End-of-Year Checklist for SaaS Companies

Closing Strong and Starting Fresh

As we’re wrapping up another wild year in tech, we wanted to share our template for closing out the year strong and setting up for a killer start to the next one. No fluff, just practical steps you can tackle in the next few weeks. We hope our end-of-year checklist for SaaS companies helps you.

1. Get Real with Your Numbers

First things first – dive deep into your metrics. Don’t just skim the surface…

• Compare your actual ARR/MRR against your start-of-year projections
• Look at your net revenue retention trends quarter over quarter
• Check your customer acquisition cost (CAC) trends
• Review burn rate and runway calculations

Flag any metrics that are more than 15% off from projections. These are your priority conversations with the leadership team.

2. Talk to Your Top 10 Customers

Yeah,  you’re already busy, but this is non-negotiable. Schedule 30-minute calls with your biggest accounts. Ask them:

• What’s working?
• What’s not?
• What are their plans for next year?

The insights you’ll get are pure gold for your product roadmap and retention strategy. Plus, it shows you care.

3. Do a Quick Team Health Check

Your people are everything. Take a look at:

• Key departures from the past year
• High-performers who might be flight risks
• Roles you desperately needed but couldn’t fill
• Team engagement scores (if you measure them)

Be honest – do you have the right people in the right seats? Now’s the time to plan org changes for Q1.

4. Review Your Tech Stack ROI

We all signed up for some shiny new tools this year. Time to assess:

• Which tools are actually being used?
• Where are you double-paying for similar functions?
• What’s the real ROI on each major software investment?

You can probably cut 10-20% of your software spend without anyone noticing.

5. Set Your “Big 3” for Next Year

Forget 20-page strategic plans. What are the three most important things you need to nail next year? Write them down. Be specific. Examples:

• “Launch enterprise tier with 20 customers by Q3”
• “Reduce gross churn from 8% to 5%”
• “Expand into EU with $25K MRR by Q4”

6. Build Your Q1 Priority Stack

Break down your Big 3 into Q1 priorities. Be ruthless about saying no to everything else. Your team needs clarity, not a wishlist.

7. Check Your Personal Batteries

Real talk: How are you all doing? Rate:

• Energy levels
• Work-life balance
• Personal growth
• Key relationships

If you’re running on empty, use the holiday break to genuinely recharge. Your team needs to be at 100% for the new year.

Close Strong and Start Fresh

The end of the year isn’t just about hitting numbers – it’s your chance to reset, realign, and recommit to what matters. Don’t skip the hard conversations with yourself and your team. Your job isn’t to do everything – it’s to do the right things. Use this checklist to make sure you’re focused on what moves the needle.

What’s your end-of-year ritual? Would love to hear what works for others in the comments. Here’s to closing strong and crushing it next year! 🚀