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.

Dylan Harley

When it comes to booking & promoting music the challenge of turning a profit is a major hurdle we face with each and every show we do. Getting people to come to a bar/music venue to see smaller musical acts is not as easy as posting a show flyer once and moving on. It is very easy to have a show be very popular on social media leading up to the event but end up having to pay the venue and bands out of pocket day of due to low attendance. Read more>>

Amanda Alward

I think the biggest challenge to profit for me is that in my area there are so many great photographers, and sometimes people choice price over product; what I mean is people look at the price and say wow that’s too much, but don’t look at the quality they get in return. There are tons of photographers, and a lot charge a lot but if you look at their quality or my quality you see why the cost is high. A lot of people only look at price and then when they get back their images and they don’t like the quality they usually will email or contact me or possibly other photographers and ask if we can fix their images which we can’t because they are not ours or they have to schedule a whole new session to get the quality they wanted in the first place: Read more>>

Katie Tyler

It’s that old school mentality that some outsiders looking in still see “starving artist”. I can confidently say that’s something that I have always tried to prove wrong! You can make profit from being an artist, but that also comes with a lot of drive and willingness to put in the hard work. You cannot just expect to draw or paint something and have it immediately be seen and make money from. The biggest challenge is being seen. You would think with the world we live in now where social media is all over it would be easy. It is not anymore! Everything has changed throughout the years with social media. You have to make sure you post at the right time, show content that draws attention, and the hardest part for me is to make sure I don’t just jump into my painting and not hit the record button. Read more>>

Crystel Franco-Cortez

I would have to say. We hairstylists and makeup artists, are super grateful being in the event and bridal industry. It is an industry that has come along way of emphasis on passing down knowledge and sharing how this industry works in addition to tutorials on the next greatest makeup and hair trends. Especially over on social media. Read more>>

Molly Jones

The rising cost of supplies, feed, veterinarian costs, and overall strained incomes are some of the top challenges to profitability in small livestock farming. More often than not, small farmers are considered “hobby farmers” because they have to work a full-time position to supplement the cost of supporting their farm. Due to new laws put in place, small farmers now have to rely on a veterinarian to supply needed antibiotics and other medications that were once available at local feed stores to treat sick animals. Read more>>

Dre Steinberg

In the world of design and tech honestly speaking, I deal with a lot of self sabotaging from clients. The biggest challenge are programs that market DIY designs to non creative business owners. Don’t get me wrong these DIY design software and platforms they have their place, no doubt. They’re convenient, cost-effective, and can help small business owners with basic needs. But here’s the thing, they can sometimes create a false sense of expertise in what quality design entails. Read more>>

Matthew Nelson

The biggest challenge to profitability in the music industry is the fact that the sale of music is almost non-existent. Streaming yields almost nothing, physical sales are now really limited to vinyl or other legacy formats, which is great, but also requires a loyal fanbase to sell, and social media royalty collections are always a challenge with platforms changing frequently. This is where we have to get creative from a business point of view. Admittedly, I’d prefer to allocate all of my creativity to the art and craft of making music, and for this, I’m likely missing out on opportunities. So what I’d like to urge others (and myself) to do is find creative ways to pair your music with other income generating assets. That can be a number of things, depending on your interests and skills, but a product is probably the most lucrative starting point. Read more>>

Natalia Williams

The biggest challenge to profitability in my industry in my opinion is knowledge. There are media sources and articles that claim to know what’s best for your pet. With the way information is delivered today, people are interested in snippets that appeal to them. For example, the best food for your pet in 2023, or the best toys for an overactive chewer. Everything is rated from the best to worst, which makes researching a product minimal. Read more>>

Alicia Stachura

Qualified Staff (Paid & Unpaid) Turnover and recruiting are always a challenge. Non-profit positions typically aren’t the highest paying, but they are rewarding in other ways. “Other ways’ unfortunately doesn’t pay the bills. So, you can have this incredible person working for you that loves the population that you serve, but eventually leaves for financial reasons or for better insurance benefits that they may receive in a corporate setting. In today’s fast-paced world, it’s hard for someone to volunteer consistently for a long period of time. Profitability starts to take a toll if you are constantly training new recruits, you never really get ahead. You need a LARGE, trained volunteer base to keep things rolling forward without a hitch. Read more>>