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Key Takeaways
- The minimum required monthly budget to cover fixed overhead, including G&A payroll and rent, starts at approximately $12,158 before factoring in variable expenses.
- Variable costs present a significant initial hurdle, consuming 290% of gross revenue due to high technician labor and supply costs.
- The financial model projects a lengthy path to profitability, requiring 22 months of operation before the business reaches its breakeven point in October 2027.
- Technician Direct Labor is the largest single cost category, demanding optimization efforts to drive its share down from 150% of revenue toward a sustainable 110%.
Running Cost 1 : Direct Labor & Payroll Taxes
Labor Cost: The Initial Overhang
Direct labor costs are your biggest initial hurdle, starting at 150% of gross revenue in 2026. You must aggressively drive scheduling efficiency to cut this burden down to 110% by 2030 just to achieve viability.
What Direct Labor Covers
This line item covers technician wages, benefits, and employer payroll taxes. To estimate it, you need the average time per window cleaning job multiplied by the fully loaded hourly rate for your staff. This cost dominates early expense structure.
- Technician hours per job.
- Fully loaded hourly wage rate.
- Total projected monthly jobs.
Driving Efficiency Down
Reducing labor from 150% to 110% requires relentless scheduling discipline. Focus on maximizing route density so technicians spend less time driving between appointments. Poor routing kills margin fast.
- Increase jobs per route mile.
- Minimize non-billable travel time.
- Standardize job completion times.
The 2030 Benchmark
Hitting the 110% target by 2030 isn't optional; it's the floor for profitability given other fixed overheads. If your scheduling efficiency stalls, you'll be running a structural loss, defintely requiring price hikes or service cuts.
Running Cost 2 : Fixed G&A Payroll
Fixed Admin Burn
Your initial fixed G&A payroll, covering the owner and part-time help, sets a baseline burn rate of $8,958 per month in 2026. This cost is non-negotiable until you hire full-time employees (FTEs). You must cover this before any variable labor costs kick in.
Cost Breakdown
This $8,958 monthly figure represents your core administrative overhead before scaling operations. It combines the $70,000 annual owner salary and associated payroll taxes for part-time support staff. This cost must be covered by subscription revenue every month, regardless of job volume.
- Owner salary: $70,000 annually.
- Part-time staff payroll included.
- Monthly fixed cost: $8,958 in 2026.
Manage Staffing
Managing this fixed cost means strictly delaying the hiring of new full-time employees (FTEs). Since this is primarily owner compensation and minimal support, the focus should be on maximizing administrative efficiency now. Avoid adding salaried roles until revenue comfortably exceeds variable costs, defintely.
- Delay FTE hiring strictly.
- Ensure part-time roles are essential.
- Owner time must drive revenue.
Overhead Hurdle
This fixed payroll creates a high hurdle rate. If rent is $1,500 and insurance/accounting is $1,400, your minimum monthly operating cost before variable labor hits is about $11,858. You need solid recurring revenue just to pay the office and admin staff.
Running Cost 3 : Office/Depot Rent
Rent Density Check
This $1,500 monthly facility cost is fixed overhead for your window cleaning depot. You need enough recurring revenue density in your service area to cover this cost before adding other fixed expenses like payroll. Honestly, this space only pays for itself when jobs cluster tightly.
Facility Cost Basis
This $1,500 covers your physical space—the depot for supplies, vehicle staging, and maybe a small office. It’s a hard fixed cost starting day one, regardless of how many customers you sign up initially. You must budget this for the full lease term, usually 12 or 24 months.
- Covers warehouse/storage needs.
- Fixed monthly commitment.
- Budgeted before scaling staff.
Optimize Space Use
Avoid paying for empty square footage early on. If you start small, consider a shared commercial space or a flexible month-to-month arrangement defintely instead of a long lease. If customer onboarding takes 14+ days, churn risk rises, but a small space mitigates early cash burn.
- Delay signing long leases.
- Use shared commercial storage.
- Keep initial footprint small.
Break-Even Density
Your $1,500 rent sets a minimum revenue hurdle. If your average job contribution margin is 50%, you need $3,000 in monthly contribution just to cover the facility. This means you must secure enough recurring service volume to generate that baseline coverage quickly.
Running Cost 4 : Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
CAC Target
Your initial marketing spend is set at $15,000 annually, targeting a Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) of $75 per customer in 2026. You must aggressively drive this down to $55 by 2030 to manage margin compression from rising labor costs.
Budget & Volume Link
This $15,000 covers all planned advertising spend for the first year. To hit the 2026 goal of $75 CAC, you need to acquire exactly 200 new customers ($15,000 / $75). If your subscription value is low, this acquisition volume might not cover fixed overhead yet.
- Inputs: Marketing budget vs. new customers acquired.
- Fit: Directly impacts cash flow before Lifetime Value (LTV) kicks in.
- Goal: Acquire 200 customers in 2026.
Driving CAC Down
Reducing CAC from $75 to $55 requires shifting spend from broad awareness to high-intent channels, like local search ads or neighborhood saturation campaigns. Focus on maximizing referral rates from your initial 200 customers; referrals are your cheapest acquisition source. Defintely track payback period.
- Prioritize hyper-local digital targeting.
- Boost referral incentives early on.
- Measure payback period closely.
The 2030 Pressure
Hitting the $55 CAC by 2030 is crucial because direct labor costs are projected to be 110% of revenue by then. If CAC stays high, the margin compression from labor will make scaling impossible.
Running Cost 5 : Vehicle Operating Costs
Variable Vehicle Hit
Vehicle operating costs are highly variable, eating up 60% of revenue initially for fuel and upkeep. This massive cost must be tracked separately from your fixed $250 monthly insurance premium. Honestly, this is your biggest controllable variable expense.
Estimate Inputs
This 60% variable cost covers fuel, routine maintenance, and vehicle depreciation (wear-and-tear) for your cleaning fleet. To estimate this accurately, you need projected monthly revenue and the expected mileage per technician route. If revenue hits $30,000 next month, expect $18,000 consumed just by keeping the trucks running.
- Projected monthly revenue.
- Average miles driven per job.
- Current local fuel prices.
Cost Control
Controlling this major expense means optimizing routes to cut fuel burn and scheduling proactive maintenance. Avoid letting minor issues become major repairs that spike costs above the 60% benchmark. A single breakdown can halt revenue generation, defintely wiping out profit.
- Implement GPS tracking for route efficiency.
- Negotiate bulk fuel purchasing rates.
- Standardize vehicle maintenance schedules.
Fixed Insurance Link
Remember that the $250 monthly fixed vehicle insurance is separate from this variable 60% bucket. Failing to track these two components distinctly will seriously distort your true unit economics and margin analysis.
Running Cost 6 : Cleaning Supplies & Maintenance
Supplies Hit Hard Early
Cleaning supplies and maintenance are a massive initial drag, starting at 50% of revenue. You must aggressively drive this percentage down as you scale up service volume to hit profitability targets. This cost absolutely needs to improve faster than labor efficiency.
What Supplies Cover
This cost covers all consumables, like eco-friendly solutions and squeegees, plus routine equipment repairs. To model this, you track monthly revenue to apply the 50% rate, which dwarfs fixed G&A payroll costs. If you hit $30k revenue, supplies cost $15k right away.
- Track chemical usage per job type.
- Monitor squeegee/blade replacement frequency.
- Factor in minor tool breakage costs.
Reducing the 50% Drag
Reducing this initial 50% burden requires strict inventory control and process standardization across all crews. Focus on negotiating supplier pricing once volume justifies larger orders. Preventative maintenance on expensive gear, like water-fed poles, saves big repair bills later on.
- Negotiate supplier bulk discounts now.
- Standardize solution mixing ratios strictly.
- Track repair costs per technician team.
Margin Pressure Point
While direct labor trends down from 150% to 110%, supplies must shrink proportionally faster. If supplies remain near 50% when labor is optimized, your gross margin is still crushed by fixed overhead like the $1,500 rent and $650 insurance.
Running Cost 7 : Insurance & Compliance
Fixed Compliance Cost
Your baseline Insurance & Compliance overhead is fixed at $1,150 per month, which covers necessary liability protection and professional upkeep. This cost is non-negotiable before your first cleaning job, so budget for it immediately.
Cost Breakdown
This $1,150 monthly figure covers mandatory General Liability and Vehicle insurance totaling $650. The remaining $500 covers routine accounting and legal retainer fees necessary for compliance. These are foundational fixed costs in your overhead structure.
- Insurance is $650/month.
- Legal/Accounting is $500/month.
- Total fixed compliance is $1,150.
Managing Fees
You can shop insurance quotes annually to potentially lower the $650 vehicle and liability portion. Be careful not to skimp on legal or accounting; ensure your $500 retainer covers standard filings. If onboarding takes 14+ days, churn risk rises due to delayed service, defintely.
- Shop insurance quotes yearly.
- Keep accounting scope fixed.
- Don't cut legal reserves.
Fixed Overhead Impact
This $1,150 sits squarely in your fixed overhead, meaning it must be covered regardless of revenue volume. Compare this to the $1,500 rent and $8,958 fixed payroll—this compliance cost is a significant, predictable drain on early cash flow.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Fixed costs start around $12,158 monthly, covering G&A payroll and overhead Total costs depend heavily on revenue, as variable expenses like labor and supplies consume 290% of sales in the first year;