Profit Made Simple: The Break-Even Formula Every Florist and Flower Farmer Needs

If you’ve ever walked away from a show or event feeling totally unsure whether you made money — or quietly suspecting you probably didn’t — this blog post is for you.

And let’s be honest… most small businesses don’t know their real numbers. They think they’re doing fine because they “covered the stand fee”, but once you add the cost of goods, travel, packaging, insurance, card machine fees, and everything else… well, the truth is usually very different.

The good news? The maths behind running a profitable flower business is beautifully simple — and it’s nothing like the complicated stuff you were taught at school.

Today, I’m giving you the one formula every grower, florist, or maker needs to know:

👉 How to calculate your REAL break-even point for any market, event, or pop-up.

Use this formula and you will never again turn up to a show crossing your fingers and hoping for the best.

Why Most People Get Break-Even Wrong

Most growers believe:

“If my stand cost £300, and I took £300 in sales, I’ve broken even.”

Unfortunately… no.

This is one of the most common and dangerous misunderstandings in small business.

Because your stand fee (or table fee) isn't your whole cost.

Here are the other costs you must count:

• Travel

• Petrol

• Food + coffee

• Accommodation

• Insurance

• Packaging and bags

• Card machine fees

• Any extra help on the day

  
  

These are your fixed costs — the costs you must pay whether you sell anything or not.

If you don’t include them, the maths will lie to you.

Then - This is the cost everyone seems to miss!!

• Cost of goods (your seeds, stems, bouquets, supplies, etc.)

  
  

The REAL Break-Even Formula (Super Simple)

Here’s the formula I teach inside my business coaching and in Episode 30 of The Blooming Garden Podcast:

Break-Even Sales = Fixed Costs ÷ (Margin % ÷ 100)

That’s it. One formula that works for:

• Any stand fee

• Any blended margin

• Any product mix

• Any size of business

• Any show, anywhere

And don’t panic — let’s break this down step-by-step so it feels easy.

STEP 1: Work Out Your Fixed Costs

Your fixed costs are everything you have to pay to attend the show.

This usually includes:

• Stand fee

• Petrol

• Parking

• Accommodation

• Food

• Insurance

• Packaging

• Supplies

• Any staff help

• 
  

Add it all up. That number is your total cost for attending the event — even if you don’t sell a single thing.

STEP 2: Work Out Your Profit Margin %

Margin is the percentage of profit you make on each sale after covering your COGS ( Cost of Goods).

You calculate it like this:

Margin % = (Selling Price – Cost of Goods) ÷ Selling Price × 100

(This assumes to VAT is payable as you are a small business)

If maths scares you, don’t worry — next week’s podcast is literally all about this.

But for now, just write down your margin % as you normally think of it:

• 40%

• 50%

• 62%

Use the percentage exactly as you say it in real life.

STEP 3: Use the Formula

Take your fixed costs.

Divide them by your margin % divided by 100.

For example:

If your fixed costs are £1,200 and your margin is 50%

You put this in your calculator:

1,200 ÷ (50 ÷ 100)

Which becomes:

1,200 ÷ 0.50 = £2,400

So your real break-even point is:

👉 £2,400 in sales - NOT £1,200.

That’s the number you must hit just to cover your costs. If you want to pay yourself or make a profit, you must take more than that.

This formula gives you:

• clarity

• confidence

• and control

You’ll know:

• exactly what you need to take to break even

• whether a show is worth the risk

• whether you need it for profit or marketing

• whether your margin is high enough to make events sustainable

• whether events is quietly losing you money

• 
  

I use this formula every single time — it’s how I knew by lunchtime on Day 1 of my last four-day Christmas market that we wouldn’t make our money back.

Not because I’m pessimistic.

But because the numbers were already written.

This Is the Maths That Actually Matters

Forget school maths. This is business maths — the kind that protects your bank account, your energy, and your confidence. It’s simple. It’s quick, and once you learn it, you’ll never look at markets or pricing in the same way again.

Ready to Build a Real Flower Business?

If today’s post has made you realise you need a clearer plan, I’ve got something exciting coming:

The Flower Business Bootcamp

A beginner-friendly mini course designed to help you:

• set up your business properly

• find your customers

• price your products

• build a simple, realistic plan

• forecast your first year

• and finally turn your idea into a profitable flower business

  
  

Join the waitlist here

Want More? Listen to Podcast Episode 30