Separate one-time launch costs
Enter initial inventory, store and setup, and launch marketing as separate amounts. Include the deposits, taxes or founder pay you intend to fund in the relevant costs; the tool does not add them automatically.
Plan your first investment
How much should I budget before I launch?
Bring your launch costs into one starting budget. See the base amount, the contingency allowance and the total funding estimate before deciding what to commit to stock, setup and operations.
Start the calculatorFree to use. Results after contact details.
IS THIS THE RIGHT TOOL?
For founders planning their first ecommerce launch or budgeting a new product business.
YOUR BUSINESS DECISION
Startup Cost Calculator
Start with your own figures or use the example inputs. Complete the steps, then share contact details to reveal your free result.
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MAKE THE INPUTS USEFUL
Before you begin.
Choose the runway you want to fund
Use a realistic monthly operating cost and the number of months you want covered. This reserves operating cash; it does not forecast when sales will pay those costs.
Allow for uncertainty
Choose a contingency percentage for the whole base budget. Keep every money input in the same currency and avoid counting the same expense in two categories.
What your result means.
The estimated startup budget is a funding target for the costs you entered. Compare the base budget with the contingency to see how much is committed and how much is reserved. If the total exceeds your available cash, test a smaller first stock order or a narrower launch scope before reducing essential operating cover.
Inventory, setup and runway: one launch budget
COMMON QUESTIONS
Understand the decision.
Does a launch budget tell me when the business will become profitable?
No. It adds your initial inventory, store and setup, launch marketing, and monthly operating cost multiplied by the runway months, then applies your contingency percentage. It does not forecast sales or a profit date. Use the break-even calculator to check the monthly sales needed to cover fixed costs.
Should I include inventory I have already bought?
Include it if you want to understand the full cost of launching. If you are working out how much extra cash you still need, keep amounts already paid separate so you do not count them twice.
What if I do not have a firm quote yet?
Use a clearly identified estimate, then run the budget again when the quote arrives. Test a higher-cost scenario before committing the entire budget.
How much should I leave for the first few months?
Enter the monthly operating cost and the number of months you want covered. That amount is reserved in full without deducting expected sales, and contingency applies to the whole base budget. Allow separately for any stock replenishment or payment delays not represented in those costs.
FROM PLANNING TO ACTION