Break-Even Simulator · Companion to the Financial Model
Move a lever. Watch the money move.
Four decisions set whether this store covers a living wage and clears its costs. Drag any one and the break-even, the cushion, and the three-year picture recompute instantly. Start from the base case and pressure-test it against your own numbers.
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4The levers
The four inputs the model flagged as the ones that actually move the outcome.
Rent & NNN location
$47
$/SF/yr, all-in · Southlake premium
$34 · Trophy Club$52
Gift & basket mix
62%
Share of revenue from gifting & wrapping vs. shelf retail
45% · retail-heavy78% · gift-led
Blended gross margin
57.1%
Set directly, or let the gift mix drive it
50% · thin65% · rich
Operator salary the success test
$55,000
The operator's living wage — a fixed cost paid every month, in every year
$40k$70k
✓The readout
The bar, in the client's own words: a livable salary covered, and positive cash flow.
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—
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Monthly break-even revenue
$26,041/mo
Mature run-rate vs. break-evenrun-rate $28,000/mo
$28,000
Margin of safety
+$1,959/mo
Monthly fixed nut
$14,856
Operator's salary is covered — drawn as a fixed line every month, before profit.
Operating income — three years
✓ Matches your financial model at the base case.
How to read it. Break-even is the monthly revenue where costs are exactly covered — including the operator's full salary. The mature run-rate is a normal, settled month once the store finds its footing (~$28,000). The gap between them is your cushion. The three-year bars show the whole business: a planned Year-1 loss funded by a separate operating reserve, crossing to positive in Year 2.
These numbers mirror your financial model. At the base case this simulator reproduces the workbook exactly — break-even $26,041/mo, run-rate $28,000/mo, and Year 1 −$42,304 / Year 2 +$2,169 / Year 3 +$33,207. It is a companion for exploring the levers, not a replacement for the full model.