Unit Economics Analyzer
Break down your business to the numbers that actually matter. This skill calculates and benchmarks your unit economics — CAC, LTV, payback period, contribution margin — so you know exactly which customers make you money and which ones burn it.
What It Does
When activated, the agent will:
- Calculate Core Metrics
- Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) — fully loaded (ads + sales salaries + tools + overhead) - Lifetime Value (LTV) — using both simple and DCF methods - LTV:CAC Ratio — the single number investors care about most - CAC Payback Period — months to recover acquisition spend - Contribution Margin — per unit and per customer
- Benchmark Against Industry
| Metric | Healthy SaaS | Marketplace | E-commerce | Services |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LTV:CAC | 3:1 – 5:1 | 2:1 – 4:1 | 1.5:1 – 3:1 | 4:1 – 8:1 |
| CAC Payback | 12-18 mo | 6-12 mo | 1-3 mo | 3-6 mo |
| Gross Margin | 70-85% | 40-65% | 30-50% | 50-70% |
| Net Revenue Retention | 110-130% | 100-115% | 80-100% | 90-110% |
- Segment Analysis
- Break unit economics by customer segment, channel, plan tier, geography - Identify which segments are profitable and which are subsidized - Flag "toxic" segments where CAC > LTV
- Cohort Decay Modeling
- Month-over-month retention curves by acquisition cohort - Revenue decay rate and true LTV (not the optimistic version) - Churn-adjusted LTV using: LTV = ARPU × Gross Margin / Monthly Churn Rate
- Scenario Planning
- What happens to payback if CAC increases 20%? - Impact of 5% churn reduction on LTV - Break-even analysis: minimum retention rate for profitability - Pricing sensitivity: how price changes flow through to unit economics
How to Use
Tell the agent:
- "Analyze my unit economics" — walks through full calculation
- "My CAC is $X and monthly churn is Y%" — gets specific benchmarks
- "Compare my SaaS unit economics to benchmarks" — industry comparison
- "Model what happens if we cut churn by 3%" — scenario analysis
- "Break down unit economics by customer segment" — segmentation
Required Inputs
Provide what you have (the agent will estimate what's missing):
Revenue side:
- Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) — monthly or annual
- Gross margin percentage
- Monthly or annual churn rate
- Expansion revenue rate (upsells, cross-sells)
Cost side:
- Total sales & marketing spend (monthly/quarterly)
- New customers acquired in same period
- Customer success/support costs per account
- Onboarding costs per customer
Formulas Reference
CAC = Total Sales & Marketing Spend / New Customers Acquired
LTV (Simple) = ARPU × Gross Margin% / Monthly Churn Rate
LTV (DCF) = Σ (Monthly Revenue × Gross Margin%) / (1 + Discount Rate)^month
LTV:CAC Ratio = LTV / CAC [Target: >3:1]
Payback Period = CAC / (ARPU × Gross Margin%) [months]
Contribution Margin = (Revenue - Variable Costs) / Revenue
Magic Number = Net New ARR / Prior Quarter S&M Spend [Target: >0.75]
Burn Multiple = Net Burn / Net New ARR [Target: <2x]Red Flags Dashboard
| Signal | Threshold | Action |
|---|---|---|
| LTV:CAC below 1:1 | Losing money on every customer | Stop acquiring, fix retention or pricing |
| LTV:CAC below 3:1 | Unsustainable at scale | Reduce CAC or increase retention |
| Payback > 24 months | Cash flow risk | Accelerate monetization or cut acquisition |
| Gross margin < 50% | Service business, not software | Re-examine delivery costs |
| Net retention < 100% | Revenue shrinking without new sales | Fix product-market fit |
| CAC trending up > 15% QoQ | Channel saturation | Diversify acquisition channels |
| Magic Number < 0.5 | Inefficient growth spend | Pause scaling, optimize |
Output Format
The agent produces:
- Executive Summary — 3-line verdict on business health
- Metrics Table — all calculated values with industry benchmarks
- Segment Breakdown — if data provided, per-segment P&L
- Scenario Matrix — sensitivity analysis on key variables
- Action Items — prioritized list of improvements with expected impact
Get the Full Context
This skill gives you the framework. For industry-specific unit economics benchmarks, valuation context, and implementation playbooks:
→ AI Agent Context Packs — $47 per industry. SaaS, Fintech, Healthcare, E-commerce, and 6 more.
→ AI Revenue Leak Calculator — Free. Find where your business is losing money.
→ Agent Setup Wizard — Free. Configure your AI agent in 5 minutes.
Bundles:
- Pick 3 Packs — $97 (save $44)
- All 10 Packs — $197 (save $273)
- Everything Bundle — $247 (all packs + playbook + setup)