Cost of Doing Business Calculator

This Cost of Doing Business Calculator is a simple yet advanced straightforward tool designed to help you get clear on your numbers so you can price your projects and events confidently. It’s tailored specifically for creative entrepreneurs—like you—who work on large, event-based or project-based services. Whether you’re a wedding planner managing eight-hour event days or a website designer tackling multiple full-scale projects annually, this calculator breaks down your costs to help you determine your ideal project rate.

Who It’s For

This tool is perfect for:

Wedding Vendors: Photographers, planners, florists, and others who invest hours into every wedding day.
Website Designers: Those taking on multiple website builds a year, each requiring weeks of focused effort.
Branding Specialists: Graphic designers and copywriters working on large, transformative branding projects for their clients.

If your business revolves around delivering high-value, time-intensive services, this calculator will help you set a project-based price that covers your costs, pays you what you’re worth, and sets you up for profitability.

How It Works

This calculator takes into account:

Your Monthly Expenses: Including rent, insurance, subscriptions, advertising, and more—so you know what it costs to keep your business running.
Your Business Goals: Including how much you want to pay yourself annually.
Your Workload: How many projects or events you take on per year, and how many hours you spend on each one.

It then calculates:

Your Monthly Overhead: The cost of keeping your business running each month.
Your Total Annual Expenses: Including both overhead and your desired salary.
Your Cost Per Project/Event: A minimum project price to cover your costs.
Your Hourly Rate: What you should charge per hour to meet your financial goals.

Why It’s Important

You pour your creativity, energy, and expertise into every project. This tool ensures you’re not just breaking even—it helps you thrive. By factoring in your expenses, desired income, and workload, this calculator takes the guesswork out of pricing and gives you the clarity to build a sustainable, prosperous business.

Remember: This is a foundational tool meant for simplicity. It works best for businesses with a clear number of large projects or events per year. For highly complex, multi-service businesses, consider using this as a starting point and consulting a financial professional for a deeper dive.

Step 1. Add Your Monthly Business Expenses

Office / Rent ($): Phone (Cell or Landline) ($): Internet ($): Web Hosting / Portal Service ($): CRM ($): Vehicle Expenses (Lease, Insurance, Maintenance) ($): Office Supplies ($): Postage & Shipping ($): Education ($): Advertising & Marketing ($): Subscriptions & Dues ($): Equipment & Business Insurance ($): Health Insurance / Deductibles / Copays ($): Legal and Accounting Services ($): Taxes and Licenses ($): Utilities ($): Travel ($): Business Savings ($): Other Monthly Expenses ($):

Step 2. Establish Your Business Metrics

Desired Annual Salary After Overhead ($):
How much take home pay do you want after paying your business overhead? Number of Projects/Events to Work Per Year:
Consider how many projects is typical for your industry - choose a number that is realistic to your availability and sales goals. You can adjust this to give your desired final result. Average Hours per Project/Event:
How many hours does a typical event/project take from start to finish? This will calculate an hourly rate for a-la-carte services.

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Review: The Final Results

Monthly Overhead:
$

Total Annual Expenses:
$

Cost Per Average Project/Event:
$

Hourly Rate:
$