Media Training Break-Even Revenue: About $27K Per Month

Fixed costs $18.5K/mo Year 1 burn

Contribution margin 76% After delivery costs

Break-even revenue $24.3K/mo Monthly target

Break-even timing Month 27 Model turns positive

Break-even calculator

Test monthly revenue, variable expenses, and fixed monthly costs against break-even for a media training business.

Lean Base Full

Monthly revenue Revenue is the cash pool that has to cover fixed overhead. $ Slow month Busy month Variable expenses These are direct costs that rise with each client or workshop. $ Low spend High spend

Money available to cover fixed costs $6,200 $6,813 revenue - $613 variable expenses

Margin ratio

91%

Covers fixed costs

$12,250 short

Fixed monthly costs This is the monthly overhead the business must cover. $ Lean overhead Built-out team

Break-even chart Revenue Total costs

Which press coaching expenses stay fixed, and which move with sales?

Cost classification

Break-even gets reliable only when monthly overhead is split from session-level delivery spend. Treat travel, studio use, and coach contractors as sales-linked expenses, or the Month 27 break-even target can look safer than it is.

Expense	Cost	Break-Even Treatment	Common Mistake
Office rent, $2,500 per month	Fixed	Include in monthly overhead before calculating the sessions needed to cover the base business.	Spreading rent across each package and hiding the real monthly hurdle.
CRM and video conferencing software, $300 per month	Fixed	Keep as stable overhead for the relevant planning range from Month 1 through Month 60.	Treating basic software as a per-client charge when it does not move with each booking.
Contract coach fees, 12% of revenue in the first year	Variable	Subtract from each sale before contribution margin, since it rises with delivered client work.	Treating contractor coaches like fixed payroll and overstating margin at low volume.
Per-session studio rental, 3% of revenue in the first year	Variable	Model as a delivery expense tied to session activity, then reduce the rate as the model shows it falling over time.	Booking it as fixed overhead and missing the drag from extra in-person sessions.
Sales commissions and referral fees, 5% of revenue in the first year	Variable	Deduct directly from revenue when estimating contribution margin by package or channel.	Counting referred sales at full gross margin and overstating break-even progress.
Client project materials and travel, 4% of revenue in the first year	Variable	Attach to delivered projects, especially workshops and on-site client work, before covering fixed overhead.	Treating travel and materials like general overhead instead of session-level delivery spend.
Senior Media Coach staffing, 0.5 FTE to 2.5 FTE	Semi-fixed	Add in steps as coaching capacity expands; this changes the break-even target when staffing levels rise.	Assuming coach payroll grows smoothly with sales instead of jumping when capacity is added.
Annual marketing budget, $25,000 to $120,000	Semi-variable	Link spend to customer acquisition, with CAC falling from $750 to $500 as the model scales.	Holding marketing flat while expecting lower acquisition cost and higher lead volume.

How does break-even change across lean, base, and full media training scenarios?

Scenario table

Break-even improves as the mix shifts to higher-margin work and fixed staffing scales. Lean stays below break-even, base clears it, and full capacity gives the widest cushion.

Planning assumptions only; mix, sales speed, and staffing can shift break-even.

Scenario	Monthly Revenue	Variable Costs	Fixed Costs	CM Ratio	Operating Profit	Break-Even Signal
Lean coaching proof-of-demand	$109K	$26K	$205K	76%	-$122K	Still below break-even, so demand proof is needed.
Base team delivery	$761K	$145K	$439K	81%	$177K	Clears break-even and starts building a cushion.
Full workshop and retainer scale	$2.0M	$279K	$610K	86%	$1.1M	Well above break-even, with the widest margin of safety.

What breaks first if bookings slow or costs rise for media training?

Stress test

The base plan sits near $270K in monthly revenue against $205K of fixed costs and a 76% contribution margin. A 15% booking miss, a 10% fixed-cost jump, or a margin slip to 71% all push the model into a real monthly gap.

Stress Case	Changed Assumption	Break-Even Revenue	Revenue Gap	Risk Signal
Current plan	No change.	$270K	$0 gap	No cushion if demand softens.
Revenue shortfall	Monthly revenue lands 15% below break-even.	$270K	$31K gap	Paid CAC above $750 can slow bookings.
Fixed-cost pressure	Fixed costs rise 10% as on-site work grows.	$297K	$27K gap	More on-site work pushes overhead up.
Margin pressure	Contribution margin falls from 76% to 71%.	$289K	$19K gap	Higher contractor coach rates squeeze contribution.
Combined pressure	Revenue is 15% lower, fixed costs are 10% higher, and margin falls to 71%.	$318K	$63K gap	Slow workshop bookings and cost creep can flip cash negative.

Can you prove enough booked demand before you hire coaches, lease space, and scale media training?

Founder checklist

Before you add payroll or sign a lease, prove the model can reach Month 27 break-even without leaning on emergency cash. The real test is whether a weighted $821 first-year package and 33 monthly engagements can work inside a $25K Year 1 marketing budget and $750 CAC.

1Booked Demand33/mo

Confirm discovery calls and referrals can turn into at least 33 monthly engagements, or the funnel will not support payroll.

2Package Value$821

Verify the blended first-year package value stays near $821, because a weaker ticket makes the monthly engagement target much harder to hit.

3Contribution Margin76%

Year 1 direct costs take about 24% of revenue, so this 76% contribution margin has to cover staff, rent, and marketing.

4Fixed Load$4.7K/mo

That is the lean monthly overhead before payroll, so delay office or studio commitments if virtual delivery can handle the early work.

5Coach Capacity1.5 FTE

Keep the CEO and senior coach inside the Year 1 1.5 FTE load, and do not add contractors until the CRM, recording setup, sample coaching deck, interview practice flow, client intake, and referral tracking are live.

6Cash Runway$623K

Keep this reserve in view because the model bottoms in Month 28, and do not expand toward Year 3 payroll until bookings can support roughly $542K in monthly break-even revenue.