Part of our guide: How much time can a small business save with automation?
Written by Dan Sagar, FoundationsAI. Updated October 2026.
Track a small set of numbers every week: new enquiries, how fast you replied, quotes sent, jobs won, sales, cash in the bank, money owed to you and new reviews. Together they warn you early when something's going wrong, while there's still time to fix it.
The eight numbers
| Number | What it tells you | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|
| New enquiries | Whether your marketing is working | Your CRM |
| How fast you replied | Whether you're losing work by being slow | Your CRM |
| Quotes sent | Whether work is moving | Your pipeline |
| Jobs won, and win rate | Whether quotes turn into work | Your pipeline |
| Sales | What you've earned this week | Your accounts |
| Cash in the bank | Whether you can pay the bills | Your bank |
| Money owed to you | Whether cash is stuck with customers | Your accounts |
| New reviews | Whether your reputation is growing |
Win rate is jobs won divided by quotes sent. If you sent 20 quotes and won 8, your win rate is 40%.
Why cash matters more than profit week to week
A profitable business can still run out of cash if customers pay late or big bills land at once. Profit is on paper. Cash pays the wages. Check cash in the bank and money owed every week, and look ahead at what's coming in and going out over the next few weeks.
How to work out customer lifetime value
Lifetime value is what a typical customer spends with you over the whole time they stay.
Lifetime value = average spend per visit × visits per year × years they stay.
For example, a customer who spends £150 a visit, twice a year, for five years is worth £1,500. That tells you what it's worth spending to win a new customer, and why reminders, repeat work and reviews matter.
A 15-minute weekly routine
- Same time every week, for example Monday at 8am.
- Write the numbers in one place.
- Compare them with the last four weeks.
- Pick one thing to fix this week.
Let your systems do the counting
A CRM can show enquiries, reply times, quotes and jobs won on one screen, so you're not counting by hand. See how to track your marketing return in GoHighLevel.
Common questions
What are the most important numbers for a small business?
New enquiries, win rate, cash in the bank and money owed to you.
How do I calculate customer lifetime value?
Multiply average spend per visit by visits per year by the number of years a customer typically stays.
Why is cash flow more important than profit?
Because cash pays the bills. A profitable business can still fail if the money hasn't arrived yet.
How often should I check my numbers?
These eight every week, and profit every month.
What's a good win rate for quotes?
It varies by trade and job size. Track your own win rate and work on improving it over time.
Want your numbers on one screen?
Book a 45-minute demo and we'll show you a weekly dashboard on a real account.