Store Health Check
Already open? Put in your real numbers and get the verdict: is the store actually sustainable, where the gap to break-even is, what revenue fixes it, how long your cash lasts — and which hidden costs are quietly draining profit. Print the report for your records or a lender.
This calculator provides estimates for educational use only. It is not tax, legal, or financial advice. Figures are based on current IRS rules — verify against IRS.gov or consult a licensed professional. See our full disclaimer.
Your Actual Numbers
Health Check
Benchmark Check
Fixed cost 50–70% of revenue is common but tight — protect your margin.
Net margin read: below 5% is thin; 5–15% is healthy; above 15% is strong.
* Arithmetic from your inputs only. No tax rates or time-sensitive constants are hard-coded. Benchmarks are general retail rules of thumb, not a guarantee. Not financial advice. Print this report for your records or a lender conversation.
Nine Line Items That Quietly Erode Store Profit
Run your actuals against this list. Most "profitable on paper" stores fail here.
Card & payment processing
1.5–3.5% of gross sales, every transaction. If your net margin is thin, this alone may be the difference.
Employer payroll tax
FICA 7.65% on top of wages, plus SUTA/FUTA/workers’ comp. Confirm it is inside your fixed cost number.
NNN lease load
Base rent + CAM + insurance + property tax. If "rent" in your books is only the base figure, you are understating occupancy.
Inventory shrinkage
~1–2% of inventory value monthly from theft, damage, spoilage. Often invisible until a stock count.
Owner’s own labor
If you do not pay yourself, the business is subsidizing you. A real wage is a cost the P&L must cover.
Sales tax float
Collected then remitted. Never spend it; a missed remittance creates penalties and a cash hole.
Permits & renewals
Annual license/permit renewals and fee increases quietly raise fixed cost year over year.
Platform / marketplace fees
8–15% if you sell via Etsy/Amazon/delivery apps — sits on top of card fees.
Build-out & equipment aging
Deferred maintenance and replacement eventually hit fixed cost. Plan a sinking reserve.
What This Calculator Tells You
Your Real Net Margin
Revenue minus COGS, payment fees, and every fixed cost including your draw — the number that decides sustainability.
Break-Even Gap
Exactly how far your current revenue is from covering all costs, and the daily sales needed to get there.
Profit Reverse-Target
Enter the profit you want and see the revenue required at your real margin.
Cash Runway
How many months your cash lasts at the current run-rate — your survival window if things stay slow.
Operating vs. Planning — Use Both
You already run a store → use this tool
A live health check on your actuals: sustainability verdict, gap, runway, hidden-cost audit.
Open Store Health CheckYou are planning to open → use Startup Viability
Feasibility, startup capital, daily minimum revenue, and profit reverse-target before you commit.
Open Startup ViabilityStore Health Check FAQs
Compare your actual monthly net (revenue minus COGS, payment fees, and all fixed cost including your own draw) to zero. A positive number is profit; a thin margin under ~5% is fragile. This calculator shows your net, margin, and break-even gap in one view.
It is how much more (or less) revenue you need to cover all costs. If positive, you are below break-even and losing money at the current run-rate; if negative, you are already above it. We also show the daily revenue needed to reach it.
If you pay yourself, that is a real cost the business must cover to be truly sustainable. If you skip it, the P&L looks healthier than reality — and you are subsidizing the store with unpaid labor.
At your current net run-rate, how many months your cash on hand lasts if you keep losing money. Profitable stores self-fund; losing stores need a fix or fresh capital before the runway ends.
Usually hidden costs: card fees, employer payroll tax, NNN lease load, shrinkage, or spending collected sales tax. The hidden-cost audit below maps the usual suspects so you can find the leak.
Authoritative References
- U.S. Small Business Administration — Assess Your Business — frameworks for reviewing performance and sustainability.
- U.S. Small Business Administration — Break-Even Point — the break-even math extended here to your actual run-rate and gap.
- IRS — Small Business & Self-Employed — employer payroll tax and compliance references used in the cost audit.
Estimates only. All figures come from your inputs; no tax rates or time-sensitive constants are hard-coded except clearly labeled defaults. Benchmarks are general retail rules of thumb. Educational information, not financial advice — confirm with a qualified accountant or lender.