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.

Bobby Marsden

11th grade. The class was an English elective called “Myth and Legend”. Growing up (and still), I loved reading stories about the battle of “David and Goliath”, the ill-fated flight of Icarus, the heroic adventures of Perseus. I was fortunate to have a teacher who loved those stories even more than I did. His passion for these stories, mixed with his love of teaching, made the class the most memorable of my undergrad experience. Read more>>

Lakeisha Jackson

The biggest challenge to profitability I’m seeing in my industry is people who are making films, and series without a game plan first. Where will your creation live? Who wants it? How will you market it and if you’re lucky enough to have investor backing, how are you going to not only make their money back but make some yourself? These questions are very important o ask and figure out before you type “Fade In” on that script. The leg wor=k is going to have to happen either way but thinking of this and having a clear game plan will make the journey so much less stressful. Read more>>

Felicia Streeter

In the government contracting industry, having the ability to read and understand the scope of work within a solicitation and then being able to price out the work and see a profit once the project is complete is a big challenge I see. Read more>>

Morgan Sandlin

I think the biggest challenge to profitability in the creative industry in general, is finding the clients who value creative work as something more than just “making pretty things”. Because so many people take artists and designers as people who sit around all day painting pictures and playing with fonts, they don’t seem to understand the price tag that a lot of us designers have on our services. Of course we love what we do, it’s a passion and something we get excited about, but it also takes a lot more than picking some trendy colors out. Read more>> 

Taneisha Fletcher

I would have to say not having a lack of knowledge, not having a solid game plan, and lacking foresight. Being successful in real estate relies heavily on the ability to understand the market Not just in your desired area but understanding the market as a whole. Read more>>

Valiencia Allen

Surplus! When COVID-19 embarked our nation it was detrimental to small businesses and their surplus. The demand to produce was high tend yet we could not gain access to our packaging that consumers were in love with nor the advertised packaging we had once displayed all over our e-commerce advertisements. Read more>>