Startup budget
Separate opening payments from the operating cash reserve.
Open the calculator →Work through the numbers.
Each state profile has its own calculator tied to the business format and state wage benchmark. The five standalone tools below use editable, synthetic worked examples.
Choose the output before entering numbers
Use one of 5 standalone teaching calculators for a general financial boundary, or one of 33 calculations inside the 55 practical guides for a defined operating decision. Keep the same business scope and units when moving between tools; inputs are not transferred automatically.
| Your question | Inputs | Output | Check separately |
|---|---|---|---|
| What funding must arrive before the cash trough? | Opening cash payments, retained floor and monthly net cash | Funding required and timing deficit | Local quote validation and financing approval |
| How many completed units cover my defined costs? | Monthly fixed costs, realized unit price, variable cost and depreciation | Whole EBITDA and EBIT thresholds with a capacity comparison | Demand, tax and debt repayment |
| When does cash reach the protected floor? | Unrestricted cash, protected floor, cash receipts and payments | Approximate constant-flow runway | Dated cash receipts and irregular payments |
| When does opening project cash stay recovered? | Opening project outlay and an ordered monthly cash sequence | Durable recovery within the entered horizon | Discounted value and outcomes beyond the horizon |
| What revenue fits an entered capacity ceiling? | Daily available units, assumed demand, open days and realized price | Capacity-capped unit revenue | Profit and resource-specific whole-job scheduling |
Open an operating calculation inside a guide
- How to test business demand before forecasting revenue
- How to test a coffee shop location by buying window
- How many enrolled child-weeks does a daycare center need to break even?
- How to turn daycare ratios and group limits into a paid staffing roster
- How many pet grooming appointments does a salon need to break even?
- How many landscaping visits does a two-crew route need to break even?
- How many completed food-truck orders are needed to break even?
- How many bakery retail orders are needed to break even?
- How many fitness studio members are needed to break even?
- How many HVAC jobs are needed to break even?
- How many moving jobs are needed to break even?
- How many sold technician hours does an auto repair shop need to break even?
- How many plumbing service jobs and billable hours are needed to break even?
- How many electrical service jobs and sold hours are needed to break even?
- How many recurring pest-control plans are needed to break even?
- Can remodeling project margin cover the crew and milestone cash gaps?
- Can self-storage rent and occupancy cover the lease and opening cash?
- Can dog daycare and boarding cover the complete paid care roster?
- Can completed tutoring sessions cover the complete paid center?
- Can RN visits and aide hours cover a complete home-care agency?
- Can vending sales cover stock, the paid route and machine investment?
- What to check before committing to business premises
- How to compare equipment quotes and build the opening budget
- How to build a startup budget you can actually fund
- How to build a staffing roster before estimating payroll
- How many clients can your salon or detailing business serve?
- How to price a service and cover the work behind it
- How to price a recurring cleaning contract from its actual scope
- How to test a restaurant menu before buying more kitchen capacity
- How to build a 13-week cash plan for your first 90 days
- How much startup financing do you need, and can you repay it?
- Why a profitable business can still run out of cash
- How much can you take home from your business?
Guide calculations provide matching JSON and CSV scenarios plus a completed-work text download. The standalone tools show their calculation in the page. Verify the applicable sources, assumptions and cash dates before committing funds.
Break-even
Test the contribution margin and the sales needed to cover costs.
Open the calculator →Cash runway
Explore how starting cash and a monthly burn assumption interact.
Open the calculator →Project payback
Follow cash recovery through a monthly path.
Open the calculator →Service capacity
Check the volume that a physical format can deliver.
Open the calculator →Choose a direction, then check the evidence.
Business idea finder
Match your preferred workplace, customer rhythm, opening work and reference funding range to the 24 developed business formats.
Find a starting point →Startup planning checklist
Choose a business and state, separate unstarted work, working estimates and saved local evidence, then download the next actions.
Build your checklist →Financial information disclaimer
Published research and calculations support business planning and education. They are not personalized financial, investment, tax or legal advice, and they do not guarantee costs, revenue, profit or financing. Estimates depend on the stated format, location, source periods and assumptions. Check the requirements and commitments that apply to your circumstances.