How to Set KPIs That Aren’t Just Buzzwords (and Actually Drive Growth)

In my first startup, we had KPIs. Or at least we thought we did.

“Grow reach.” “Get more engagement.” “Boost brand awareness.”

They looked good on a pitch deck, but they didn’t actually tell us what was working—or what to fix when things weren’t. We were tracking numbers, sure. But we weren’t measuring progress.

Here’s what I’ve learned since: if your KPIs don’t make decisions easier or show you how to grow, they’re probably just noise.

It’s easy to default to what sounds impressive. Big numbers. Fancy graphs. But what’s the point of measuring reach if you don’t know how it impacts revenue? Or tracking followers without understanding who’s actually converting?

That’s how you end up wasting time, budget, and brainpower on things that don’t drive the business forward.

When I started Nudge, I flipped the script. Every metric had to meet three tests:

1. Specific – Are we clear on what we’re measuring?
2. Actionable – Will it guide what we do next?
3. Tied to growth – Does it connect to revenue, retention, or a meaningful conversion?

Instead of “increase email sign-ups,” we tracked “grow email list by 20% in 60 days from organic sources.” That tiny bit of clarity made all the difference—it told us where to focus and what success looked like.

Ask yourself: If this number goes up or down, do I know what to do next?

If not, it’s not a real KPI. It’s just a data point.

We built Nudge to help founders actually track what matters—not just see a wall of charts. It connects your data, flags what’s worth paying attention to, and helps you set KPIs that align with your real goals.

So you’re not just reporting numbers. You’re driving results.

Your metrics should help you grow—not just make a pretty dashboard. And if you’ve been stuck setting KPIs that don’t do much, now’s the time to fix it. Join the waitlist.