PCI DSS Compliance Consulting Break-Even: $73K Monthly Revenue

Fixed costs $9.1K/mo Monthly overhead base

Contribution margin 73% After variable costs

Break-even revenue $106.9K/mo Closest threshold

Break-even timing Month 19 Cumulative break-even

Break-even calculator

Test how monthly revenue covers variable work costs and fixed monthly overhead in PCI DSS compliance consulting.

Lean Base Full

Monthly revenue Revenue is the pool that covers variable costs and then fixed costs. $ Early month Mature month Variable expenses These rise with revenue, like referral fees, travel, and security partner costs. $ Light cost Heavy cost

Money available to cover fixed costs $80,188 $106,917 revenue - $26,729 variable expenses

Margin ratio

75%

Covers fixed costs

Yes

Fixed monthly costs This is the monthly overhead and staffing base that contribution margin must cover. $ Lean base Scaled base

Break-even chart Revenue Total costs

Which PCI DSS consulting expenses stay fixed, and which move with sales?

Cost classification

Break-even gets unreliable when payroll steps and revenue-linked fees are blended into one overhead line. First-year revenue carries a 27% direct variable load before fixed overhead and salaries.

Expense	Cost	Break-Even Treatment	Common Mistake
Office Rent	Fixed	Carry as $4,500/month overhead from Month 1 to Month 60.	Typing $45,000 and inflating break-even.
Professional Liability Insurance	Fixed	Carry as $1,400/month overhead across the planning range.	Scaling it with each new client.
Principal Consultant	Fixed	Use a $13,750/month salary base: $165,000 / 12.	Treating senior delivery capacity as variable labor.
Senior PCI Compliance Specialist	Semi-fixed	Add in staffing steps: 1.0 FTE first year, 4.0 FTE by Year 5.	Averaging headcount and hiding hire months.
Cybersecurity Analyst	Semi-fixed	Add in staffing steps: 1.0 FTE first year, 5.0 FTE by Year 5.	Letting analyst payroll scale smoothly with revenue.
Qualified Security Assessor Partnership Fees	Variable	Apply as 12% of revenue in the first year, declining to 8% by Year 5.	Booking it as fixed vendor overhead.
Security Scanning and Monitoring Licenses	Variable	Apply as 6% of revenue in the first year, declining to 4% by Year 5.	Treating licenses as a flat software bill.
Marketing Budget	Semi-fixed	Plan as budget steps: $65,000 first year, $180,000 by Year 5.	Treating customer acquisition cost (CAC) as free growth.

How does break-even change from a lean launch to a full PCI DSS consulting model?

Scenario table

As revenue shifts from one-off work to more recurring support, contribution margin rises and fixed payroll gets spread across more billable hours. That’s why the model moves from a launch loss to near break-even in Month 19, then to a wider cushion.

These are planning assumptions built from the model inputs, not a promise of actual results.

Scenario	Monthly Revenue	Variable Costs	Fixed Costs	CM Ratio	Operating Profit	Break-Even Signal
Lean founder-led launch	$54.1k	$14.6k	$59.3k	73%	-$19.8k	Still below break-even; fixed payroll is too heavy for this scale.
Base recurring support mix	$106.9k	$26.7k	$78.7k	75%	$1.5k	Month 19 fits here best: the mix is almost at break-even.
Full scaled delivery model	$327.8k	$62.3k	$176.2k	81%	$89.2k	Clear cushion here; the larger team can absorb fixed cost.

What breaks this PCI DSS consulting break-even plan?

Stress test

Year 1 sits near $730k of revenue, with 73% left after variable costs. Against the $649k plan, even a small miss in sales, overhead, or travel pushes the firm deeper into loss.

Stress Case	Changed Assumption	Break-Even Revenue	Revenue Gap	Risk Signal
Current plan	No change; Year 1 revenue stays at $649k and fixed overhead stays at $533k.	$730k	$81k gap	The base plan already runs below break-even.
Revenue shortfall	Revenue slips 10% below break-even to $657k.	$730k	$73k gap	That miss cuts about $53k of operating room.
Fixed-cost pressure	Fixed overhead rises 10% to $586k.	$803k	$154k gap	A small cost bump adds $73k to break-even.
Margin pressure	Variable expenses rise from 27% to 32%, cutting margin to 68%.	$783k	$134k gap	A 5-point margin squeeze lifts break-even by $53k.
Combined pressure	Revenue falls to $657k, margin drops to 68%, and fixed overhead rises to $586k.	$862k	$205k gap	All three hits create about $139k of loss.

Is the PCI DSS consulting setup ready for the Year 1 marketing and hiring push?

Founder checklist

Don’t lock in the office and hiring plan until the pipeline can support the $65,000 Year 1 marketing budget and CAC stays near $3,500. The model reaches break-even in Month 19, so early spend has to win retainers, not just one-off projects.

1Pipeline proof$3.5K CAC

Verify the paid and referral funnel can support the $65k Year 1 marketing budget and keep CAC near $3,500 before you scale spend.

2Fixed load$9.1K/mo

Verify the office and software stack earn their keep; fixed overhead is $9,100 a month before wages, so rent only makes sense if in-person work lifts sales or delivery.

3Margin guard73% CM

Verify pricing stays disciplined, because Year 1 gross margin is about 73% after 12% partner fees, 6% scanning, 5% referral commissions, and 4% travel.

4Retainer mix65%

Verify most new work lands on monthly retainers, not one-off gap analysis, because recurring revenue rises from 65% in Year 1 to 85% by Year 5.

5Capacity ramp12.5 hrs

Verify each active customer stays near 12.5 billable hours a month in Year 1 so the first-year team can absorb demand before you add more cybersecurity analysts.

6Cash runway$519K

Verify reserves cover the $519k cash floor, because the model does not break even until Month 19 and payback takes 48 months.