{"id":6856,"date":"2020-03-04T10:24:52","date_gmt":"2020-03-04T15:24:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/?p=6856"},"modified":"2026-07-09T10:26:46","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T14:26:46","slug":"5-kpis-to-measure-small-business-growth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/5-kpis-to-measure-small-business-growth\/","title":{"rendered":"5 KPIs to measure small business growth"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/category\/growth-customers\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">Growth &amp; Customers<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t5 KPIs to measure small business growth\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \">Published <time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2020-03-04T10:24:52-05:00\">March 4, 2020<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"5 KPIs to measure small business growth\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/5-kpis-to-measure-small-business-growth\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/author\/christinegomolka\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/02\/ChristineG.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Christine Gomolka<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What started out as a passion or hobby is now a thriving business. But is thriving the same thing as growing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Measuring growth will differ from business to business, depending on what their goals are,&#8221; explains Jonathan Chan, head of marketing at <a href=\"http:\/\/insanegrowth.com\/\">Insane Growth<\/a>. &#8220;In my personal experience, we measured growth by the number of repeat customers we were able to generate from our &#8216;mini-products.&#8217; This was a great indicator of how effective our strategy was and how many loyal customers we were attracting.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While every business will have its own unique set of key performance indicators (KPIs), there are some common KPIs that every small business should know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this article we will examine cover:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#sales\">Sales revenue<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#net\">Net profit and net profit margin<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#gross\">Gross profit and gross margin<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#monthly\">Monthly recurring revenue<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#customer\">Customer acquisition cost<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#read\">Additional resources to help you understand small business finance<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"sales\">1. Sales revenue<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Revenue is the first KPI most businesses evaluate to gauge their success and market demand. Sales revenue refers to the income from all customer purchases. Returns or undelivered services are subtracted from this income to get the final sales revenue result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other important KPIs within revenue are revenue per employee and revenue growth rates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Revenue per employee allows you to quantify the productivity and value of an employee. This can help you determine whether to grow or reduce the size of your team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Measuring revenue growth rates requires breaking down measured performance by a time period, say a month, quarter, or year. For example, comparing sales revenue from March 2019 to March 2020 can show you market fluctuations, changes in consumer demand, and may provide insights regarding factors impacting growth or decline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"net\">2. Net profit and net profit margin<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unfortunately, your sales revenue is not your net profit or take-home pay. Net profit, sometimes referred to as the bottom line or net income, is the amount left over after all expenses, including the cost of goods sold, operating expenses, and debt, have been accounted for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Net profit = Revenue \u2013 The cost of goods sold \u2013 Operating and other expenses \u2013 Interest &#8211; Taxes<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Know your numbers,&#8221; advises Michelle Boxx, CEO of <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/theblondefixer\">Boxxbury Marketing, LLC<\/a>. &#8220;Many small businesses think too small. It&#8217;s important to realize your market potential \u2013 many businesses can be multi-million dollar companies \u2013 and build out your business model to make sure your price and the way you conduct business is viable to that point.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While knowing your net profit is important, your net profit margin is a stronger indicator of your business&#8217;s financial health. Your net profit margin is the percentage of net profit generated by your company&#8217;s revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Net profit margin = Net profit \/ Revenue<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;If you realize that your margins are slim or never improve over time, you may need to raise your prices or change the way you market your product or service entirely to scale properly,&#8221; Boxx elaborates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"gross\">3. Gross profit and gross margin<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Related to net profit is gross profit. The calculation of gross profit only takes into account the variable expenses involved with generating revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gross profit = Revenue \u2013 Cost of Goods Sold<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gross profit margin shows you how a product, or groups of products, is performing in your business and measures your business productivity. By monitoring your gross profit margin, you can address any potential weakness in your business before it becomes an issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gross margin = Gross profit \/ Revenue<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"monthly\">4. Monthly recurring revenue<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you are operating a subscription-based business, then monthly recurring revenue (MRR) is one of your most critical business metrics. Instead of continually landing one-off sales, your focus is placed on retaining customers and preventing churn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;One of the best business growth strategies I can recommend is trying your product or service on a small target market to ensure product-market fit and then scaling it to make a profit,&#8221; recommends Cassy Aite, CEO and co-founder of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hoppier.com\/\">Hoppier<\/a>. &#8220;When you try out your product on a more modest target market, you get a chance to see some of the most relevant metrics, such as CAC, LTV, MRR, and others.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While MRR might seem straightforward, there are different aspects of MRR to analyze. You&#8217;ll want to measure new MRR (i.e. new customers), expansion MRR (customer who upgraded their plan), and churn MRR (revenue lost from customers canceling before their expected average customer lifespan).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">MRR serves a similar function as a gross profit margin because it is a metric that is used for planning. If you report to a board of investors, this is an important KPI to track. &#8220;We kept a close track of each of our crucial metrics,&#8221; Aite explains. &#8220;We then made a case for ourselves in front of investors with a spreadsheet that showed how and why our product worked\u2026Whoever is investing will want to know where their money is going \u2013 and this strategy will give you a compelling case.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"customer\">5. Customer acquisition cost<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Without customers, you don&#8217;t have a business. &#8220;Our best business growth strategy tip is to focus on customer acquisition because this is where most companies have a leak in their funnel,&#8221; share Malte Scholz, CEO and co-founder of <a href=\"https:\/\/airfocus.com\/\">Airfocus<\/a>. &#8220;The strategy we used was simple\u2026we learned as much as we could about them and reach out in different methods \u2013 email, cold calling, social media outreach \u2013 whatever we could to get in touch.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, many companies are so focused on the &#8220;win&#8221; of closing a deal that they forget how much was spent to acquire the customer in the first place. Your customer acquisition cost (CAC) is calculated by dividing all costs spent on acquiring a new customer by the number of customers acquired in a specific time frame. Keeping a low CAC is critical to scaling your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CAC = Total customer acquisition expenses \/ # of customers acquired<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CAC is often calculated alongside lifetime value (LTV), which refers to the total revenue a business can expect from a single customer. LTV is a strategic KPI to determine which customer segments are most valuable to a business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"read\"><strong>Learn more about small business KPIs:&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/small-business-accounting-5-steps-to-start-your-books\/\">Small business accounting: 5 steps to start your books<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/reduce-admin-work-boost-productivity\/\">How to cut down on busy work to meet your small business goals<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/how-to-choose-an-accountant-for-your-business\/\">How to choose an accountant for your small business<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/translating-accounting-lingo-dawn-fotopulos\/\">Translating accounting lingo for small business owners&nbsp;<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/small-business-survival-toolkit\/\">Small business survival toolkit<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/small-business-resources\/\">Manage your small business: Tips and advice for common challenges<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can ensure that your thriving business is also a growing business by measuring the small business KPIs that are aligned to your goals. By monitoring your KPIs regularly you can spot issues and correct them before they have a negative impact. Download our guide to small business finance for more accounting formulas you should know and an introduction to the trifecta of financial statements- the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/glossary\/profit-loss-statement\/\">income statement<\/a><\/strong>, the<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/5-things-you-wont-find-on-your-balance-sheet\/\"> balance sheet<\/a><\/strong>, and the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/glossary\/cash-flow-statement\/\">cash flow statement<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta gated-content\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner on-scroll-highlight__target\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">A guide to small business finance<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>In this guide we&#8217;ll walk you through the financial statements every small business owner should understand and explain the accounting formulas you should know.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-07b2de02-834c-45aa-9ed4-8042b04893e9\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Download guide<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1327779575-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1327779575-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner on-scroll-highlight__target\">\n\t\t<div 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srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1305268048-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<section class=\"more-topics alignfull has-grey-light-background-color wp-block-sage-post-topics\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-4\">\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"more-topics__title h2\">Browse more topics from this article<\/h3>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-8\">\n\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"post-tags__list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/hub\/accounting-101\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAccounting 101\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/hub\/boss-your-business\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBoss your business\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/hub\/cash-flow\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCash Flow\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/hub\/starting-a-business\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStarting a business\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/hub\/staying-competitive\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStay competitive\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<div class=\"alignfull wp-block-sage-related-posts\">\n\t<section class=\"related-posts card-grid has-dark-background-color\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"related-posts__heading related-posts__heading--featured h1\">Explore more wisdom<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"row related-posts__featured\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-0 post-29452 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-accountants category-money-matters category-strategy-legal-operations category-trends-insights tag-accounting-101 tag-automation tag-cash-flow tag-small-business business_type-small-business business_type-accountants 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class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-08-17T09:38:19-04:00\">August 17, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">10 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__title-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/accounts-payable-asset-or-liability\/\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tIs accounts payable an asset or a liability?\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"card-post__description\">\n\t\t\t\tIs accounts payable an asset or a liability? Accounts payable is a current liability because it represents money your business owes to suppliers. Learn where it appears on the balance sheet and why this classification matters.\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row related-posts__non-featured\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"related-posts__heading related-posts__heading--more h4\">More on this Topic<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-1 post-29572 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-accountants category-money-matters category-strategy-legal-operations tag-accountants tag-accounting-101 tag-business-intelligence tag-compliance tag-grow-your-accounting-practice business_type-small-business business_type-accountants business_type-growing-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/franchise-accounting\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-530281091-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-530281091-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-530281091-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-530281091-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-08-17T08:58:34-04:00\">August 17, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">10 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tFranchise accounting: An in-depth guide\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-2 post-27796 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters tag-accounting-101 tag-cash-flow tag-cfo tag-sage-accounting business_type-small-business business_type-growing-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/accrual-basis-accounting\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/BrandShoot-LND_June2024_Financial-Services_0581-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/BrandShoot-LND_June2024_Financial-Services_0581-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/BrandShoot-LND_June2024_Financial-Services_0581-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/BrandShoot-LND_June2024_Financial-Services_0581-1214x810.jpg 1214w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-08-17T08:57:24-04:00\">August 17, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">15 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tAccrual basis accounting: What it is, benefits, and examples\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-3 post-23456 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters tag-accounting-101 tag-boss-your-business tag-small-business tag-staying-competitive business_type-small-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/how-to-write-an-invoice\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-642394299-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-642394299-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-642394299-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-642394299-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-07-31T07:18:42-04:00\">July 31, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">15 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tHow to write an invoice and what to include\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-4 post-28152 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters tag-accounting-101 tag-sage-accounting business_type-small-business business_type-growing-business industry-nonprofit\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/what-is-fund-accounting\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/BrandShoot-LND_June2024_Financial-Services_0169-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/BrandShoot-LND_June2024_Financial-Services_0169-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/BrandShoot-LND_June2024_Financial-Services_0169-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/BrandShoot-LND_June2024_Financial-Services_0169-1214x810.jpg 1214w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-07-31T06:12:38-04:00\">July 31, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">22 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tWhat is fund accounting? A complete guide to basics and best practices\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ways to measure and analyze business growth. With Business Growth Strategies from the experts. Know the necessary KPIs to track and measure for success.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":972,"featured_media":22363,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_schema_page_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_schema_article_type":"","_sage_video":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"46","post_featured_image_hide":false,"sage_hide_published_date":false,"sage_hide_read_time":false,"sage_hide_share_buttons":false,"_pwl_sage_podcast_buzzsprout_src":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[348,46,43],"tags":[110,195,299,152,155],"business_type":[40],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[57,58,55,54],"persona":[96,97,95],"imagine_tag":[230,231],"coauthors":[759],"class_list":["post-6856","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-free-guides-templates","category-growth-customers","category-money-matters","tag-accounting-101","tag-boss-your-business","tag-cash-flow","tag-starting-a-business","tag-staying-competitive","business_type-small-business","industry-financial-services","industry-nonprofit","industry-professional-services","industry-retail"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-us","author_name":"Christine Gomolka","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Sage_BrandShootNC_Feb2024_Accountants_0789.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business","231":"Start up business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice US","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6856","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/972"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6856"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6856\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37026,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6856\/revisions\/37026"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/22363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6856"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6856"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6856"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=6856"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=6856"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=6856"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=6856"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=6856"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=6856"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=6856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}