$0.00
Setup + 1 × monthly costs + cushion
BUSINESS
Startup costs
What does it take to open — and stay open? Separate the costs of getting started from the money you need each month, then plan for one month, three months, a year or your own timeline.
Back to all calculators1 month 3 months One year
Your business framework
Consulting, design or another service business. Blank costs count as zero.
Examples are invented to demonstrate the math, not industry quotes. Use local prices and include any applicable taxes in your costs.
1. Getting started — paid once
Equipment, deposits and opening stock belong here.
USD
USD
USD
USD
USD
2. Keeping it running — per month
Include your own pay if the business needs to support you.
USD
USD
USD
USD
USD
3. Time and breathing room
months
%
USD
YOUR STARTUP BUDGET
Setup + 3 months + cushion
$0.00
A cash budget before any sales come in.
- One-time setup
- $0.00
- Running costs each month
- $0.00
- Running costs for 3 months
- $0.00
- Cushion (0%)
- $0.00
- Cash available
- $0.00
Still needed to fund this plan
$0.00The total budget minus cash already available, never below zero.
All figures use USD. Changing currency changes the label, not the amounts or exchange rate.
One month, three months, a year
Same setup costs and monthly spending, with your 0% cushion included. Cash available is not deducted from these totals.
$0.00
Setup + 3 × monthly costs + cushion
$0.00
Setup + 12 × monthly costs + cushion
Show me why
1. Add what you pay once
Setup is the sum of your opening costs. A deposit uses cash even if it may be refundable later. Opening inventory is counted here; only later replenishment belongs in the monthly budget.
2. Multiply what repeats
Running budget = monthly costs × number of months. For example, 500 a month needs 1,500 for three months or 6,000 for a year. Divide annual bills by 12 for this average-month framework; actual payment dates can require extra cash sooner.
3. Add a cushion, then check funding
Total = (setup + running budget) × (1 + cushion ÷ 100). With 1,000 in setup costs, 500 per month for three months and a 10% cushion, the total is 2,750. If you already have 1,000, the gap is 1,750.
4. A budget, not a guarantee
This assumes steady monthly costs and no sales, inflation or financing. Include repayments, taxes and extra costs in the relevant rows if they apply. Expected sales are not automatically cash in hand; profitability and payment timing need separate checks.
Next: when will the business support itself?
Check how many sales cover costs, then look at money coming in and going out.
Check break-even Explore cash flow