Opening Play – The False Promise of “Big Numbers”
Every startup has been there.
The dopamine hit of a viral post. A spike in followers. A dashboard full of green arrows. It all feels like progress. But then comes the silence: no retention, no revenue, no growth.
It’s easy to chase metrics that make you feel good. But the truth? Big numbers mean nothing if they don’t lead to business outcomes.
Paris Saint-Germain learned this the hard way.
For years, they chased stars and spectacle. The Neymar-Mbappé-Messi front line looked unstoppable on paper—and racked up views, headlines, and global followers. But when it came to the Champions League, the returns were underwhelming.
Their recent shift? A team built on balance, not brilliance alone. Less fireworks. More function. And it’s working.
Just like PSG, startups need to stop optimising for optics—and start playing for results.
Stat Sheet ≠ Strategy
The modern marketer is surrounded by data. But not all of it is helpful.
Most teams don’t fail because of a lack of dashboards—they fail because they’re looking at the wrong ones.
Likes, impressions, page views—these are easy to track and easy to manipulate. But they rarely tell you if your business is healthy.
PSG’s rebuild wasn’t about adding more superstars. It was about redefining roles, building a system, and tracking the moments that actually impacted matches. That same thinking applies to growth teams: build a structure, measure the right inputs, and execute with discipline.
Vanity vs. Value: The Metric Divide
Let’s call it out:
- Vanity Metrics: Followers. Impressions. Video views. Press mentions. Website traffic.
- Value Metrics: Activation. Retention. LTV:CAC ratio. Revenue per user. Conversion rates.
Vanity metrics can inflate egos—and investor updates—but they rarely lead to repeatable growth.
Value metrics, on the other hand, show what matters:
- Are users coming back?
- Are they engaging deeply?
- Are they telling others?
- Are they paying?
Many teams fall into the trap of confusing awareness with performance. Visibility is a tactic. Conversion is the outcome. Don’t mistake the former for the latter.
Building Your Growth Framework Around the Right Stats
To move from noise to focus, teams need to build around metrics that matter. Here’s how:
1. North Star Metric
Choose one metric that reflects your product’s long-term value—something aligned with retention or usage.
- For Spotify: Minutes listened.
- For Airbnb: Nights booked.
- For B2B SaaS: Activated accounts or retained MRR.
This metric becomes your team’s guiding light—not just for growth, but for clarity.
2. Micro-Conversions
Map the early signals that correlate with long-term success. Did they invite a colleague? Complete onboarding? Use a key feature twice in a week?
Track those. Nurture those.
3. Stage-Based Benchmarking
Don’t copy a Series C dashboard if you’re pre-revenue. Match your metrics to your stage:
- Early: Activation, retention curve.
- Mid: CAC payback, referral rate.
- Growth: Expansion revenue, churn.
Your size, maturity, and model matter. So should your metrics.
PSG’s Transformation: A Case Study in Data Discipline
For years, PSG felt like a brand experiment—less football club, more global hype machine.
But in 2023/24, something changed. The flashy, unbalanced lineups gave way to a more cohesive, functional system.
No longer relying on individual brilliance, they began building around roles, cohesion, and tracking collective impact. Fewer touches, more structure. Tactical execution over improvisation.
Startups must do the same. Early-stage chaos is expected—but scaling requires systems. Defined roles. Metrics that align the team.
PSG didn’t abandon ambition. They made it measurable.
Final Whistle – What You Track Is What You Become
If you’re tracking everything, you’re focusing on nothing.
Winning—whether on the pitch or in growth—requires focus. Not more data, but better decisions.
So next time your team celebrates a million impressions or a LinkedIn post going viral, ask the harder question:
Did it move the metric that matters?
Vanity looks good in a pitch deck. Value wins matches.
