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.

Marcella Snyder

The biggest challenge to profitability in the drive in industry is adapting to changing generations.
A big part of the drive in experience is nostalgia. All owners know we are selling an experience, a chance to bring it back to a childhood memory or an evening spent with family or friends under the stars. What most refuse to admit is each generation wants a different kind of nostalgia, that we can’t and shouldn’t limit the experience to our own or those who came before us. Bringing nostalgia to the new generation is going to look a little bit different, but can still offer the joy of the experience to a new customer. Read more>>

B. Will

It’s easy to assume that creative and wardrobe services — especially those tied to fashion, events, or branding — are highly profitable because they’re often tied to visual luxury or high-profile projects. But in reality, one of the biggest challenges to profitability in this industry is that our work is seen as an enhancement, not a necessity. Creative direction, styling, and wardrobe services are often treated as optional — the first thing to get cut when budgets shrink, or the last thing people feel they need to pay for properly. Read more>>

John Root

In photography every one with a good cell phone and a basic editing program thinks that they are a photographer. It takes a lot of calculation and thought in order get a good photo, composition, lighting, shutter speed, ISO and knowing how that works together to get a good photograph, knowing all of that is great but seeing the “art” is extremely important if you can’t do then it lacks as art and good or even a great photograph. Read more>>

Alex (Rocko) Rupert

Well I wouldn’t assume people think making art is SUPER profitable, however there are the lucky and the bold ones that manage to make the jump to being a full time artist, balancing their passion with the commercial side and solidifying their “brand” as a creator. Read more>>

Angel Manley

It’s a saturated market. And being a new hair care line it’s hard to get our name there without out being a celebrity or influencer. Read more>>

Linda O Neal

I am blessed that I am making a great living as a tarot reader. In fact, I’m making more now than I did as a veteran High School teacher. I’m not just surviving; I’m thriving in my industry.

So many people come into my little tarot trailer wanting to leave their jobs. Even professionals who are therapists, nurses, doctors, professors, and people who give back to their community complain that the system is too broken for them to do the work they want to do. Read more>>

James Orsini

Advertising like most service sector companies is based on rates and hours. Our industry has often been their own worst enemy and have been racing to the bottom. They’ve been undervaluing their services for years. But time is money, and ideas are of great value. What about song writers who write a song in 1 hour? Is the value of that song only worth a few hundred dollars? The rate x hours model rewards inefficiency. The longer it takes to do something the more it’s worth?? Speed is punished rather than rewarded. Read more>>