Gross margin (marge brute)
The difference between revenue and the costs directly tied to producing the goods or services sold, expressed in absolute value or as a percentage of revenue. It funds all fixed operating costs and profit.
In practice
Gross margin is the first filter for assessing the quality of a business model. SaaS targets 70-80%; a physical distributor works with 20-30%; a well-structured franchise head reaches 60-70%. A low gross margin is not disqualifying if volumes are massive, but it demands extreme operational discipline. Tracking it quarterly allows early detection of cost drift before it erodes net profitability.