Early Ideation & Pivots
Quickly validate or invalidate business ideas before investing time in detailed financial models. Test multiple scenarios in minutes to identify which ones merit deeper analysis.
choose your business model
B2C Subscription
Selling a recurring service or product to individual customers
Examples: SaaS apps, streaming services, membership sites
lock the metric you're most confident about and we'll calculate the rest
Target Annual Income
$
How much total income do you want to make per year?
Monthly Sub Price
$
How much do you charge per customer monthly?
Number of Customers
customers
How many paying customers do you have?
assess your target viability
Monthly Income
$0/mo
Your monthly income before expenses
Annual Income
$0/year
Your yearly income before expenses
Reality Check
Market Validation: You believe you can convince 1,000 customers to pay $10 per month.
Sustainability: You feel confident you can deliver this value consistently while keeping expenses at 50-70% of your income ($0 - $0/year).
These assumptions are critical to your success. Challenge them rigorously and gather market feedback to validate them.
About Okane: Rapid Business Model Validator
Okane is a lightweight calculator designed for solo founders and small teams to quickly gut-check business models. While not a replacement for detailed financial modeling, it helps you rapidly iterate through different scenarios without getting bogged down in complex spreadsheets.
Whether you're exploring pricing changes, new revenue streams, or completely different business models, Okane helps you assess basic viability in seconds rather than hours.
Quick Navigation
When to Use Okane
Pricing Strategy
Experiment with different price points and customer volumes to find sweet spots that align with your target income and market reality. Perfect for rapid A/B testing of pricing hypotheses.
Team Discussions
Use as a collaborative tool in meetings to quickly demonstrate the impact of different business decisions. Great for aligning team understanding around key metrics and targets.
How to Use Okane
Pick your model type
Choose between subscription, B2B licensing, product sales, or ad revenue. Each model automatically adjusts calculations to match real-world business dynamics.
Lock your anchor metric
Lock the most important number for your scenario - whether that's target income, price point, or customer base. Other values will automatically adjust to show what's needed.
Iterate and assess
Quickly try different numbers to test assumptions. The reality check section helps you evaluate if your targets are achievable given your market and resources.
Business Model Pros & Cons
B2C Subscriptions
Recurring revenue from individual consumers subscribing to your product/service.
Advantages
• Predictable monthly income
• Higher customer lifetime value
• Strong customer relationships
• Low entry cost for users
• Upsell opportunities
Challenges
• Churn risk - constant retention effort
• Subscription fatigue from users
• Need constant service/content updates
• Slow revenue buildup
• Complex billing management
B2B Licensing
Selling your product/technology to business clients for a one-time or term-based license fee.
Advantages
• Large upfront payments
• Supplemental maintenance fees
• High profit per customer
• Long-term relationships
• Premium pricing potential
Challenges
• Long sales cycles
• Client concentration risk
• High support expectations
• Market prefers SaaS now
• Irregular revenue
One-Time Product Sales
Directly selling a digital product for a single price (e.g., game, app, ebook).
Advantages
• Immediate full payment
• Simple transaction process
• No recurring billing hassle
• Lower support demands
• High margins on digital goods
Challenges
• Need constant new customers
• Higher price resistance
• Limited customer lifetime value
• Less ongoing engagement
• Free updates eat into profits
Ad Revenue
Offering free content/app and earning through third-party advertising.
Advantages
• Scales with audience size
• Easy to implement
• No cost barrier for users
• Flexible ad formats
• Monetize non-paying users
Challenges
• Unpredictable revenue
• Traffic dependent
• Hurts user experience
• Ad blockers reduce earnings
• Needs constant optimization
Tips for Success
Be realistic about expenses
Include all costs - software, services, salaries, marketing, etc. Underestimating expenses is a common pitfall in business planning.
Test different scenarios
Try various price points and customer numbers to find the optimal balance. A small price increase might require fewer customers to hit your income targets.
Consider market reality
If your calculations show you need 100,000 customers at your price point, evaluate whether that's achievable for your product and market.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these calculations accurate for my business?
Okane provides a simplified model that helps with quick validation and initial planning. For detailed financial modeling specific to your business, you might need more comprehensive tools or consulting.
How should I use these results?
Use these calculations to validate your business idea, identify potential issues with your pricing or target market size, and set realistic growth goals. They're especially useful for comparing different business models or pricing strategies.
Is Okane free? What's the catch?
Yes, Okane is completely free and runs entirely in your browser. There's no catch, I use this and other tools for my own business and I believe in making tools accessible to everyone, especially solo founders and small teams who need to move fast.
What happens to my data?
All calculations happen directly in your browser, no data is ever sent to any servers. Your business numbers stay private and secure on your device. You can freely experiment with different scenarios without worrying about data privacy.
Why is it called Okane?
Okane (お金) is the Japanese word for 'money'. I chose this name because the tool helps you strategize backwards from your financial goals: starting with your feasible income and working out what it takes to get there.