Know your numbers before you launch — and optimise them once you are live. From break-even analysis and startup costs to unit economics, cash flow projections and business valuation, our 10 free tools give you the financial clarity every business decision needs.
Most business failures are not caused by bad products or services — they are caused by bad financial models. Not knowing your break-even point, underestimating startup costs, pricing below your cost base, or running out of cash while the business is actually growing. Our calculators make the critical numbers visible before they become problems.
The exact revenue at which your business covers all its costs — fixed and variable. Below break-even you are losing money. Above it, every additional sale generates profit at your contribution margin rate. Not knowing your break-even is the single most common financial mistake in early-stage businesses.
Revenue minus direct costs (COGS) as a percentage of revenue. Gross margin determines how much of every sale is available to cover overheads and generate profit. A 30% gross margin means for every £100 sold, £30 is available to pay rent, salaries and everything else. Below 20% leaves little room for error.
The total cost of acquiring one new customer, including all marketing and sales costs. If your monthly marketing spend is £2,000 and you acquire 10 customers: CAC = £200. This must be compared against Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) — the industry minimum is LTV ≥ 3× CAC.
Cash burn is how much cash you spend each month. Runway is how many months your current cash covers at that burn rate. Most investors and advisers recommend maintaining at least 18 months of runway. Running out of cash — not running out of customers — kills most startups.
| Sector | Typical Gross Margin | Typical Net Margin | Avg Break-Even |
|---|---|---|---|
| SaaS / Software | 65–80% | 10–25% | 12–24 months |
| Professional Services | 40–70% | 15–30% | 3–9 months |
| E-commerce / Retail | 20–50% | 3–10% | 6–18 months |
| Manufacturing | 15–35% | 5–15% | 12–36 months |
| Hospitality / Food | 60–75% (food cost 25–40%) | 3–9% | 12–24 months |
| Construction / Trades | 20–40% | 5–12% | 3–12 months |
A business can be profitable on paper while running out of cash. If you invoice £20,000 in December but clients pay in February, you have £20,000 of profit but a January cash crisis. This is why profitable businesses fail — cash flow timing is different from profit timing. Our Cash Flow Projection Tool models both separately so you can see when money actually lands in your account.
Break-even units = Fixed Costs ÷ (Selling Price − Variable Cost per Unit). Break-even revenue = Fixed Costs ÷ Gross Margin %. Example: £5,000 monthly fixed costs, selling price £50, variable cost £20 (gross margin 60%) → break-even = 167 units or £8,333 revenue per month. Our calculator handles this instantly with a visual breakdown.
Gross margin benchmarks vary enormously by sector (see table above). Net profit margins of 10–20% are generally healthy for a UK SME. Below 5% net margin leaves little buffer. For startups, gross margin matters more than net margin in early stages — you need enough gross profit to eventually cover overheads at scale. Under 30% gross margin makes this very difficult.
A general rule is 3–6 months of total operating costs as working capital before launch. Beyond that, most advisers recommend maintaining 12–18 months of runway at current burn rate. For product businesses with inventory, add the cost of initial stock. For service businesses, the critical number is how long until you reach break-even revenue — the working capital must cover that gap plus a buffer.
LTV (Customer Lifetime Value) divided by CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) measures the efficiency of your business model. The industry minimum is 3:1 — each customer must generate at least 3 times what it costs to acquire them. Below 1:1 means you are losing money on every customer. Above 5:1 often means you are under-investing in growth. For subscription businesses, also track CAC payback period — ideally under 12 months.
200 free calculators across 20 financial categories.