The things that sell out at an Entrepreneurs Day market are cheap, quick to hand over, and impulse-priced. Food and drink almost always outsell everything else, because the buyers are hungry, on foot, and carrying small amounts of cash.
The part that decides whether you go home with a profit is not the product. It is knowing what each unit costs you, pricing it to leave a margin, and being able to take payment when the cash runs out. This guide covers both halves.
What actually sells on the day
Food and drink. Baked goods, boerewors rolls, samoosas, popcorn, sweets, cold drinks on a hot day. Sells first, sells fastest, and the margin is good if you buy ingredients in bulk. Portion it before you arrive so you are serving rather than preparing.
Sweets and snacks bought in bulk and repackaged. The simplest business on the field. Buy a bulk pack, split it into small bags, and price each bag at a round number. No skill required, and it teaches the actual lesson of the day, which is markup.
Customised items. Printed T-shirts, mugs, phone cases, tote bags, keyrings with names on them. Names and personalisation are what shift these. The risk is stock you cannot sell afterwards, so keep the run small.
Handmade crafts. Jewellery, candles, small artwork, beadwork. Higher margin per item, slower to sell, and better suited to a market where people browse rather than pass through.
Soaps, bath and skincare products. Reliable sellers, and packaging does most of the work. A plain jar and a well-labelled one sell at very different prices.
Plants, succulents and herbs. Close to free if you propagate them yourself, and they hold their value if they do not sell.
Pet treats and accessories. A small, loyal set of buyers who spend more per sale than average.
Second-hand and upcycled goods. Vintage clothing, repaired or repurposed items. Requires time hunting rather than money, which suits a first venture with no capital.
Work out your costs before you price anything
This is the part most stalls skip, and it is the reason a busy table can still lose money.
Add up what a single unit costs you: ingredients or materials, packaging, and any share of the transport or stand fee. Divide the fixed costs by the number of units you realistically expect to sell, not the number you made.
Then set a price that covers that cost with a real margin on top. Selling out at the wrong price is worse than selling half at the right one, because you have converted stock into a loss and done a day’s work for it.
Two practical points. Price at round numbers, because change is slow and you will run out of coins. And decide your discount rule before the day, so that when someone asks for three at a lower price you already know your floor. The full method is in our pricing guide for small businesses.
If you are selling food, check this first
For a school event on school property, this is generally handled by the school and no separate approval is needed. Bring what is asked for and follow their rules on allergens and nut-free policies.
Selling prepared food to the public is different. Food premises are regulated under the general hygiene regulations, and a stall trading to the public may need a Certificate of Acceptability from the municipal environmental health department. Requirements differ between municipalities, and a market organiser will usually tell you which rules apply to their venue. Ask before you commit to a menu, because the answer can change what you are allowed to sell.
Whatever the venue, the basics still matter: keep cold things cold, keep raw and ready-to-eat separate, and have a way to wash or sanitise your hands.
Be able to take money
Cash runs out. The buyer who wants three of something and has R20 on them is a lost sale unless you can take a card.
A mobile card reader costs little and clears the transaction on the day. Instant EFT covers people who have neither cash nor card on them. Options and fees are compared in our guide to payment gateways for South African businesses. Whatever you use, check the per-transaction fee against your average sale. A fee that looks small is not small on a R15 item.
Take a float in small notes and coins. Running out of change costs you more sales than running out of stock.
Treat the day as a test, not a jumble sale
The reason this exercise exists is to find out whether an idea works, and you only learn that if you record something.
Note what sold first, what people picked up and put back, what they asked for that you did not have, and what price point stalled. That is genuine customer research gathered in one afternoon, and it is the same information a formal exercise would cost money to collect. Our guide on how to conduct market research covers how to structure it.
Count the money properly afterwards: total taken, minus what the stock cost, minus fees and the stand. That number is the profit, and it is usually smaller than the takings suggest. Knowing the difference between turnover and profit is the most valuable thing anyone takes home from an Entrepreneurs Day.
Frequently asked questions
What sells best on Entrepreneurs Day?
Food and drink, consistently. Buyers are on foot with small amounts of cash and want something immediate. Repackaged bulk sweets are the simplest profitable option if you have no skills to sell.
How much stock should I make?
Less than you think, and price it to sell out. Unsold perishable stock is a direct loss, and running out early is a better problem than carrying stock home.
How do I price my products?
Work out the cost of one unit including packaging and your share of fixed costs, add a margin, then round to a number that is easy to give change for. Set your bulk-discount floor before the day.
Do I need permission to sell food?
At a school event on school grounds, usually not, though the school sets the rules. Selling prepared food to the public can require a Certificate of Acceptability from the municipal health department. Ask the organiser or the municipality before finalising a menu.
Should I take card payments?
Yes if your items are more than a few rand. Cash runs out during the day and a card reader recovers sales you would otherwise lose. Check the transaction fee against your average sale first.
Start here
Pick one product you can make or buy cheaply and hand over in seconds. Work out what one unit costs you, set the price, and decide how you will take payment when the cash runs out. More starting points are in our list of business ideas for beginners and our Entrepreneurs Day ideas.
This article was updated in September 2026.
