Peptide business startup cost calculator
Enter your own figures to see a first year cash need for a research peptide store. Every default below is a hypothetical example, not market data, so replace each one with a quote you have in hand.
Default values are hypothetical examples, not market data.
| Item | Default | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Business formation filing | $200 (hypothetical example) | Example of a state LLC filing fee; actual fees vary by state. |
| Domain and website hosting (first year) | $300 (hypothetical example) | Example amount. |
| Storefront platform subscription (first year) | $400 (hypothetical example) | Example amount. |
| Payment processing setup and reserve | $1,000 (hypothetical example) | Example amount; reserves and setup fees differ by processor. |
| Legal consultation on labeling and claims | $2,500 (hypothetical example) | Example amount; consult a licensed attorney for your actual cost. |
| Business liability insurance (first year) | $1,200 (hypothetical example) | Example amount. |
| Third party lot testing (per product lot) | $250 (hypothetical example) | Example amount per lot. |
| Packaging and shipping supplies | $500 (hypothetical example) | Example amount. |
| Initial inventory purchase | $5,000 (hypothetical example) | Example amount. |
| Marketing and content (first three months) | $1,500 (hypothetical example) | Example amount. |
| Bookkeeping and tax software (first year) | $300 (hypothetical example) | Example amount. |
Total of the hypothetical defaults: $13,150. Enter your own figures in the calculator to replace them.
When does cash run out?
Default values are hypothetical examples, not market data. Each default below is a hypothetical example. This is a planning aid, not a quote and not advice.
- Cash available at the start: $13,150 (hypothetical example). Hypothetical example. It matches the one time total above, so the one time costs use all of it. Enter the cash you actually have.
- Monthly fixed costs: $1,800 (hypothetical example). Hypothetical example for software, insurance, bookkeeping and similar costs that repeat each month.
- Monthly sales (gross card volume): $12,000 (hypothetical example). Hypothetical example. This is your own assumption, not a forecast, and nothing here predicts what a store will sell.
- Product cost as a percent of sales: 45 percent of sales (hypothetical example). Hypothetical example. Gross margin is 100 minus this figure.
- Payment processor reserve: 10 percent of collected sales (hypothetical example). Hypothetical example. Use the reserve in your own processing agreement, if it has one.
- Reserve hold: 180 days (hypothetical example). Hypothetical example. The model converts days to whole months by dividing by 30, so 180 days is 6 months.
- Payout delay: 14 days (hypothetical example). Hypothetical example. The share of a month's sales that lands the next month is the delay divided by 30, capped at 1. Stripe's payouts page says that after the first live payment, Stripe typically schedules the initial payout to complete within 7 to 14 days, depending on industry, country of operation and risk level.
- Refunds and disputes: 3 percent of sales (hypothetical example). Hypothetical example, paid out in the month of the sale.
With these assumptions cash first goes below zero in month 1, the lowest point is ($1,800) in month 1, the peak reserve held is $7,200, and the total cash needed to never go below zero is $14,950.
| Month | Sales collected | Reserve withheld | Reserve released | Product costs | Fixed costs | Refunds | Net cash flow | Ending cash | Reserve held |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ($13,150) | $0 | $0 |
| 1 | $6,400 | $640 | $0 | $5,400 | $1,800 | $360 | ($1,800) | ($1,800) | $640 |
| 2 | $12,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $5,400 | $1,800 | $360 | $3,240 | $1,440 | $1,840 |
| 3 | $12,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $5,400 | $1,800 | $360 | $3,240 | $4,680 | $3,040 |
| 4 | $12,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $5,400 | $1,800 | $360 | $3,240 | $7,920 | $4,240 |
| 5 | $12,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $5,400 | $1,800 | $360 | $3,240 | $11,160 | $5,440 |
| 6 | $12,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $5,400 | $1,800 | $360 | $3,240 | $14,400 | $6,640 |
| 7 | $12,000 | $1,200 | $640 | $5,400 | $1,800 | $360 | $3,880 | $18,280 | $7,200 |
| 8 | $12,000 | $1,200 | $1,200 | $5,400 | $1,800 | $360 | $4,440 | $22,720 | $7,200 |
| 9 | $12,000 | $1,200 | $1,200 | $5,400 | $1,800 | $360 | $4,440 | $27,160 | $7,200 |
| 10 | $12,000 | $1,200 | $1,200 | $5,400 | $1,800 | $360 | $4,440 | $31,600 | $7,200 |
| 11 | $12,000 | $1,200 | $1,200 | $5,400 | $1,800 | $360 | $4,440 | $36,040 | $7,200 |
| 12 | $12,000 | $1,200 | $1,200 | $5,400 | $1,800 | $360 | $4,440 | $40,480 | $7,200 |
Payout delay source: https://docs.stripe.com/payouts, retrieved 2026-10-09.