# Elise Be Dancing — Comp-Suitcase Merch Plan

> Written 1 Aug 2026. All costs, weights and airline numbers come from the 1 Aug research pass (vendor classes: Bella+Canvas / Comfort Colors blanks, screen-print + DTF shops, Printful/Printify POD, Sticker Mule-class sticker vendors; WCS price benchmark: Unbound Westie $36-50 tees / $35 totes; airline: Delta $100 overweight 51-70 lb, AA $30 just-over, first-bag fees $35-45).
> The SKU line mirrors `content.js` `products[]` exactly — same ids, same prices. Change prices there first, then here.
> Companion doc: [BRAND-BRIEF.md](BRAND-BRIEF.md).

---

## 1. The idea in 60 seconds

She's at 18+ events a year in front of people who just danced with her. One 29" spinner is the store; the table is open two windows per weekend; the site's merch page is the backstop for stockouts. Merch is margin **on top of** teaching income and a walking ad for the brand — it is not the business. First outlay ≈ $1,150 (product + display), which clears in roughly 4-6 events at a modest 12-15 items per event.

---

## 2. Launch line — 8 SKUs (mirrors content.js)

| # | SKU (`content.js` id) | Price | Design concept | Slogan / print |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wordmark Tee (`tee-wordmark`) | $32 | Midnight black, stacked neon ELISE / BE / DANCING front; tiny back-neck print | Back neck: `WSDC #22525` |
| 2 | 1am Energy Crop Tee (`tee-1am`) | $30 | Crop, glow-numeral "1:00" clock face motif | "Dance like it's 1am." |
| 3 | "Be" Tank (`tank-be`) | $28 | Racerback, small chest "be dancing", giant back print | Back: "BOTH ROLES. EVERY SOCIAL." |
| 4 | After-Dark Hoodie (`hoodie-dark`) | $58 | Heavyweight, gradient hit on sleeve, big back type | Back: "CONTROLLED CHAOS" (her own class title) |
| 5 | "Be" Dad Hat (`hat-be`) | $28 | Low profile, stitched lowercase `be` monogram | Just the monogram — no slogan |
| 6 | Comp Socks (`socks-comp`) | $14 | Terry-cushion crew, woven cuff text | Cuff: "anchor here" |
| 7 | Sticker Pack (6) (`stickers-6`) | $8 | 6 die-cut designs: wordmark, "she's wild", "be dancing" script, "controlled chaos", "Jack & Jill (yes, both)", dance-pose line art | — |
| 8 | Practice Tote (`tote-practice`) | $22 | Canvas, 1-color wordmark + "PHX ⇄ everywhere" tour motif | — |

Notes:
- **"she's wild"** (her partner's quote, always in quotes) is the statement design — put it on the crop/tank print rotation too; two words, huge floor visibility, photographs well for IG.
- Slogans stay scene-fluent and unexplained: anchor, strictly, Jack & Jill, connection. If a non-dancer doesn't get it, it's working.
- Enamel pin ($2-3.50 cost at 100, sells $8-10, westie bag culture is real) is the first **add-on** once the logo is final — not in round one, and not in `content.js` yet.

---

## 3. Unit economics

Bulk = screen print / DTF at the researched volume tiers. POD = Printful/Printify class (no inventory, per-unit only).

| SKU | Event price | Bulk unit cost | Bulk margin | POD unit cost | POD margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wordmark Tee | $32 | $8-12 (1-color screen, 50-99 units) | **$20-24** | $11.69 (Bella 3001) / $15.29 (CC 1717) | $17-20 |
| 1am Crop Tee | $30 | $10-14 (DTF, 36-50) | $16-20 | $13-17 | $13-17 |
| "Be" Tank | $28 | $10-14 (DTF, 36-50) | $14-18 | $13-17 | $11-15 |
| After-Dark Hoodie | $58 | $15-22 | **$36-43** | $22-28 | $30-36 |
| "Be" Dad Hat | $28 | $12-18 (embroidered, 24-48) + $20-50 one-time digitizing | $10-16 | $15-19 | $9-13 |
| Comp Socks | $14 | $3-6/pair (private label, 100+ pairs) | $8-11 | no good POD option | — |
| Sticker Pack (6) | $8 | $1.80-3.60/pack ($0.30-0.60/sticker at 100-200) | $4.40-6.20 | — | — |
| Practice Tote | $22 | $6-9 | $13-16 | $12-18 | $4-10 |

Honest reads:
- The tee at bulk is the engine: ~$20+ margin, mid-market price (Unbound Westie gets $45-50 for premium hand-drawn; $30-32 is comfortably under that).
- Hoodie = best margin per sale, worst weight per unit (1.5-2 lb). Carry 6-8 max, winter events only (Denver, Midnight Madness); sell the rest online.
- Hat margin is thinner than it looks until the digitizing fee amortizes — but no size curve and ~0.4 lb each.
- Stickers are half marketing spend: **free with any shirt**; every laptop they land on is an ad.
- Socks are Phase 2: real utility (hotel-room practice, cold ballrooms) but need a 100-pair custom order — validate the table first.

---

## 4. Sourcing: bulk vs POD, and the workshop drop

**Break-even math (core tee):** 50-unit 1-color screen run at ~$10/shirt = **$500 outlay; break-even at ~17 shirts sold at $30-32; every shirt after is ~$20-22 margin.** Printful has zero upfront but costs $11.69-15.29/unit forever, before shipping.

**Recommendation — phase it:**

| Phase | Source | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Events 1-2 | Small DTF run (24/design) + POD backstop | See which designs and sizes people actually ask for before committing $500 |
| Proven design | 50-100 unit screen run | Per-unit cost drops to $6-10 at 100+; this is where the margin lives |
| Always | POD behind the site | Stockout backstop: "sold out of your size — scan the QR, free shipping" |

**The workshop drop (limited event/city tee):** 24-36 pieces, "ELISE BE DANCING — DALLAS," dated, **never reprinted**. DTF at 12-24 units runs $12-16/shirt (no screen fees), sells at $35 with a scarcity premium. Cost ~$290-380/run; break-even at 9-11 shirts; sellout = $840+ gross. Announce on IG one week out: "only 24 exist, pickup at my table Saturday night." Presell online for event pickup to de-risk. Drop-culture precedent is well documented (limited event exclusives are the #1 reason people stop at a table); drops stay event-only and intentionally never enter the `content.js` line.

---

## 5. First-suitcase load-out

One dedicated 29" lightweight spinner (~10 lb empty) that lives packed as "the shop," separate from her personal bag.

| Contents | Qty | Est. weight |
|---|---|---|
| Tees, 2 designs × 24 (mix Bella 3001 ~5.5 oz / CC 1717 ~7-10 oz — skew Bella) | 48 | ~19 lb |
| Crops / tanks | 12 | ~4 lb |
| Dad hats | 10 | ~4 lb |
| Totes | 10 | ~4 lb |
| Stickers (150) + QR/price cards | — | ~1-2 lb |
| Display kit (below) | — | ~6 lb |
| **Contents total** | **80 sellable + stickers** | **~38-39 lb** |
| + empty spinner | | ~10-12 lb |
| **Loaded total** | | **~48-51 lb** |

⚠️ **That is exactly at the 50 lb limit.** Every major US carrier caps standard checked bags at 50 lb; overweight runs $30 (AA, just-over) to $100 (Delta, 51-70 lb). Buy a $15 luggage scale and weigh before every flight; if over, the display kit moves to carry-on. First-bag fees are $35-45 each way — build **~$90/round trip ≈ 4 tee-margins** into every event's P&L before a single sale.

**Size curve per 24-piece design** (industry base curve shifted toward S/M because WCS rooms skew female):

| XS | S | M | L | XL | 2XL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 2 |

Reorder to actual sales after two events; collect self-reported sizes via preorder when possible. POD covers stockouts meanwhile.

**Display kit** (packs flat, 10-minute setup on any 6-ft event table): fitted stretch-spandex table cover printed with the wordmark ($100-170 low end — amortizes over dozens of events), tabletop retractable banner ($40-80), 2-3 collapsible easels or one fold-flat wire rack so designs hang face-out, acrylic signs with big flat prices, laminated QR card (payments + email list). Roll shirts by size in labeled packing cubes — rolls show the print on the face, survive wrinkles, and make mid-event restocks a 10-second job.

**First outlay:** ~$920 product (48 tees ~$480, 12 crops ~$145, 10 hats ~$150, 10 totes ~$75, 150 stickers ~$70) + ~$250 display ≈ **$1,150-1,200 all-in**, clearing in ~4-6 events at 12-15 items/event.

---

## 6. Payments + sales tracking

| Rail | Setup | Fee | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venmo QR | Laminated card on table | $0 | Default — dancers expect it |
| Zelle QR | Same card | $0 | Backup for non-Venmo people |
| Square Tap to Pay on iPhone | App only, no reader hardware | ~2.6% + 15¢ (≈ $0.98 on a $32 tee) | Cards; matches the payment-rails research that already landed on Square |

Flat prices, always ($32, not $31.99) — mental math at a loud table.

**Tracking habit (30 seconds/sale, 5 minutes/night):** a paper tally card taped inside the suitcase lid — one row per sale: SKU / size / rail. Photograph it every night. Sunday flight home: one spreadsheet row per event — units, gross, card fees, bag fees, net — plus a "sizes asked for that I didn't have" column, which is the reorder list. One flag to not ignore forever: selling in other states technically triggers per-state transient-vendor sales tax; at this scale start by registering AZ TPT and keeping the per-state revenue column so there's a clean record when it matters.

**What a good weekend honestly looks like:** 12-15 items ≈ $340-430 gross, ~$220-290 margin, minus ~$90 bag fees → **~$130-200 net**, plus every sticker and shirt walking the ballroom. It compounds across 18+ events and feeds the email list; it does not replace teaching income.

---

## 7. Per-event sales ritual

| When | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 week out | If it's a drop city: IG post — "only 24 exist, pickup Saturday night at my table" |
| Friday | Wear the sample to teach. Stickers in pocket for anyone who asks. Table not open yet |
| Each workshop | **One mention, one line, at the end:** "this shirt's at my table tonight" — never a pitch during class |
| Table window 1 | After the dinner break, before evening comps (~60-90 min) |
| Table window 2 | First 30-60 min of late-night — the "1am" brand's home turf |
| Her comp heats | Table closed. Competing is the marketing |
| Every night | Photograph the tally card; note sizes missed; restock cubes for tomorrow |
| Sunday | Spreadsheet row; drop unsold-size notes into the next order; QR card checked for next event |

Table rules: cash box never on the table; QR card handles the semi-attended minutes; free sticker with every shirt; email list signup gets first look at the next city drop.

---

## 8. Guardrails

- **Privacy:** no pay or contract details anywhere in this plan, the site, or the table talk; no flights or family logistics in any public post ("Dallas next weekend" only after it's public). Same rule as `content.js` and BRAND-BRIEF.md.
- **Honesty:** no "selling out fast!" unless it is; drop scarcity is real (never reprinted) or it isn't said. Prices and claims stay in sync with `content.js` — edit there first.

---

## 9. Field intel from Salomon (2026-08-01): the three brands that prove the model

| Brand | Model | What sells it | Takeaway for Elise |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Stuck On Swing** (Marcus + partner, champion pros) | No website. Suitcase-at-comps only | Their name recognition + one nice catchphrase in a flashy script logo on a simple black tee | The champion-face + catchphrase play works with ZERO web infrastructure. Elise's name and floor presence carry the shirt |
| **Zaddy** (pro-dancer brand, sold via mattees.com.au) | Simple shop + comp tables, ~A$49.95 tees | Script "Zaddy" wordmark on black; the dancer behind it | Same play with a minimal store bolted on; doesn't use premium blanks and still sells |
| **Unbound Westie** (unboundwestie.com, Dallas — not dancer-tied) | Real e-com, $36–50 tees, free-tote promos | Serif editorial wordmark, dark minimalist art (skeleton ribcage back print), QUALITY heavyweight blanks, champions posing in the shirts | The scene supports premium pricing when quality + aesthetic are real. Their look = dark minimalism, which is also Elise's personal aesthetic |

Positioning gap Elise fits: **champion-backed like Stuck On Swing/Zaddy, quality-first like Unbound Westie** — her name plus her sayings on blanks worth $30+.

## 10. Elise's catchphrase bank (from Salomon — she says these constantly; more available)

Candidate shirt/sticker lines, styled minimalist (clean type on black/neutral, one flashy accent — not loud all-over prints):

- **"doing the yoinky sploinky"** — or dashboard-style: *[ ] do the yoinky sploinky*
- **"oopsy daisy"**
- **"seventeen baseball throws"**
- **"shake ass"** / "just shake ass" — check event-family-friendliness per comp; maybe the back print
- **"full send"**
- **"controlled chaos"** (her class title — already in the line)
- **"she's wild"** (already in the line)

Design rule from the case studies: the SAYING is the design. Simple placement, quality blank, her wearing it while she teaches. Ask Salomon for the rest of the catchphrase bank before the first print run.