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.

Ebere Kimberly

One of the biggest challenges to profitability in the bridal beauty industry is how seasonal it is, especially in a destination wedding city like Charleston. Spring and fall are packed, but slower months can really impact income. On top of that, we invest heavily in products, education, travel, and everything needed to offer a luxury experience. Read more>>

Murphy Quint

This will sounds so obvious and basic, but it’s a big problem in our industry right now. The biggest challenge to profitability in the whiskey industry is developing a brand with healthy sales volume.
The whiskey industry has exploded with new distilleries coming online over the last 20 years. In 2005 there were only a handful of distilleries operating in the US. Now, in 2025, there’s about 3,000. Meanwhile, alcohol consumption in the US is actually trending downward. So competition is rising dramatically and industry-wide sales are going down. Read more>>

Emily Capisciolto

Oof, this is a hard, but important question. As life continues to get more expensive, people inevitably make choices in their life regarding where they invest their money. For companies – this means possibly utilizing stock or tech to create marketing visuals. For what I lovingly call, “real people”, this can mean bypassing on investing in what many people consider “extras” in their budget. Photography, be it family, personal branding, boudoir, even weddings – becomes an area that people tend to try and cut costs. For established photographers, this can really hurt. Read more>>

Alex Daniel

Profitability within the floral industry is definitely something almost every florist I know struggles with. With floral design, there are so many more factors than simply the flowers (which are also quite expensive!) that the average person just has no idea about, especially within the event industry. As an event designer, we have to pay for our freelance designers to work with us, the transportation and delivery of the florals, coming back after the event late at night to break down these designs, the mechanics what we have to design these arrangements in, travel accommodations, studio space rentals, and SO much more. Read more>>