How Much A Capoeira School Owner Can Make From A $496k Year 1 Studio
A capoeira school owner’s income depends on whether the owner teaches, how full classes are, and how much profit is kept for reserves In the researched first-year model, the school produces $496k in revenue and $239k in EBITDA, a 482% EBITDA margin If the owner also fills the $65k Head Instructor Mestre role, the pre-tax owner-income pool can reach about $304k before reserves, debt, capex, and reinvestment By the mature year, the model reaches $5433M revenue and $4504M EBITDA, but that assumes 85% occupancy, 26 billable days per month, and a larger staffed schedule
Owner income$239k-$304kNet margin48.2%Revenue for target pay$631kBusiness difficultyMedium
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Planning note: This is a researched planning estimate, not guaranteed salary, tax advice, or owner distribution advice. Actual owner income depends on revenue mix, margins, payroll, taxes, debt, and reinvestment.
Want to see the six capoeira income drivers?
1
Active Enrollment
110-200 slots
Enrollment scales from 110 program slots in Year 1 to 200 by Year 5, so tuition revenue and owner take-home rise with every filled class.
2
Tuition Mix
$100-$350
The split between $100 youth, $130 adult, and $350 private training sets blended revenue per student and lifts margin when higher-priced sessions grow.
3
Retention
8%-4%
Keeping students longer protects recurring tuition and helps cut paid marketing from 8% of revenue in Year 1 to 4% by Year 5.
4
Facility Costs
$5.18K
The $5,180 monthly fixed base has to be covered before owner pay improves, so rent and overhead control matter fast.
5
Staffing Model
$65K+
The head instructor plus assistant and front desk staffing drive the biggest labor swing as class volume grows.
6
Add-On Sales
$0.8K-$2.5K
Merchandise and equipment sales add small but useful margin, rising from $800 a month to $2,500 by Year 5.
Want to check owner income in the Capoeira Classes forecast?
Can a capoeira school owner make more by scaling classes?
Yes, Capoeira Classes can make more by adding classes, but only if filled seats grow faster than payroll and rent. In the model, scaling from 22 to 26 billable days and 40% to 85% occupancy lifts adult enrollment from 60 to 100, youth from 40 to 80, and private training from 10 to 20; revenue rises from $496k to $5433M as provided. The tradeoff is real: assistant instructors increase from 0.5 FTE to 2.0 FTE and front desk coverage to 1.0 FTE, so more classes can also raise quality-control risk and owner burnout.
Scale that pays
26 billable days beats 22.
85% occupancy fills the room.
Adult growth: 60 to 100.
Youth growth: 40 to 80.
What can break it
Assistant instructors: 0.5 to 2.0 FTE.
Front desk: 1.0 FTE coverage.
Quality control gets harder.
Owner burnout rises if overteaching.
How many students does a capoeira school need to make money?
For Capoeira Classes, a staffed school needs about 117 active students to break even, based on $139 average monthly tuition, 18% direct and variable costs, and $5,180 in monthly fixed overhead before payroll. A lean owner-led shared-space model needs fewer students because it does not carry the same payroll or rent load. In the researched setup, breakeven can happen in Month 1 if the 60 adult, 40 youth, and 10 private training slots fill as modeled.
Staffed model
117 students is the break-even target
$139 weighted monthly tuition
18% direct and variable costs
$5,180 fixed overhead before payroll
Lean model
Fewer students if owner-led
Lower rent pressure than staffed space
Lower payroll burden
Research model reaches breakeven in Month 1
How much can a capoeira school owner make?
A Capoeira Classes owner can make about $239,000 in Year 1 pre-tax income pool, measured as EBITDA, or about $304,000 if they also fill the $65,000 Head Instructor Mestre role; see How Much To Open Capoeira Classes Business? for the startup cost side. This is owner-pay capacity, not a guaranteed salary.
Income model
$496,000 Year 1 revenue
$239,000 Year 1 EBITDA
$304,000 with owner-instructor role
$5.433M Year 5 modeled revenue
What drives pay
Grow active enrollment
Protect pricing mix
Control rent and occupancy
Add youth, private, billable days
Key Takeaways
Active paid students drive recurring tuition and cash flow.
Pricing matters only when students stay enrolled.
Retention lowers marketing spend and steadies monthly income.
Right-sized rent and staffing protect owner take-home.
Compare low, base, and high capoeira owner-income scenarios
Owner income scenarios
Owner income moves with occupancy, billable days, pricing, and how much teaching the founder keeps on the floor.
Compare lower, base, and higher owner-income cases for a capoeira studio.
Scenario
Low CaseLow Case
Base CaseBase Case
High CaseHigh Case
Launch model
This is the lower-income path when the studio is still building attendance and the owner stays in the teaching role.
This is the modeled middle path when demand is steadier and the owner still leads instruction.
This is the stronger-income path when enrollment is full and the owner depends less on a personal teaching load.
Typical setup
About 110 program slots run at 40% occupancy with 22 billable days, $496k revenue, $239k EBITDA, and a $65k owner-teacher role.
About 155 program slots run at 70% occupancy with 26 billable days, $2.54M revenue, $1.916M EBITDA, and the founder keeping the head instructor role.
About 200 program slots run at 85% occupancy with 26 billable days, $5.433M revenue, $4.504M EBITDA, and a more staffed studio model.
Cost drivers
Occupancy
billable days
program slots
owner-teacher pay
marketing spend
Occupancy
program slots
billable days
head instructor role
wage mix
Occupancy
program slots
pricing
staff coverage
fixed overhead
Owner income rangeBefore owner reserves
$304kLow Case
$1.981MBase Case
$4.569MHigh Case
Best fit
Use this to stress-test a new studio where enrollment is still thin and the founder does most of the teaching.
Use this as the most likely staffed operating case once demand is steady.
Use this to test upside if the studio scales cleanly and the owner runs a staffed schedule.
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Planning note: These scenario figures are researched planning assumptions, not guaranteed earnings, salary promises, tax advice, or distributions.
Capoeira Classes Core Six Income Drivers
Active Capoeira Students
Active Paid Members
Active paid members are the real income base here, not just sign-ups. With 110 program slots in Year 1 and 200 by Year 5, occupancy moving from 40% to 85% means more tuition spreads the same fixed overhead across more paying students, so owner take-home rises faster than from one-off events.
Here’s the quick math: if classes look full but beginners do not renew, cash gets choppy. The main risk is churn after the first few months, which leaves seats empty again and forces the studio to keep replacing students instead of compounding recurring revenue. Full classes without retention can still mean weak profit.
Track Renewals, Not Just Sign-Ups
Measure active paid members, class fill rate, and beginner-to-renewal conversion every month. Those three numbers tell you whether tuition is durable or just noisy. One clean rule: if enrollment grows but renewals lag, revenue quality is slipping.
Count active paid members weekly.
Watch fill rate by class.
Track beginner renewals after onboarding.
Fix weak classes fast.
Use the schedule to keep students in motion, but not overcrowded. The goal is steady retention so each cohort stays long enough to cover rent, instructor time, and admin costs. That is what lifts cash flow and gives the owner room to pay themselves consistently.
Instructor Costs And Owner Teaching
Owner Teaching and Instructor Load
When the owner teaches, more cash stays in the business because it avoids extra instructor pay. The model still values the Head Instructor Mestre role at $65,000 per year, so unpaid owner hours can make profit look better than it really is. That matters most early, when class fill is still building and every paid teaching hour cuts into take-home.
Coverage grows fast in this model: assistant instructors start at 0.5 FTE and reach 2.0 FTE by Year 5, while front desk support starts at 0.5 FTE from Month 6 and rises to 1.0 FTE. More staff lets you run more classes, but margin drops unless those added spots stay full. One clean rule: empty seats do not pay instructors.
Track Teaching Hours Against Filled Classes
Measure owner teaching hours, assistant FTE, front desk FTE, and class fill rate together. If hired coverage rises faster than occupancy, the business is buying schedule capacity it cannot cash flow yet. That is the hidden risk: unpaid owner labor can mask the real cost of growth and delay the point where the owner can draw a stable paycheck.
Track the break-even question by class block: how many paid students are needed to cover each instructor hour. Keep a simple roster by class type, then compare filled spots to staffed hours each month. If a class stays thin, cut the schedule, shift the owner back in, or delay hiring. Capacity should follow demand, not lead it.
Owner teaching hours per week
Assistant and front desk FTE
Filled spots per class
Revenue per staffed hour
Unpaid owner time
Capoeira Class Tuition And Membership Mix
Capoeira Tuition Mix
Pricing sets revenue per student, but only if families and adults stay enrolled. In the modeled mix, Year 1 tuition averages about $139 per month, with $130 adult, $100 youth, and $350 private training. By Year 5, rates rise to $150, $120, and $400, so a better mix lifts monthly revenue without adding rent.
Here’s the catch: raising price without visible progress or class consistency can increase churn. If the school sells more unlimited memberships, youth plans, family pricing, and drop-ins, but retention slips, cash gets less predictable and owner take-home can stall. Price helps only when the recurring base stays intact.
Track Mix, Then Raise It
Measure active paid members by segment, average monthly tuition, and renewal rate. Split the base into adult, youth, private training, family, and drop-in users so you can see which plan actually holds cash. If adult or family plans churn, the weighted average drops fast, even if headline rates look strong.
Use simple tests: keep class times consistent, show visible skill progress, and check whether the higher $150 / $120 / $400 Year 5 pricing is being absorbed. If retention holds, the mix improvement flows straight to gross profit and owner draw; if it doesn’t, price changes just create empty slots.
Track revenue per active student
Watch churn after price changes
Compare adult, youth, private mix
Test family pricing and drop-ins
Capoeira Student Retention
Student Retention
Retention keeps monthly tuition coming in and stops the school from constantly refilling beginner classes. In this model, marketing is 8% of revenue in Year 1 and drops to 4% by Year 5 as retention improves, so weaker renewals directly eat into owner pay and cash flow.
What this driver includes: active paid members, renewal rate, beginner-to-renewal conversion, and class fill rate. If churn stays high, the owner keeps spending to replace lost students before profit can build. One line: retained students are worth more than new sign-ups.
Improve Renewals
Track active paid students, first-30-day attendance, and renewal rate by class type. Use clear beginner onboarding, fixed class times, kids progression, and visible skill milestones so students see progress fast and stay enrolled longer.
Also watch how much revenue depends on paid ads. If onboarding is weak, the school becomes ad-driven and cash gets choppy. Strong renewal behavior lowers replacement spend, lifts operating margin, and makes owner draws more predictable.
Measure renewal before month-end.
Fix the beginner path first.
Reward visible skill progress.
Capoeira Private Lessons And Workshops Revenue
Private lessons and workshops
Add-ons can lift owner pay, but only after recurring enrollment is stable. In this model, private training grows from 10 clients at $350 per month in Year 1 to 20 clients at $400 per month by Year 5. Merchandise and equipment sales also rise from $800 to $2,500 per month, so the owner gets more cash per student without adding many new members.
These add-ons include kids camps, workshops, performances, rodas, grading events, and equipment sales. The quick math is simple: they improve profit only when instructor time and space already exist. If events pull attention from core classes, retention slips and the extra revenue can be offset by weaker recurring tuition.
Measure add-on margin first
Track revenue, labor, and room use by add-on type. Watch private-lesson fill, workshop attendance, merch sales, and the extra hours needed to run each event. Keep add-ons secondary to memberships, and only push them when core classes are full enough that the studio would otherwise sit idle.
Private lesson booking rate
Gross margin by event type
Instructor hours per add-on
Merch sales per active student
Core class retention after events
If add-ons improve cash but hurt renewals, they are too big. Price them to cover prep, teaching, and cleanup, then keep core class consistency first. That is what protects owner take-home and keeps add-ons from becoming busy work.
Capoeira Studio Rent And Overhead
Studio Rent And Overhead
Facility cost decides how much tuition turns into owner pay. Here’s the quick math: modeled rent is $3,800 per month and fixed overhead is $5,180 per month, so the studio carries $8,980 in monthly fixed cost before instructor pay and marketing. If occupancy stays below 40%, cash gets tight fast.
Shared-space setups lower early break-even, but they limit schedule control. A dedicated studio can support more youth classes, private lessons, and events, but the fixed load is heavier. The owner needs rent, occupancy, and class fill rate to move together, or tuition growth won’t show up as take-home income.
Keep Space Right-Sized
Track the full facility load: rent + utilities + insurance + software + janitorial + accounting + legal. Compare that number to monthly recurring tuition, not just sign-ups. One clean test: if the studio cannot fill enough classes to cover $8,980 with room for profit, the space is too big or too expensive.
Before signing a lease, test occupancy by class block, not just total student count. A right-sized space raises margin, lowers the student break-even point, and protects owner draw. If the model needs more than 40% occupancy just to stay calm on cash, cut space first, then add classes later.
