Business Growth Strategies: Compare Contribution, Capacity and Cash
MyBreakEven | Published 5 November 2026 | Original fictional USD case
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| Decision driver | Baseline | Growth case | Evidence / condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jobs | 100 | 120 | Demand and conversion |
| Worker-hours | 200 | 240 | 220 current capacity |
| Revenue | 20000 | 24000 | Same 200 price |
| Contribution | 10000 | 12000 | 100 job cost |
| Overhead | 6000 | 8500 | 2500 extra capacity |
| Result | 4000 | 3500 | Before omitted financing/tax |
| Pre-collection cash | Separate schedule | 5500 | Do not double-count expenses |
Your case
Business / period / evidence source / reviewer / decision / next review date
| Decision driver | Baseline | Growth case | Evidence / condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jobs | Enter here | Enter here | Enter here |
| Worker-hours | Enter here | Enter here | Enter here |
| Revenue | Enter here | Enter here | Enter here |
| Contribution | Enter here | Enter here | Enter here |
| Overhead | Enter here | Enter here | Enter here |
| Result | Enter here | Enter here | Enter here |
| Pre-collection cash | Enter here | Enter here | Enter here |
Calculation and decision controls
Choose a growth mechanism before choosing a spending budget
| Option | Evidence needed | Cost or constraint to test |
|---|---|---|
| Retain existing customers | Repeat purchase and churn records | Support effort and retention incentives |
| Improve price or scope | Buyer acceptance and offer comparison | Lost volume and delivery changes |
| Sell more through the current channel | Conversion and demand records | Acquisition cost and practical capacity |
| Add a channel or segment | Pilot with separately tracked economics | Fees, returns and collections |
| Add an offer for existing buyers | Problem and willingness-to-pay evidence | Development, training and complexity |
| Increase delivery capacity | Verified backlog and bottleneck | Fixed commitments and ramp-up cash |
Compare options using the same period and cost boundary. A discount may increase orders while lowering total contribution. A new channel may bring demand but add commissions or slower settlement. Retention can reduce replacement selling effort, but it still needs a defined offer and service budget. Test the actual mechanism rather than applying a generic growth percentage.
Compare price, volume and capacity in one fictional business
| Case | Jobs / price | Revenue | Contribution | Overhead | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline | 100 / $200 | $20,000 | $10,000 | $6,000 | $4,000 |
| Price +5%, same volume | 100 / $210 | $21,000 | $11,000 | $6,000 | $5,000 |
| Volume +20%, same costs | 120 / $200 | $24,000 | $12,000 | $6,000 | $6,000 |
| Volume +20%, new capacity cost | 120 / $200 | $24,000 | $12,000 | $8,500 | $3,500 |
Each job takes two worker-hours. Baseline work requires 200 hours; 120 jobs require 240. If practical capacity is 220, the simple volume case is infeasible without a resource or scope change. The last case assumes a specific $2,500 added monthly commitment and adequate capacity, showing a result below baseline despite higher sales. The price case assumes no volume loss solely to isolate the price effect; customer acceptance still needs evidence.