How many sales make this business work?
Estimate launch cash, sales needed to cover costs and how long your money could last.
No email or phone. Inputs stay in this tab. Amounts are USD.Keep up to three named scenarios, then change the calculator for the next one. Saved comparisons stay in this tab and disappear when you leave. To save a file, choose “Save as PDF” in your browser’s print dialog.
Planned sales cover monthly costs
Estimates update as you change the numbers. Review the assumptions below.
See the breakdown
- Contribution per sale
- $60
- Contribution margin
- 60.0%
- Break-even monthly revenue
- $13,400
- Cash left after launch
- $15,000
- Monthly fixed costs + owner pay
- $8,000
- Surplus if sales are 20% lower
- -$800
- Additional cash for target runway
- $0.00
How to read this estimate
Break-even units are rounded up. Fixed costs include your owner-pay goal; variable costs should include materials, per-sale labor, shipping, transaction fees and other costs that rise with sales.
Runway assumes steady monthly sales and immediate collections. It excludes taxes, financing payments and sales ramps unless entered in costs. Add receivables, inventory and seasonal cash needs to launch costs.
If sales do not cover variable costs, there is no positive-volume break-even point under these assumptions.
A $100 sale is not $100 available to pay the rent
At a $100 selling price and $40 variable cost, each sale contributes $60. With $5,000 fixed costs and a $3,000 owner-pay goal, $8,000 ÷ $60 means at least 134 sales a month to cover those costs.
What to look for: At 150 monthly sales, the example leaves $1,000. At 120 sales, it loses $800. Test demand and collection timing before treating the positive example as a cash guarantee.
The example figures above stay fixed while you edit your own scenario. Use “Load example” to restore default inputs where available.
Your next steps
- Get supplier, lease, insurance and licensing quotes.
- Test whether customers will pay your assumed price.
- Build a month-by-month plan if sales ramp slowly or customers pay later.
Sources & assumptions
Linked sources explain the methods and considerations. Example rates, costs and future growth assumptions are editable illustrations, not current market quotes. Reviewed September 7, 2026.
These tools provide educational estimates. Confirm terms and inputs before making a financial commitment.