Glossary of terms for building online businesses

Glossary

Short definitions first, then why the term matters. Related guides and terms are linked from each entry.

Last reviewed October 15, 2026 · 17 sources

A

A2P 10DLC: A2P 10DLC stands for application-to-person messaging over ten-digit long codes.
Adjusted gross revenue: Adjusted gross revenue is the revenue figure Steam uses after applicable adjustments such as refunds and chargebacks.

B

BAA: A business associate agreement, or BAA, is the contract required when a vendor handles protected health information on behalf of a healthcare provider under HIPAA.
Branded content: Branded content is the commercial content disclosure setting on TikTok that labels a post as made in a paid relationship with a brand.

C

Churn: Churn is the rate at which customers, or the revenue they bring, leave over a period.
CPM: CPM, or cost per mille, is the price for each thousand views or impressions.

D

DevEx: DevEx, short for Developer Exchange, is the Roblox program that converts Earned Robux into US dollars paid to a creator.

E

Earned Robux: Earned Robux are the Robux a creator receives from sales and engagement in their experiences, as distinct from Robux a person buys.
Escrow: Escrow means holding funds with a neutral third party until agreed conditions are met, such as a client approving delivered work.

I

Inauthentic content: Inauthentic content is the term YouTube uses in its monetization policies for mass-produced or repetitive content, including reused content that is not significantly changed.

K

KYC: KYC, short for know your customer, is the identity verification a payment provider runs before it pays out.

M

MRR: MRR, or monthly recurring revenue, is the predictable subscription revenue a product collects each month from its current customers, normalised to a monthly figure.

P

Paid promotion: Paid promotion is a setting on YouTube that marks a video as containing a paid product placement, sponsorship or endorsement, which shows viewers a disclosure.

S

Software fee: The software fee is the share of confirmed earnings that Cashcade keeps for the software and the payment path.
Steam Direct: Steam Direct is the process Valve uses to let developers publish on Steam.

T

TTFD: TTFD, or time to first paid dollar, is the median time from sign-up until a person's first self-earned dollar has actually reached their payout account.

U

Usage window: A usage window is the period during which a brand may use a creator's video, and on which channels.

W

W-8BEN: A W-8BEN is the form a non-US individual gives a US payer to certify foreign status and, where a tax treaty applies, claim a reduced withholding rate.
W-9: A W-9 is the Internal Revenue Service form a US taxpayer gives a payer to provide a taxpayer identification number.
Whitelisting: Whitelisting is when a brand is given permission to run a creator's content as a paid ad through the creator's own social handle.

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BAA

A business associate agreement, or BAA, is the contract required when a vendor handles protected health information on behalf of a healthcare provider under HIPAA.

Branded content

Branded content is the commercial content disclosure setting on TikTok that labels a post as made in a paid relationship with a brand.

W-8BEN

A W-8BEN is the form a non-US individual gives a US payer to certify foreign status and, where a tax treaty applies, claim a reduced withholding rate.

W-9

A W-9 is the Internal Revenue Service form a US taxpayer gives a payer to provide a taxpayer identification number.

Whitelisting

Whitelisting is when a brand is given permission to run a creator's content as a paid ad through the creator's own social handle.