Revenue tells you how the week went. It doesn't tell you why, or what next week will look like. These five numbers do, and they take ten minutes to read.
1. Customers served
How many different people bought from you. If revenue is up but customers are down, a few big buyers are carrying you. That is a risk.
2. New customers
First-time visitors this week. This is the health of your marketing and foot traffic. A steady trickle is normal; a sudden drop means something changed outside (a road closure, a new competitor).
3. Repeat customers
Customers who visited on two or more days. This is the heart of a local business. In most cafés and salons, regulars bring in more than half of sales. If this number slips, act this week, not next quarter.
4. Average ticket
Revenue divided by purchases. Small changes add up: ₱10 more per ticket over 1,000 tickets a month is ₱10,000. Upsizes, add-ons and bundles move it.
5. Your quietest hours
Look at visits by weekday and hour. The quietest windows are where a boost or a happy hour costs you least, because the staff and the rent are already paid.
How to make it a habit
- Same day, same time, every week. Monday morning works.
- Compare with the week before and the same week last month, because one bad Tuesday is noise.
- Write one action next to each number. No action, no point reading it.
The trap to avoid
Don't chase every wobble. Small shops have small numbers, and small numbers bounce around. Look for a direction over three or four weeks before you change anything big.