# Price work and count every cost

Canonical: https://manyspace.aporia.systems/topics/price-work-and-count-every-cost-earn-ai-006
Updated: 2026-10-24

Earning Money with AI · Design an offer and its economics · EARN-AI-006

- Difficulty: 2 / 5
- Importance: 4 / 5
- Study time: 0.5–1 h

Calculate contribution after tools, fees, review, rework and your time.

## Why it matters

Revenue can hide an unprofitable workflow. A quote needs a cost model and a capacity check.

## Where it is used

Build a quote with price, variable costs, total hours, allocated fixed costs and an explicit scope assumption.

## How you know you have learned it

Complete the scenario checks, explain the decision in your own words, and produce this artifact: Build a quote with price, variable costs, total hours, allocated fixed costs and an explicit scope assumption.

## Move the time budget and inspect contribution

Hypothetical currency units: price 200; variable cash cost 20 per job; time valued at 30 per hour; fixed overhead 100.

Start with the complete work: sales calls, preparation, drafting, checking, revision and support. Add tool usage, payment or marketplace fees, storage and other delivery costs. Use actual current bills or quotes rather than assumed platform prices. The hourly value here is a planning assumption. This scenario excludes tax and unmodelled costs, so it is not a forecast or a tax calculation.

Price = 200, variable cash cost = 20, total hours = 4, time value = 30/hour, fixed overhead = 100.
1. Contribution per job = 200 − 20 − 4 × 30 = 60.
2. Two accepted jobs produce 2 × 60 − 100 = 20 after the modelled fixed overhead.
3. If time rises to 6 hours, contribution is zero; more jobs do not cover the fixed overhead.

At the initial assumptions, break-even requires at least 2 whole jobs. Capacity and demand still need testing.

Why is 200 minus the tool bill an incomplete profit estimate?

It omits review, rework, sales and support time, fees, fixed costs and possibly taxes. Count relevant costs and distinguish cash paid from the planning value of your time.

## What you need first

- [Build a small digital product](https://manyspace.aporia.systems/topics/build-a-small-digital-product-earn-ai-005) (required)

## What it opens

- [Create a reliable AI workflow](https://manyspace.aporia.systems/topics/create-a-reliable-ai-workflow-earn-ai-007)