One of the most important things we think the media can do is connect small business owners and creatives across industries and markets to give them an opportunity to learn form each other. The insights on trends in particular can be transformative if our communities were better connected and so we’ve tried to create a space where folks can share the trends they are seeing and read about trends other sharp entrepreneurs are seeing.

Alex Hedley

Definitely instagram/TikTok videos! As a photographer, the last thing I want to do is be in front of a camera, but sometimes, you gotta follow those trends to get exposure. Read more>>

Justin Hopf

We are seeing a strong desire for consumers to reduce or eliminate alcohol, but they don’t want to avoid the social settings that alcohol is usually associated with. So they are looking for and alternative, that’s where our new product line of cannabis infused mocktails come in. Read more>>

Femster Sonde

Have you been to an event where all guests are sitting around waiting for the hosts to arrive or waiting at a wedding during cocktail hour at the bar waiting for the Bride & Groom to arrive at the reception? If you have ever experienced either scenario or something similar… you understand the dire need for photo-booth services to keep your guests happy, interested and engaged during periods of downtime. Read more>>

Elizabeth White

Social media and online video platforms have provided ways for individuals to discover new hobbies and unleash their creativity from the comfort of home. This is a great thing! The downside is that has also created competition between the already set professional photographers and artists to maintain their businesses and the up-coming creatives who feel an opportunity to pursue their dreams. Read more>>

Austin Bryan

1.) In the guitar pedal industry, specifically on the topic of guitar pedals & effects, I’ve found there to be different types of customers and players who look for specific tonal aspects which can make them sonically identifiable. Pretty straightforward. Read more>>

John Joubert

One of the biggest trends I see now in the music business is a lack of artist development. In the past an artist would have to go through developmental phases which included, studio etiquette, stage presence, songwriting training, vocal lessons, public relation awareness and much more and this led to a well rounded professional recording artist. Today’s artist lack the basic fundamentals of what we would call a “polished” professional. I think our industry has become so fixed on making a quick return on their investment that they’ve ignored this process which leads me to the 2nd trend which is too much emphasis on analytics. Read more>>

Devan Egan

Our business competes with free. The alternative to purchasing our product is not a competitor with a better price or superior product, it’s going to the park and not having to pay anything. The trade-offs are notable, but nonetheless free. Read more>>

Alex Zweber

One of the biggest trends we are seeing in our industry is a push towards non alcoholic and low ABV drinks. COVID really accelerated what was becoming a trend in not only bars and restaurants, but also liquor stores. People’s decisions for abstaining vary, but one of the main reasons we’ve seen is people just want something delicious to sip on and instead of focusing on the spirit they focus on the flavors and what they bring to the occasion. This is very apparent in the abundance of ethnic restaurants around the state. Read more>>

Shawn O’Keefe

There is not enough professionals in rural areas in America to hire. So you have to take extra time to find people to hire and then you need to take the time to train the individuals because they usually don’t have a background in the industry. After that you hope they become successful enough, and trained enough so we can send the employees to higher education. That is the only way to have the industry professionals that are needed in such areas. Especially when it’s too hot in temps or to cold in temps for customers to be stranded on the side of the road for hours at a time waiting for the tows ahead of them to get done, so they can be saved too. Read more>>