If Unit Count Doesn't Matter, What is the #1 Metric to Measure for Success?

[Amy Raye Rogers]

We've been investing since 2020. Our growth was fast thanks to some great deals and easy lending. At our peak we were up to 22 doors. Since then we've pulled back to 12. We realized that more properties meant more headaches. However, we still want to grow. That got us to thinking... what is the most important metric to measure portfolio growth? Is it cash flow? equity? NOI? If doors count is a vanity metric, what ##s on the financial report dashboard should we be striving to improve? The long term goal is passive income, but we are willing to wait 10-20 years to get there. Thoughts?