# Top 10 in Tech - What to know for Week ending November 20, 2020

Published: 20 November 2020
Canonical: https://www.top10in.tech/posts/week-ending-november-20-2020

## 1. SaaS METRIC OF THE WEEK

LTV This metric represents [the average revenue that a customer generates before they churn](https://saasmetrics.co/customer-lifetime-value). ChartMogul have a great [online calculator here](https://chartmogul.com/metrics/ltv/#calculate). Go advanced mode as this calculator references the traditional formula as well as [the David Skok version](https://www.forentrepreneurs.com/ltv/) (which is the advanced one, but viewed as being more realistic)....and [check here for a thought provoking read](https://medium.com/point-nine-news/why-your-ltv-might-be-higher-or-lower-than-you-think-f35539291701)of why your LTV may be lower than you think.

Link: https://saasmetrics.co/customer-lifetime-value

## 2. CODE

Hard truth - some of your code stinks. [Take a read of this for the kind of bad smells your repo may have](https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-i-xqz3evd). Meh - but how much does it matter? Well [here is a report that gives you that cold-hard number](https://stripe.com/files/reports/the-developer-coefficient.pdf) . In this report Stripe also calculates the developer "community" to be valued at about $3 trillion GDP globally.

Link: https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-i-xqz3evd

## 3. DELIGHT AUDIT

. Its the [Age of the Customer](https://blog.hubspot.com/service/age-of-the-customer) you know, so this should be a thing - enough with the eye rolling! This is an in-depth post from CopyHackers on [how to make this kind of Audit happen](https://copyhackers.com/2019/08/user-centric-delight-audit-saas) and here is a case study on how 3 big Tech companies (GitLab, HubSpot and Zoom) make delight happen. Also[here is a Case Study on building a customer centric B2B organization](https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/marketing-and-sales/our-insights/case-study-building-a-customer-centric-b2b-organization) from McKinsey

Link: https://blog.hubspot.com/service/age-of-the-customer

## 4. WRITING

Being able to write well is a skill that needs to sit with founders. So here is 3 step guide - Step 1. [How to position your startup](https://firstround.com/review/Positioning-Your-Startup-is-Vital-Heres-How-to-Do-It-Right/) and [achieve your unique value prop](https://twitter.com/josberco/status/1301957543594528769?utm_source=indieletters&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=%7B$indieletters%7D&utm_term=); Step 2. [how to write well](https://firstround.com/review/a-founders-guide-to-writing-well/) and [one more version for good measure](https://adamfaliq.com/2020/10/28/write-well/); and Step 3 [top tips for telling stories](https://firstround.com/review/good-leaders-are-great-storytellers-our-6-tips-for-telling-stories-that-resonate/).

Link: https://firstround.com/review/Positioning-Your-Startup-is-Vital-Heres-How-to-Do-It-Right/

## 5. GROWTH MARKETING

For all those who have mastered step 4 above, [here is a great guide to Growth Marketing Success](https://www.julian.com/guide/growth/intro) - as the author points out, Growth "hacking" is not a series of "hacks." It's a rigorous methodology consisting of experimenting, collecting data, and leveraging human psychology.

Link: https://www.julian.com/guide/growth/intro

## 6. MONEY

Just because cash is key to eeevvverrrything right now. Take some time to review some [fundamentals on cash management](https://files.pitchbook.com/website/files/pdf/PitchBook_Basics_of_Cash_Flow_Management.pdf) (in 2020) - it's a printable PDF from PitchBook! and understanding [SaaS P&L statements](https://www.scalevp.com/blog/a-founder%E2%80%99s-refresher-on-saas-pl).

Link: https://files.pitchbook.com/website/files/pdf/PitchBook_Basics_of_Cash_Flow_Management.pdf

## 7. MANAGEMENT

Thinking of moving from engineering to management? Awesome! But guess what, the rules have kind of changed in 2020 and [you probably wont code anymore](https://blog.danielna.com/choosing-the-management-track/) - but it's [still a technical job.](https://twitter.com/kellan/status/1302004327188398080)

Link: https://blog.danielna.com/choosing-the-management-track/

## 8. SALES ANALYSIS

Every company wants to boost your sales and close more deals right? So [take a read and a bookmark to this article](https://databox.com/sales-analysis) as it is a really deep dive into comprehensive Sales Analysis - listing 4 different analysis types and then providing 9 tips on how to use this quality sales sales analysis data to generate more revenue.

Link: https://databox.com/sales-analysis

## 9. DECIDE

Because human beings are weird we often [make decisions using predictable (and fairly subconscious) mental shortcuts](https://learnuxd.io/posts/the-psychology-of-user-decisions) - in the UX world, the term used is 'Heuristics'. Check [this (ultimate) guide to heuristics evaluation](https://www.springboard.com/blog/heuristic-evaluation-in-ux/), complete with cast studies!

Link: https://learnuxd.io/posts/the-psychology-of-user-decisions

## 10. RULE OF 40

What is the 40% rule for SaaS companies?[This video explains more](https://twitter.com/PointNineCap/status/1108374783262158849) but basically when a VC backed SaaS businesses (of over ~ $2m ARR) adds profit + growth rate, the total should be equal to 40% (or more). This helps calculate the cadence of a business: [The faster they grow, the less profitable they need to be](https://feld.com/archives/2015/02/rule-40-healthy-saas-company.html). Rule of 40 stocks have [outperformed the broader indices and IT benchmarks over the last 15 years](https://seekingalpha.com/article/4384291-rule-of-40-for-saas-companies-part-3-valuation).

Link: https://twitter.com/PointNineCap/status/1108374783262158849

## POD OF THE WEEK

Trello (now part of Atlassian) is well beyond 50,000,000 users. Check [this vid-cast from Jason Lemkin and SaaStr on the fo](https://youtu.be/vSjg1uXrN34)

Link: https://youtu.be/vSjg1uXrN34