Makeup Studio Break-Even: $28K Monthly Revenue Target

Fixed costs $9.0K/mo Core overhead

Contribution margin 41% After variable costs

Break-even revenue $22.2K/mo Monthly target

Break-even timing Month 5 Model break-even

Break-even calculator

Test monthly revenue against variable expenses and fixed costs to see how close the studio is to break-even.

Lean Base Full

Monthly revenue Revenue is the pool that covers direct costs and overhead. $ Low revenue High revenue Variable expenses These rise with each booking, like supplies, artist fees, and promo. $ Low direct cost High direct cost

Money available to cover fixed costs $50,069 $60,131 revenue - $10,062 variable expenses

Margin ratio

83%

Covers fixed costs

Yes

Fixed monthly costs This is the monthly cost base break-even must cover. $ Lean overhead Heavy overhead

Break-even chart Revenue Total costs

Which makeup studio expenses stay fixed, and which move with bookings?

Cost classification

Break-even gets shaky when rent, payroll, supplies, and artist fees are treated the same. Classify each expense by how it behaves as bookings rise, so contribution margin and fixed overhead stay clean.

Expense	Cost	Break-Even Treatment	Common Mistake
Studio rent	Fixed	Use $6,500 per month in fixed overhead for the relevant planning range.	Reducing rent when bookings fall instead of holding it flat.
Business insurance	Fixed	Use $250 per month as fixed overhead before calculating required bookings.	Spreading insurance across each booking as if it varies with sales.
Service supplies	Variable	Model at 55% of service revenue in the first year because usage rises with booked work.	Budgeting supplies as one flat monthly amount while volume changes.
Retail product cost	Variable	Model at 40% of add-ons and retail revenue tied to client purchases.	Counting retail sales as pure margin without product replacement.
Freelance artist fees	Variable	Model at 60% of relevant booking revenue when freelance artists perform the work.	Treating freelance labor like fixed payroll or ignoring it in contribution margin.
Performance marketing	Variable	Model at 25% of revenue when spend is tied to booking demand and paid acquisition.	Leaving marketing fixed even when paid campaigns scale with sales.
Utilities and cleaning services	Semi-variable	Start with the monthly base of $700 for utilities and $300 for cleaning, then increase when hours expand.	Keeping both flat even after longer days and heavier studio traffic.
Senior makeup artist hiring	Semi-fixed	Add salary in hiring steps, starting with the $70,000 annual role from Month 13 as capacity grows.	Treating all payroll as per-booking labor instead of capacity added in blocks.

How does break-even change from a lean makeup studio to a full-service setup?

Scenario table

The lean case is just above break-even, the base case has a solid cushion, and the full-service case has the widest gap. More bookings help, but higher payroll and fixed costs also push the break-even line up.

Planning assumptions only; actual results will move with booking mix, artist capacity, and payroll timing.

Scenario	Monthly Revenue	Variable Costs	Fixed Costs	CM Ratio	Operating Profit	Break-Even Signal
Year 1 lean studio	$25.2k	$4.5k	$19.3k	82.0%	$1.3k	Small cushion; revenue barely clears break-even.
Year 3 base studio	$50.1k	$8.4k	$34.9k	83.2%	$6.8k	Clearer cushion; break-even risk is lower if payroll stays steady.
Year 5 full-service studio	$78.6k	$12.3k	$42.9k	84.4%	$23.4k	Best cushion, but only if chair time stays full.

What breaks the break-even plan if bookings slip or payroll moves early?

Stress test

The base case works, but the cushion is thin. A small booking dip, a faster hire, or a 1-point rise in variable costs can push the studio back toward loss.

Stress Case	Changed Assumption	Break-Even Revenue	Revenue Gap	Risk Signal
Current plan	No change.	$286K	$16K cushion	The base case clears break-even, but only by a small amount.
Revenue slip	One fewer daily visit cuts revenue to $241K.	$286K	$45K gap	A modest demand drop turns profit into a loss.
Payroll ahead	A $70K senior artist starts before demand, lifting fixed costs by $58K.	$354K	$52K gap	Staff cost moves up faster than bookings, so break-even jumps.
Margin squeeze	Variable expenses rise by 1 percentage point.	$290K	$12K cushion	Small cost creep trims most of the buffer.
Combined stress	Bookings slip, payroll moves early, and variable expenses rise by 1 point.	$394K	$92K gap	This is the red zone; the current plan would not cover it.

Can you prove 117 monthly bookings before you sign the lease and hire the team?

Founder checklist

Don't sign the lease until you can show 117 monthly bookings, a $241.25 blended ticket, and enough cash to reach the Month 6 low. In this model, the studio runs on a $9.0K monthly fixed load and $157K of startup equipment and build-out spend, so weak demand or slow hiring burns cash fast.

1Booking path117/mo

Verify you can book at least 117 clients a month, or about 5 a day, before you lock the lease; that is the load the model needs for break-even to look real.

2Ticket mix$241.25

Check that the 30% bridal, 45% event, and 25% photoshoot mix plus $40 add-ons still produces a $241.25 ticket and about a 92.5% contribution margin after the $18.0 Year 1 direct cost.

3Fixed load$9.0K/mo

Make sure the non-payroll fixed load stays at $9.0K a month, so rent and overhead do not wipe out the contribution from early bookings.

4Artist cover5/day

Verify the owner and artist bench can cover 5 visits a day in Year 1, then scale cleanly as demand rises to 7, 9, 11, and 13 visits a day.

5Cash reserve$810K

Confirm you can fund the Month 6 cash low of $810K and the $157K startup equipment and build-out spend, or the opening plan is too tight.

6Workflow setupMonth 1

Set booking, payment, inventory, and client follow-up systems before opening, because missed deposits and stock gaps hit cash and service flow right away.