General auto repair shop
Three-bay independent mechanical repair shop with two technicians and an owner service adviser
Five guides · full plan example pending
$5,182
Year 1 modeled EBITDA, after owner compensation
Business profitability and cash flow
Profit is one part of the decision. The opening cash trough and the debt schedule matter too.
Each entry labels its own earnings measure and period from the same case used in the startup budget. Most show Year 1 EBITDA; the nail salon labels Year 2. Owner compensation is included. Keep the stated periods and units separate. Depreciation, interest and income taxes are outside EBITDA, so this figure is not net profit or money freely available to the owner.
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Read the published full plan examples. Each entry below states whether a full example is available.
30 business packages · 2 with a full plan example · 28 guide sets
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Self-service car wash
Four-bay retrofit of an existing leased wash site
Full plan example + five guides
$56,017
Year 1 modeled EBITDA · owner pay included
Child care center
Private preschool for ages 3–5: four rooms, assumed licensed capacity of 48; no infant care
Five guides · full plan example pending
$24,121
Year 1 modeled EBITDA, after owner compensation
Catering company
Small off-premise caterer from an existing DBPR-licensed shared commercial kitchen
Five guides · full plan example pending
$18,971
Base Year 1 EBITDA after owner salary
Coffee shop
Counter-service café in an existing leased unit
Full plan example + five guides
$12,957
Year 1 modeled EBITDA · owner pay included
Counter-service restaurant
Independent leased counter-service restaurant; existing kitchen infrastructure; no alcohol, drive-through or franchise fees
Five guides · full plan example pending
$47,369
Base Year 1 EBITDA; owner pay included
Food truck
One owner-operated bowl-menu food truck; five three-hour private-site service windows per week
Five guides · full plan example pending
$6,806
Base Year 1 EBITDA after owner pay
Full-service restaurant
60-seat independent restaurant in an existing leased restaurant space; no alcohol sales
Five guides · full plan example pending
−$78,805
Year 1 modeled EBITDA, after owner compensation
Retail bakery
On-site pan bread, sweet buns and cookies sold retail carryout; excludes café, drinks, wholesale, cakes, delivery and property purchase
Five guides · full plan example pending
$131,475
Base year-one EBITDA after owner pay
Commercial cleaning company
Owner-led small team cleaning ordinary commercial offices under recurring contracts
Five guides · full plan example pending
−$3,875
Base Year 1 EBITDA, owner paid
Electrical contractor
Small licensed residential electrical service and installation crew: one master/owner plus one journeyman and one van
Five guides · full plan example pending
Read five years of electrical job revenue, paid owner wages, EBITDA, accounting profit, collections, debt and downside funding needs.
HVAC service and installation
Two-technician residential HVAC operation: working owner, one employee and part-time dispatch support
Five guides · full plan example pending
$27,442
Year 1 modeled EBITDA, after owner compensation
Painting contractor
Owner-led residential repaint crew with two employed painters; interior and exterior work; no industrial coatings or lead abatement
Five guides · full plan example pending
−$49,535
Illustrative year-one EBITDA
Residential landscaping service
One two-person owner-led residential maintenance crew, truck and trailer
Five guides · full plan example pending
$3,188
Year 1 modeled EBITDA, after owner compensation
Residential remodeling contractor
Owner-led residential remodeling crew with two employees and specialist subcontractors
Five guides · full plan example pending
$4,639
Year 1 modeled EBITDA, after owner compensation
Roofing contractor
California residential asphalt-shingle replacement contractor with a licensed subcontract installation crew and one employed repair/logistics technician
Five guides · full plan example pending
$172,708
Year1 modeled EBITDA after owner pay
Employee-operated nail salon
Leased employee-operated nail salon; no booth rentals
Five guides · full plan example pending
$51,474
Illustrative Year 2 EBITDA
Hair salon
Four-chair employee-operated hair salon with three employed stylists and a working owner
Five guides · full plan example pending
$5,730
Year 1 modeled EBITDA, after owner compensation
Neighborhood gym
Independent membership gym with limited personal training; no pool or spa
Five guides · full plan example pending
−$34,512
Year 1 modeled EBITDA, after owner compensation
Pet grooming salon
Dog-only fixed salon with three employed groomers, one employed bather and a paid owner-manager; no boarding, mobile services, retail, training, cat grooming or veterinary care
Five guides · full plan example pending
−$49,807
Base Year 1 EBITDA, including paid owner work
Self-service laundromat
Leased coin/card laundromat; no dry cleaning or wash-and-fold
Five guides · full plan example pending
$56,393
Year 1 EBITDA after paid owner work
Bookkeeping service
Small remote bookkeeping team; ordinary reconciliation and management reports; no audit, legal, tax-filing or licensed CPA claims
Five guides · full plan example pending
−$42,794
Base year 1 EBITDA after owner compensation
CPA practice
Small licensed tax/accounting practice; no audit, review, compilation or other attest engagements
Five guides · full plan example pending
$60,769
Base Y1 EBITDA after owner pay
General dental practice
Owner-dentist, three-room general practice in leased second-generation dental premises; preventive care, fillings and outsourced-lab crowns; no specialist surgery or sedation
Five guides · full plan example pending
−$127,512
Year 1 EBITDA after owner pay
General veterinary clinic
Owner-veterinarian outpatient clinic; no boarding, overnight hospital, grooming, aseptic surgery, anesthesia, dental suite, radiography or automated CBC/chemistry analyzer
Five guides · full plan example pending
Separate a veterinary clinic’s owner salary, EBITDA, net income, debt cash and two recovery measures across five years and three scenarios.
Independent insurance agency
Small licensed independent Texas commercial property-and-casualty agency; annual policies and carrier direct bill; no underwriting or acquired book
Five guides · full plan example pending
−$3,674
Base Year 1 EBITDA; owner pay included
Physical therapy clinic
Small outpatient physical therapy practice; two licensed PTs; retained leased medical suite; no home care
Five guides · full plan example pending
−$77,293
Year-one EBITDA after owner pay
Commercial print shop
Small duplex-color digital general commercial print shop, with basic cutting and outsourced complex finishing; no newspaper, book or screen-printing plant
Five guides · full plan example pending
−$3,789
Year 1 EBITDA; owner paid
Neighborhood grocery store
Independent small general-assortment grocery store in leased former food-retail premises; no fuel, pharmacy, liquor or food preparation
Five guides · full plan example pending
$135,908
Base Year 1 EBITDA after paid owner work
Local freight trucking company
Two used 33,000-lb GVWR 26-foot liftgate dry boxes; employed driver and paid owner-driver; commercial general freight
Five guides · full plan example pending
$55,765
Base Year 1 EBITDA after owner salary
Read the measures in sequence
- Contribution
- Sales less costs that vary with a transaction or wash session. This pays for the fixed operating base.
- Operating surplus
- Contribution less fixed expenses, including the modeled staffing roster and working owner’s pay.
- Profit before tax
- Operating surplus less depreciation and loan interest in these examples.
- Cash after debt
- Cash flow also reflects inventory, unsettled customer receipts and principal repayments. The amount differs from profit.
A reserve can hide a weak operating year
The café’s base case stays cash-positive because it starts with a reserve; its first-year operating cash does not cover all scheduled debt payments. The lower-demand case exhausts that reserve. The wash has a different cost structure and cash pattern. Read each scenario and its limits before drawing a conclusion from the headline EBITDA.
Use the break-even calculator for a quick volume check. Use a monthly projection for ramp-up, working capital and liquidity.