Business Builder

Validate, price, forecast, and track — the basics no one teaches first-gen founders.

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Starting a business — the honest version

A business is just a system that sells a thing for more than it costs to make. You need three things to start: a problem someone will pay to solve, a way to reach those people, and basic numbers (what it costs you, what you charge). Don't form an LLC until you've made your first sale.

Idea validation scorecard

Check what's true. Honesty beats optimism here.

I've talked to 10+ potential customers in the last 30 days.
I can name at least 3 direct competitors and what they charge.
Someone has agreed to pre-pay or pre-order this.
I can describe my ideal customer in 1 sentence.
I know exactly what problem I solve and what it costs them today.
I've shipped a 'crappy first version' or pilot in some form.
I have a way to reach 100+ of my target customers (list, community, channel).

Score

0 / 7

Idea-stage — don't quit your job yet

Service pricing calculator

Cost + labor + target margin. Stop charging from your gut.

Materials / hard costs ($)

Hours of work

Your hourly rate ($)

Target margin (%)30–50% is healthy

Your cost

$235

Charge

$336

30% margin

Profit per job

$101

$/effective hour

$84

Cash flow forecast

Project 6–24 months of revenue, costs, and cumulative profit.

Starting monthly revenue ($)

Monthly growth rate (%)

Fixed costs ($/mo)rent, software, salary

Variable costs (% of revenue)

Months to forecast

Cumulative @ 12 mo

$72,281

Avg monthly profit

$6,023

M1$8,000−$5,000

$3,000

M2$8,640−$5,224

$3,416

M3$9,331−$5,466

$3,865

M4$10,078−$5,727

$4,351

M5$10,884−$6,009

$4,875

M6$11,755−$6,314

$5,441

M7$12,695−$6,643

$6,052

M8$13,711−$6,999

$6,712

M9$14,807−$7,383

$7,425

M10$15,992−$7,797

$8,195

M11$17,271−$8,245

$9,026

M12$18,653−$8,729

$9,925

Profit & Loss tracker

Bare-bones P&L for the current month.

Revenue

Expenses

Total revenue

$7,300

Total expenses

$2,140

Net profit

$5,160

70.7% margin