What Pricing Lab Covers in a Working Session
Pricing Lab is built for practical decisions, not theory for its own sake. We work through your real costs, the time behind the work, the margin you need to stay in business and the realities of selling into local markets, corporate briefs and online orders. For many creators, the hardest part is not making the product, it is setting a price that covers materials, labour, overheads and still leaves room to grow.
The session is especially useful in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria where buyers often compare makers on price alone. We help you explain value clearly, separate retail pricing from custom work, and avoid underquoting when you are chasing volume. It also helps teams that need one pricing method across different products, workshop formats or service packages.
- Costing worksheets for materials, labour and overheads
- Margin setting for retail, wholesale and custom work
- Pricing language for quotes, proposals and client calls
- Basic market checks against local competitor price points
Formats, Group Sizes and Session Options
Pricing Lab runs in small groups or as a focused team session, depending on what you need. A standard workshop works well for 8 to 20 participants, while a private session suits a studio team or founder group that wants to work through one pricing system together. Online sessions are also available for members in Nairobi and other cities when travel is not practical.
There are a few ways to structure it. Some groups want a single 2 hour session, while others prefer a half day format with time for examples and recalculations. Where the work is more complex, we can split it into two parts so participants leave with cleaner numbers and fewer assumptions.
- 2 hour guided pricing clinic
- Half day workshop with live costing examples
- Private team session for studios and collectives
- Online session for cross-border groups and remote members
Where It Suits Best and Who Benefits Most
This workshop suits members preparing to sell at pop ups, design markets, exhibitions, retail stockist meetings and online drops. It also helps creators who are getting more enquiries but still pricing by feel. If you are quoting for product batches, custom commissions or sponsored creative work, Pricing Lab gives you a clearer base to work from.
It is a strong fit for makers dealing with changing input costs, from fabric and packaging to print, timber and transport. In coastal areas like Durban and Cape Town, humidity and storage conditions can affect spoilage, finish quality and replacement rates, so pricing needs to reflect waste and risk as well. In Johannesburg, where load-shedding can interrupt production hours, we also look at the cost of downtime and backup power.
- Product designers and craft businesses
- Digital creators with packaged services
- Workshop teams and small studios
- Emerging sellers preparing for stockists or festivals
What You Need On the Day
You do not need special equipment to take part, but you will get better results if you bring real numbers. That includes recent material invoices, your current price list, examples of past quotes and any notes on production time. If you are working in a group, it helps to bring one or two products that represent your main offer, not just the easiest item to price.
For online sessions, a stable internet connection and a quiet workspace are enough. For in person sessions at Braamfontein or our chapter meetups, we usually work with printed sheets, calculators and a shared screen for examples. If your pricing depends on packaging, courier costs or special finish requirements, bring those details too, because small items can change the final number more than people expect.
- Current material and supplier costs
- Labour hours or production timing notes
- Existing quotes, invoices or price lists
- Packaging, courier and storage cost details
Installation, Power and Venue Needs
Pricing Lab is a guided workshop rather than a physical product, so there is no installation beyond setting up the room or online session. For venues, a table, chairs, a screen or projector and a reliable plug point are usually enough. If the workshop runs during load-shedding, we recommend backup power for the screen and a charging point for devices, especially where participants are working from phones.
Venue size depends on the format. A small meeting room suits a private team session, while a larger community space works for mixed chapters and open cohorts. If you are hosting in a building with access rules or municipal limits on noise and trading hours, plan for those early so the session stays on schedule and participants are not cut short.
- No fixed installation required
- Tables, seating and screen access recommended
- Backup power useful for in person sessions
- Quiet venue preferred for costing discussions
Care, Follow Up and What to Check Before Booking
The best results come when you treat Pricing Lab as part of an ongoing pricing process, not a once off chat. After the session, review your numbers again when material prices move, when you add a new product range or when your order size changes. Many small businesses need to revisit pricing every few months, especially if courier charges, packaging or labour costs shift.
Before booking, check who the session is for, how many people will attend and whether you want general guidance or a pricing audit on specific products. It also helps to know whether you need support with wholesale, retail or both. If your business serves different towns or countries, ask how cross-border costs and currency changes will be handled, because those details can affect margins more than most people realise.
- Confirm the product range or service type being priced
- Check group size and session length before booking
- Prepare current costs and recent quotes
- Agree on whether retail, wholesale or custom pricing is needed
Key facts
| Format | Guided pricing workshop with live examples and group discussion |
|---|---|
| Session length | 2 hours or half day, depending on the group |
| Group size | 8 to 20 participants, or a private team session |
| Delivery | In person in Johannesburg chapters or online across South Africa and the continent |
| Focus | Costing, margin choices, market checks and sustainable creative pricing |
| What participants get | Pricing notes, costing worksheet prompts and a clearer price structure |
