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.

Michelle Hardy

I believe the most challenging thing about the publishing industry as an author who writes and self-publishes my own books is people have this fantasy mind-set or misconception that they all are going to get a literary agent and get a huge paycheck up front from one of the top five publishing houses (Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, Macmillan Publishers, Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster). Read more>>

Nora Franzese

As an emerging illustrator and graphic designer, I encountered significant competition in the market for lucrative projects, which posed a challenge to making a sustainable income. In response, I chose to return to school to pursue a career as a public school art teacher while continuing to accept illustration projects, including illustrating children’s picture books. One of the major hurdles has been ensuring fair compensation for the extensive hours spent in the studio, a challenge that has intensified as the illustration market has become increasingly saturated, stresses of self-promotion, challenges of client expectations that go hand in hand with the fears that come with the introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Read more>>

Nadine Clay

Hello! My name is Nadine and I am the owner and founder of Lancaster Flower Company. I started my company when I was 20 and have successfully weathered the business through 11 years! Profitability in the floral industry is something that not many think about, as we see all kinds of flower shops “thriving” since before our grandparents were born! There are a few challenges in floral profitability that many folks do not consider or are even aware of! Read more>>

Jackie Cusimano

Here’s a streamlined version that maintains your core message and makes it more concise while still relevant to the question. It keeps the focus on the broader challenges while subtly incorporating ethical concerns without being too specific or lengthy: One of the biggest challenges to profitability in the massage and service industries is the lack of practical business education. Trade schools often focus exclusively on teaching technical skills—how to perform a service—but leave students unprepared for the realities of running a business. There’s little to no education on marketing, pricing, financial planning, or client retention. As a result, many talented practitioners graduate with no roadmap to sustainability and are left to figure it out on their own. Read more>>

Jason Ellis

Just networking and getting your name out there. Read more>>

Tonya Hensley

Profitability in the entertainment industry is often misunderstood because, from the outside, it can appear glamorous and lucrative. In reality, it’s highly competitive and unpredictable, with significant challenges that impact financial success. One major hurdle is the reliance on external factors. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, production sets were shut down, theaters went dark, and live events were canceled, halting revenue streams for months. Just as the industry began to recover, a series of strikes—including writers’ and actors’ strikes—over the past year and a half further disrupted operations. Read more>>

Deanna Lester

One of the biggest challenges to profitability in the world of custom sugar cookies is being able to actually charge what they are worth. Many customers are sticker shocked at first when they are quoted upwards of $50-$60 per dozen for sugar cookies but it’s important for us to make sure we are charging appropriately. As a custom product, these cookies can take anywhere from 4 to 6 hours when done correctly. That means that after paying for supplies and investing back into the business, most of us are only paying ourselves between $6-$8 per hour! Couple this with big box stores charging much less for their cookies, and the saturated market of cookiers post-COVID and it can be difficult to build your clientele base. Read more>>