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.

Andrea Mayard

There are many factors in the fitness industry that impact the business’s ability to be profitable. One of the biggest factors is the cost of build-out and the expense of either renting or owning the space where the business is to operate. This is especially true for small businesses with low starting capital. This is where a solid business plan can come in handy. Not only will it assist with getting funding or a loan, but also a solid business plan is a necessary element to having a strong financial foundation and stability for your business, and also provide a strategy to help sustain and scale the business. This plan should detail how you intend to keep customers coming back for more. With some research, you can tailor your service offerings to what your target demographics are looking for. Read more>>

Danielle Marcus

For me it was moving to a new place. The cost of keeping my business and space going while meeting new clients. It’s challenging to meet new people. It takes a lot of effort and energy to promote a new business to a new area. I do enjoy it very much. It just takes time to have a client base that can support the business enough to make it profitable. Read more>>

James Ransom

The biggest challenge we face being profitable is the massive insurance costs required to operate particularly passenger transportation services. Large insurance lawsuits for the passenger transportation industry affect all of us. It does not matter that your company has a good history, the costs are spread across the industry as a whole. Our fleet of 19 vehicles costs over $300,000 annually to insure. Maintenance costs, high costs of fuel and other skyrocketing costs make it much less profitable than it used to be to operate a luxury limousine service like we do. Read more>>

Angela Mueller

We consciously choose sustainable materials and partner with local factories because it aligns with our mission. This is a choice we make every day – not because it’s the easiest path, but because it’s the right one. Crafting responsible fashion in small quantities comes with its challenges in a world where conventional fabrics, overseas production, and large volumes drive costs down. Yet, we believe that choosing quality, ethics, and sustainability over convenience is what truly sets us apart. Read more>>

Laumir Munoz

The biggest challenge to profitability for Pitaya Studio is balancing high-quality, time-intensive content creation with clients’ budget limitations. Small businesses often undervalue professional content, making pricing sustainability tough.

Other challenges include high operational costs, difficulty in retaining long-term clients, heavy competition from cheaper alternatives, and constantly evolving social media trends that demand faster, more affordable content.

To overcome this, we focus on tiered pricing, retainer packages, upselling services, client education, and streamlining workflows to maximize efficiency and profitability. Read more>>