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.

Mary Hietpas

In the beauty industry you are taught every client is a good client. However, through my experience that is the furthest thing from the truth. I have built my dream clientele within a year of doing business and within that year I have had many experiences that taught me not every client is a good client. If you are to money hungry and take every client that seeks you out, you will end up burnt out and with some crazy client stories. And I definitely have my fair share of client stories. I have learned that not every client is right for you. I have learned that through many clients who have complained about how I run my business, the policies I have, and just being rude in general. Read more>>

Arseniy Grobovnikov

I’ll answer as a photo/video studio owner—this has been a pretty successful business for me so far. I started it right at the end of the COVID lockdown in 2020. It was definitely a risky move, as the entire industry was still essentially shut down. Even though the official lockdown had ended, it was still hard to find professionals and materials because many businesses remained closed. On the upside, I got a great deal on the rent. It was more profitable for the landlord to rent it out cheaply than wait for things to return to normal. That gave me the chance to ease into the business and figure things out gradually. I had never owned a business before and only had experience in photography and film. But my gaffing background helped a lot—my focus was on lighting and high-quality gear from day one. Read more>>

Rodrigo Martins

The hardest thing for us as a jiu jitsu gym to bring and keep the students are the parents to understand that jiu jitsu is not easy, most of times the kids will ask to quit, we fight, we sweat, we cry and we take them out of their comfort zone, what kid wants that ?? Read more>>

Bradley Morris

One of the most important innovations of my life wasn’t a flashy product or big pivot—it was an inner revolution.

It started the day I dropped out of college after my second year. I realized they were training me to get a job… and I wanted to be free. So I started my first business at 21 and I’ve been a full-time entrepreneur for the last two decades Not because I had it all figured out, but because I trusted there was another way—and I was willing to find it. Read more>>

DK Marie

The biggest challenge to profitability in my industry is a toxic mindset that pervades both the industry and society at large: the romanticized notion that artists must be starving to be authentic, and that financial success somehow compromises artistic integrity. This ‘starving artist’ mythology creates a perfect storm of self-sabotage. Read more>>

Kiana Valdivieso

One of the biggest challenges to staying profitable in my industry right now is, hands down, the cost of materials but specifically gold. Over the past few years, gold prices have skyrocketed and don’t seem to be coming down anytime soon. While I don’t sell solid gold pieces, most of my jewelry is made with 14k gold-filled materials, which still contain a percentage of real gold. Since the cost of gold fluctuates daily—kind of like the stock market—it directly impacts my expenses. Read more>>

Damien J Bartlett

Yeah, I definitely don’t wear a hoodie in a Silicon Valley tower, but I’ve had to innovate constantly to keep creating. One of the biggest shifts for me came during the rise of generative AI. Instead of seeing it as a threat to traditional filmmaking, I saw it as a creative tool, something that could unlock visual ideas I couldn’t shoot in-camera or didn’t have the budget to pull off practically. Read more>>

Patrick Carney

Created a Mastermind for creative heart centered souls that met every Tuesday morning for 43 years. This Mastermind changed lives. The system was so good that when the pandemic hit we moved to Zoom without having to change a thing. Read more>>