BZR 2026
Retail Accelerator . Session 2
01 - 12

Hamtramck Bazaar

Pricing and
Hidden Costs

Session 2

Saturday, May 9, 2026 . 12:00 PM to 2:30 PM

You do not need perfect accounting today. You need to stop guessing.

12:00 PM | Opening ends 12:10

What We Are Building Today

Today we turn what you noticed this week into a real number.

Every participant leaves with a completed Pricing and Cost Sheet for one product.

That is the non-negotiable output for today.
1 sheet

Pricing and Cost Sheet

12:00 PM | Opening ends 12:10

Bring Back Your Clarity Statement

Session 1 created clarity. Session 2 tests whether your price protects the business you defined.

Before we touch numbers, look back at your one page from last week.

  • What do you sell?
  • Who buys it?
  • Why do they buy?
  • What value do you provide?
Now we find out if your price protects that business.

Pricing Is Not Guessing

Pricing is not guessing.

Pricing is not picking a number that feels comfortable.

Pricing has to protect the business.

You do not need perfect accounting today. You need to stop guessing.

12:10 PM | Ends 12:20

What Your Product Actually Costs

Three ideas that change how you see your costs.

1
Direct CostsThese are the things you already count. Ingredients, materials, supplies. The wax in the candle. The flour in the cookie.
2
Indirect CostsThese are the things you forget. The bag it goes home in. The gas to drive to the supply store. The label. The packaging tape. The table fee at the Bazaar.
3
The Time TrapIf you spend two hours making a product and charge eight dollars, you may be earning less than four dollars an hour. Your time is a cost. It belongs on the sheet.This is especially true for service businesses. If you spend 20 hours on a project and charge 500 dollars, you are earning 25 dollars an hour before counting software, revisions, or client calls.

12:20 PM | Ends 12:35

A Cookie Is Not Just Flour, Butter, and Sugar

Every cost on a real cookie. Most never make it onto the price.

Ingredients

Box or container

Sticker or label

Napkin or wrap

Gas to the supply store

Kitchen supplies used

Time to bake and package

Every cookie that did not sell

Most of these never make it onto the price. That is the problem.
The same is true for service businesses. A design project is not just software and a few hours. It also includes discovery calls, revision rounds, file prep, client management time, and every hour spent explaining the work.

12:35 PM | Ends 12:50

Hidden Cost Brainstorm

Turn to Part 1 of your worksheet.

List every cost connected to one product.

1
Pick one productYour main product. The one you sell most or the one you are most proud of.
2
List every cost you can think ofMaterials, packaging, fees, time, transport, waste. Write down everything even if you are not sure of the exact number.
3
Circle the ones you were not counting beforeThose are your hidden costs. That is where the gap lives.
A messy honest list beats a clean fake one every time.

12:50 PM | Ends 1:20 | Walk the room. Rough numbers are fine.

Two Ways to Price

Conscious pricing, not gut-feeling pricing.

1
Cost-Plus PricingCalculate your true cost. Add a profit margin on top. This makes sure you do not lose money on every sale. Example: if the real cost of one soap bar is 4 dollars, charging 6 dollars gives you a 2 dollar margin.
2
Value-Based PricingPrice based on what the outcome is worth to the customer. Quality, occasion, trust, and experience all affect what someone will pay. A handmade candle for an Eid gift is not the same as a candle from a gas station. Price accordingly.
3
The goal is conscious pricingNot accidental pricing. Not gut-feeling pricing. A price you can explain and defend.

1:20 PM | Ends 1:35

What Does the Math Actually Look Like?

Here are two real businesses worked through the full cost sheet.

Product: Handmade bar soap. Current price: 8 dollars.

Direct costs: Lye, oils, fragrance, supplies. About 2 dollars and 50 cents per bar.

Indirect costs: Label, bag, share of table fee. About 85 cents per bar.

Time: 20 minutes to make at 10 dollars per hour. That is 3 dollars and 33 cents.

True cost per bar: approximately 6 dollars and 68 cents.

Profit at current price: about 1 dollar and 32 cents per bar.

Suggested price range: 11 to 14 dollars based on quality and occasion value.

1:35 PM | Ends 1:50 | Let this land before moving to the working session.

What Does the Math Look Like for a Service?

Now here is the same math for a service business.

Service: Brand identity design package. Current price charged: 500 dollars.

Design time: 15 hours. Revision rounds: 6 hours. Client calls and communication: 4 hours. Total time: 25 hours.

Software allocation per project: 30 dollars.

True cost at a 40 dollar per hour target rate: 1,030 dollars.

Current effective hourly rate: 20 dollars an hour.

Suggested pricing direction: 900 to 1,200 dollars based on project scope and client value.

Most small businesses are not undercharging because they are careless. They are undercharging because they never counted everything. The math is different for every business. The problem is the same.

Build Your Pricing and Cost Sheet

Turn to Part 2 of your worksheet.

Nine answers in your own words. Write each one down.

  • Product name
  • Current price you charge
  • Direct costs
  • Hidden or indirect costs
  • Time and labor cost
  • Estimated true cost total
  • Estimated profit per sale at current price
  • Suggested new price or price range
  • One sentence: why would your customer pay this price
Finish all nine. This sheet is your pricing foundation for the rest of the program.
Quick partner check: What cost were you not counting before? Does your current price still make sense? What might need to change?

1:50 PM | Ends 2:25 | Protect this block. Use overflow until 3:00 PM if needed.

What Comes Next

Session 2 creates pricing awareness.

Session 3 moves into how customers find you, trust you, and decide to buy.

Next Session: Saturday, May 16 | 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM

You do not need perfect accounting today. You needed to stop guessing. Today, you did.

Ahmad Bazzi

Founder and Lead Strategist, Forward Project X

(313) 743-3273

forwardprojectx.com

a.a.bazzi@forwardprojectx.com

@FPXconsulting

290 Town Center Dr, Suite 420D . Dearborn, MI 48126

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Forward Project X
Hamtramck Bazaar