Startup budget spreadsheet with runway and break-even built in
Before you raise money or quit your job, you need to know what the first 12 to 18 months will cost. Paste this prompt and your todo.is agent builds an Excel startup budget with one-time launch costs, monthly burn, hiring plan, runway and the month you break even.
The prompt
- Make a startup budget spreadsheet for [STARTUP IDEA AND LOCATION]. Our cash available: [STARTING CASH AND FUNDING]. Team plan: [FOUNDERS AND HIRES]. Expected revenue: [REVENUE ASSUMPTIONS]. Include tabs for one-time startup costs, monthly operating costs for [MONTHS] months, payroll with taxes and benefits as a percentage, revenue, cash flow with runway, and a break-even month. Research typical costs I did not give you for my type of business and location, label them as estimates with source links, and add a 10% contingency line. Use formulas, not typed totals, and put all inputs on one Inputs tab highlighted in yellow. Deliver an Excel file and a one-page summary: total needed to launch, monthly burn, runway and what to cut first if money runs short.
What to change
- [STARTUP IDEA AND LOCATION]: e.g. "a meal-kit delivery startup in Austin" or "B2B SaaS for dental clinics, remote team".
- [STARTING CASH AND FUNDING]: e.g. "60,000 founder savings + 150,000 pre-seed in month 3".
- [FOUNDERS AND HIRES]: e.g. "2 founders at half salary, first developer in month 4, sales hire in month 9".
- [REVENUE ASSUMPTIONS]: e.g. "first paying customer month 5, 20 new customers a month at 99/month" or "no revenue for 12 months".
- [MONTHS]: Usually 12, 18 or 24.
Example result
- Startup budget summary: Crate & Fork meal kits (Austin)
- All figures are illustrative assumptions for a fictional startup.
- One-time launch costs: 74,500
- • Commercial kitchen deposit and fit-out: 28,000
- • Refrigeration and packing equipment: 16,500
- • Branding, website and photography: 9,000
- • Permits, food handler licenses, insurance setup: 4,500
- • Opening inventory and packaging: 9,000
- • Legal and incorporation: 2,500
- • Contingency (10%): 5,000
- Monthly operating costs (month 6)
- • Kitchen rent: 4,200
- • Payroll (2 founders at half salary, 3 packers, taxes and benefits at 20%): 21,600
- • Ingredients and packaging: 38% of revenue
- • Delivery: 7.50 per box
- • Marketing: 6,000
- • Software, insurance, utilities: 2,300
- Revenue assumptions
- • Launch in month 3, 150 boxes a week, growing 8% a month
- • Average box: 72
- Cash and runway
- • Starting cash: 210,000 (60,000 savings + 150,000 pre-seed in month 3)
- • Peak monthly burn: 31,000 in month 5
- • Lowest cash point: 41,000 in month 11
- • Break-even month: month 14 at about 640 boxes a week
- • Runway without new funding: fine through month 18 if growth holds; 4 months short if growth is 5% instead of 8%
- What to cut first
- • Delay the third packer until 400 boxes a week (saves about 3,800 a month)
- • Move half of marketing from paid ads to referral credits
- • Lease, do not buy, the second walk-in fridge
- Tabs in the workbook
- • Inputs, Startup costs, Monthly costs, Payroll, Revenue, Cash flow and runway, Chart
How to do it with todo.is
- Copy the prompt and replace the [brackets] with your idea, cash, team and revenue guesses.
- Paste it into todo.is, or send it to your agent on WhatsApp or Telegram.
- Your agent researches the costs you left out, builds the Excel budget and sends a one-page summary.
- Open the Inputs tab and change any number, or ask "what if we hire the developer in month 2?".
Tips for a better result
- List every cost you already have a quote for. Researched estimates are a starting point, not a substitute for real quotes.
- Budget payroll with employer taxes and benefits, not just salaries. It is the most common underestimate in startup budgets.
- Plan for revenue to arrive later than you hope. Ask your agent for a version with a 3-month delay and see if you still survive.
- Aim for at least 12 to 18 months of runway before you raise again, since fundraising itself can take months.
- Keep the spreadsheet alive: send your agent actual monthly spend and ask it to add a budget vs actual tab.
startup budget spreadsheet: FAQ
- What should a startup budget include? One-time launch costs, monthly fixed and variable costs, payroll, revenue assumptions, a cash flow with runway, and a contingency line. Investors also like to see the break-even point.
- How do I calculate runway? Runway is your cash divided by your monthly net burn (costs minus revenue). The spreadsheet calculates it month by month because burn changes as you hire and sell.
- Are the researched costs accurate? They are estimates from public sources for your type of business and city, with links so you can check them. Replace them with real quotes before making big decisions.
- Should I talk to an accountant? Yes, for taxes, payroll rules and how to structure funding. The budget gives you a solid draft to bring to that meeting.
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