👋 Welcome Back
Welcome back to Booth to Bank with Nathan — I’m Nathan, your Director of Finance during the week and your selling-out-booth host on the weekends.
After 13+ years of shows and 30+ years as an entrepreneur, I’ve seen it all — the good, the bad, and the “what were they thinking” booths.
Every Friday, we pull back the curtain on what really makes handmade businesses profitable, because turning your booth into a bank starts with understanding your numbers.
This week, we’re kicking off a brand-new series:
💸 Profit Leaks: Where Vendors Lose Money Without Realizing It
And in Part 1, we’re tackling one of the sneakiest culprits — the hidden costs silently eating your profits.
🧩 Week 1: The Hidden Costs Eating Your Profits
We’ve all had those shows where sales looked amazing — until we sat down and did the math. Suddenly, that $400 market turns into an $80 profit once booth fees, gas, snacks, and supplies sneak their way in.
These invisible costs don’t just chip away at your bottom line — they control it. Let’s uncover the hidden expenses draining your profit, one vendor reality check at a time.
🚗 1. The Travel Trap
Gas, tolls, parking, and wear-and-tear on your vehicle all add up.
If you’re driving two hours to a $100 market, that’s not a business strategy — it’s a field trip.
👉 Pro Tip: Log your mileage and gas costs for every event. You’ll start seeing patterns — some markets simply don’t justify the drive.
Action Step: Create a “Travel Cost” column in your sales tracker (or use my Vendor Expense Tracker if you want it pre-built). Calculate the true cost of getting there and back.
🧺 2. The Booth Budget Blindspot
We love a pretty booth, but let’s be honest — props, signage, and tables aren’t free.
Those new risers or custom banners might look like investments, but if you’re constantly changing your setup, you’re leaking money.
👉 Pro Tip: Treat booth materials like assets with a cost-per-use. If your $120 display will last 12 shows, that’s $10 per event.
Action Step: List out every booth item you’ve purchased this year and divide it by the number of uses. You’ll quickly see where your booth bling is hurting your ROI.
🍔 3. The Food & Convenience Sinkhole
That $15 food truck lunch and $6 iced coffee? Not harmless. At two-day events, that’s easily $40–$50 gone. Multiply that by 20 markets a year — you’re spending $1,000+ feeding your profit leaks.
👉 Pro Tip: Pack a cooler. Bring snacks, water, and prepped meals. You’re a business owner, not a tourist at your own booth.
Action Step: Add “food” as a recurring line in your event budget. Awareness alone will save you hundreds.
🎁 4. The “I Might Need This” Mentality
Impulse buys for “just-in-case” items (extra bags, yarn, tablecloths) add up faster than you think.
Vendors often over-prepare because it feels professional — but it’s often just expensive clutter.
👉 Pro Tip: Keep a master inventory list of show supplies and track restocks monthly. Only reorder when you actually run out, not when it “feels low.”
Action Step: Audit your supply bins before each event weekend. Anything unused for the past 3 shows? It’s probably a want, not a need.
💵 5. The Time You’re Not Tracking
The hours spent crocheting, labeling, packing, and setting up all have a value. When you ignore that time, you trick yourself into thinking you made more profit than you did.
👉 Pro Tip: Assign an hourly rate to your labor (e.g., $20/hr). Add it to your cost-per-product or show. That’s your true profitability.
Action Step: Track your total hours for one full event (prep to breakdown). Divide your net earnings by that number. If you’re making $6/hr, you’ve found a leak.
💬 Final Thoughts
Profit leaks are sneaky because they hide in plain sight. Once you start tracking every dollar, every drive, and every decision, you’ll see exactly where your money goes. Awareness is the first step to control.
✅ This Week’s Challenge:
Audit your last 3 markets and total up every expense, gas, food, booth fees, materials, and supplies.
Then ask yourself: Was that show truly profitable?
📦 Want to Fix Your Profit Leaks for Good?
Grab the free Vendor Expense Tracker — a simple sheet that helps you log every hidden cost before it eats your bottom line.
👉 Download it here!
Until then, keep showing up, keep improving, and keep turning yarn into smiles. 💕
– Nathan
Director of Finance by Day | Selling-Out-Booth Mentor by Weekend