Looking for a Wi-Fi kiosks business plan? You're in the right place.
A company that places kiosks in other people's buildings has to answer questions a lender or an investor will raise early. What does one kiosk cost to build, and what does it earn each month? How much of that goes to the host? How many kiosks must be live before the route, the sales team and the loan payments are covered?
In this article we'll walk through a complete sample plan for a kiosk company in Indianapolis, Indiana, section by section, ending with the financials. The numbers follow one kiosk from build cost to monthly yield and then to five years of cash.
Here's what you'll take away:
- The executive summary: see how to set out the raise, the first-year loss and the month profit begins on one page
- The host lease terms: learn how a revenue share is described, and where the plan flags terms a property manager may push back on
- The alternatives table: understand how to place a kiosk against hotel Wi-Fi, mobile data and power-bank rentals without quoting prices you cannot source
- The yield per kiosk: check paid sessions, sponsor slots and event packages against the revenue forecast, with the pilot figure the plan treats as its biggest bet
- The outreach budget: see what it might cost to sign a first 22 host sites, and where the money goes
- The route and the technicians: find out how staffing follows the kiosk count, and what a lease line does to the raise
- The five-year profit, cash flow and balance sheet, with a downside case: have an answer ready for "what if revenue is 20% short?"
If you're planning a kiosk or vending-style network, read this before you write your own. The company is fictional, so take what fits your market and change the rest.
In this plan
- Eastfield Kiosks in Brief
- Hosts, Kiosks and the Revenue Share
- Foot Traffic in Indianapolis and the Alternatives
- Who Uses a Kiosk and Who Hosts One
- Signing Hosts, Selling Sponsors
- Outreach Spend: Hosts First, Sponsors Second
- Running the Kiosk Route
- Noor Haddad and the Team Around Her
- Kiosk Economics and Five-Year Cash
- Sources
If you need a wi-fi kiosks business plan template for your own plan, start it in the Toolkit.
Eastfield Kiosks in Brief
Eastfield Kiosks owns and runs public Wi-Fi and device-charging kiosks in Indianapolis. Each kiosk stands in a hotel lobby, a shopping mall or an event venue that hosts it under a revenue-share lease. A visitor connects free for a short session, pays for a longer pass or a fast charge, and sees sponsor messages on the screen. Founder Noor Haddad owns 55% of the company. Two private investors own the other 45%.
Opening takes $1,480,000, raised as $960,000 of equity and $520,000 of equipment loans. The loans cover $520,000 of the $808,000 equipment budget for kiosks, vans, tools and the staging warehouse. Equity pays the other $288,000 of equipment, $48,000 of launch costs and a $624,000 reserve for the years in which the route and the sales team cost more than the early kiosks earn.
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $467,300 | $1,239,700 | $1,931,100 |
| Net income after start-up costs | ($415,891) | ($87,335) | $122,728 |
| Closing cash | $380,015 | $191,248 | $289,556 |
Ten kiosks are installed on January 1, 2027, and the count reaches 55 by December. Year 1 is a loss because five salaried people and a van route are in place before the kiosks have sold many sponsor slots. Monthly operating profit turns positive for the first time in December 2027, the seasonal peak, and Year 2 as a whole earns $92,769 of operating profit before depreciation and interest. The first full-year net profit arrives in Year 3.
A second run of the model takes 20% off every revenue line. Hiring slips, two roles are dropped, marketing and Noor's pay are cut and distributions stop. Cash stays above zero in all five years of that run.
The company sells attention in short bursts: a few minutes of Wi-Fi, a half hour of charging, a sponsor slot on a screen people are already looking at. It sells no monthly internet connection and builds no network of its own.
Hosts, Kiosks and the Revenue Share
Legal name: Eastfield Kiosks, LLC, an Indiana limited liability company. Owners: Noor Haddad, 55%, and two private investors, 45% between them. Base: a leased 3,200-square-foot flex building on Indianapolis's east side, used for staging, repairs and offices. Start date: January 1, 2027. Stage: six host agreements are signed and ten kiosks are installed before opening. Two of the ten are rebuilt from the pilot units to the production design, at full unit cost.
What a kiosk is
A free-standing unit about six feet tall. A 32-inch screen faces the walkway. Beneath it sit an access point, a small computer, a cellular backup modem, a card and mobile-pay reader and a charging module with eight power-only ports. Equipment costs about $5,800 and installation about $1,200, so each kiosk lands at $7,000.
What the host receives
The host gives floor space, power and, where it can, a network connection. Eastfield pays the host 20% of paid-session sales and 20% of advertising booked at that kiosk, with a monthly statement. Eastfield owns the unit, insures it, services it and removes it at the end of the term.
The target lease runs three years, and after the first year either side can end it on 90 days' notice. These are Eastfield's target terms. Property managers often work from their own license forms and may ask for more, for instance a minimum monthly payment. The plan budgets for none, and a host that insists on one would be declined in Year 1.
Where the company expects to stand
- 55 kiosks on 22 host sites by December 2027, and 100 by the end of 2028.
- Monthly revenue above the $92,493 needed to cover operating costs during Year 2.
- A first net profit in Year 3, and the second equipment loan draw repaid on schedule.
- Five technicians covering 164 kiosks by 2031.
Three ways of earning
| Revenue line | How it is priced | Year 1 share of revenue |
|---|---|---|
| Paid Wi-Fi passes and fast-charge sessions | About $3.20 per paid session | 64.4% |
| Advertising and sponsorship | A six-slot screen loop sold by the month | 27.5% |
| Event and venue packages | $3,800 for a branded access page plus temporary kiosks | 8.1% |
Privacy, power and permits
The kiosks collect an email address at sign-in, with consent, and report only aggregate audience counts to sponsors. Indiana has a consumer data privacy law, and counsel confirms whether Eastfield meets its thresholds and what a sign-in screen must say. Charging ports carry power only, with data lines off, a design response to public warnings about malicious USB ports. Electrical work, signage and accessibility rules differ by city and site, so $7,000 of start-up money goes to permits, sign-offs and an accessibility review of the first sites. Eastfield sells no connection by the month, and counsel confirms its regulatory status before opening.
Foot Traffic in Indianapolis and the Alternatives
Where people wait
The plan targets places where adults stand around with phones and low batteries: hotels near the airport and downtown, shopping malls, and the venues that host conventions, concerts and sports. Eastfield places no kiosks in offices, schools or residential buildings. The three host types behave differently.
| Host type | What traffic looks like | What Eastfield expects |
|---|---|---|
| Hotels near the airport and downtown | Steady and business-heavy, with spikes on convention weekends | Paid sessions in event weeks; a sponsor pitch built on traveler audiences |
| Shopping malls | Heavy on weekends and from late November | The best sponsor sales; modest paid sessions |
| Event venues | Large on event days, quiet between | The biggest spikes, and temporary extra kiosks sold as event packages |
Seasons in the model
Paid sessions run lowest in January and February, rise in May and August with the two largest event periods on the company's venue list, and peak in November and December with holiday mall traffic. Event dates and sizes shift each year, so the May and August bumps are planning figures.
What visitors can do instead
| Alternative | What it offers | Why a visitor picks it | How Eastfield differs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Host's own guest Wi-Fi | Free access inside a hotel or mall | No payment, no new screen | Eastfield adds charging and a pass for a faster session, aimed at crowded venues and places where host Wi-Fi is slow or missing |
| Phone data and personal hotspots | Cellular connection on the visitor's own plan | Already paid for | A kiosk helps when data is capped, roaming or out of battery |
| Power-bank rental stations | Rent a battery and return it later | Mobile power | Eastfield charges in place with no deposit and no return trip |
| Charging seats and lockers at airports | Free or low-cost outlets | Convenient at the gate | Eastfield serves the hotels, malls and venues the airport does not |
The table describes the offers and where Eastfield sits against them. It is not a ranking. Operators change terms often, so no prices or company names are quoted.
SWOT
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| Founder ran guest-Wi-Fi rollouts for hotels for nine years | Revenue per kiosk rests on two pilot units |
| Ten kiosks installed and six host agreements signed at opening | Hosts can end a lease on 90 days' notice after Year 1 |
| Per-kiosk costs known from the pilot | Five salaried people before Year 1 pays for them |
| Opportunities | Threats |
|---|---|
| Event venues buying temporary kiosks for conferences | Hotels and malls improving their own Wi-Fi and charging |
| Regional sponsors wanting a network of screens | Phone batteries and cellular plans improving |
| A second wave of kiosks once the first 100 pay back | Sponsor budgets cutting back in a slow year |
Who Uses a Kiosk and Who Hosts One
Three parties pay or approve, and each wants something different.
The person at the screen
A traveler between meetings, a shopper with a phone at 8% battery, a concert-goer who wants a hotspot for the evening. Hotels and malls already offer free Wi-Fi, so paid sessions concentrate where host Wi-Fi is crowded or weak and where a charge matters. The plan counts about 7 paid sessions a kiosk a day in Year 1 and about 9 from Year 3. The free tier carries the sponsor message and gathers email sign-ins.
The host
A hotel general manager wants a guest amenity with no staff time. A mall marketing director wants something that earns and does not clutter the floor. An event venue wants fast set-up before a crowd arrives. The pitch is a clean unit, a monthly statement and a check, with Eastfield doing the servicing.
The sponsor
Local restaurants, urgent-care clinics, dealerships, attractions and colleges. A sponsor wants to be seen by travelers and shoppers near where they spend money. The company sells six slots on each screen loop and reports impressions by kiosk.
What each party asks for
Visitors want a connection that works in under a minute. Hosts want the unit tidy and the statement accurate. Sponsors want proof of audience. Remote monitoring and the monthly report exist to answer each of these.
Signing Hosts, Selling Sponsors
From first visit to installed unit
A site visit and a floor-plan sketch come first. A one-page proposal follows within a week, then a lease, a site survey, an electrical sign-off where one is needed, and installation, usually within five weeks of signing. The host partnerships manager leads every visit in Year 1.
Sites signed in Year 1
Eastfield expects to sign 22 host sites in Year 1, six of them before opening, after about 70 site visits and proposals. Together they hold 55 kiosks.
| Host type | Sites | Kiosks at December 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Hotels near the airport and downtown | 10 | 20 |
| Shopping malls | 7 | 21 |
| Event venues | 5 | 14 |
How many hosts exist
Eastfield's target list holds about 120 properties across the three host types, which is the company's own count and not a market census. The plan reaches 164 kiosks by 2031 on roughly 55 of those sites, as sites already signed add units and average about three kiosks each. If the list proves too small, growth moves to nearby cities, which the plan does not count.
What a kiosk earns
| Year 1 | Year 3 | Year 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paid sessions per kiosk per day | 7.0 | 8.7 | 8.7 |
| Average price of a paid session | $3.20 | $3.40 | $3.50 |
| Paid revenue per kiosk per month | $719 | $900 | $930 |
| Advertising rate card for a full loop | $480 | $520 | $560 |
| Advertising sold per kiosk per month | $307 | $458 | $504 |
| Total per kiosk per month | $1,026 | $1,358 | $1,434 |
Year 1 paid revenue sits above the flat-season rate of $680 because May and August lift the year's average. Year 1 advertising sell-through climbs from 20% of slots in January to 88% in December, which averages 64% across the kiosks live in the year. From Year 2 sell-through holds at 85% to 90%.
The two pilot kiosks averaged about $890 a month each across their last six months, mostly paid sessions, with sponsors tested only on a small scale. The Year 1 average of $1,026 sits 15% above that, and the Year 3 figure of $1,358 sits 53% above it. Almost all of the gap is advertising. This is the largest single bet in the plan. One paid session a day fewer per kiosk would cut Year 3 revenue by about $140,000 and Year 3 profit by about $100,000, to roughly $23,000.
Sponsors
By December 2027 the plan has about 60 sponsor accounts averaging $375 a month, which produces the $22,600 of advertising sold that month. The sales lead starts in month 3, so the first sponsors arrive through the founder's hotel contacts. Prices are the plan's own. Local advertising rates vary by market and by how many people see the screen, and none are quoted from outside sources.
Event packages
Conferences and trade shows rent a branded access page and two to four temporary kiosks for a few days. Eastfield sells 10 packages at $3,800 in Year 1 and 30 at $4,400 by Year 5. Event dates cluster around the large May and August periods.
Outreach Spend: Hosts First, Sponsors Second
What Year 1 outreach costs
Year 1 marketing is $40,000. A further $26,000 of launch cost comes from start-up capital. Together they come to $66,000, or about $3,000 for each of the 22 host sites signed and about $1,200 for each of the 55 kiosks. Sponsor selling is mostly salary, so it sits in payroll and outside these figures.
| Item | Year 1 spend | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Host pitch kit, website and host portal (launch) | $21,000 | A demo unit, a one-page proposal and a portal where hosts see their statements |
| First sponsor outreach (launch) | $5,000 | Sample campaigns and a media kit before the first sponsor is signed |
| Hotel and mall outreach | $9,000 | Visits to general managers and mall marketing directors |
| Industry events and local associations | $7,000 | Hospitality and retail association memberships and two trade shows |
| Sponsor media kit and audience reports | $10,000 | Impression counts by kiosk, built from sign-in data |
| Local search advertising | $6,000 | Searches by local advertisers looking for screen placement |
| On-kiosk promotion | $5,000 | Signs and QR codes inviting repeat use |
| Case studies and host reporting | $3,000 | One short write-up per signed host type |
Markers to hit
- January 2027: 16 kiosks live, six host agreements in force.
- June 2027: 36 kiosks, first regional sponsor signed.
- August 2027: 43 kiosks, with the large convention week as a test of temporary kiosks.
- December 2027: 55 kiosks, about 60 sponsors, $70,100 of monthly revenue.
Running the Kiosk Route
The east-side building
Eastfield leases 3,200 square feet of flex space at about $9.40 per square foot a year, or $30,000 in Year 1. The building holds a staging bench where kiosks are assembled and tested, a charging cage, spare screens and parts, and four desks. In Year 4 the company moves into about 4,000 square feet at $9.50 a foot.
How a kiosk goes live
Kiosks are assembled on the bench from enclosures, screens and modules bought from suppliers. A technician takes the unit to the site, mounts it, connects power and the network and tests the sign-in flow. Remote monitoring then watches uptime, sessions and payment faults.
The route
Each technician covers up to about 36 kiosks with one scheduled service visit a month to clean, test and restock the unit. Faults flagged by monitoring add unscheduled visits. Kiosks per technician at year end run 28, 33, 32, 29 and 33 across the five years. Installations average about four a month in Years 1 and 2, then about two a month or fewer as growth moves onto the lease line.
Connectivity and upkeep
Where a host offers a network drop, the kiosk uses it, with a cellular modem as backup. Elsewhere cellular is the main link and costs more. Connectivity averages $60 per kiosk per month across the two cases, parts, cleaning and vandalism repair $30, and screen, panel and charging-module replacement is $6,000 in Year 2 rising to $44,000 in Year 5 as the first units age.
Leased units
Kiosks added from Year 3 come on a lease line at $180 a month for 48 months, about $8,640 over the term against the $7,000 build cost. The difference is the financing charge. The lease line keeps the raise inside the first two years' build.
What a lender will ask
- Host exits. The model counts no host departures. A kiosk removed from a site is redeployed to another, and the repair and replacement lines carry the cost.
- Collateral. The units sit in third-party buildings, so a lender may ask hosts for landlord waivers acknowledging that Eastfield owns the equipment. Used kiosks have a thin resale market, so the loans cover no more than about 70% of the equipment they fund.
- Payback. At the Year 3 yield a kiosk contributes about $880 a month after the host share, card and ad fees, connectivity, parts and screen replacement. That repays the $7,000 build in about eight months of mature trading, before payroll and overhead.
- Covenants. Debt service coverage is 0.7x in Year 2 and rises to 1.9x in Year 3. The reserve pays Year 2's shortfall, and a lender may ask for a lower Year 2 covenant or a longer interest-only period.
- Distributions. Owner distributions of $40,000 in Year 4 and $90,000 in Year 5 are paid while the second loan draw is outstanding, so they need the lender's consent.
Software, insurance and safeguards
- Kiosk content management, ad serving, remote monitoring, a sign-in portal and payment software cost $24,000 in Year 1.
- Insurance covers general and products liability, property on the kiosks, cyber and privacy liability, commercial auto and workers' compensation. It costs $24,000 in Year 1.
- A written information-security policy covers sign-in data, card data stays with a certified payment provider, and kiosks isolate users from each other on the network.
- Every host lease sets out maintenance, indemnity and removal terms.
Suppliers on call
Two enclosure fabricators, a screen supplier, a cellular carrier and a business-broadband provider. Each can be replaced, though a screen shortage would slow installs for a few weeks.
Noor Haddad and the Team Around Her
Noor Haddad, founder and managing director
Noor spent nine years at a Midwest hotel management company, rolling out guest Wi-Fi and in-room technology across a portfolio of properties. She left to build her own network of kiosks and ran two pilot units, one in a hotel lobby near the airport and one in a mall, for nine months before launching Eastfield. The pilot was paid for from earlier savings and sits outside this plan. She puts $100,000 into the company and takes a $100,000 salary.
Gaps in the team
Three gaps stand out. Noor has not sold advertising, has not run a field team of her own and has not negotiated mall leases. The plan answers the first with an advertising and sponsorship sales lead in month 3, the second with a lead technician from day one who has installed networks for a hotel group, and the third with a partnerships manager from the first month who has signed mall and hotel agreements before. Noor supervises the route herself until the operations coordinator starts in month 20.
If Noor is out
The host partnerships manager signs hosts and the first technician runs the route. A lawyer on retainer reviews each new lease template. Life and disability coverage on Noor is bought separately.
Outside help
An advertising-sales consultant reviews the rate card each quarter in Year 1. A retired media-sales executive on the investor side advises on sponsor pricing. The Indiana Small Business Development Center is available for planning and permit questions.
Ownership and the lender
Eastfield Kiosks, LLC is 55% Noor's and 45% held by the two private investors. The equipment lender takes a lien on the kiosks and vans and is likely to ask for Noor's personal guarantee. Loan terms include quarterly financial statements.
Kiosk Economics and Five-Year Cash
Kiosk count drives the whole model. Each kiosk costs $7,000 to build and install, books a monthly yield, hands a fifth of its sales to the host and takes a share of a technician's week. The five-year tables follow that chain from kiosks to cash, with Year 1 shown by month and Years 2 to 5 as annual totals.
Kiosks, vans and the reserve
| Use of funds | Amount |
|---|---|
| Kiosks installed before opening (10 units, equipment and install) | $70,000 |
| Kiosk builds and installs, Q1 (14 more units) | $98,000 |
| Kiosk builds and installs, Q2 (12 units) | $84,000 |
| Kiosk builds and installs, Q3 (10 units) | $70,000 |
| Kiosk builds and installs, Q4 (9 units) | $63,000 |
| Kiosk builds and installs, Year 2 (45 units) | $315,000 |
| Two service vans with shelving and tool racks | $70,000 |
| Install tools, test meters, spare-unit bench and lift gear | $16,000 |
| Staging warehouse: racking, charging cage, bench and security | $22,000 |
| Legal: host lease template, privacy notice, sponsor terms | $15,000 |
| Permits, electrical sign-offs and accessibility review for first sites | $7,000 |
| Launch: host pitch kit, website, first sponsor outreach | $26,000 |
| Cash reserve for the build-out years | $624,000 |
| Total uses | $1,480,000 |
| Source of funds | Amount |
|---|---|
| Noor Haddad's savings | $100,000 |
| Two private investors (a hotel owner and a retired media-sales executive) | $860,000 |
| Equipment loan, first draw (Year 1 kiosks, vans, tools) | $300,000 |
| Equipment loan, second draw (Year 2 kiosks) | $220,000 |
| Total sources | $1,480,000 |
The raise is $1,480,000, of which $960,000 is equity and $520,000 is debt. Noor puts in $100,000 and two private investors put in $860,000 for 45% of the shares. The debt comes in two draws. The first, $300,000, arrives in month 1 on a 60-month term with six months interest only, and covers about 61% of the Year 1 equipment spend of $493,000 (kiosks, vans, tools and warehouse fit-out). The second, $220,000, arrives in month 13 on a 48-month term with three months interest only, ahead of the 45 kiosks built in month 18, and covers about 70% of that $315,000 build. Both are secured on kiosks and vans at a planning rate of 9.5%, which is not a quote, and a lender would likely ask for Noor's personal guarantee. Equity pays the remaining $288,000 of equipment and the $48,000 of launch costs. The $624,000 reserve is sized so the downside case in the last table still ends every year with cash in the bank. Kiosks added from Year 3 come on a lease line and sit in operating costs, so they need no further raise.
Yields, host shares and route capacity
- Kiosks in service at year end are 55, 100, 126, 147 and 164, averaging 34.9, 77.5, 113.0, 136.5 and 155.5 over each year. Ten kiosks are live on January 1, 2027, and Year 1 adds 45 more. Year 2 revenue is 2.7 times Year 1's because the average kiosk count more than doubles and advertising sell-through averages 85% against 64% in Year 1.
- A kiosk costs $7,000: about $5,800 of equipment (enclosure and 32-inch screen $2,600, computer, access point and cellular modem $1,300, an eight-port power-only charging module $1,200, card reader and signage $700) and $1,200 to install. Owned kiosks depreciate over six years in a straight line. The 26, 21 and 17 kiosks added in Years 3 to 5 cost $180 a month each on a 48-month lease, or $8,640 over the term, which includes a financing charge.
- Paid sessions average $3.20 in Year 1 and $3.50 by Year 5, a mix of 24-hour Wi-Fi passes and 30-minute fast charges. A kiosk sells about 7.0 paid sessions a day in Year 1, 8.4 in Year 2 and about 8.7 from Year 3, which books $680, $840, $900, $920 and $930 a month at a flat season. Year 1 months follow a seasonal index from 0.80 in January to 1.30 in August, so May and August carry the largest bumps and the Year 1 average rises to $719.
- Each screen loop carries six sponsor slots. The rate card for a full loop is $480 a kiosk a month in Year 1, rising to $560 in Year 5, which is $80 to $93 a slot. Year 1 sell-through climbs from 20% in January to 88% in December, then holds at 85%, 88%, 90% and 90%, so a kiosk books $425, $458, $486 and $504 a month from Year 2. Advertising prices are the plan's own, and local rates vary.
- Event and venue packages are 10 in Year 1 at $3,800 each, rising to 30 at $4,400 in Year 5. Their direct costs are 40%: a venue fee of 15% and temporary staff, shipping and power for the rest.
- Direct costs are 29% of paid sessions (20% host share, 6% for card and mobile-pay fees, which include fixed per-transaction charges on a small ticket, and 3% for sign-in verification, refunds and chargebacks) and 24% of advertising (20% host share, 4% ad-serving and measurement fees). The tables apply the Year 1 blend of 28.5% in every year. Event packages shrink as a share of revenue, so the true blend drifts down to about 27.8% by Year 5, which leaves later direct costs slightly cautious, by about $19,000 in Year 5.
- Connectivity averages $60 per kiosk a month: sites where the host supplies a network drop cost less, and sites where cellular is the main link cost more. Parts, cleaning and vandalism repair run $30 a month. Screens, panels and charging modules need replacing as units age, at $6,000 in Year 2 rising to $44,000 in Year 5.
- One technician covers about 36 kiosks on a monthly service cycle, plus faults flagged by remote monitoring. Kiosks per technician at year end are 28, 33, 32, 29 and 33. Installations average about four a month in Years 1 and 2, then about two a month or fewer as growth moves onto the lease line.
- Each salary carries a 27% load for employer payroll taxes, health coverage, workers' compensation and a retirement match. The wages in the personnel table are launch-year rates. Raises of 3% a year start in Year 2 and are charged on their own line instead of written into those wages.
- Sponsors pay on 30-day terms and paid sessions settle by card within days, so receivables average 16 days. Spare units and parts are held at 4% of annual sales, and vendors and host shares are paid after about 30 days. Bad debt allowances rise from $3,000 to $15,000 as sponsor accounts multiply.
- The model taxes the company as a C corporation: 21% federal plus 4.9% Indiana, after carrying the Year 1 and Year 2 losses forward. The state rate may change, and federal rules can cap how much of a carried-forward loss offsets a later year's profit, which the model does not apply. Distributions of $40,000 in Year 4 and $90,000 in Year 5 are paid only once cash allows and the lender consents.
Where kiosk revenue comes from
| Revenue stream | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paid Wi-Fi passes and fast-charge sessions | $300,800 | $781,200 | $1,220,400 | $1,507,000 | $1,735,400 |
| Advertising and sponsorship | $128,500 | $395,300 | $620,500 | $796,100 | $940,500 |
| Event and venue packages | $38,000 | $63,200 | $90,200 | $110,500 | $132,000 |
| Total revenue | $467,300 | $1,239,700 | $1,931,100 | $2,413,600 | $2,807,900 |
| Growth on prior year | – | 165% | 56% | 25% | 16% |
Paid sessions supply 64.4% of Year 1 revenue and 61.8% of Year 5, advertising and sponsorship 27.5% and 33.5%, and event packages 8.1% and 4.7%. Growth of 165% in Year 2 comes from the average kiosk count rising from 34.9 to 77.5 and from a full year of advertising sell-through near 85%. It falls to 56%, 25% and 16% as new installs slow and the lease line takes over.
The first twelve months of kiosks
| Month | Paid Wi-Fi passes and fast-charge sessions | Advertising and sponsorship | Event and venue packages | Total revenue | EBITDA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2027 | $7,100 | $1,200 | $0 | $8,300 | ($43,188) |
| Feb 2027 | $10,000 | $2,200 | $0 | $12,200 | ($40,400) |
| Mar 2027 | $13,800 | $3,200 | $3,800 | $20,800 | ($34,253) |
| Apr 2027 | $16,800 | $4,700 | $3,800 | $25,300 | ($31,036) |
| May 2027 | $24,900 | $6,600 | $7,600 | $39,100 | ($21,172) |
| Jun 2027 | $23,100 | $8,800 | $0 | $31,900 | ($26,318) |
| Jul 2027 | $25,800 | $11,300 | $3,800 | $40,900 | ($19,885) |
| Aug 2027 | $36,700 | $13,500 | $7,600 | $57,800 | ($7,805) |
| Sep 2027 | $28,700 | $15,800 | $3,800 | $48,300 | ($14,596) |
| Oct 2027 | $31,700 | $18,200 | $3,800 | $53,700 | ($10,736) |
| Nov 2027 | $38,500 | $20,400 | $0 | $58,900 | ($7,019) |
| Dec 2027 | $43,700 | $22,600 | $3,800 | $70,100 | $987 |
Revenue grows from $8,300 in January to $70,100 in December. Paid sessions bump in May ($24,900) and August ($36,700), then reach the year's high of $43,700 in December, while advertising rises every month from $1,200 to $22,600 as slots sell. EBITDA is negative every month until December, when it is $987, and the monthly loss narrows from $43,188 in January to $7,019 in November. December is also the seasonal peak, so one positive month does not show a lasting break-even. Cash falls through the year and closes Year 1 at $380,015.
Technicians, sellers and the office
| Role | Annual wage | Starts | Year 1 end | Year 2 end | Year 3 end | Year 4 end | Year 5 end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founder and managing director | $100,000 | Month 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Field technician 1 (installs and route) | $52,000 | Month 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Host partnerships manager | $68,000 | Month 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Field technician 2 | $52,000 | Month 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Advertising and sponsorship sales lead | $62,000 | Month 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Operations and billing coordinator | $50,000 | Month 20 | – | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Field technician 3 | $52,000 | Month 16 | – | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Sponsorship account manager | $56,000 | Month 33 | – | – | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Field technician 4 | $52,000 | Month 28 | – | – | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Field technician 5 | $52,000 | Month 46 | – | – | – | 1 | 1 |
| Total payroll incl. on-costs | $394,547 | $500,168 | $626,957 | $707,390 | $756,920 |
Month 1 starts with Noor, the first technician and the host partnerships manager. The advertising sales lead joins in month 3 and a second technician in month 4. A third technician follows in month 16 and the operations and billing coordinator in month 20. The fourth technician arrives in month 28, the sponsorship account manager in month 33 and the fifth technician in month 46. Every role is full time, and headcount at year end is 5, 7, 9, 10 and 10. Noor's $100,000 starts in month 1 and sits inside costs, so profit in the tables is what is left after she has been paid.
Earnings from the network
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $467,300 | $1,239,700 | $1,931,100 | $2,413,600 | $2,807,900 |
| Direct costs (host revenue share, card, sign-in and ad-serving fees) | ($133,272) | ($353,557) | ($550,742) | ($688,349) | ($800,801) |
| Gross profit | $334,028 | $886,143 | $1,380,358 | $1,725,251 | $2,007,099 |
| Payroll incl. on-costs | ($394,547) | ($500,168) | ($626,957) | ($707,390) | ($756,920) |
| Rent | ($30,000) | ($31,000) | ($32,000) | ($38,000) | ($39,000) |
| Utilities | ($4,200) | ($4,500) | ($4,800) | ($5,200) | ($5,500) |
| Marketing | ($40,000) | ($44,000) | ($46,000) | ($48,000) | ($50,000) |
| Insurance | ($24,000) | ($31,000) | ($38,000) | ($44,000) | ($49,000) |
| Professional fees | ($9,000) | ($10,000) | ($11,000) | ($12,000) | ($13,000) |
| Software subscriptions | ($24,000) | ($30,000) | ($37,000) | ($42,000) | ($47,000) |
| Kiosk connectivity (host network where offered, cellular backup) | ($25,100) | ($55,800) | ($81,400) | ($98,300) | ($112,000) |
| Kiosk parts, cleaning supplies and vandalism repair | ($12,600) | ($27,900) | ($40,700) | ($49,100) | ($56,000) |
| Lease payments on kiosks added from Year 3 | $0 | $0 | ($28,100) | ($78,800) | ($119,900) |
| Van fuel, tires and maintenance | ($15,000) | ($22,000) | ($29,000) | ($34,000) | ($38,000) |
| Screen, panel and charging-module replacement | $0 | ($6,000) | ($18,000) | ($32,000) | ($44,000) |
| Added vans and tool replacement | $0 | $0 | ($36,000) | ($4,000) | ($38,000) |
| Phones, supplies and travel | ($8,000) | ($10,000) | ($12,000) | ($13,000) | ($14,000) |
| Bad debt allowance (sponsors billed on 30-day terms) | ($3,000) | ($6,000) | ($9,000) | ($12,000) | ($15,000) |
| Annual pay raises (3% a year) | $0 | ($15,005) | ($38,182) | ($65,594) | ($95,000) |
| EBITDA | ($255,419) | $92,769 | $292,220 | $441,867 | $514,779 |
| Depreciation | ($84,510) | ($137,010) | ($137,010) | ($137,010) | ($137,010) |
| Interest | ($27,963) | ($43,095) | ($32,482) | ($20,605) | ($7,549) |
| Income tax | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ($80,079) |
| Net income before start-up costs | ($367,891) | ($87,335) | $122,728 | $284,253 | $290,142 |
| Start-up costs expensed at opening (legal, permits, launch marketing) | ($48,000) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Net income after start-up costs | ($415,891) | ($87,335) | $122,728 | $284,253 | $290,142 |
Year 1 loses $367,891 before start-up costs and $415,891 after them. Year 2 earns $92,769 of EBITDA but loses $87,335 once $137,010 of depreciation and $43,095 of interest are charged. Year 3 earns $122,728, a 6.4% net margin. Net margin reaches 11.8% in Year 4 and eases to 10.3% in Year 5, where lease payments grow from $78,800 to $119,900, the fifth technician is on payroll for the full year and the company pays its first income tax, $80,079. At the full combined rate that tax would be about $96,000 and Year 5 net margin about 9.8%. No income tax is due before Year 5.
Where the cash goes
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash from operations | ($359,604) | $3,026 | $217,981 | $392,122 | $403,338 |
| Kiosks, vans, tools and warehouse fit-out | ($493,000) | ($315,000) | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Funding received | $1,260,000 | $220,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Equipment loan principal repaid | ($27,381) | ($96,793) | ($119,672) | ($131,549) | ($144,605) |
| Owner distributions | $0 | $0 | $0 | ($40,000) | ($90,000) |
| Net change in cash | $380,015 | ($188,767) | $98,309 | $220,573 | $168,733 |
| Closing cash | $380,015 | $191,248 | $289,556 | $510,130 | $678,862 |
Closing cash is positive in every year, with its lowest year-end balance, $191,248, in Year 2 after the 45-kiosk build. Cash from operations is close to flat in Year 2 at $3,026 and turns clearly positive in Year 3. Distributions begin in Year 4.
Balance sheet
| At year end | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | $380,015 | $191,248 | $289,556 | $510,130 | $678,862 |
| Accounts receivable | $20,484 | $54,343 | $84,651 | $105,802 | $123,086 |
| Spare units and parts | $18,692 | $49,588 | $77,244 | $96,544 | $112,316 |
| Kiosks, vans, tools and warehouse fit-out (net) | $408,490 | $586,481 | $449,471 | $312,462 | $175,452 |
| Total assets | $827,681 | $881,660 | $900,923 | $1,024,937 | $1,089,717 |
| Accounts payable (kiosk vendors and host shares) | $10,954 | $29,060 | $45,266 | $56,577 | $65,819 |
| Equipment loan | $272,619 | $395,826 | $276,154 | $144,605 | $0 |
| Paid-in capital | $960,000 | $960,000 | $960,000 | $960,000 | $960,000 |
| Retained earnings | ($415,891) | ($503,226) | ($380,498) | ($136,245) | $63,897 |
| Total liabilities and equity | $827,681 | $881,660 | $900,923 | $1,024,937 | $1,089,717 |
Break-even and kiosk payback
| Measure | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EBITDA margin | -54.7% | 7.5% | 15.1% | 18.3% | 18.3% |
| Net margin (before start-up costs) | -78.7% | -7.0% | 6.4% | 11.8% | 10.3% |
| Payroll incl. pay raises as share of revenue | 84% | 42% | 34% | 32% | 30% |
| Revenue per full-time equivalent at year end | $93,460 | $177,100 | $214,567 | $241,360 | $280,790 |
| Average monthly revenue | $38,942 | $103,308 | $160,925 | $201,133 | $233,992 |
| Monthly revenue needed to cover operating costs | $68,719 | $92,493 | $126,857 | $149,620 | $173,978 |
| Debt service cover (EBITDA / interest + principal) | -4.6x | 0.7x | 1.9x | 2.9x | 3.4x |
The monthly revenue needed counts operating costs only, before depreciation, interest and loan principal. Year 1 falls short, at $38,942 of average monthly revenue against $68,719 needed. Year 2 clears that bar at $103,308 against $92,493, yet still shows a net loss, so net break-even arrives in Year 3. Debt service coverage is negative in Year 1 and 0.7x in Year 2, which the reserve pays for, then rises to 1.9x in Year 3, 2.9x in Year 4 and 3.4x in Year 5.
Revenue 20% short: each kiosk earns less
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $373,840 | $991,760 | $1,544,880 | $1,930,880 | $2,246,320 |
| Net income before start-up costs | ($401,297) | ($162,339) | ($21,401) | $93,354 | $197,815 |
| Net income after start-up costs | ($449,297) | ($162,339) | ($21,401) | $93,354 | $197,815 |
| Closing cash | $352,253 | $97,812 | $60,343 | $135,845 | $307,013 |
All five years come in with revenue 20% below the base case on every line, as if each kiosk earns less than planned. The kiosk count and build spending stay at plan, which keeps the case on the cautious side. Noor responds in eight ways: every hire from month 13 starts six months late, the sponsorship account manager and the fifth technician are never hired, marketing falls 20%, her pay falls 20%, spare-van and tool spending halves, screen refreshes slip a year, the warehouse stays the same size and distributions stop. Her technicians then carry up to about 48 kiosks each in Year 2 and about 40 afterward, so scheduled visits move from monthly to every six weeks. The result is a loss in each of the first three years and a profit from Year 4, with year-end cash never below $60,343. Equity at the end of Year 1 is $510,703. The case is worse than the base case in every year. Without the cuts, the same shortfall leaves the company out of cash in Year 2 and still losing money in Year 5.
Sources
- Federal Communications Commission, Juice jacking: tips to avoid it: consumer guidance on risks at public USB charging ports. It supports the design choice of power-only ports. No figures are taken from it.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers: occupation reference for installer pay. The wages in the plan are the plan's own figures, and local pay is best compared with current BLS data.
- Indiana Department of Revenue, corporate income tax: the 4.9% state rate in the model is a planning figure, and the rate may change.
- Internal Revenue Service, corporation income tax: the 21% federal rate in the model is a planning figure, and federal law may change.
- Indiana Attorney General, consumer protection: the state has a consumer data privacy law. Thresholds, effective dates and duties are for counsel to confirm, and none are stated here.
- Host lease terms, advertising rates, card-processing fees and carrier pricing: no public page is cited. Each is a plan figure, and quotes from the host, sponsor, processor or carrier would replace it.
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