What is the rule of 40 vs revenue multiple?

Asked by: Rebeca Ritchie  |  Last update: February 6, 2025
Score: 4.3/5 (40 votes)

The Rule of 40 says that the sum of the revenue growth rate and the profit margin should be 40% or higher. Because this metric takes into account both growth and profit, it allows investors and stakeholders a way to quickly determine whether a SaaS company is balancing growth with profitability.

What is the rule of 40 revenue multiple?

The Rule of 40 is a principle that states a software company's combined revenue growth rate and profit margin should equal or exceed 40%. SaaS companies above 40% are generating profit at a sustainable rate, whereas companies below 40% may face cash flow or liquidity issues.

What is a reasonable revenue multiple?

A good revenue multiplier typically ranges from 1 to 3 times annual revenue for most small businesses. However, this can vary significantly based on industry, market conditions, and specific business characteristics.

What is the 3 3 2 2 2 rule of SaaS?

The rule of thumb for growth rate expectations at a successful SaaS company being managed for aggressive growth is 3, 3, 2, 2, 2: starting from a material baseline (e.g., over $1 million in annual recurring revenue [ARR]), the business needs to triple annual revenues for two consecutive years and then double them for ...

What is the rule of 40 in SEG?

In the simplest terms, the Rule of 40 states that a company's combined growth rate plus profit margin should always reach or exceed 40%. It was popularized when Techstars founder Brad Feld wrote about it in 2015, after he heard it from a late-stage investor at a board meeting.

The SaaS Rule of 40 | How to Calculate and Why It Matters

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What is the logic behind rule of 40?

The Rule of 40 is a mere rule of thumb to analyze the health of an SaaS business, with regard to its growth rate in recurring revenue and profit margin. To accurately interpret the SaaS KPI metric, 40% is the baseline figure at which the company is considered healthy and in good shape.

What is Rule 40 in law?

Rule 40 – Scheduling Cases for Trial. Each court must provide by rule for scheduling trials. The court must give priority to actions entitled to priority by a federal statute.

What is the 80 20 rule in SaaS?

The 80/20 rule has applications in computing and social behavior but has also been observed in economics and business. When applying this principle to business, the common observation is that 20% of the activities in a business lead to 80% of the results.

What is the 10x rule in SaaS?

The 10x rule in SaaS (Software as a Service) pricing strategy emphasizes that customers should receive a minimum of 10 times the value of the product in return on their investment. This rule guides SaaS companies in setting prices that align with the value delivered to customers.

What is triple triple double double?

If you Google T2D3, this is typically what you find. T2D3 stands for triple, triple, double, double, double. It was introduced by SaaS investor, Neeraj Agrawal, in 2015. In brief, it describes a trajectory of two years of tripling your annualized revenue growth, your ARR, and then three more years doubling that.

How much is a business worth with $500,000 in sales?

To find the fair market value, it is then necessary to divide that figure by the capitalization rate. Therefore, the income approach would reveal the following calculations. Projected sales are $500,000, and the capitalization rate is 25%, so the fair market value is $125,000.

What is the EBITDA or revenue multiple?

The enterprise value-to-revenue (EV/R) looks at a companies revenue-generating ability, while the enterprise value-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA)—also known as the enterprise multiple—looks at a company's ability to generate operating cash flows.

How much profit should a $2 million dollar business make?

So as an example, a company doing $2 million in real revenue (I'll explain below) should target a profit of 10 percent of that $2 million, owner's pay of 10 percent, taxes of 15 percent and operating expenses of 65 percent. Take a couple of seconds to study the chart.

What is the 40 40 40 rule?

What's the "40-40-40 plan" you ask? It's the illusion that has been passed down from generation to generation that your life consists of working 40 hours per week for 40 years so that you can retire on roughly 40% of your annual earnings.

What is a fair revenue multiple?

3x to 5x – Startups in this category are middle of the pack. Investors consider these companies as a fair shot to success. More than 10x – This category is the 'A-list' as per investors. Startups displaying a 10x or more valuation have the highest chances of growth, profits, and expansion.

What is the magic number in SaaS?

The SaaS Magic Number is a widely used formula to measure sales efficiency. It measures the output of a year's worth of revenue growth for every dollar spent on sales and marketing. To think of it another way, for every dollar in S&M spend, how many dollars of ARR do you create.

Does rule of 40 only apply to SaaS?

It should be noted that the Rule of 40 only applies to SaaS businesses. This is because software companies that leverage their services to other businesses are known to manage higher margins between 70% and 90%. However, this rule of thumb can still be applied as a useful benchmark for other subscription companies.

What are typical SaaS multiples?

Between 2015-2024, a median SaaS company was valued at around 5.0x Revenue. That said, a quarter of companies were sold at valuations above 9.1x Revenue. While the 2020-2021 period brought about a massive boom in the public markets, the median valuation multiple in M&A deals grew only slightly from 5.8x to 6.4x.

What is rule of 78 SaaS?

78 is the magic number when it comes to SaaS, to predicting the MRR (monthly recurring revenue) you need to keep hitting month-in-month-out to reach your ARR (annual recurring revenue) goal for the next year. Simply subtract your target ARR from your last year's ARR and divide by 78. It really is that simple.

What is the Cramer rule of 40?

Rule of 40 Definition: In Software as a Service (SaaS) financial models, the “Rule of 40” states that a company's Revenue Growth + EBITDA Margin should equal or exceed 40% to be considered “healthy”; companies that exceed it by a wider margin may be valued more highly.

What is the Pareto rule in business?

The Pareto principle states 80% of outcomes are produced by 20% of causes. The 80/20 rule helps marketers prioritize the channels that do most of the work. The 80/20 rule is the key to unlocking maximum ROI across many business disciplines.

How to calculate rule of 40?

Rule of 40 = Revenue Growth Rate (%) + Profit Margin (%)

Some other potential examples of the Rule of 40 include the following: Revenue Growth Rate of 20% + Profit Margin of 20% = 40% Revenue Growth Rate of 0% + Profit Margin of 40% = 40%

Who does Rule 40 apply to?

The rule applies to participants in the Olympic or Paralympic Summer Games 2024, including current competitors, coaches, trainers and officials. It only applies to participants in the current Games and is not applicable to alumni.

What is a Rule 42?

Rule 42(a) allows a court to order a consolidation of actions if they involve common questions of law or fact. This can streamline proceedings, reduce litigation costs, and avoid conflicting judgments by handling all related matters in a single trial.

What does Rule 43 stand for?

Rule 43 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure deals with the presence of the defendant during the proceedings against him. It presently permits a defendant to be tried in absentia only in non-capital cases where the defendant has voluntarily absented himself after the trial has begun.