I am not normally a person who likes to link and run, however if you are interested in businesses and how they run I would strongly recommend you read these links.
This link:
http://www.forentrepreneurs.com/saas-metrics-2/
Is a great overview of running a subscription based businesss (ignore the SaaS prefix). It gives a well rounded view into when businesses start to make money on customers, and how in not as many words – customer retention is king.
This link here:
Is a terrific piece of research done this month on CIO’s opinions of cloud technology. It also provides a vertical breakdown of how conducive each industry is to cloud; great to know if you are running a cloud/SaaS biz!
Enjoy!