Festival Geeks

Michael Priest
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Entrepreneurship

Festival Geeks is the practical business podcast for artists, makers, food vendors and entrepreneurs who sell at festivals, craft shows, fairs and markets. Hosted by Michael Priest, an experienced business owner and working festival vendor, each episode tackles one real problem vendors face—from choosing profitable events and pricing products correctly to controlling expenses, improving booth presentation, managing inventory and having better conversations with customers. You will hear hard-earned lessons, honest vendor stories and practical steps you can use in your own business. There are no one-size-fits-all pricing formulas, promises that every event will be successful or motivational speeches pretending the difficult parts do not exist. Festival Geeks is about understanding your numbers, making better decisions and learning from people who are actually doing the work. Whether you are preparing for your first show or trying to turn years of weekend events into a dependable business, Festival Geeks will help you protect your profit, avoid costly mistakes and build something that can grow beyond the next festival. Real Stories. Real Lessons. Real Results.

Episodes

  1. Oct 6

    How Much Inventory Should I Bring to a Craft Show?

    How much inventory should you bring to a craft show, festival, or vendor event? It sounds like a simple question, but there isn't one universal number. Rules like “bring three times what you expect to sell” or “aim for ten times your booth fee” don't account for the actual costs and realities of your business. In Episode 11, Michael walks through a practical method for planning inventory by working backward from the result you need the event to produce. You'll learn how to calculate your true event costs, establish minimum and worthwhile sales goals, determine the sell-through rate your inventory would require, and evaluate whether you'll still have a strong selection for customers later in the day. Michael also uses real-world examples from selling pet T-shirts and bandannas to explain why different products—even within the same business—can require completely different inventory strategies. You'll learn why new products should earn deeper inventory, how dead stock develops, why selling out isn't always a success, and how keeping good sales records makes every future inventory decision better. There is no formula that can guarantee what you'll sell. The goal is to replace guesses pulled out of thin air with a repeatable method based on your costs, goals, capacity and actual customer behavior. Festival Geeks — Real Stories. Real Lessons. Real Results.

  2. Sep 29

    Your Booth Is Open. Now What? How to Work a Festival Booth

    our booth is set up. The market is open. Now what? In Episode 10 of Festival Geeks, Michael walks through what actually happens once customers start coming through the gate — from taking one last look at your booth from the customer’s point of view to deciding where to stand, how to greet people, when to talk, when to listen, and what to do when business slows down. We talk about staying off your phone, reading different types of customers, handling several shoppers at once, using slow periods productively, taking care of yourself during a long market day, and why packing up early can cost you a sale. Most importantly, every customer deserves a clean slate. Whether the day has been great or terrible, the next person walking into your booth shouldn’t have to carry the weight of everything that happened before them. In this episode: What to check before the market officially opensWhere to stand without blocking or hoveringBody language that makes customers comfortableWhy listening matters more than talkingHow to acknowledge multiple customersWhat to do during slow periodsFood, hydration, and surviving a long event dayWhy you shouldn’t pack up earlyGiving every customer your best effort Festival Geeks — Real Stories. Real Lessons. Real Results.

  3. Sep 22

    Why This Exists: How to Tell the Story Behind What You Make

    Every maker has a story, but it is not always the story behind the company name or logo. Often, the most powerful story is the reason a particular product exists. In this episode, Michael explains how the 7T Designs pet T-shirt began with a real problem: protecting Sydney, his poodle, from scratching irritated skin. Commercial pet shirts were loose, floppy, and built like shrunken human shirts, so Michael used his sewing experience to create something shaped for a dog’s anatomy. That practical solution eventually became a product—and then a business. Dede added the colors, patterns, and sayings that made the shirts as attractive as they were functional. Michael also shares the story behind 7T’s tie-on bandannas and explains how small construction choices can become meaningful parts of a customer conversation. In this episode: Why the product’s story matters more than a manufactured brand storyHow to connect a design feature to the problem it solvesWhy customers care about the decisions behind handmade productsHow to tell one true story at different lengthsHow to recognize when a customer wants more information—and when they simply want the pink oneWhy authenticity does not require giving every customer your entire biographyHow successful conversations and painful strikeouts help refine your storyWhat truly separates an independent maker from big-box retail The customer can see the feature. Your story explains the decision. Download the free Product Story Builder for Makers: https://festivalgeeksmedia.com/pages/product-story-builder-for-makers Find all Festival Geeks vendor resources: https://festivalgeeksmedia.com/pages/free-vendor-tools

  4. Sep 15

    The Business Box — Small Solutions for Big Event Days

    Every experienced festival vendor eventually learns the same lesson: sometimes the smallest problem can create the biggest headache. In Episode 8 of Festival Geeks, Michael opens up his Business Box — the compact collection of tools, repair supplies, display fixes, tagging equipment, cleanup items, and emergency odds and ends that travels to every event. From tape, scissors, zip ties and clamps to safety pins, Velcro, screwdrivers, a small hammer and a Dennison tagging gun, these aren’t exciting purchases. But when something breaks, comes loose, needs repaired, or simply refuses to cooperate in the middle of a festival, they can save your day. Michael also shares additions learned from conversations with veteran vendors and explains why a good Business Box isn’t about carrying everything you own. It’s about having small solutions ready before small problems become big ones. Get the Festival Vendor Business Box Checklist: festivalgeeksmedia.com/pages/festival-vendor-business-box-checklist More free tools and resources for festival vendors: festivalgeeksmedia.com/pages/free-vendor-tools Festival Geeks — Real Stories. Real Lessons. Real Results.

  5. Sep 8

    Stop Trying to Win the Argument: How to Deal With Difficult People

    You can be right, win the argument, and still lose the outcome. Difficult customers, neighboring vendors, organizers, staff, and volunteers can all put you in situations where your first instinct is to prove your point. But when you’re running a business, being right isn’t always the same thing as getting the result you actually need. In Episode 7 of Festival Geeks, Michael talks about learning to see the entire field before reacting. Using real experiences from years of dealing with customers, businesses, and difficult personalities, he explores when to stand your ground, when to let something go, and why winning the interaction can sometimes cost you the bigger opportunity. In this episode: Why being right and getting the right outcome are two different thingsHow to recognize when an argument isn’t worth winningHandling difficult customers without surrendering your boundariesDealing professionally with organizers, staff, and neighboring vendorsProtecting your reputation while still protecting yourselfLearning to think beyond the immediate interaction Festival Geeks is practical education for festival, market, and event vendors — built from real experience in the field. Website: festivalgeeksmedia.com

  6. Sep 1

    What Does It Really Cost to Sell Your Product? | Know Your Number™ Part 2

    A $1,000 sales day does not mean you made $1,000. In Episode 5, we followed an imaginary product that appeared to cost about $8 to make. Once we accounted for the real costs of producing it, that number became $14.44 before the product ever left the workshop. Now we have to sell it. In Part 2 of the Festival Geeks Know Your Number™ pricing workshop, Michael starts spending some of the money you thought was profit. We work through the costs that happen after production, including booth and event fees, travel expenses, the labor required to sell at an event, recurring business expenses, card-processing fees, and the money a healthy business needs to retain instead of immediately spending. By the end of the episode, the gap between your product cost and your selling price may look very different than it did at the beginning. The goal still isn’t for Festival Geeks to tell you what to charge. The goal is to help you understand everything your price has to carry before you can decide what your number needs to be. Free resourceWork through the numbers with the free Know Your Number™ Pricing Workshop: https://festivalgeeksmedia.com/pages/know-your-number-pricing-workshop It includes the worksheet used with Episodes 5 and 6 plus the companion reference guide.

  7. Aug 25

    What Does It Really Cost to Make Your Product?

    You know what you paid for the materials. But do you know what your product actually costs to make? In Episode 5 of Festival Geeks, Michael Priest begins the Know Your Number™ Pricing Workshop by walking through the costs many new festival vendors overlook when figuring out what a product really costs. Using a simple product example, we work through: Delivered replacement cost of materialsProducts that don’t make it to sellable inventorySmall production supplies and consumablesUtilities and machine-use allowancesProduct-specific equipment costsThe value of your production labor Our example starts with a product that appears to cost $8. By the end of Episode 5, that product costs $14.44 just to make. And we still haven’t paid to sell it. Episode 6 continues the workshop with event fees, travel, selling labor, business expenses, card-processing costs, and the other things your price has to carry. Free Know Your Number™ Pricing Workshop: festivalgeeksmedia.com Festival Geeks Real Stories. Real Lessons. Real Results. Watch Episode 5 on YouTube: https://youtu.be/OGDHqogFC0c Free Know Your Number™ Pricing Workshop: https://festivalgeeksmedia.com/pages/know-your-number-pricing-workshop Festival Geeks: https://festivalgeeksmedia.com

  8. Aug 18

    Build Your Festival Booth Right — Displays, Comfort & Weather

    A professional festival booth has to do more than hold your products. It needs to be easy to shop, adaptable to changing weather, and comfortable enough for you to work in all day. In Episode 4 of Festival Geeks, Michael Priest continues building the 10×10 festival booth, picking up where Episode 3 left off. You’ll learn how grid walls, wood crates, risers, baskets, and display height can make merchandise easier to see and shop. Michael also discusses U-shaped versus L-shaped booth layouts and why vendors should experiment to find what works best for their products and customers. Then we get into weather and comfort: clear versus white sidewalls, rechargeable fans, propane heaters, anti-fatigue mats, hydration, and the small decisions that can make a long festival day much easier. The goal isn’t to build the fanciest booth at the festival. It’s to build one that is safe, functional, easy to shop, and practical to work in all day. Episode 4: Build Your Festival Booth Right — Displays, Comfort & Weather Find more Festival Geeks resources at: festivalgeeksmedia.com Real Stories. Real Lessons. Real Results.

  9. Aug 11

    Build Your Festival Booth Right — Tents, Weights, Wind Safety & Signage

    A festival booth has to do more than look good. It needs to protect your products, withstand changing weather, and help customers understand what you sell before they walk past. In Episode 3 of Festival Geeks, Michael Priest walks first-time vendors through the core equipment needed to build a safe, functional, and professional 10×10 festival booth. You’ll learn what to look for in a commercial-grade canopy, why straight legs matter, how much tent weight you need, and when wind conditions become dangerous. Michael also covers tables, fitted table covers, seating, storage, banners, and visible price signage. He also shares real stories of tents being lifted and destroyed by wind—because booth safety is not something vendors can afford to treat as an afterthought. Download the free Booth Equipment Checklist at: https://festivalgeeksmedia.com/pages/free-vendor-tools Real Stories. Real Lessons. Real Results.

  10. Aug 4

    How to Pick Your First Festival — 10 Questions Every Vendor Should Ask

    Choosing your first festival can feel overwhelming, especially when every event promises great crowds and strong sales. In Episode 2 of Festival Geeks, Michael Priest explains the questions vendors should ask before paying an application fee and committing their time, inventory, and travel expenses. You’ll learn how to evaluate an event’s history, attendance claims, vendor mix, advertising, location, fees, weather risks, and communication. Michael also explains why a busy festival is not automatically a profitable festival—and how better research can help you avoid expensive mistakes. Download the free 10 Questions to Ask Before Applying to a Festival checklist at https://festivalgeeksmedia.com/pages/10-questions-to-ask-an-event-organizer Real Stories. Real Lessons. Real Results.

  11. Jul 28

    Meet Michael Priest and the Story Behind Festival Geeks

    In the first episode of Festival Geeks, Michael Priest introduces himself and shares the business journey that led him to festival vending. From wedding photography and tuxedo rental to repair work, dry cleaning, manufacturing, and 7T Designs, Michael explains how decades of entrepreneurship—and more than a few hard lessons—shaped the idea for Festival Geeks.

  • 11 Episodes

About

Festival Geeks is the practical business podcast for artists, makers, food vendors and entrepreneurs who sell at festivals, craft shows, fairs and markets. Hosted by Michael Priest, an experienced business owner and working festival vendor, each episode tackles one real problem vendors face—from choosing profitable events and pricing products correctly to controlling expenses, improving booth presentation, managing inventory and having better conversations with customers. You will hear hard-earned lessons, honest vendor stories and practical steps you can use in your own business. There are no one-size-fits-all pricing formulas, promises that every event will be successful or motivational speeches pretending the difficult parts do not exist. Festival Geeks is about understanding your numbers, making better decisions and learning from people who are actually doing the work. Whether you are preparing for your first show or trying to turn years of weekend events into a dependable business, Festival Geeks will help you protect your profit, avoid costly mistakes and build something that can grow beyond the next festival. Real Stories. Real Lessons. Real Results.

Information

  • Creator
    Michael Priest
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    11
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Michael Priest
  • Show Website
    Festival Geeks