Mastering COGS: The Heart of Profitability

In this course, Danielle Calabrese, founder of It's All Happening Agency, breaks down the true financial foundation required to launch and sustain a food or beverage brand. From setting up your brand with early capital to navigating your first production runs, Danielle explains what most founders overlook when bootstrapping, especially the hidden costs that add up fast. At the heart of the session is a detailed walkthrough of how to calculate your Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) the right way. You'll learn how to factor in raw materials, packaging, tolling, freight, warehousing, and fulfillment across different channels like DTC, retail, and distribution. She also explains how to decide what does or doesn’t belong in your COGS, how to handle variable costs like spoilage, and why updating your cost model regularly based on production cadence and market volatility is critical to long-term sustainability. Whether you’re self-manufacturing or working with a co-packer, this course gives you a practical framework for building accurate unit economics, preserving margin, and making confident decisions as you scale.