Fundamentalsbeginner5 lessons · ~32 min total
Business Math Basics for Online Sellers
Most online sellers stall because they confuse revenue with profit, ignore break-even, or forget cash flow. This short course fixes that. Each lesson teaches one number, the formula behind it, and how it changes the decisions you make about pricing, ads, and inventory.
Lessons
- 1Revenue vs ProfitWhy a $10,000 sales month can still leave you broke — and how to separate top-line revenue from real profit.~6 min
- 2Profit MarginTurn raw profit into a percentage you can compare across products, months, and platforms.~6 min
- 3Break-even PointHow many units you must sell before a product, an ad campaign, or a whole shop stops losing money.~7 min
- 4ROI (Return on Investment)The right way to judge ads, inventory buys, and tool subscriptions — without fooling yourself.~6 min
- 5Cash Flow BasicsWhy profitable shops still run out of money — and the simple weekly habit that prevents it.~7 min
Related Guides
- Profit guideBusiness PlanningHow To Calculate Handmade Business Profit
Work out what your handmade business actually keeps after materials, labor, packaging, shipping, fees, and taxes.
- Profit guideBusiness PlanningWhat Is A Good Print-on-Demand Profit Margin? Complete POD Profit Margin Guide (2026)
What a good POD profit margin looks like in 2026 — gross vs net margin, every POD cost, formulas, worked t-shirt/hoodie/mug/poster/tote examples, pricing tables, and common mistakes.
- Profit guideBusiness PlanningWhat Is a Good Profit Margin?
What counts as a healthy profit margin — and how it changes depending on what you sell and where.
Related Calculators
- CalculatorPrint-on-DemandProfit Margin CalculatorUniversal profit, margin, and markup for any product or channel.Open calculator →
- CalculatorBreak-Even CalculatorSales needed to cover your startup costs.Open calculator →
- CalculatorProfit Margin Difference CalculatorCompare two prices or products by profit and margin.Open calculator →
Help Me Decide
Troubleshooting
Recommended Downloads
- ResourceWorkbookSeller Profit WorkbookTrack revenue, expenses, fees, profit margins, break-even points, and product performance across any online selling business.Open resource →
- ResourceWorksheetTikTok Shop Profit WorksheetA beginner-friendly worksheet for estimating TikTok Shop fees, costs, and profit per product — plus monthly sales targets and break-even checks.Open resource →
- ResourceWorksheetBreak-Even Planning WorksheetCalculate break-even points, profit cushions, and sales targets across any selling platform.Open resource →
Continue Learning
- Courseuniversal-sellerReturns & Refunds for SellersWhat a return actually costs, which resolution to choose, and when returns become a profit problemOpen course →
- CourseShopifyYour Own Online StoreA channel decision made on your numbers, and a store built to launchOpen course →
- CoursehandmadeHandmade & Craft FairsOne product priced from real costs, and one event planned as a business decisionOpen course →