video, or consultation) offered to a prospect in exchange for their contact information.
LTGPLifetime Gross Profit: LTV × Gross Margin % More accurate than LTV since it accounts for cost of goods sold [100M Money Models p228]
LTGP:CAC RatioHealthy is ~3:1 (spend $1 to acquire, get $3+ in gross profit) If <1:1, you’re losing money; if 10:1, you’re under-investing [100M Leads p208]
LTVLifetime Value: The total revenue expected from a customer over their relationship with you [100M Money Models p226]
MarketplaceConnects buyers and sellers, takes a cut (Airbnb, Uber)
Net MarginNet profit ÷ Revenue Bottom-line profitability after all costs
OfferThe combination of a product or service, its price, payment terms, incentives (bonuses), and guarantees presented to a prospect.
Online Ads AttributionThe process of identifying which marketing touchpoints (e.g., specific ads, campaigns, or channels) were responsible for a customer’s conversion or purchase.
Outbound OutreachProactively reaching out to potential customers via calls, emails, or ads.
Recurring/SubscriptionPredictable monthly revenue Gold standard for valuations
Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)The revenue generated for every dollar spent on advertising. Calculated as: (Revenue from Ads / Cost of Ads).
Risk ReversalGuarantees that shift risk from buyer to seller [Playbook – Guarantees §Hard Guarantees]
Sales VelocityA measure of how quickly a business can move qualified leads through its sales pipeline and turn them into customers, and how much value those customers represent.
Scarcity/UrgencyLimiting supply or time to push action [100M Offers p113]
Ticket PriceThe price paid for a product or service; often refers to average sale amount.
Top LineTotal revenue before any costs or expenses are deducted.
Transactional/One-offOne-time purchases, low predictability
Value Equation(Dream Outcome × Perceived Likelihood of Achievement) ÷ (Time Delay × Effort & Sacrifice) [100M Offers p47]

Healthy Business Ratios

RatioAmountDescription
LTGP:CAC> 3:13:1 is the minimum healthy rule of thumb [100M Leads p208]
Churn< 5% monthlyStrong retention [100M Retention Playbook §Churn Math]
Payback Period≤ 12 monthsCAC recovered within a year [100M Lifetime Value Playbook §Payback]
EBITDA Margin15–30%Common range for service & SaaS businesses