Event Listing Directory Break-Even: About $166K Monthly Revenue

Fixed costs $81.0K/mo Base monthly burn

Contribution margin 81.5% After variable costs

Break-even revenue $99.4K/mo Needed monthly sales

Break-even timing Month 10 Model break-even 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 top line that creates margin to cover fixed costs. $ Low sales High sales Variable expenses These are direct costs that rise with revenue, like support and data fees. $ Lean spend Heavy spend

Money available to cover fixed costs $113,425 $139,167 revenue - $25,742 variable expenses

Margin ratio

82%

Covers fixed costs

$30,663 short

Fixed monthly costs This is the monthly cost base that contribution margin has to cover. $ Slim overhead Heavy overhead

Break-even chart Revenue Total costs

Which expenses are fixed and which move with sales for an event listing directory website?

Cost classification

Break-even is only useful if fixed spend and revenue-linked spend are separated cleanly. In the first operating year, recurring overhead must absorb variable fees while the model reaches break-even in Month 10.

Expense	Cost	Break-Even Treatment	Common Mistake
Headquarters Office Rent	Fixed	Treat as a stable $12,000 monthly obligation from Month 1 through Month 60.	Leaving it out because traffic starts small.
Software SaaS Subscriptions	Fixed	Include the $2,500 monthly platform tool spend before calculating break-even volume.	Modeling subscriptions as usage-based when the plan is flat.
Legal and Compliance Retainer	Fixed	Carry the $4,000 monthly retainer as recurring overhead across the planning period.	Treating legal work as a one-time setup item.
Year 1 Payroll	Semi-fixed	Use about $57,500 per month in the first operating year, then step it up as full-time headcount grows.	Spreading future hires too early or too late.
Buyer Acquisition Marketing	Semi-fixed	Budget $500,000 in the first year and reset spend by campaign period, not by each order.	Treating paid acquisition as optional when buyer CAC is $12.
Seller Acquisition Marketing	Semi-fixed	Budget $150,000 in the first year and measure it against seller CAC of $150.	Cutting seller spend before supply depth is built.
Cloud Hosting and Server Infrastructure	Variable	Apply 8.0% of revenue in the first year, falling to 5.0% by the mature year.	Using one flat server bill while traffic scales.
Payment Gateway Transaction Fees	Variable	Apply 3.5% of revenue in the first year, declining to 3.0% by the mature year.	Forgetting card fees when commission revenue grows.

How does break-even change from lean launch to base traction to full city coverage for this event listing directory?

Scenario table

Break-even shifts as event supply, paid placement inventory, and repeat use improve. The more often young professionals, active families, and college students come back, the faster fixed costs get spread.

Planning assumptions only; actual results move with event supply, paid placement mix, and repeat usage.

Scenario	Monthly Revenue	Variable Costs	Fixed Costs	CM Ratio	Operating Profit	Break-Even Signal
Lean launch	$139k	$26k	$144k	81.5%	-$31k	Break-even lands around Month 10 if launch keeps pace.
Base traction	$334k	$55k	$203k	83.6%	$76k	Covers fixed costs and supports payback by Month 24.
Full city coverage	$1,377k	$152k	$390k	89.0%	$835k	Strong cushion, but only if repeat use stays high.

What breaks the break-even plan if traffic, ad rates, or costs slip?

Stress test

Base case clears overhead at about $166k a month, but the cushion is thin. A 15% revenue miss, a 10% fixed-cost bump, or a 5-point margin drop each creates a real gap, and the combined case pushes the monthly miss past $40k.

Stress Case	Changed Assumption	Break-Even Revenue	Revenue Gap	Risk Signal
Current plan	No change from the base case.	$166k	$0 cushion	Covers overhead, but only with base traffic and ad rates.
Revenue shortfall	Monthly revenue falls 15% to about $141k.	$166k	$20k gap	Weak paid placements or slower traffic growth can flip this red.
Fixed-cost increase	Fixed costs rise 10% to about $149k.	$183k	$14k gap	Contractor overruns or higher search spend eat the cushion fast.
Margin pressure	Contribution margin falls 5 percentage points to 76.5%.	$177k	$8k gap	Lower ad rates or weak paid placements hit margin fast.
Combined pressure	Revenue falls 15%, fixed costs rise 10%, and margin drops to 76.5%.	$195k	$41k gap	This is the failure case; overhead is no longer safe.

Can the event directory prove fresh listings and paid demand before you scale spend?

Founder checklist

Test city coverage, onboarding speed, and repeat use before you commit to broad marketing. With Year 1 EBITDA at -$368K, minimum cash at $341K in Month 9, and break-even in Month 10, this only works if fresh listings and buyers keep moving.

1City coverage60/30/10

Confirm one city can deliver a steady 60/30/10 mix of independent artists, local small businesses, and professional promoters so the feed stays fresh enough to justify paid traffic.

2Seller CAC$150

Run a seller test at the Year 1 CAC of $150 and keep the submission flow short, or acquisition cost will outrun live inventory.

3Buyer CAC$12

Run buyer tests at the Year 1 CAC of $12 and make sure repeat use holds at 1.20, 0.80, and 1.50 across young professionals, active families, and college students.

4Launch stack6 checks

Do not scale until listing submission, moderation, event updates, mobile experience, analytics, and sponsor placement inventory all work cleanly, because weak ops kill retention.

5Cost load$81.0K/mo

Check that the fixed load, about $81.0K a month from payroll plus overhead, is covered and that each order still clears the variable stack, since Year 1 EBITDA is -$368K and break-even lands in Month 10.

6Cash cushion$341K

Hold at least the $341K cash floor into Month 9, because that reserve bridges the gap to Month 10 break-even and keeps you from funding growth too early; payback is 24 months.