01/31/2026
Here’s part 2 from my previous post. I wanted to break this down for you. Below is a very clear, step-by-step breakdown that walks you all through COGS, paying yourselves, choosing a percentage, how you come up with your percentage and arriving at a final price for one dozen strawberries using the exact information I mentioned in my previous post.
Let me walk you through this step by step so you can truly understand how to price strawberries the right way and stop guessing.
We are going to use a basic one color, dipped strawberries with drizzle example. No custom work. No lettering. Just a standard dozen.
STEP 1: Calculate Your Cost of Goods Sold (COGS)
COGS is everything it costs you to physically make the product. If you skip this step, you will always underprice.
Based on the information we discussed
Strawberries
A 2-pound container from Walmart costs $8.23 and realistically gives you one usable dozen after removing bruised or damaged strawberries.
Chocolate
If you are using Merckens, a 1-pound bag costs $6.99.
(This is a very common choice for treat makers.)
Food Coloring
Gel food coloring costs about $8–$9 per bottle, but you’re only using a portion per dozen. A realistic breakdown is $1.25 per dozen.
Packaging
If you are not buying wholesale yet, packaging easily starts at about $5 per dozen. This includes the box, liner, cup, drizzle bag, gloves, sticks and presentation materials.
Now let’s add that together:
• Strawberries: $8.23
• Chocolate: $6.99
• Food coloring (portion): $1.25
• Packaging: $5.00
Total COGS: $21.47
This means before you even pay yourself, you are already spending $21.47 to make one dozen strawberries.
STEP 2: Pay Yourself (Labor Cost)
This is the step most people skip, and this is why you struggle financially or broke.
Ask yourself two questions
1. How long does it take me to make one dozen strawberries?
2. What is my hourly rate?
Let’s use a realistic beginner example.
If it takes you about 30 minutes to wash, dry, dip, drizzle, and clean up one dozen strawberries, and you decide your time is worth $25 per hour, here’s the math:
• $25 per hour ÷ 2 = $12.50
So your labor cost per dozen is $12.50.
You are now at:
• COGS: $21.47
• Labor: $12.50
Running total: $33.97
STEP 2:1– LABOR COST (Why we divided by 2)
When we say $25 per hour, that means you are paying yourself $25 for 60 minutes of work.
In the example, I estimated that one dozen strawberries takes about 30 minutes to make (washing, drying, dipping, drizzling, and cleanup). Y’all this is just an example for you to understand.
Since:
• 30 minutes is half of an hour
• Half of an hour = 0.5 hours
I divide the hourly rate by 2 because
$25 per hour ÷ 2 = $12.50 for 30 minutes of work
So the “2” comes from the fact that 30 minutes is half of an hour.
If it took:
• 15 minutes → divide by 4
• 30 minutes → divide by 2
• 45 minutes → multiply by 0.75
• 60 minutes → full $25
That’s how you fairly break down and understand your numbers as well as pay yourself for your time.
STEP 3: Add Overhead
Overhead is everything that supports your business but isn’t a direct ingredient.
This includes:
• Electricity
• Water
• Gas
• Equipment use
• Cleaning supplies
Even if you work from home, these costs still exist.
A safe and realistic overhead estimate for one dozen strawberries is $3–$5.
Let’s use $4 for example.
Now your total cost becomes:
$33.97 + $4.00 = $37.97
STEP 4: Add Your Profit Percentage
Profit is not what’s left over.
Profit is added on purpose.
A healthy profit margin for treat makers is 30%–50%. For this example, we’ll use 40%, which is very reasonable.
Here’s how you calculate it:
$37.97 × 1.40 = $53.16
STEP 4:1– PROFIT (Where the 1.40 Comes From)
The 1.40 comes from adding a 40% profit margin to your total cost.
Here’s how it works:
• 100% of your cost = 1.00
• 40% profit = 0.40
So 1.00 + 0.40 = 1.40
That’s why we multiply by 1.40.
This means you are charging
• 100% to cover your costs
• PLUS 40% to make profit
I hope this make sense to you all. This is why when I’m asked about pricing or someone ask should I price my stuff this way or should I price my stuff this price? I really do not like giving suggested prices or talk about pricing in the comments or messages because it’s more than giving us suggested price so y’all see why because I would like to educate you first on what it takes to price your product so let’s move onto step 5.
STEP 5: Final Price for One Dozen Strawberries
Based on real numbers, proper pay, and a reasonable profit margin:
▪️One dozen basic strawberries should be priced at $50–$55
That price:
• Covers your ingredients
• Pays you for your time
• Covers business expenses
• Allows your business to grow
WHY $25 A DOZEN DOES NOT WORK
If you sell a dozen strawberries for $25, but it costs you $21.47 just to make them, you are left with $3.53 before paying yourself, before overhead, before anything.
That means
• You are not paying yourself
• You are not making profit
• You are working for free
As I mentioned in the previous post, selling more does not fix this. Selling 50 dozens at the wrong price only means you worked harder for less.
HERE’S MY FINAL TEACHING MOMENT FOR MY STUDENTS
Your price must reflect
• Your cost
• Your time
• Your skill
• Your business goals
If your pricing does not pay you, it is not a business it is a hustle.
Stop pricing emotionally.
Stop copying online prices.
Start pricing with intention.
i say again and again. Being booked is nice.
Being profitable is better.
❤️Business Basics
Note: The  information in this flyer is just explaining step two and step three of this post. In step two, I was asked in the previous post. How did I come up with $25 per hour ÷ 2 = $12.50 for 30 minutes of work. A few people wanted to know how did I come up with the 2. And step four I was asked how did I come up with the 1.40.  so I broke it down for you all to understand. Please keep in mind. This is just an example of how you come up with your pricing. Please keep in mind there’s business fees that you include. There’s taxes that you include, but I wanted to give you a step-by-step example to understand the process of coming up with your price.
