What did your first market actually earn?

The table is packed away, the float is counted and there’s money in your account. Before you book another stall, take ten minutes to work out what the day left you with.

You don’t need a complicated system. Start with what sold, what it cost and how much time went into it.

Start with sales, then subtract the costs

Here’s a fictional example, in Australian dollars:

• Sales taken: $150.00

• Materials and packaging for the items sold: −$45.00

• Payment fees: −$4.50

• Stall fee, travel and other event costs: −$40.00

• Cash contribution before owner labour: $60.50

That $60.50 is what this simplified example leaves before paying for your own time. It excludes tax and any wider business costs not listed.

Suppose you spent three hours in total making the sold items, preparing, travelling, selling and packing down. At a chosen value of $25 an hour, that’s $75 of owner time. Subtract it and the result is −$14.50 after valuing your time.

Those three hours and that rate are illustrative, not typical market hours or a wage recommendation. Record your actual time, including work outside the stall. Don’t subtract the same labour cost twice.

What about stock you brought home?

Say you brought 20 identical items and sold 10. For this event’s result, count the product cost of the 10 sold. Keep a separate record of the 10 remaining and what they cost.

Buying all 20 still used cash upfront, so your bank balance can tell a different story from the event result. Usable stock brought home hasn’t automatically become a loss. Record damage or spoilage separately. This is a simple planning approach, not tax or accounting advice.

Before you leave

• Count stock by product and note selling prices.

• Pack price signs, display materials, bags, a charged payment device, power bank, cash float and a pen.

• Save the organiser’s arrival instructions and check any weather or equipment requirements.

• Write down your stall fee and expected travel costs.

During the market

Keep a simple tally of what sells. Note discounts, bundles and damaged items so your final count makes sense. Your opening float belongs to you already; it isn’t sales income.

Once you’re home

Count remaining stock, reconcile sales with cash and card records, then enter actual fees and time. Note one thing to repeat and one thing to change. A useful result might be “bring fewer of these” or “check a different venue”, rather than “make more stock”.

For a place to keep those numbers together, Market Day, Made Clear is an A$15 workbook and printable kit. You can start with the free packing preview.

No worksheet can promise a profitable market. It can help you decide what to try next with clearer numbers.