Free tool

Was this market worth it?

Add up a market day the honest way, with your time counted. See what you took home, your profit per hour, and whether it earns a spot on next season's calendar.

The day's numbers

Ingredients + packaging

Prep, travel, the market

You took home

$264.00

Per hour

$44.00

Margin

55%

Worth a repeat.

How it works

  1. Enter what you took in

    The day's revenue, straight off the till or the cash box.

  2. Subtract what the day cost

    The cost of the goods you sold, the booth fee, and the gas to get there and back.

  3. Count your hours

    Baking, packing, driving, setup, selling, teardown, at a real hourly rate. What is left is profit, and profit per hour.

$640
revenue in the worked market day
$175
real profit after costs and 11 hours
$16/hr
profit per hour, on top of a $20 wage

Figures from the worked market-day example.

Common questions

How do I know if a farmers market was worth it?
Take what you sold, subtract the cost of the goods you sold, the booth fee and gas, then your own hours at a real hourly rate. Divide what is left by the hours you put in and you have profit per hour, the number that tells the truth.
Can a market lose money even with good sales?
Yes. A day can look strong on the cash you brought home and still pay you less per hour than a regular job once baking, packing, driving, setup, selling, and teardown are counted.
Which costs count for a market day?
The cost of the goods you actually sold, the stall fee, fuel to get there and back, and your time across the whole day, not just the selling hours.

One market today. Your whole season in Doughflow.

Keep a running scoreboard of every market and pop-up, so you know which ones earn a spot on next season's calendar.

More free tools