Battery Jump Start Service Break-Even: 443 Calls Per Month

Fixed costs $33.1K/mo Core monthly base

Contribution margin 71.8% After variable costs

Break-even revenue $46.1K/mo Monthly target

Break-even timing Month 13 Model turns positive

Break-even calculator

Test monthly revenue, variable expenses, and fixed costs to see where this roadside service breaks even.

Lean Base Full

Monthly revenue Revenue sets the cash pool that covers variable and fixed costs. $ Low volume High volume Variable expenses Use direct costs that rise with each job and surcharge sale. $ Light costs Heavy costs

Money available to cover fixed costs $216,407 $260,417 revenue - $44,010 variable expenses

Margin ratio

83%

Covers fixed costs

Yes

Fixed monthly costs Use monthly overhead that stays on even when volume slows. $ Lean overhead Heavy overhead

Break-even chart Revenue Total costs

Which jump start service expenses are fixed, variable, semi-variable, or semi-fixed?

Cost classification

Break-even is reliable only if monthly overhead stays fixed and call-linked expenses move with revenue. Here, fixed overhead starts with items like $2,500/month workspace, while Year 1 variable rates include 3.0% payment fees and 12.0% digital marketing.

Expense	Cost	Break-Even Treatment	Common Mistake
Shared Office Space	Fixed	Include $2,500/month in fixed overhead from Month 1 through Month 60.	Tying rent to jump start call volume.
General Liability Insurance	Fixed	Include $1,800/month in fixed overhead for the relevant planning range.	Treating the policy as a per-call charge.
Software Subscriptions and CRM	Fixed	Include $600/month as recurring operating overhead.	Moving it with revenue instead of monthly operations.
Payment Processing Fees	Variable	Apply the revenue rate, starting at 3.0% of revenue in the first year.	Leaving card fees out of contribution margin.
Platform Infrastructure and API Fees	Variable	Apply the revenue rate, starting at 2.5% in the first year and falling to 1.5% by Year 5.	Modeling usage-linked platform fees as flat overhead.
Digital Marketing and Customer Acquisition	Variable	Apply the revenue rate, starting at 12.0% in the first year and falling to 7.5% by Year 5.	Assuming customer acquisition spend stays flat while jobs grow.
Customer Support Representative Payroll	Semi-variable	Model support staffing as volume-driven payroll, rising from 1.0 FTE in Year 1 to 8.0 FTE in Year 5.	Holding support headcount flat through scale-up.
Vehicle-related expense, if added	Semi-fixed	Model separately in capacity steps because no vehicle operating amount is provided.	Spreading an unsupported vehicle estimate across every call.

How does break-even change from a lean year to a full operating year?

Scenario table

At the lean run rate, fixed payroll and overhead still eat most of the margin, so break-even is tight. As call volume rises, contribution grows faster than fixed costs, and the cushion opens up.

Planning assumptions only; actual results will vary with demand, call mix, and technician coverage.

Scenario	Monthly Revenue	Variable Costs	Fixed Costs	CM Ratio	Operating Profit	Break-Even Signal
Lean Year 1 run rate	$43.1k	$8.4k	$36.9k	80.5%	-$2.2k	Still slightly below break-even.
Base Year 2 run rate	$105.3k	$18.6k	$40.6k	82.3%	$46.0k	Fixed overhead is covered with room left.
Full Year 3 run rate	$260.4k	$44.0k	$54.4k	83.1%	$162.0k	Break-even risk is low at this scale.

What breaks the break-even plan for a battery jump start service?

Stress test

The plan is most exposed to slower launch demand, higher acquisition spend, and extra overhead before call density improves. A 1-point margin slip lifts break-even revenue to about $464,000, and adding $1,000 a month in fixed cost pushes it to about $470,000.

Stress Case	Changed Assumption	Break-Even Revenue	Revenue Gap	Risk Signal
Current plan	No change.	$458,000	$0 gap	At target, there is no cushion.
Revenue shortfall	Opening revenue lands at $431,000.	$458,000	$27,000 gap	A modest launch miss puts the plan behind break-even.
Fixed-cost pressure	Fixed overhead rises by $1,000 per month.	$470,000	$39,000 gap	Small overhead adds quickly widen the cash need.
Margin pressure	Contribution margin falls by 1 percentage point.	$464,000	$33,000 gap	A small fee or mix slip raises the hurdle.
Combined pressure	Fixed overhead rises by $1,000 per month and margin falls by 1 point.	$476,000	$45,000 gap	This is where slower demand and overhead start to collide.

Can this service area produce 443 monthly calls before you commit to the fleet, app build, and staffing?

Founder checklist

Before you lock in the fleet, app build, and staffing, verify the service area can support at least 443 monthly calls. If it can’t, the $117K startup build and the Month 13 break-even gate will push cash needs higher than the model can carry.

1Service Density443 calls/mo

Verify the local call pool can reach this pace before you scale ads, because sparse coverage makes a roadside service sit idle between jobs.

2Monthly Overhead$36.9K/mo

Check Year 1 wages plus core overhead stay near this number, since the model already carries a lean office, insurance, software, legal, and telecom base.

3Gross Margin80.5% CM

Keep variable costs around the Year 1 load so each call holds about 80.5% of revenue after payment, platform, marketing, and referral costs.

4Dispatch Ramp1.0→8.0 FTE

Make sure dispatch and support can ramp from 1.0 to 8.0 FTE only as volume rises, or you will hire ahead of demand and miss break-even.

5Cash Buffer$767K

Hold this cash floor through Month 12, because the model's low point lands before breakeven in Month 13.

6Startup Capex$117K

Fund the $117K launch build first, then wait to widen coverage until Month 13 breakeven and the 21-month payback still hold.