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.

Emma Walden

There are several challenges when it comes to the rare plant industry. Our product is a living plant, so the first issue we encounter is simply making sure we can keep it alive. From there, we face the challenge of not only keeping it alive, but sustaining and maintaining the controlled environment it requires to thrive. We cannot print or build plants; instead, we have to patiently wait for them to grow on their own time, so I t can take up to a year or more before a new variety is ready to sell. Read more>>

Brianne Moore

I believe the biggest challenge to profitability in the art industry is exposure. There are a lot of amazing artists who don’t get the exposure their business needs to thrive because of lack of representation in the committees. When artists seek opportunities, for example, in juried exhibitions or gallery representation, there is a committee who decides who will be accepted and who won’t. These exhibitions bring your work before collectors who are looking for new artists to support. From my experience and those of fellow artists, marginalized groups get denied or no response at all. Read more>>

Niya Toms

The biggest challenge to profitability in the bridal industry is meeting minimums with designers. In order to obtain exclusivity and become an authorized retailer for many designers- a retail store must meet the minimum buys annually and sometimes bi-annually. This business model keeps retailers in a chokehold by requiring them to over buy stock to keep their exclusivity image in that demographic. Read more>>

Leah Lynch

The biggest challenge that people face in the homesteading or backyard farming industry is their emotions. It’s so easy to get caught up in the beauty of what you create or the cuteness of the livestock that you lose sight of this being a true business. Read more>>

Haley Gray

There are entire schools in other countries that pump out virtual assistants to create social media content, etc. Unfortunately, most of it doesn’t do anything to engage the audience, but it looks pretty on the surface, so people tend to be happy with it for a while- until they realize that they arent’ getting any actual results from it. Read more>>

Brannon Criner

Most of my clients reach out to BCP for drone services. In the beginning any project was a big project. From Real Estate shoots to progression projects, they all seemed “to be a big deal.” As time went on I realized I was not seeing my self worth. Almost every drone pilot that has became licensed has done the same thing. We all are very excited to get out first job and then we realize there is a lot of work to be done, from setting, expenses, equipment, insurance, licenses, etc., Read more>>

Kim Bennett

Some factors in making a profit is investing in certain materials if you plan on showing your work at art fairs, etc. Most likely you will need a canvas tent for your booth, display grids, weights to keep your tent and grids upright, easels, wire hangers, plaques describing your work, packaging for purchased items, and a mobile app for payments. Make sure your phone is charged. These are start up costs will help you become more professional and successful. For me, over time they have paid off. Read more>>