Single-order profit calculator.
The first worked example in the book — page 7 — traces one $30 order through every cost line. This is that table, live. Change any number and watch what the order actually nets.
The single biggest variable is the advertising line. The book's example: at a $12 CAC this order nets $6.13; at $18 it nets $0.13; at $20 you're paying customers to take your product.
How to read the result
The number that matters is contribution per order — what is left after the product, payment fees, shipping, advertising, and a refund reserve. Three bands decide the next move:
- Negative — the order loses money. Every sale makes it worse, so never scale a negative number. Fix the price, the offer, or the acquisition cost first.
- Under 10% margin — profitable on paper, fragile in practice. One refund spike or a small rise in ad cost erases it.
- 15–25% margin — the band a well-run store actually lives in. Stress-test it by raising the advertising line and watching how fast the profit disappears.
The advertising line moves the result more than any other input: a $30 order that nets $6.13 at a $12 acquisition cost nets just $0.13 at $18, and starts paying customers to buy at $20.
This table is where the book starts. The rest of it makes the numbers work.
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