Electrostatic Spraying Service Break-Even Point: About $49K/Month

Fixed costs $8.03K/mo Base overhead

Contribution margin 86% After variable spend

Break-even revenue $9.3K/mo Revenue needed

Break-even timing Month 7 Ramp point

Break-even calculator

Use this calculator to test monthly revenue, variable expenses, and fixed costs against break-even.

Lean Base Full

Monthly revenue Revenue is the cash pool that has to cover direct costs and fixed overhead. $ Low sales High sales Variable expenses These are disinfectant, PPE, and other costs that rise with more work. $ Low costs High costs

Money available to cover fixed costs $149,844 $171,250 revenue - $21,406 variable expenses

Margin ratio

88%

Covers fixed costs

Yes

Fixed monthly costs This is the monthly overhead contribution margin must cover before profit. $ Lower overhead Higher overhead

Break-even chart Revenue Total costs

Which expenses are fixed and which move with sales for this disinfection service?

Cost classification

Break-even is only useful if each expense is treated by how it behaves. Fixed bills set the monthly hurdle, while revenue-linked supplies and staffing changes decide how fast each new job covers that hurdle.

Expense	Cost	Break-Even Treatment	Common Mistake
Warehouse and Office Rent	Fixed	Include $4,200 per month in the fixed monthly hurdle.	Tying rent to job count when it stays flat in the planning range.
Liability and Workers Comp Insurance	Fixed	Include $1,150 per month before calculating required contribution.	Leaving insurance out because it is not tied to one service visit.
Utilities and High Speed Internet	Semi-variable	Start with the $480 monthly base, then watch for usage increases as service volume rises.	Treating the whole bill as fixed when operating activity can push it up.
Professional Legal and Accounting	Fixed	Include $750 per month as recurring overhead in break-even math.	Classifying it as a one-time startup item instead of monthly overhead.
Equipment Maintenance Fund	Semi-fixed	Use $900 per month until fleet size or service capacity forces a step-up.	Spreading all equipment spending evenly as monthly overhead without capacity triggers.
EPA Disinfectant Solutions	Variable	Reduce contribution margin by 8.5% of revenue in the first year.	Modeling chemical use as fixed even though it rises with service volume.
Technician PPE and Supplies	Variable	Reduce contribution margin by 5.5% of revenue in the first year.	Ignoring supplies because each unit is small; the percentage still matters.
Sanitization Technician Wages	Semi-variable	Model staffing as capacity-linked labor, rising from 2 FTEs in the first year to 14 FTEs in Year 5.	Treating all labor as purely variable or fully fixed.

How does break-even change across lean, base, and full-capacity scenarios for this service?

Scenario table

Break-even moves with route density and staffing. The lean launch case stays under water, the Year 1 base case sits near balance, and the Year 5 build shows a real cushion even though Month 7 is still the launch cash checkpoint.

Planning cases only. Actual break-even will move with route density, staffing, and close rates.

Scenario	Monthly Revenue	Variable Costs	Fixed Costs	CM Ratio	Operating Profit	Break-Even Signal
Lean launch case	$40.7k	$5.7k	$46.5k	86.0%	-$11.5k	Below break-even, so early cash burn stays high.
Year 1 base case	$52.7k	$7.4k	$46.5k	86.0%	-$1.2k	Near balance, but Month 7 is still the cash turning point.
Year 5 full-capacity case	$329.5k	$36.2k	$149.7k	89.0%	$143.6k	Strong cushion once 14 technician FTEs are in place.

What breaks the break-even plan for this electrostatic disinfection service?

Stress test

Base case has only a $39k cushion over break-even, so a small drop in recurring work or a cost bump can flip the plan fast. Watch contract count, route density, overtime, chemical prices, and fuel-driven travel time.

Stress Case	Changed Assumption	Break-Even Revenue	Revenue Gap	Risk Signal
Current plan	No change.	$488k	$39k cushion	The launch plan clears break-even, but only by a small margin.
Revenue shortfall	Revenue falls 10% to about $474k.	$488k	$14k gap	Fewer recurring contracts can push monthly sales below break-even.
Fixed-cost pressure	Fixed costs rise 10% to about $461k.	$536k	$9k gap	Overhead creep can erase the cushion even if sales hold.
Margin pressure	Variable costs take a bigger share of sales and contribution margin falls to 82.0%.	$512k	$15k cushion	Chemical and labor pressure leave less cash after each job.
Combined pressure	Revenue falls 10%, fixed costs rise 10%, and variable costs take a bigger share of sales.	$536k	$62k gap	Small misses stack fast and wipe out the launch cushion.

What should you verify before buying the full sprayer fleet?

Founder checklist

Before you buy the full sprayer fleet, make sure signed or near-signed recurring work can carry the $488K monthly break-even target. If the pipeline is thin, the Year 1 revenue plan of $632K and the $734K cash need through Month 7 are both too tight.

1Contract Mix$450-$1,850/mo

Verify near-signed recurring work at $450, $950, and $1,850 per month, with $250 emergency retainers only when the scope really fits.

2Break-Even Load$488K/mo

Compare your booked pipeline to the $488K monthly break-even target before you add fixed cost, or the fleet will outrun demand.

3Route Capacity$632K Y1

Check that service routes and schedules can carry Year 1 revenue of $632K without missed visits or overtime.

4Technician Ramp2 techs

Make sure two Year 1 sanitization technicians can cover the promised volume before you lock in the launch plan.

5Supply StackEPA + PPE

Confirm United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) disinfectant solutions, PPE, and insurance are in place before launch, because missing supplies stop revenue.

6Cash Cushion$734K

Protect the $734K minimum cash need through Month 7 and stage the $127.5K capex, or early slippage will force cuts.