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.

Ashly Nicole

The biggest challenge with making a living off of your art in general is how people not only value you, but also your work. I of course have more experience in the field of photography and more digital art, and the issue is a lot of people think everything is just automated and you’re not doing any “actual work”, causing them to kind of devalue your art.
It’s such a steep slope you have to climb to almost convince people to respect your time and work, and in some capacity, it never changes. Read more>>

Casey Schneider

Making a name for yourself in photography these days has become very difficult. It seems like technology has made things easier, and everyone now has a camera. After realizing this, I knew I had to learn new techniques that were more rarely seen. I started in the world of action sports. Not all photographers in that industry took the time to setup good lighting equipment for those insane “magazine style” shots. I knew if I could master my lighting, I could keep up with some of the best around and make top dollar. With all that said, there is one difficulty that arises most often. That difficulty is that there is always someone who will do it for free. Read more>>

Christina Katelyn

The biggest challenge to profitability in my industry is figuring out a way that is both inviting and educational to be able to share with potential clients about the value they receive from a portrait session with me. As technology advances, higher quality photography equipment becomes available to the public. While a high quality camera is a great place to start, what a lot of people don’t realize, is that it takes a lot more than just a good camera to get great images. I have spent countless hours on educational courses and years practicing to fine tune my skills and knowledge. From understanding how to manipulate lighting, flattering posing for every body type, and so on. Read more>>

Jalen Thomas

The biggest profitability challenge in the video production industry is often the necessity to say no to a multitude of projects. While it might sound counterintuitive to turn down potential video projects, it’s a critical aspect of maintaining growth and profitability. Saying yes to every single project can lead to overextension, diminishing the quality of work, and spreading resources too thin. Focusing on projects that align with your expertise, resources, and client base allows you to deliver exceptional quality, build a stellar reputation, and maintain profitability. By carefully curating your portfolio and being selective about the projects you take on, you can ensure that each video production receives the attention and dedication it deserves, ultimately leading to greater profitability and sustainable growth in the long run. Read more>>

Heather Chiais

Having a successful BBQ restaurant outside of Central Texas has had both its advantages and disadvantages. Introducing the Central Texas BBQ style to Central Florida has been an amazing experience, and many in our small town of Vero Beach have welcomed us with open arms and nothing but love and support. Although it has been such an incredible experience since we opened our doors back in April 2022, there have been a lot of growing pains related the dining experiences that are normally found across many BBQ restaurants in Texas. From our cafeteria style of ordering/dining to only smoking a set amount of meat per day and then selling out, there have been a lot of growing pains since we first opened the doors at Pepper & Salt BBQ. Read more>>

Gunnar Axne

I feel like the biggest reason why a lot of artists don’t profit that much at the beginning of their careers is because they don’t have the right funding. Money is everything in the music industry, that’s why a lot of these labels control everything. We are trying our hardest to get to that point, as we are profiting a bit, but not to the point we would like. Read more>>

Carolina Zapata

Of course, the music industry, especially songwriting. can give off the impression of being highly profitable, but it often isn’t. The biggest challenge for profitability in the songwriting industry is how we get paid through streaming platforms and other sources. These platforms usually pay us a tiny fraction of a cent, and that small amount is also divided into a certain percentage for anyone involved in the writing process. On top of that, many up-and-coming songwriters end up with unfavorable deals that affect their ability to make a steady income Read more>>

Elodie Lilliston

Cost of goods have increased tremendously, not only the cost of precious metals but also the costs of the pearls have exploded. As victims of covid consequences, many French Polynesian pearl farms have lost their experienced grafters, Japanese or Chinese, unfortunately 70% of producers are still struggling with low production. Not to mention that the farmers constantly fight the hazard of the changing natural element, the ocean. Read more>>

Ben G. Bronson

In the wild, wild world of digital content or anything media-related, one thing people have to keep in mind is that there is usually someone out there willing to do it for free (usually badly, it’s like rolling a dice baby!). This often results in low quality and, of course, zero accountability. You get what you pay for, folks! Also, in today’s interconnected world, you are up against people from around the world who have lower costs of living. They actually don’t always charge that much less. However, even a 10% discount can get someone’s attention. There is always someone somewhere willing to undercut you. Read more>>

Gina Lawrence

In my industry, profitability is a challenge because many small business owners are trying to grow their businesses. Equipment costs have become more reasonable, and machines like a Cricut, laser engravers, and sublimation printers are more easily attainable for almost anyone. For example, the market gets oversaturated with certain items, like door hangers or tumblers. I know I am constantly brainstorming ideas for items I do not see everywhere, so I have something unique. The shadowboxes I make are more unique. I do not find them at craft festivals and do not see a lot of them when I go into maker market-type places. As a small business owner, you have to find your niche in order to be more profitable. Read more>>

Kellee Conrad

Most creative people are multi-passionate, and as artists this keeps the excitement of creating alive, but as a business owner it’s the silent killer of profitability. The mind is powerful at telling artists that we need to do all the things, seven different streams of income, charge low prices and do it all from the beginning each time we go to make an offer. But the truth is that if creative business owners learn the “Power of One”, as in picking a targeted niche, creating one impactful offer and going all in on one platform to deliver our message, they would be leaps and bounds ahead. Read more>>

Natasha Ragin

The biggest challenge to profitability in the baking industry is the rising costs of ingredients such as flour, sugar and diary products. Also the rising cost of supplies such as cake boxes, treat bags and decor. These costs can fluctuate due to many factors like weather conditions, supply chain disruptions and market demand, which can squeeze profit margins for small businesses. Competition in this industry is massive making it essential for bakers and small business owners to be different when it comes to making and creating quality products. You must stay innovative and have great marketing skills to maintain profitability. Read more>>

Bairon Pena

In today’s era, where artificial intelligence and predictive models, fueled by vast databases, dominate the marketing and advertising industry, excelling in this field is a significant challenge. I comprehend that embracing new technologies and utilizing them to enhance efficiency, yielding superior outcomes for brands and our business model, is paramount. Read more>>

Crystall Gardner

The barbering industry is so diverse ,not only in different parts of the country but in different parts of the world as well. In Tennessee the going rate for a solid service is $30-$60. You look at larger cities ,such as Las Vegas or Austin and you see rates ranging from $80-$100 for ,essentially ,the same services just polished up a bit more. In other countries like Asia or Europe,the price of services vary tremendously. Speaking personally about being a business owner and a sole proprietor, I can say it is hard to be profitable but it is possible. The biggest hardships I have come across doing what I do is that you make money, as a barber, by volume and not by services offered. For example, I spend about an hour on a haircut and beard trim and get roughly $65. Read more>>

Jake Kitley

It’s very difficult to make money in music. Most of your average fans will add your music to a Spotify playlist or listen on YouTube but until you get millions of streams it’s just not very lucrative for the artist. Gone are the days of physical album sales for most artists.. While these things are great, if you want to support a musician there are several ways that I’m aware of (in order of cost) that appear to be more helpful which are: Read more>>