M3 — Revenue Model Worksheet
Six pages. The point: make every choice visible and costed. No model survives if you can't write it down on one page.
Page 1 — Revenue structure decision tree
Shortlist your three candidate structures from prompt 1. Then write what breaks at scale for each. Pick the one that's still standing.
| Structure (shortlisted) | Why it fits this buyer | Cash-flow shape (months 1-12) | What breaks at 10 / 100 customers |
|---|---|---|---|
| A — | |||
| B — | |||
| C — |
Structure I'm picking: _____________
The steel-man against my pick (the strongest argument I'm ignoring): _____________
Page 2 — Price ladder template (3 tiers)
Low anchor / target / high anchor. The target is where you want most buyers to land. The low and the high exist to make the target feel obviously right.
| Low anchor (entry) | Target (where 70% should land) | High anchor (premium) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $ | $ | $ |
| Who it's for (one sentence) | |||
| The outcome they buy | |||
| What's deliberately missing | |||
| Buying friction (click / app / call) |
The trade-off I'm making at each altitude: _____________
Page 3 — Unit economics calculator
Single page, single number per line. Every assumption labelled [GUESS] or [DATA]. If gross margin is under 60%, something has to change before launch.
- Target price (per unit / per customer): $___
- Cost of delivery — my time: ___ hrs × $___ /hr = $___
- Cost of delivery — tools / software / contractors: $___
- Cost of delivery — physical or licensed inputs: $___
- Total cost of delivery (per unit): $___
- Gross profit per unit: $___
- Gross margin %: ___%
- Customer acquisition cost (CAC) assumption: $___ [GUESS/DATA]
- Contribution margin per customer (gross profit − CAC): $___
- Payback period (months to recover CAC): ___
If gross margin < 60%, what I will cut or repackage: _____________
Page 4 — Breakeven worksheet
Three rows. How many customers per month to cover (a) personal runway, (b) runway + reinvestment, (c) runway + $10K founder salary.
- My monthly personal runway (rent + food + family + healthcare): $___
- Reinvestment I need to keep the engine running (ads, tools, contractors): $___ /mo
- Founder salary target (be honest about what you actually need): $___ /mo
| Tier | Monthly $ to cover | Customers/mo needed (at gross profit per unit) | How many months feels realistic to hit this |
|---|---|---|---|
| (a) Cover runway only | $ | ||
| (b) Runway + reinvest | $ | ||
| (c) Runway + $10K salary | $ |
The number I will say out loud to one person who will hold me to it: _____________ (customers/mo by month ___)
Page 5 — 6-month verdict gate
Three numbers. If you miss any one of them by more than 25% at end of month 6, the model is wrong — not the marketing. Make them narrow enough to actually fail.
| Metric | Target by month 6 | Floor (miss >25% = pivot the model) | What this number proves |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Paying customers / MRR | |||
| 2. Gross margin (real, not modelled) | |||
| 3. CAC payback (months) |
The pivot question I will ask myself if I miss: _____________
Page 6 — Cash-flow stress test (3 scenarios)
Simulate the next 12 months under three honest scenarios. Identify the lowest cash point in each. If you go negative, write the structural fix — not "find more customers".
| Scenario | Lowest cash month | Lowest cash $ | Structural fix (not "more sales") |
|---|---|---|---|
| (a) Hit 60% of forecast | $ | ||
| (b) Hit forecast but paid in 60-day terms (not 30) | $ | ||
| (c) 20% of recurring customers churn in month 4 | $ |
One-page revenue model summary — sign and date:
- Structure: ___
- Target price: $___
- Gross margin: ___%
- Breakeven customers/mo: ___
- 6-month verdict gate (3 numbers): ___ / ___ / ___
- Signed: ___ Date: ___