Show fileBack to the show fileGloom & Glow · Business plan
The first goal:$830before the show.
Fan-made merch for a theater show. 20 tees, 10 totes and 10 posters, all pre-ordered before the show. The tee is the star; the tote and poster are the extras people add on.
What is left (profit)
(estimate)
$830
Total sales
Start-up money
Every number marked (estimate) is a guess from public print shop prices, checked November 2026. Prices change.
Scene 01
The market
Priced rightin the range.
Show and event tees
usually sell for about $20 to $30 (estimate)
Tote bags
usually sell for about $15 to $25 (estimate)
Posters
usually sell for about $10 to $20 (estimate)
The Golden Ticket Tee
T-shirt, starter price
$25
Night Factory Tote
Tote bag, starter price
$18
Two Worlds Poster
Poster, starter price
$15
Scene 02
The costs
Full color, printed to order.
T-shirt
$25
Mariana's price
Order about 20about $10 to $12if you order about 20 (estimate)
Make just oneabout $12 to $17full-color front, with shipping (estimate)
Tote bag
$18
Mariana's price
Order about 20about $9 to $13if you order about 20 (estimate)
Make just oneabout $13 to $18full-color print (estimate)
Poster
$15
Mariana's price
Order about 20about $3 to $6about 20, at a local print shop (estimate)
Make just oneabout $7 to $1011 x 17 inches (estimate)
about $13
kept on each tee at $25 (estimate). Good to know: a tee at $10 would cost more to make than you charge.
Scene 03
The money math
Take orders first. Then print.
20 tees, 10 totes, 10 posters
Sales / cost to make
Tees 20 × $25
$500 / about $240 (estimate)
Totes 10 × $18
$180 / about $120 (estimate)
Posters 10 × $15
$150 / about $50 (estimate)
Total sales
$830
- Cost to makeabout $410 (estimate)
- Shipping the box from the printerabout $20 (estimate)
- Card fees, if people pay by card (about 3% + $0.30 each)about $25 (estimate)
What is left (profit)
about $375 (estimate)
Scene 04
The ladder
Seven steps, one at a time.
1
Done
The store is live
With an order form in preview mode. Nothing is sent or saved yet.
2
Next
Show it
Show the store to the show director and 5 people in the cast. Ask: “Would you buy the tee?” Write down every yes and their size.
3
Later
Get the OK
Ask the show director if fan merch can be sold to the cast and at the show. A grown-up joins that talk.
4
Later
Order one sample tee
About $15 to $20 (estimate), to see the real print before taking money.
5
Later
Take pre‑orders in person
A grown-up handles the money. Then order the batch.
6
Later
Practice checkout
A test checkout on the store: practice payments, no real money.
7
Later
Real online orders
Only after a parent says yes with the Future Masters team. Until then, the order form stays in preview mode.
The goal
Show week
Hand out the orders. Merch table on show nights.
Scene 05
The buyers
The cast first. Then the audience.
01
Biggest group
Cast and crew
The people in the show want a shirt from it.
02
Families of the cast
Parents and grandparents buy a shirt or a poster as a keepsake.
03
People at the show
The audience on show nights, from a merch table.
How people hear about it
The content kit
3 pictures and 2 short videos with captions, ready now. Mariana or a parent posts them.
The scroll is the hook
The store link is the best post. “Scroll slowly and watch what happens.”
Cast group chat
A parent shares the store link with the cast families.
Show nights
A small merch table with the sample tee, the poster and a sign with the store link.
One post a week
Until the show. Same night-and-gold look every time, so people remember it.
Scene 06
The timeline
Count back from the show.
6 weeks before
Show the store to the director and 5 cast members. Get the OK.
5 weeks before
Order 1 sample tee. Post picture 1.
4 weeks before
Sample arrives. Pre-orders open in person. Post video 1.
3 weeks before
Keep taking pre-orders. Post picture 2.
2 weeks before
Pre-orders close. Order the batch. Post video 2.
Show week
Hand out the orders. Merch table on show nights. Post picture 3.
Scene 07
Rules
Built in from day one.
Fan-made, original art only
- The designs are inspired by the story’s mood (rain, gold light, a ticket, a factory). They are her own art.
- Never the official show title, logos, movie pictures, actor faces or song lyrics.
- Never called official merch. Every page and post carries the fan-made line.
- The product photos are design mockups until there are real photos of the real shirts.
Before printing
- A printer needs a flat, high-quality version of each design, not the photo of the shirt.
Staying safe online
- First name only. No photos of her or the cast, no school name, no address.
- Collecting other people’s names and sizes online needs a staff OK first. Until then, orders are taken in person.
Money
- A grown-up handles all money.
- Real online payments wait for a parent’s “live payments” OK with the Future Masters team.
Scene 08
Mariana decides
Three picks.
1
The name
Keep “Gloom & Glow”, or pick “Midnight Factory”, “Golden Hour Goods”, or her own. The name is also the link.
2
The prices
Keep $25, $18 and $15, or change them.
3
The show date and the goal
20 tees, or more?
What a parent does
- 1.Joins the talk with the show director about selling.
- 2.Pays for the sample tee (about $15 to $20, estimate).
- 3.Handles money from pre-orders and places the print order.
- 4.Posts the content, or says yes to Mariana posting it.
Later (not now)
- Print files for the tee, tote and poster.
- A sticker pack or a hoodie, after the first batch sells.
- A table sign with a scan code for show nights.
- Test checkout, then real checkout, with a parent’s OK and the Future Masters team.
Next step:show it to the cast.
Fan-made and inspired by the story. Not official merch. All designs are original art.