The business plan · Jailey's Garden Card Shop
Her garden photos, sold as cards.
Jailey photographs the birds, deer, squirrels, the bunny and the flowers that visit her yard. The Card Shop turns those photos into real cards: blank inside, one of her photos on the front, one short line about it on the back. Nobody else has these photos.
Numbers marked (estimate) are smart guesses, not facts. They get swapped for real numbers once the first sets sell.
The holiday month goal
$315
Money in, 25 sets (estimate)
She keeps about $259 in person (estimate). The website costs $0 on a free plan.
- Small start, 3$38
- Growing, 10$126
- Holiday month, 25$315
First goal, this month: show the shop to 3 family members and sell the first set, in person.
Four sets, nine cards.
The names and prices are starters JARVIS picked. Jailey can change any of them.
- 4 cards$12
Garden Visitors
A deer, a squirrel, a bunny, and one shy deer hiding in the brush.
- 3 cards$9
Feeder Friends
Her 3 feeder camera birds, up close.
- 2 cards$6
In Bloom
Milkweed stars and the white bloom in the blue pot.
- +5 more9 cards$24
The Whole Garden
Every card in the shop, all together.
3 ways to wrap
- Kraft envelopeFree
- Twine and tag+$1
- Small box+$3
What other shops charge.
Checked November 2026. Her prices sit in the normal range, a little on the friendly side.
Nature photo cards on Etsy
- Nature photo card set, 4 to 10 cardsEtsyabout $12 to $25
- One fancy 5x7 cardEtsyabout $5 to $9
So a set of 4 for $12 is at the friendly end, and 9 cards for $24 is still inside the normal range.
Her prices
- Garden Visitors (4 cards)$12
- Feeder Friends (3 cards)$9
- In Bloom (2 cards)$6
- The Whole Garden (9 cards)$24
About $0.45 to make a card.
Cards made at home with a photo print and a blank card. Each set is costed in the kraft envelope (free for the buyer, about $0.25 to make).
One card
- One 4x6 photo printWalmart Photo (Walgreens is about $0.39)about $0.18
- One blank kraft card with an envelopea 50 pack costs about $12about $0.24
- A bit of photo tape or glue (estimate)about $0.03
- Per card (estimate)$0.45
Wraps (all estimates)
- Kraft envelope with a leaf stickerabout $0.25
- Twine and a tagabout $0.40
- Small boxabout $1.50
What one set keeps, in person
- Garden Visitors4 cards$9.95sells for $12, costs about $2.05 to make
- Feeder Friends3 cards$7.40sells for $9, costs about $1.60 to make
- In Bloom2 cards$4.85sells for $6, costs about $1.15 to make
- The Whole Garden9 cards$19.70sells for $24, costs about $4.30 to make
All estimates. Bars compare each set with The Whole Garden, the set that keeps the most.
Starter supplies
About $25estimate
Enough for about 10 sets (estimate). A parent buys these, and Jailey pays it back from her first sales.
- One 50 pack of kraft cardsabout $12
- 25 photo printsabout $4.50
- Twine and tagsabout $4
- Tapeabout $4
Three months, all estimates.
This guesses that for every 5 sets sold: 2 Garden Visitors, 1 Feeder Friends, 1 In Bloom and 1 Whole Garden.
| Per month | Small start | Growing | Holiday |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sets sold | 3 | 10 | 25 |
| Money in | about $38 | about $126 | about $315 |
| Cost to make | about $7 | about $22 | about $56 |
| She keeps, in person | about $31 | about $104 | about $259 |
| Card fees, if online | about $2 | about $7 | about $17 |
Every dollar amount in this table is an estimate, rounded (about). Card fees use the usual online rate of 2.9% plus 30 cents per payment (estimate). In-person sales paid in cash have no card fee. The website runs on a free plan, so it costs $0 right now.
- Step 1 · Small start$383 sets, money in (estimate)
Show the shop to 3 family members. The first sets sell in person.
- Step 2 · Growing$12610 sets, money in (estimate)
The goal before winter break: 10 sets and one new winter set.
- Step 3 · Holiday month$31525 sets, money in (estimate)
November and December are the biggest card months.
One goal at a time.
Each goal unlocks the next one.
- 01 · This monthFirst set sold
Show the shop to 3 family members and sell the first set, in person.
Step 1 of 3
- 02 · Before winter break10 sets sold
Sell 10 sets and add one winter set made from new photos.
Step 2 of 3
- 03 · NextFirst online order
A parent turns on real online payments with the Future Masters team, and the first order comes in through the site.
Step 3 of 3
Family first, then the holidays.
Who buys first
Family and friends
Grandparents, aunts and neighbors who already love her photos. They are the first customers.
Card senders
People who send thank-you notes and holiday cards. Lots of grown-ups still mail cards in November and December.
Bird and garden fans
People with a feeder or a garden of their own like cards that look like their own yard.
Who pays: grown-ups
So the price has to feel fair to a grown-up buying a small gift.
How people find it
- 01
Family first
Show the shop to one family member and ask which set they would pick.
- 02
5 ready posts
3 post pictures and 2 short videos from her own photos. A parent posts them, or says OK for Jailey to post.
- 03
The game
Garden Spotter shows her photos up close. When someone finishes, a button takes them back to her site and the shop.
- 04
In person
A school fair, a craft fair or a family event. A few sets in twine with the price on the tag.
- 05
Holiday timing
November and December are the biggest card months. Her 3 winter set ideas fit right here.
Safe by design, already built in.
The rules
- Her photos only: birds, animals and plants. Never photos of her or her family.
- No house numbers, street signs or car plates in any photo she sells or posts.
- First name only. No school and no address on the site.
- The bag saves on the visitor's own device. Nothing about visitors is collected.
- No real money moves online until a parent sets it up with the Future Masters team.
- A grown-up handles money and anyone she does not know.
What a parent does
- 01Look over the shop and the prices with Jailey.
- 02Buy the starter supplies (about $25, estimate), or help get them.
- 03Help with in-person sales and keep the cash safe.
- 04Post the 5 ready pieces, or say OK for Jailey to post them.
- 05When she is ready to sell online, give the Future Masters team permission for real payments so checkout can switch on. A parent's address is the return address for any mail, never hers on the site.
Three quick picks.
Her shop, her call. Nothing changes until she picks.
- Pick 01Prices
Keep $12 / $9 / $6 / $24, or change them? Sets like these normally sell for about $12 to $25.
- $12
- $9
- $6
- $24
- Pick 02First winter set
Snowy Feeder, Winter Garden or Thank You Notes?
- Snowy Feeder
- Winter Garden
- Thank You Notes
- Pick 03Best seller to show first
Which set goes at the top of the shop?
- Garden Visitors
- Feeder Friends
- In Bloom
- The Whole Garden
Later, not now
- Real online checkout (needs a parent's OK and the Future Masters team).
- Printed cards from a print shop instead of home prints (about $1.40 to $2 a card for 50, estimate). Worth it once she sells 25+ sets.
- A Garden Spotter “winter edition” with new winter photos.
- Card packs for a local shop or a library sale (needs a grown-up to talk to the shop).
Next step: the first set sold.
Show the shop to 3 family members, ask which set they would pick, and sell the first set in person.