How many hampers do I even make this year?

I know it comes with two fears pulling you in opposite directions.

🙋‍♀️ Buy too many, and your money's sitting in boxes in your home, waiting on orders that might not come till next year.

🙋‍♀️ Buy too few, and you sell out in week one, watching people slide into your DMs asking for the exact thing you already promoted... and having to say no.

So let me actually answer it, instead of just telling you to "trust your gut".

There's no magic number. There's a method.

❌ Don't buy a LOTTTT if you're unsure. I once bought 200 boxes. Used 40. The rest sat there mocking me till the next festival.

✅ Buy a small batch based on how many customers you have, say you have 100 regular customers but 20 of them are loyal ones who would definitely buy atleast 1-2 hampers, so buy about 40 boxes only. Position it as exclusive, because it's not even a marketing trick when it's actually true, you deliberately made it limited.

If you sell out? That's DATA you can use next year.

But here's the part that actually protects you from BOTH fears at once

Buy local. Even if it costs a little more per piece.

If your packaging is coming from some far-off online seller and you sell out mid-festival, you're not restocking in time.

Everyone's buying packaging in the same 6 week window, so their stock's low too.

Now you're telling a customer "sorry, that one's gone" after promoting it in your reels for two weeks straight, and trying to convince her to pay for something she's never actually SEEN in your content is a fight you don't need during your busiest season.

A local vendor means when you sell out faster than expected, you go pick up more the same day and keep selling exactly what your audience already wants. That relationship is worth more than a slightly cheaper rate from someone three states away who can't help you in a crisis.

PLUS- all this stuff is bulky so weight wise shipping charges will be too much!

And if a small batch still feels like too much right now

That's okay too. You don't need money sitting ready to test this, afterall hamper boxes are expensive!
I recommend you to have FEW varieties (maybe even one) and just start marketing.

Even 5-10 pieces of one design is enough to see the response.

Place this order in the next couple of weeks though. Not because I'm rushing you, but because local vendors get busier by the day as more bakers start their prep, and this window won't stay open long.

Also while you're prepping for Rakshabandhan maybe, also keep an eye out for packaging for other festivals!

It's completely free, and I've actually refreshed the whole guide this year, so even if you've been using it a while, it's worth a fresh look.

Already grabbed it last year? You don't need to ask me for it again, just log into your dashboard at redolencebakery.com and you'll find the updated version sitting right there.

Oh and by the way, doors to the Baker's Business Academy are open again!

Reply BBA if you want to get in!

Always rooting for your success,
​Shubhangi
Redolence Baking School 🎂✨

P.S. - most of my BBA students start with just 10-15 pieces of one design when they're unsure. That's genuinely enough to test the water without your money getting stuck.