Start Good Trouble: Mastering SaaS metrics with Equals’ Bobby Pinero

On our latest Start Good Trouble webinar, we sat down with Bobby Pinero to get some insights from his startup journey.

joins us Bobby is the co-founder and CEO of Equals, a next-generation spreadsheet that is directly connected to your data.

Every decision in SaaS hinges on the right insights. And the right insights come from the right metrics. They are more than just numbers on a dashboard; they’re the key to unlocking the potential of your business. But knowing which metrics to focus on, understanding the connections between them and tailoring them to your business isn’t always straightforward.

“Despite the explosion of new BI tools, everything eventually ends up back in a spreadsheet”

For years, Bobby has been working to make it easier. Before creating Equals, he was a finance analyst at IBM and, for over seven years, the senior director of finance and analytics here at Intercom, where he helped scale the company from less than $1 million to over $150 million in ARR.

That experience taught him one critical lesson: despite the explosion of new BI tools, everything eventually ends up back in a spreadsheet.

As a first-time founder, Bobby enjoys writing about the kind of things he wishes he knew 10 years ago. Like, for example, understanding which metrics truly matter for a SaaS business.

That’s why Equals recently published The Guide to SaaS Metrics, a comprehensive resource designed to help SaaS leaders understand, optimize, and report on the key metrics that drive their businesses.

Key takeaways

In this episode of Start Good Trouble, Bobby talks about (surprise!) metrics, his journey from analyst to founder, the challenges of building a horizontal product, and bringing people joy through spreadsheets.

Here are some key takeaways from the conversation:

• Narrowing down leads to scalability: Building a horizontal product means you’ll face challenges in defining your ideal customer early on. You’ll need to identify your key use cases to scale effectively and create a repeatable growth engine.
• SaaS metrics are particularly complex: SaaS businesses face a long road to profitability, where metrics like customer acquisition costs, lifetime value, and retention are critical. And especially in the early stages, these metrics are hard to pin down.
• Tailor your metrics to your business: There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to metrics. Choose the metrics that make sense for your specific business model and which help you understand the bigger picture.
• Start with the story: The best analysts don’t just present data – they craft a narrative that captures the essence of the business. Identify the core story and use the metrics that illustrate it.
• Write consistently and authentically: Regular writing helps clarify ideas, it forces you to put yourself out there, and gives you a chance to connect with audiences, especially if the content is driven by your own experiences and insights.

If you enjoyed our conversation, check out more episodes of Start Good Trouble here, or follow the Intercom on Product podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.