The best KPIs for a small business are a handful of numbers you check every week that tell you whether you have enough cash, whether sales are on track and whether the work is profitable. For most owners that means eight numbers: cash in the bank, weekly sales, gross margin, money owed to you, new leads, conversion rate, average sale value and one delivery or quality measure. Track those consistently and you will spot problems weeks before they show up in your bank balance.
Most owners already feel their numbers. You know when it’s been a slow month. The trouble is that feelings arrive late, and by the time a quiet patch shows up in your account, it has usually been building for weeks.
Monthly management accounts are useful, but they tell you what happened four to six weeks ago. A weekly scorecard tells you what is happening now, while you can still do something about it.
Cash is where this bites hardest. Xero’s State of South African Small Business 2026 report found that 62% of businesses had experienced cash flow issues over the past year, and 42% said they struggle with late payments. Watching a few cash-related numbers every week is the simplest early warning you can build.
If you’re not sure which parts of your business are weakest, start with a broader business health check across seven key areas, then choose KPIs that track those weak spots.
Your actual cash balance across business accounts, checked on the same day each week. Next to it, write how many weeks of fixed costs that cash would cover. If that number is shrinking week after week, you need to act before it becomes urgent.
Total invoiced or cash sales for the week, compared with a weekly target. Your target comes from your plan: if you need R200,000 a month, that is roughly R46,000 a week. The gap matters more than the figure itself.
Sales minus the direct cost of those sales (materials, stock, direct labour), shown as a percentage. If sales grow but margin shrinks, you may be discounting too much or your supplier costs have crept up. Our guide on how to price your product so you actually make a profit explains how to protect it.
Your total debtors, with the overdue portion shown separately. This is the number behind many “busy but broke” businesses. We unpack why in our post on cash flow problems when sales are growing.
How many new potential customers contacted you or were contacted this week. It is a leading indicator: a drop in leads today usually means a drop in sales in a few weeks.
Of the quotes or proposals you sent, how many turned into paid work. If leads are steady but conversion falls, look at your follow-up, pricing or the quality of your quotes.
Total sales divided by the number of sales. Raising this through bundles, add-ons or better pricing is often easier than finding more customers.
Pick the one number that shows whether you are keeping your promises. For a Durban plumbing firm that might be jobs completed on the first visit. For an online shop, orders shipped within 24 hours. For a caterer, complaints per event.
| KPI | Where to find it | Warning sign |
|---|---|---|
| Cash in bank | Bank app or accounting software | Weeks of cover falling three weeks in a row |
| Weekly sales vs target | Invoices or point of sale | Below target two weeks running |
| Gross margin % | Accounting software or job costing | Drop of a few points with no explanation |
| Debtors and overdue amount | Aged debtors report | Overdue share growing |
| New leads | CRM, inbox, WhatsApp, call log | Well below your usual weekly range |
| Conversion rate | Quotes sent vs accepted | Falling while leads stay steady |
| Average sale value | Sales divided by number of sales | Slipping as discounts creep in |
| Delivery or quality measure | Job sheets, order system, complaints | Any rising trend |
Keep the scorecard on one page or one screen. Fill it in on the same morning every week, and write one line next to any number that moved sharply explaining why.
Break-even point. The SBA explains that break-even is the point where total cost and total revenue are equal, and gives the formula: fixed costs divided by (price minus variable costs) equals the break-even point in units. Recalculate it whenever your prices or costs change, and compare your monthly sales to it.
Rolling 12-month turnover. If you are not yet VAT registered, keep an eye on your turnover over the last 12 months. SARS says compulsory VAT registration applies when taxable supplies in any consecutive 12-month period exceed, or are likely to exceed, R2.3 million, and you must apply within 21 business days of that point. Growing businesses sometimes miss this.
Owners who share the scorecard with their team usually find accountability improves too. Our guide on holding your team accountable without micromanaging shows how to build that weekly rhythm.
B.E.T’s business diagnostic shows which areas of your business need the closest watching, so you can choose KPIs that match your real risks. Dashboards then give you a single view of progress against your plan.
With task and team tracking, each KPI can have an owner and each red number can become an action with a due date. You can set up your weekly scorecard on a free B.E.T trial and see your first week’s picture straight away.
Cash in the bank, sales against target, gross margin and money owed to you are the core four for most small businesses. Add new leads, conversion rate, average sale value and one quality measure to see what is driving those results.
Between five and ten is a practical range. Fewer than that can leave blind spots, while more than that usually means nobody looks at them properly. Start small and add numbers only when you know what you will do with them.
Review cash, sales, debtors and leads weekly, because they change quickly. Review break-even, overall profit and rolling turnover monthly alongside your management accounts.
A metric is any number you can measure. A KPI is a metric you have chosen because it tells you whether you are meeting an important goal, and it usually has a target attached.
No. A simple spreadsheet works for many small businesses at the start. Software helps once several people update numbers or you want a dashboard that stays current without manual copying.
You don’t need a finance team to run your business by the numbers. You need eight figures, a weekly habit and the discipline to act on what they show.
Choose your first three KPIs today and fill them in next Monday. When you want them in one place, try B.E.T’s dashboards free.
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