The best numbers to watch are a small set of KPIs, or key performance indicators, that tell you early whether things are on track. Watch a mix of numbers that look back (like sales last week) and numbers that look ahead (like new inquiries or booked appointments). Give each number one owner. Review them weekly. Verne Harnish’s Scaling Up framework encourages this kind of steady, visible measurement. Here is our plain-language guide, with no invented benchmarks, just the thinking.
Whether you run a café, a dance school, a credit union, a lawn care business, or a nonprofit, the same approach works. You do not need fancy software. A whiteboard or a simple shared sheet is enough to begin.
This post draws on ideas from Verne Harnish’s Scaling Up framework. The explanations and examples here are WeKinnect’s own words.
You can measure almost anything. That does not mean you should. Too many numbers create a dashboard nobody reads. A few well-chosen numbers, checked often, tell you more than a pile of reports.
Think of the gauges on a car dashboard. A driver needs only a few to drive safely.
Some numbers show what already happened. Revenue, profit, and jobs completed are examples. They are important but arrive late. By the time you see a drop, the cause happened weeks ago.
Other numbers predict what is coming. Inquiries, booked appointments, quotes sent, or return visits can warn you early. A good set of KPIs includes both kinds.
Each KPI needs one person who watches it, explains changes, and leads efforts to improve it. Ownership makes the number real. It also connects to the FACe and PACe ideas in S1.
Put your key numbers where the team can see them, such as a whiteboard in the back room or a simple shared sheet. Use colors if you like: green for on track, yellow for watch, red for off track. When people can see the score, they play the game better.
Help each team member know one number that shows whether they had a good day or week. A server might track table checks completed. A technician might track jobs finished without a return visit.
In your weekly meeting, go through the numbers quickly. Spend time only on the ones that are off track. Ask “What is causing this?” and “What will we try?” Then check the next week to see if it helped.
If you track nothing today, do not try to build a full dashboard this week. Pick two numbers: one that looks back, like weekly sales, and one that looks ahead, like new inquiries. Track them by hand for a month. Talk about them every week. Once that habit is solid, add one or two more. Slow and steady beats a big system that gets dropped after a few weeks.
Numbers can feel cold, but the right ones tell you how well you are serving people. A number about repeat customers or complaints is really a number about care. Service before Self means watching the numbers that show whether customers are truly better off.
A key performance indicator is a number that shows how well an important part of your business is doing, such as bookings, repeat customers, or cash on hand.
Five to seven is a good range for most. Choose a mix of numbers that look back and numbers that look ahead.
Weekly works well for most teams. Some numbers, like daily sales, may be checked more often by their owners.
Written By
Darlene Gagnon is the founder of WeKinnect Global Branding Agency. Guided by the core value of Service before Self, she works with entrepreneurs and family-owned legacy businesses. She focuses especially on restaurants, arts, and travel and tourism. Darlene writes on Branding, Positioning, Marketing Strategy, Public Relations, Storytelling, and Entrepreneurship. WeKinnect serves entrepreneurs and family-owned legacy businesses across restaurants, arts, travel and tourism, banking, home services, nonprofits, and the pet industry, and Darlene brings that same spirit of service to every piece she writes.
Darlene Gagnon
16 Oct 2026
