Have you ever had a friend look at a business and randomly throw out numbers that made it seem like that business owner must be making serious bank? We’ve experienced that many times, and know from conversations with operators and owners in those industries that their real profitability is often far, far less. The reason is often that there are unique challenges to profitability in almost every industry and so we wanted to create a space for entrepreneurs from across industries and markets to discuss the challenges to profitability in their industries.

Megan Lin

As experienced architects, we understand the challenges of maintaining profitability in this industry. One thing that has helped me is hiring highly educated staff. Having a team of knowledgeable professionals allows us to take on more complex projects and deliver high-quality designs to our clients but hiring costs can be costly. Read more>>

Kristina Kaylen

When you say, “I work in wedding photography” most people’s first reaction is that they know someone or have a friend who does it on the side. The industry literally ranges from iPhone users to professionals who bring thousands of dollars of equipment. One of the most challenging aspects of the industry can be differentiating the hobbyist from a professional while in a casual conversation relating to workplaces. Read more>>

Howard Tuthill

Margins in the restaurant industry are always tight, but over the course of the last couple years with covid, the “great resignation,” and inflation, controlling costs is increasingly difficult. Although our sales have continued to increase year over year, our food/ingredient costs and labor costs have increased significantly. I have tried to keep my pricing consistent, Read more>>

Janelle Ariona

To me, the biggest challenge as a growing fashion designer when speaking of profitability is trying to gain clientele year around. Fashion is an industry where designers often sell their products by season. For example, spring/summer, fall/winter, resort etc. it’s difficult to maintain the amount of customers or orders you receive when products your sell for warm weather may not sell in the cooler months of the year. Read more>>

Deon Stubbs

With Hyer Society, the most challenging aspect to profitability as a brand is the ability to create something so uniquely different in 60 seconds or less that can be represent an idea for everyone around the world. We are a creative production agency so that means we must [or try to] produce the most iconic, attention-grabbing visuals or material for a client that can attract the most people at a time but, Read more>>

Roxanne Kaiser

Currently, our biggest challenge to profitability is being in growth mode and scaling. As you mentioned (above), from the outside it looks like PastedNip is EXPLODING (& we are!) which is amazing- BUT, that doesnt mean after 2.5 years we are profitable. Read more>>

Brittany Carter

I would say the biggest challenge for some is Originality… You can create something or do something that you love and if it’s Original it can be either hated or copied unfortunately your not always congratulated for being Original. Read more>>

Katherine Bitner

This answer is really twofold because being a self-published author can mean you’re always in the red, considering all your costs come out of your own pocket, but it can also be quite lucrative. Read more>>

Shanaira Hall

Over the 3 and half years that I have been in this industry I have learned that everyone is not for my business. The biggest challenge is knowing my worth and sticking to my price. A lot of people will think that because a cake cost $40 at the store that I should charge the same or less because I’m not a larger company. When it comes to being a home baker I really struggle with what my price should be. Read more>>

Shalawn Brooks

Hello, the biggest obstacle I’m finding is consistency. Consistency from customers, location, and supply. With the ever increasing cost of supplies, it causes small bakers like myself having to increase cost. Then, you get the pushback from customers saying it’s “cheaper “ at chain stores. Of course it is, but, it’s not prepared with love or care.\ Read more>>