Understand the customer job before the metric.
When you buy a SaaS business, first ask what problem the product solves, where it sits in the customer workflow and what makes it difficult to replace. MRR, ARR and churn labels are only useful when their definitions, cohorts and customer behaviour are understood. A buyer should be able to explain the product value without repeating the seller’s headline.
Ask how the product is owned and maintained.
Review who controls code, infrastructure, domains, vendors, contractor agreements and core technical knowledge. The aim is not to perform a security or legal audit from a public article. It is to identify whether specialist diligence is necessary and whether the buyer can responsibly operate the stack after transfer.
Read support and sales as operating work.
A product can look recurring while the founder still handles enterprise sales, onboarding, escalations or key support conversations. Map the rhythm and exceptions. This shows whether the business fits your capacity and what a handover needs to make the first months stable.
Separate a good product from a good acquisition for you.
The most appealing SaaS may still require a technical, commercial or customer-success capability you do not have. A buyer mandate makes this visible early and lets you look for the business whose operating load matches the team you can actually build.
Opens a short form for non-confidential context. Please do not include documents, credentials or sensitive financial information.