How much money you actually need to start

There's no single startup number, only a budget that changes with your model. Fund the line items beginners forget, then check you have runway to test.

Beginners ask 'how much to start' and want one number, but the honest answer is a budget that swings from near-zero (dropshipping) to a few thousand (inventory) depending on the model. The costs that sink stores aren't the obvious ones, they're samples, a returns buffer, platform fees, and the ad-testing budget people forget to plan for. The move is to build the budget from your model, split must-spend from can-wait, and do the runway math before you spend. AI builds the line-item budget from your numbers; you decide the model and the burn rate.

The honest answer isn't a single number. It's a budget that changes with your model.

Dropshipping can start near zero; holding inventory can't. And the line items people forget are what actually sink them.

What you'll learn

Start from your model, not a magic number
List the costs beginners forget
Separate must-spend from can-wait
Do the runway math before you spend