Shipping Fast Is Great, But Shipping Blindly? Not So Much.
Jul 10, 2025
In the world of early-stage startups, speed is king. You’re constantly told to “ship fast,” “move fast and break things,” and get your product out the door. And that’s not bad advice, unless you’re flying blind while doing it.
Too many startups skip over tracking metrics because they assume it’s too early, too time-consuming, or just not worth it yet. But here’s the truth: tracking the right data early is one of the smartest things you can do.
Why Metrics Matter
When you track metrics, you get a clear picture of how users interact with your product. That clarity helps you make better decisions based on actual behavior, not assumptions or gut feelings.
Here’s what you can learn by tracking the right data:
Which features are actually being used
Where users are dropping off in key flows
If new features are being adopted (or ignored)
Whether your core assumptions are holding up
Put simply: good data gives you focus. It helps you prioritize the right problems, make smarter bets, and build a better product faster.
So What Should You Track?
It’s a great question, and one that doesn’t have a one-size-fits-all answer. But here’s a simple framework to help you get started:
1. Define a Clear Goal
Start by asking: What do I want to learn right now?
Let’s say you want to improve your onboarding flow. That’s your goal.
2. Choose One Primary Metric
What’s the one number that will show you whether you’re making progress?
In the onboarding example, it might be “number of users who complete the onboarding flow.” That’s your main KPI.
3. Add Complementary Metrics
Complementary metrics help you break down and understand the journey behind your main KPI.
For onboarding, these could be:
“Number of users who complete each step”
“Time spent on each step”
“Drop-off rate between steps”
This breakdown helps you pinpoint exactly where users get stuck, and what to fix first.
4. Consider Guardrail Metrics
Sometimes improving one area can hurt another. Guardrail metrics help catch that.
For example, if you simplify onboarding by removing steps, you might improve completion rates, but at the cost of users missing critical setup information. That could lead to confusion and churn later on.
Guardrails help you watch for those unintended consequences.
A Few Tools I’ve Found Useful
You don’t need a fancy stack to start tracking. Here are a few tools I’ve used:
Google Analytics – Basic web traffic insights
Google Tag Manager – Flexible tracking setup without needing dev help
Clarity / Hotjar – User recordings and heatmaps to see behavior visually
Your product’s database – For custom, product-specific insights
VWO – A/B testing platform to validate changes with real data
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Tracking is only useful if you interpret what you see. Watch out for these traps:
⚠️ Tracking without interpreting. Numbers alone are meaningless without context.
⚠️ Tracking just one metric. Always add context so you understand the full story.
⚠️ Tracking without a goal. Don’t track just for the sake of it. Start with a question you want answered.
Start Early. You’ll Thank Yourself Later.
Even if you don’t act on the data right away, setting up tracking early gives you valuable benchmarks for later. You’ll be able to see growth, test assumptions, and make decisions with confidence, not just hope.
If you’re not tracking metrics yet, ask yourself: what’s really stopping you?