Free calculator
Trade presets for the launch costs, the monthly bills that start on day one, and how long your cash carries it.
The trades are the cheapest real businesses left to start - most solo operations open for $2,000 to $8,000, and pressure washing or cleaning can start under $1,500. The number that sinks new contractors is almost never the equipment. It is launching with zero runway: every dollar goes into the rig, then insurance and fuel bills arrive before the first month of jobs does.
That is why this calculator splits the money in two. One-time costs open the doors; monthly fixed costs keep them open. Whatever cash survives the launch, divided by the monthly number, is your runway - the months the business can breathe before revenue has to carry it. Two to three months is a workable floor.
The presets here are starter numbers, not showroom numbers. The pattern behind most businesses that survive year one: buy the equipment the next ninety days of jobs need, and let the jobs buy the rest. A financed dream rig is a fixed cost; used gear is a one-time cost that is done hurting you.
The monthly fixed number this page produces is exactly what the break-even calculator needs - it turns it into jobs per month. And per-trade pricing for those jobs lives in the pricing guides.
Lean solo starts run $1,000 to $8,000 depending on trade: pressure washing or cleaning can open under $1,500 with basic equipment, handyman and painting near $2,500 to $4,000, and licensed trades like plumbing, electrical, or HVAC $6,000 to $12,000 once licensing and better tools are counted. A vehicle you already own keeps any of them near the bottom of the range.
The monthly ones. Insurance, fuel, phone, and software start billing before the first job pays, and slow first months are normal. Working capital - two to three months of fixed costs in cash - is the line most launch budgets skip, and the reason most first-year closures happen.
Many operators start as sole proprietors and form an LLC once income is real; what usually matters sooner is trade licensing where your state requires it and general liability insurance, which many customers ask to see. Formation rules vary by state, so check yours.
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Compare the hours and costs you quoted against what the job actually took.
Convert between the two, and find the markup that lands the margin you want.
Work back from the take-home you want, your overhead, and the hours you can actually bill.
A payment schedule from a job total - deposit, progress draw, and balance, the three payments you will actually collect.
Load payroll taxes, comp, benefits, and paid time off into the true hourly cost of a crew member.
Fixed costs divided by what a job really contributes - the first number a new business should know.
The all-in monthly cost, the cost on every job, and the extra jobs a month that carry it.
The profit that truly replaces a W2 - benefits and self-employment tax included.
FEM runs the business side from day one - spoken estimates, invoices, payments, and follow-up for less than most of that overhead list. Start free - no credit card required.
Build a real estimate freeSolo is $29.99/month with every office feature. Canvass is $59.99/month plus $19.99/month per rep seat.
