How Much Espresso Machine Repair Owners Make: $85K Target
You’re comparing hands-on repair work with real owner take-home, not a guaranteed salary This page uses a five-year planning model with $85,000 target owner pay, $6,275 monthly fixed overhead, and Year 1 variable and parts costs equal to 29% of revenue
Owner income$85kNet margin53%Revenue for target pay$299kBusiness difficultyHard
Want the six drivers of owner income?
1
Service Volume
93/mo
Once you clear about 93 jobs a month, the $6,275 fixed overhead is covered and the path to the $85K owner-pay target opens.
2
Ticket Rate
$269
A higher average Year 1 ticket than $269 lifts gross profit per stop, so each call contributes more to pay and reserves.
3
Utilization
71%
Better tech scheduling and fewer callbacks hold the 71% contribution margin, which keeps more labor dollars for owner take-home.
4
Maintenance Mix
65%
Moving mix toward 65% preventative contracts makes cash steadier and lowers emergency churn, which supports monthly reserves.
5
Parts Margin
29%
Keeping variable and COGS near 29% protects the 71% margin, so more of each invoice reaches before-tax income.
6
Overhead
$6.3K
Holding fixed overhead near $6.3K a month and trimming travel waste leaves more profit after rent, software, insurance, and support.
Want to test your owner take-home?
Owner income calculator
Estimate owner take-home and the target-pay gap from revenue, margin, costs, reserves, and target pay. Use monthly inputs so the output matches the operating month you expect.
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Planning note: Research-based planning estimate only, not guaranteed salary, tax advice, or owner distribution advice. Actual owner income depends on demand, pricing, payroll, taxes, debt, and how much cash you keep in the business.
How much revenue does an espresso machine repair business need?
For an Espresso Machine Repair Service, Year 1 revenue needs to be about $299k a year, or about $25k a month, to cover the plan. Here’s the quick math: about $212k in fixed payroll, overhead, and marketing, divided by a 71% contribution margin, means roughly 93 jobs a month at $269 per job. Reserves and reinvestment come before extra owner payouts.
Revenue target
$299k needed in Year 1
$25k needed each month
71% contribution margin used
$269 average revenue per job
Cost and volume
$212k fixed cost base
93 jobs a month needed
$85k owner salary included
$34k senior tech cost included
Can a solo espresso machine repair business make good money?
Yes, a solo Espresso Machine Repair Service can make good money, but only if demand and pricing support enough paid work; the solo case needs about $251k/year, or $21k/month, to cover $85k owner pay, $75.3k fixed overhead, $18k marketing, and 29% variable costs/COGS. For startup cost context, see How Much To Start An Espresso Machine Repair Service Business?; here’s the quick math: 78 jobs/month × $269 average ticket = $20,982/month, or about $251,784/year.
Money target
Reach 78 jobs/month
Hold $269 average ticket
Cover $21k monthly revenue
Protect $85k owner pay
Capacity risk
Track travel time daily
Limit unpaid diagnostics
Reduce parts runs
Control callbacks fast
Can an espresso machine repair business scale?
Yes, an Espresso Machine Repair Service can scale, but it usually adds payroll and cash-flow pressure before it adds owner distributions. In Year 1, the team can start with the owner plus 0.5 senior tech, then expand into senior techs, junior techs, a coordinator, an inventory manager, a supervisor, and sales/business development roles. The mix should move from 35% maintenance contracts to 65%, while fixed overhead stays at $6,275/month and marketing rises from $18k to $45k, so route density and first-time fixes are the real scale levers.
Staffing path
Start with owner plus 0.5 senior tech.
Add junior techs as demand grows.
Bring in a coordinator next.
Then add inventory and sales roles.
Scale pressure
Fixed overhead stays at $6,275/month.
Marketing climbs from $18k to $45k.
Contracts rise from 35% to 65%.
Route density and first-time fixes matter most.
Key Takeaways
Revenue starts with completed jobs, not inquiries.
Break-even needs about 93 jobs monthly.
Ticket mix and pricing drive income, not rate hikes.
Dense routes and stocked parts protect margin.
Scenario objective: compare lean, base, and high-utilization owner-income outcomes
Owner income scenarios
Owner income changes fast with job volume, ticket size, staffing, and fixed overhead. At 70 jobs a month the shop is tight, while 120 jobs a month leaves real room after owner pay.
Low, base, and high owner income for an espresso machine repair shop.
Scenario
Low CaseLow case
Base CaseBase case
High CaseHigh case
Launch model
Lower volume keeps owner income tight and below full pay coverage.
Modeled volume is enough to cover the owner's salary and core overhead.
Stronger volume adds surplus after owner pay and creates more cushion.
Typical setup
About 70 jobs a month at a $269 average ticket lands near $226k revenue, but payroll, overhead, and 29% variable and COGS pressure owner pay.
At 93 jobs a month and about $300k revenue, the model roughly covers an $85k owner salary with 0.5 senior tech, $75.3k fixed overhead, $18k marketing, and 29% variable and COGS.
At 120 jobs a month and about $388k revenue, the shop can pay the owner and still leave about $63k before taxes and reserves.
Cost drivers
70 jobs/month
$269 average ticket
29% variable and COGS
payroll and fixed overhead
93 jobs/month
about $300k revenue
0.5 senior tech
$75.3k fixed overhead
29% variable and COGS
120 jobs/month
about $388k revenue
owner salary covered
extra surplus
fixed overhead spread wider
Owner income rangeBefore owner reserves
$0 - $85,000Income floor
$85,000Owner pay case
$148,000Upside case
Best fit
Use this to test the downside if jobs stay soft or tickets slip.
Use this as the planning case for steady local demand and normal staffing.
Use this to test what happens if referrals, maintenance contracts, and utilization run hot.
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Planning note: These scenario ranges are researched planning assumptions, not guaranteed earnings, salary promises, tax advice, or distribution targets.
Espresso Machine Repair Service Core Six Income Drivers
Billable Repair Volume
Billable Repair Volume
Billable repair volume is the number of paid jobs that actually get finished, not just the calls that come in. More inquiries only lift owner income when the tech can convert them into completed work without wasted travel, missing parts, or unpaid admin time.
Using the Year 1 average ticket of $269, the rough break-even point is about 93 jobs per month. At 70 jobs per month, revenue is about $18,830 per month (70 × $269), which is short of a $25,000 base need. One line: booked calls don’t pay the owner unless they turn into completed jobs.
Track Booked, Completed, and Fixed
Measure booked calls, completed jobs, first-time fix rate, and unpaid admin hours. That shows where revenue leaks out, especially if dispatch, parts ordering, or follow-up calls are eating paid time.
Keep routes tight and stock the common parts that stop callbacks. If one extra nearby job adds a full $269 without another long drive, margin improves fast. If missing parts or rework push jobs into repeat visits, the same volume still leaves the owner underpaid.
Track booked calls weekly
Count completed paid jobs
Watch first-time fix rate
Log unpaid admin hours
Flag jobs with extra travel
Overhead And Travel Efficiency
Overhead And Route Density
$6,275/month of fixed overhead sits in front of payroll and marketing, so rent, insurance, software, telecom, accounting, calibration, certifications, and vehicle coverage have to be paid before the owner sees real draw. The quick pressure point is travel: fuel and maintenance add 55% of Year 1 revenue, so wide service areas can turn good sales into thin cash fast.
Dense routes protect take-home because one extra nearby job can add about $269 in revenue without a full extra travel burden. The inputs that matter are booked jobs, average ticket, drive time per stop, fuel spend, and repair miles per job. If traffic and parts runs rise, margin falls even when revenue looks fine.
Track Jobs Per Mile
Measure jobs per route hour, fuel and maintenance as a share of revenue, and average drive minutes per completed job. A short route with 3 nearby calls usually keeps more cash than 3 scattered calls at the same ticket. The goal is simple: more billable work per trip, less unbilled windshield time.
Cluster jobs by zip code.
Batch parts runs with service calls.
Set a travel minimum on small jobs.
Watch route cost after traffic spikes.
Technician Utilization And Callbacks
Billable Time and First-Time Fix
Technician utilization is the share of paid time that turns into billed repair or maintenance work. In Year 1, payroll is $85k for the owner/lead tech plus $34k for a half-year senior tech, or $119k total. If callbacks or idle time cut billable hours, that payroll turns into overhead instead of profit, and the owner’s take-home shrinks.
Here’s the quick math: labor only pays when billable hours stay high and repeat visits stay low. Track jobs per tech, first-time fix rate, and rework. Callbacks hit twice: they burn paid capacity and add parts, fuel, and goodwill loss, so the same calendar can produce less cash and weaker gross margin.
Track Rework, Protect Margin
Measure billable hours ÷ paid hours, jobs per tech, and first-time fix rate every week. Split callbacks by cause: wrong part, missed diagnosis, bad install, or customer misuse. That tells you whether the leak is training, stocking, or dispatch. If one tech’s callback rate runs high, fix that process before adding more volume.
Protect the owner’s income by keeping owner labor on sales, dispatch, and training when possible. If the owner is the lead tech, price that time as real labor, not free management. Tight routing, stocked common parts, and a clean job checklist help the same crew complete more paid work and avoid paying twice for the same visit.
Maintenance Contracts
Preventative Maintenance Contracts
Preventative contracts turn volatile repair income into steadier booked work. In this model, the contract mix rises from 35% in Year 1 to 65% in Year 5, so revenue gets more predictable and routing gets easier. That usually improves cash flow and reduces empty-drive time, even though contract visits are lower ticket than emergency calls.
The main inputs are active contracts, visit frequency, labor hours, and retention. Year 1 maintenance work is billed at $95/hour for 15 hours, so each visit is about $1,425 before parts and travel. If response times slip, renewals fall and the repeat-repair upside disappears.
Protect Renewal Rate
Track renewal rate, on-time response, and repeat repairs by account. One useful measure is contract revenue per route mile. If scheduled jobs cluster by area, you save fuel and keep more hours billable. That matters because the real value is not just the visit fee; it is the repair work that often follows a good maintenance relationship.
Use checklists, log machine history, and forecast technician hours before adding more contracts. If the mix moves from 35% to 65%, routing density should improve and cash flow should smooth out. The owner’s take-home income rises when recurring work stays full and service quality stays high.
Average Ticket And Labor Rate
Average Ticket And Labor Rate
This driver sets how much each service call earns. The Year 1 model ranges from $440 for installations to $14,250 for preventative maintenance, with a weighted average ticket near $269. At that level, mix matters more than volume: emergency calls, diagnostics, commercial jobs, and bundled repairs lift revenue and help cover payroll, fuel, rent, and owner pay.
The risk is underpricing skilled, urgent work. If the average ticket falls, the same dispatch load brings in less cash, so gross margin tightens fast. Revenue = jobs × average ticket, and every weak quote lowers the cash left after labor, parts, and callbacks.
Price by job type
Track ticket by job type, not just by month. Compare quoted labor hours to actual labor hours, then split results by emergency repair, diagnostic, maintenance, installation, and commercial service. The key inputs are hours, hourly rate, customer segment, urgency, and parts or callback load.
Use the $269 average as your benchmark.
Raise rates on urgent, complex work.
Keep installs and maintenance separately priced.
Test close rates after each price change.
Don't raise rates blindly. Price should match skill, response speed, and market demand, or you risk losing jobs and wasting admin time. If a service type runs long or creates callbacks, reprice it fast so the owner keeps more of each billable hour.
Parts Markup And Availability
Parts Markup and Stock Control
Parts are not pure profit. In Year 1, spare parts take 18% of revenue, and inventory and storage add another 3%. By Year 5, those fall to 13% and 2% in the model, so owner income improves when parts support more billable work instead of sitting on the shelf.
The inputs that matter are job mix, parts used per call, markup, warranty rate, and stock age. Wrong-part orders and warranty swaps burn cash fast, while common components on hand cut delays and help technicians finish more jobs on the first visit. One clean rule: stock for speed, not for pride.
Track Fast-Moving Parts First
Measure parts margin by job type, write-offs from dead stock, and the share of repairs completed with stocked parts. If common parts are ready, first-time fix rates usually improve and revenue turns into cash faster. If not, repeat trips and emergency buys quietly eat owner pay.
Selective inventory beats a van full of dead stock. Set reorder points for fast movers, cap slow movers, and separate warranty parts from billable parts. Keep billing clear on parts and labor so the 18% Year 1 parts load does not creep higher than planned.
