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#benchmarks

Benchmarks

Industry benchmarks, performance metrics, and comparative data to evaluate financial and operational health

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): Formula, LTV Ratio, and Payback Period for Small Businesses

CAC is total sales and marketing cost divided by new customers acquired in the same period — $6,000 of spend across 30 customers is a $200 CAC. This guide covers what belongs in the numerator, how to pair CAC with gross-profit LTV (a 3:1 to 4:1 ratio is the practical small-business target) and payback period (under 12 months for SMB customers, up to 24 for enterprise), 2026 CAC ranges by business type, and seven ways to lower CAC without cutting customer volume.

Food Hall Operator Bookkeeping: Percentage Rent by Vendor, CAM True-Ups, and One POS Across a Dozen Kitchens

Percentage rent by vendor (8–15% of gross sales, booked as ASC 842 variable lease income), CAM pools with annual true-ups, and one POS settlement split across a dozen merchants — the account structure a food hall operator needs, plus the benchmarks (revenue per square foot, bar share, occupancy) that show a hall is working.