Three Numbers That Tell You Everything About Business Health
What if checking three numbers every week could tell you more about your business health than most month-end reports?
It can.
Stop drowning in reports
From 90 minutes of confusion to 5 minutes of clarity
A marketing agency owner we work with used to spend Monday mornings reviewing 12 different reports: financial statements, project timelines, team utilization, client satisfaction scores, pipeline reports.
It took 90 minutes and left her more confused than when she started.
Now? She checks three numbers every Monday at 9 AM. Takes five minutes. Tells her everything she needs to know about where her business is heading.
The weekly numbers that actually matter
Her dashboard tracks three metrics:
1. Cash position
Not just bank balance—cash flow projection for the next 8 weeks. This tells her if she can make payroll, take on new projects, or needs to speed up collections.
2. Pipeline velocity
How fast prospects move from first contact to signed contract, measured in both time and conversion rates. This predicts future revenue and spots sales problems early.
3. Team capacity
Percentage of team hours that are billable versus available. This tells her when to hire, when projects might be delayed, and if she's pricing correctly.
Why these three work together
Each number connects to a different time horizon:
Cash position: What's happening now (next 2 months)
Pipeline velocity: What's coming (next 3-6 months)
Team capacity: How well positioned you are to deliver (ongoing)
Together, they create a complete picture of business health without overwhelming detail.
Most business owners drown in data because they track everything equally. These three numbers work because they're connected—they tell a story about where you are, where you're going, and whether you can get there.
From numbers to decisions
The real power isn't just tracking these metrics—it's knowing exactly what to do when they move.
Cash position triggers:
Green (8+ weeks): Consider growth investments
Yellow (4-7 weeks): Focus on collections, delay non-essential spending
Red (<4 weeks): Emergency mode—accelerate billing, pause hiring
Pipeline velocity triggers:
Above target: Prepare for growth, ensure delivery capacity
On target: Maintain current marketing and sales efforts
Below target: Diagnose bottlenecks, increase lead generation
Team capacity triggers:
Above 80%: Time to hire or raise prices
60-80%: Sweet spot for sustainable growth
Below 60%: Evaluate workload distribution or client profitability
No guesswork. No panic. Just clear thresholds that trigger specific actions.
Finding your three numbers
Every business is different, but most can be managed with three core metrics:
One financial health indicator
Cash runway, profit margin, or cash conversion cycle
One growth indicator
Pipeline value, recurring revenue growth, or customer acquisition rate
One operational indicator
Team capacity, project profitability, or delivery efficiency
The key is choosing metrics that connect to decisions you actually control.
The clarity test
Here's how to know if you've picked the right three numbers:
Can you check all three in under 10 minutes? If it takes longer, your systems need work or you're tracking the wrong things.
Does each number connect to a specific decision or action? If you don't know what to do when a number moves, it's just trivia.
Do they cover past, present, and future? You need one metric for where you've been, one for where you are, and one for where you're going.
If you can't answer these questions clearly, you're probably tracking too much—or not tracking the right things.
Building systems that deliver clarity
The difference between tracking three numbers and actually using them comes down to systems.
You need clean data sources, automated reporting, and clear ownership of each metric. That's where most business owners get stuck—not in knowing what to track, but in building the infrastructure to track it reliably.
Not sure if you need help building these systems, or if a Fractional CFO is right for your business? We created a free guide that walks you through the decision: Is a Fractional CFO Right for Your Business?
It includes a self-assessment quiz, the signs you're ready for CFO-level support, and what to expect from the partnership. No sales pressure—just clarity on whether this is the right next step for where your business is now.