Sub-Bottom Profiling Break-Even: About $94K/Month Needed

Fixed costs $16.2K/mo Monthly overhead base

Contribution margin 70% After variable costs

Break-even revenue $23.1K/mo Monthly target

Break-even timing Month 5 Model crosses here

Break-even calculator

Test monthly revenue against variable expenses and fixed costs to see when this survey service clears break-even.

Lean Base Full

Monthly revenue Revenue is the main pool that covers direct costs and then overhead. $ Low sales High sales Variable expenses These rise with survey work, including field logistics and vessel-related costs. $ Low direct High direct

Money available to cover fixed costs $372,726 $510,583 revenue - $137,857 variable expenses

Margin ratio

73%

Covers fixed costs

Yes

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

Break-even chart Revenue Total costs

Which survey expenses stay fixed, and which move with sales?

Cost classification

Break-even is reliable only when job-linked expenses are kept out of fixed overhead. Here, the first operating year breaks even in Month 5, so misclassifying vessel, labor, or software spend can move that target fast.

Expense	Cost	Break-Even Treatment	Common Mistake
Vessel Charter and Fuel	Variable	Model at 18% of first-year revenue, or about $318k on $1.768M revenue.	Treating charter as fixed when it is billed per job.
Data Processing Software Licensing	Variable	Model at 4% of first-year revenue, or about $71k tied to processing volume.	Ignoring processing load as survey hours rise.
Field Logistics and Mobilization	Variable	Model at 5% of revenue because mobilization rises with project activity.	Burying mobilization in overhead instead of project margin.
Equipment Maintenance and Calibration	Variable	Model at 3% of revenue to reflect usage-driven upkeep and calibration.	Excluding calibration from job-level margin.
Shore-side Office Rent	Fixed	Carry as $6,500 per month across the operating range.	Letting rent scale with revenue in the break-even model.
Insurance (Professional and Marine)	Fixed	Carry as $4,200 per month unless coverage terms change.	Spreading insurance only across active survey months.
Cloud Computing and IT Support	Fixed	Carry as $2,800 per month for baseline systems and support.	Classifying all technology spend as job-variable.
Technical Wages	Semi-fixed	Use first-year salaries of $475k, then step up as full-time headcount increases.	Treating salaried survey staff as hourly project labor.

How does break-even change from lean to base to full utilization for this survey service?

Scenario table

Break-even gets much safer as utilization rises from lean to full. More billable hours and a richer project mix lift contribution faster than fixed burden, so the break-even gap widens at each step.

Planning scenarios use billable hours and customer mix, so they are planning inputs, not guarantees.

Scenario	Monthly Revenue	Variable Costs	Fixed Costs	CM Ratio	Operating Profit	Break-Even Signal
Lean Year 1 mix	$1,473k	$442k	$657k	70.0%	$374k	About $535k above break-even, but the cushion is tightest here.
Base Year 3 mix	$5,106k	$1,379k	$1,146k	73.0%	$2,581k	Solid cushion of about $3.5M, so break-even risk drops sharply.
Full Year 5 mix	$10,910k	$2,618k	$1,864k	76.0%	$6,428k	Wide cushion of about $8.5M, so fixed-cost coverage is very strong.

What breaks the break-even plan if revenue slips or marine costs rise?

Stress test

Base case clears break-even, but the cushion gets thin fast when revenue or margins slip. The tightest case is lower sales plus a 3-point margin hit and higher fixed load, which leaves very little room for weather, fuel, or mobilization overruns.

Stress Case	Changed Assumption	Break-Even Revenue	Revenue Gap	Risk Signal
Current plan	No change in revenue, margin, or fixed cost.	$939k	$534k cushion	Healthy cushion, but fixed crews matter.
Revenue shortfall	Revenue falls 10% to $1,326k.	$939k	$387k cushion	A sales miss trims cushion, not survival.
Fixed-cost pressure	Fixed costs rise by $10k.	$954k	$519k cushion	More overhead eats buffer first.
Margin pressure	Variable expenses rise from 30% to 33%.	$982k	$491k cushion	Fuel and overtime pressure profit fast.
Combined pressure	Revenue falls 20%, variable expenses rise to 33%, and fixed costs rise by $10k.	$996k	$182k cushion	This is the closest case to the line.

What should you verify before locking in vessel, crew, and office spend for a sub-bottom profiling survey service?

Founder checklist

Here’s the quick test: don’t lock in the full fixed spend until booked pipeline is above $94K/month, Year 1 pricing holds, and you can fund the Month 6 cash trough of negative $136K. The model breaks even by Month 5, but payback still runs 22 months.

1Booked pipeline$94K/mo

Keep signed or near-signed work above this run rate before you carry the full overhead.

2Year 1 rates$450/$550/$350

Confirm clients will still buy Site Characterization, Geohazard Mapping, and Dredging Support at these hourly prices.

3Fixed load$16.2K/mo

Hold shore-side rent, insurance, cloud, memberships, and admin at this level before you add more fixed spend.

4Contribution mix70% CM

Keep vessel charter, software licensing, logistics, and maintenance near 30% of revenue, since Year 1 logistics alone is 5%.

5Crew rampPre-hire

Secure subcontracted vessel time and build QA/QC before the analyst ramp adds headcount and schedule promises get tighter.

6Cash bufferMonth 6

Fund the Month 6 cash low of negative $136K or delay nonessential office spend; the model still needs 22 months to pay back.