Profits differ from net income, and no where is there clearer than for small business owner-operators, artists, and creatives. Just because you have a certain amount of money left over after covering expenses doesn’t mean you’ve made profits. Why? Because you have to factor in the cost of your labor and the risk you took and so after factoring that in, millions of small businesses and artists and creatives are operating with little to no profit. However, it doesn’t have to be this way and so we wanted to create a space where sharp entrepreneurs and creatives could come together and discuss the challenges to profitability and potential solutions. If you have something valuable to add to this conversation that can help others achieve profitability, please reach out to us as we want to get your ideas in front of our readers.

Ashley Shepard

Most authors only sell 250 books in their lifetime. This is due to not having a marketing plan in place, relying on friends and family to be their book buyers, and focusing on publishing for passion instead of profit. Of course, most people don’t become authors to make money, but in order to reach a broader audience and to increase your impact, making money from your books is key. Read more>>

Duo Moolah

From an artist standpoint I think we need more major label ownership and distribution. The hip hop music industry has been out since the late 70’s and 80’s and I think there should more leverage for artist. By saying that I’m saying I think the biggest challenge for a artist today that want to be a major artist some day is the ownership and percentages that a artist should make off of their own said art. Read more>>

Dumebi Malaika Menakaya

My love for photography is closely tied to my love for people. There is something so special about being able to capture people the way that you see them which can often be quite different from the way they see themselves. In a perfect world, I would be able to make images free of charge but unfortunately the cost of equipment and simply living makes that impossible. Read more>>

Jamie Wade

Restaurants, of course, notoriously have very narrow profit margins. Since Covid, the biggest challenge to profitability is the unpredictable spikes in costs of goods. There have been times when certain items needed to be tracked down from all different types of suppliers. There were times when inventory items were just not available, or they were triple the cost they were pre covid. Read more>>