Business & Corporate Calculators

Calculators for the numbers that decide whether a business is viable β€” break-even volume, operating profitability, and the margin versus markup distinction that trips up most pricing.

Margin and markup are not the same number

This single confusion destroys more small-business pricing than any other error. A 50% markup is a 33% margin. A 100% markup is a 50% margin. If you set prices believing you are earning a 50% margin when you are actually earning 33%, every unit sold carries less profit than your projections assume β€” and the gap widens with volume.

Break-even analysis answers the prior question: how many units must you sell before fixed costs are covered and additional sales become profit. The instructive part is usually how sensitive the answer is to price. A 10% price increase often reduces the break-even volume far more than a 10% cost reduction, which is why pricing power matters more than efficiency for most early-stage businesses.

EBITDA strips out financing and accounting decisions to show operating performance, which makes it useful for comparing businesses with different capital structures. It is not a cash flow measure, and treating it as one is a well-documented way to run out of money while reporting a profit.

Use these calculators to pressure-test assumptions before committing to a price list or a growth plan.