How I Run an “Unprofitable Business”

Written By Wynter Appleford

A digital collage of the title of the post: “how I run an unprofitable business” spelled in cutout letters, and pennies, eggs, and dollar bill signs are scattered around.

I’d like to start by saying that I have absolutely no idea what I am doing, so if you’re coming here for real business know-how or practical advice, you will be unfortunately disappointed. I am not a stand-up example of a “successful small business owner.” I have run my own small art business as a side hustle since 2022, and have been working for the Appleford family of creative businesses full-time for a year now. However, I do not run my business successfully according to capitalism. In fact, I pretty actively lost money this year. I have not ever taken a single traditional business or marketing class, and I am not a particularly natural salesperson. I have traveled all over the country selling and sharing my work, but I am constantly adapting and learning from each market or zinefest. I do get a lot of questions about the nature of my work, and as the calendar year is coming to a close, I wanted to sit down and organize my thoughts on them. This is just how I run my business, and it is not perfect, nor are these ideas new. I am one of many people attempting to survive capitalism without participating in it as much as possible, and trying to minimize the harm I cause in the process.

My values and goals are the main differences between me and traditional models of business. I want to Do It Myself first and foremost. I wish to share my experience and perspective in a time where Queerness is being persecuted. I do not wish to accumulate wealth. I’m not trying to become rich or famous. I’m not motivated by money, and I don’t aspire to a lifestyle that requires having a lot of it. My main motivation in my work is to share my projects accessibly, and even freely whenever possible. I aim to just make as much money as the projects need to sustain themselves, and keep any left over for long-term expenses and taxes. I feel strongly that self-publishing is a legitimate form of publishing, and that making and sharing radical artwork and writing is an important form of resistance. I try to participate in “commerce” rather than capitalism, which basically means I do buy and sell goods and services, but just not in THAT way.

To be clear: I went to college and then grad school and was prepared for a traditional, 9-5 stable career path to be my reality as an adult. If you’d told 19-year-old me that they’d be running a small art business using fringe techniques and anti-capitalist values, they would have probably laughed in your face. At that point in my life, I was very concerned with having debt as a moral failure, following the right paths for the right outcomes, and making enough money to “live comfortably.” I was intimidated by anyone who was making and selling their own products and felt that was not even an option available to me. I was frankly afraid of nontraditional models of operating, despite secretly aspiring to them. What about health insurance, or student loans, or credit card debt, or running out of money? I felt that the only way to be safe, or stable, or secure, was to work hard for other people and be grateful to be paid whatever they were willing to give me. And I did, miserably, for a long time.

Now, I’m in year three of working on mine and my family’s creative businesses. Transparently, our household hasn't had health insurance since we left our “real jobs” and went to work for ourselves. We are lucky to be healthy and not have any chronic conditions that require us to navigate healthcare regularly, and we’d probably be pretty fucked if that were to change. We have plenty of student loans and debt, and we do have to constantly work hard to be sure we don’t run out of money. When you work for yourself, you have to make work for yourself or there won’t be any. We are able to do this in no small part because we do have white privilege and we do not have children, pets, or a mortgage, but also because we choose to go without many of the enticing trappings of capitalism; no online shopping, no Amazon, few conveniences or little treats, nothing bought new if we can avoid it, and actively participating in multiple boycotts of major corporations. We live simply and frugally, use public transit to get around for the most part, enjoy free or low-cost activities, and when we do spend money we do it in our local community on small businesses and restaurants whenever possible. We donate money to local organizations we believe in and mutual aid causes when we have it to spare, and often incorporate fundraisers into our work. I have worked to release the guilt and shame I had about carrying debt, which, as a mindset shift, has helped me enormously day to day. It sounds scary to live this way, and often it is. It’s not a lifestyle that appeals to or works for everyone. But my life is richer now than it ever was before, and I am the most fulfilled by my work that I have ever been. I feel most aligned working hard for myself and putting my skills and energy into my family’s endeavors. I have found that isolation and hoarding your funds and resources will not lead you to security, and that giving and sharing is what sustains a person, a family, a community. I’ll take the uncertainty and unpredictability of self-employment over the grind of working for someone else any day at this point. 

So, what does it mean for me exactly to run an “unprofitable business?” The short answer is, I’m givin’ it away, baby! My primary goal is to make enough money to sustain the creative projects I work on, and I do. Technically, I lost money this year, but I don’t necessarily see that as a bad thing. Losing money just means that I’m spending it on the business. I sell zines, stickers, prints, and other creative products related to art and queerness, and I DIY all my projects to keep overhead as low as possible. I make everything by hand, from folding every zine to packing every bundle of stickers. I offer wholesale pricing through Faire so other small businesses can stock my work. I mainly sell my work in person at zinefests, art markets, and shows, but I also have a Squarespace site that I pay to host where folks can buy my wares from anywhere in the world. I offer free shipping on most products for increased accessibility. I have to budget for the costs of hosting my website, supplies for making my work, shipping, vendor fees, and travel to locations outside of my immediate area. I spend a lot of money on stickers of my logo that I give away with every purchase, and otherwise use for marketing and branding wherever I go. I do all my own marketing, content creation, product development, and bookkeeping. It’s a lot of work to do every aspect of the business myself, but I’m able to keep my expenses low as a result.

I feel strongly that my work (and really, all art) should be accessible. I price my products as low as possible (probably too low, some would say) and sell a range of products, so in theory, I have something for any budget. I offer free digital downloads of most of my zines, especially the ones related to gender and self-exploration (except for a select few that only exist in the physical realm to protect their contents). I will usually give you a discount if you ask me. I give away free zines with every purchase and leave them on street corners and at bus stops. You might see flyers or stickers with my designs around in a city near you. I also love participating in trades with fellow artists and zinesters, and most of my own zine library and personal art collection has come from these kinds of exchanges. I would rather my art be seen for free by many than paid for and “owned” by a few. Nobody can “own” art. It belongs to everyone.

Running an “unprofitable business” also means I am not striving for “growth” per se. I don’t want to have a huge following of people with whom I have to constantly maintain a parasocial relationship. I actually enjoy posting and engaging with fellow zinesters because this attitude is very common in the community! I’m not necessarily striving to make so much money and have so many orders coming in that I have to hire people or rent a space to keep it going. I am looking for sustainability- in my own creative practice, in my workflow, and in the long-term for the Appleford family of creative business. I also mean literally, in that I don’t want to further contribute to the destruction of our planet as I make and sell things to people. I’m not using AI in any capacity (I edit my own videos, I make all my own graphics and artwork except for when my wife collaborates, I record my content myself, and I write all my own captions and blog posts). I use eco-friendly recycled packaging whenever possible in my products. I source crafting materials secondhand and buy technology refurbished. Not buying into the latest “optimizing” product and sourcing secondhand saves me a LOT of money in the long run, and it’s a practice I’m glad to have in my work. 

I also want to clarify that I’m not operating as a “nonprofit.” Sometimes people make this assumption because I am a Queer person making Queer art, but I am not providing any kind of tangible or free service for the community. I am trying to make SOME money, just not a LOT of money. The money I earn goes directly back into my business or my household’s continued survival. While I strive to make my work accessible for my community and its allies, I do want to be appropriately compensated for it- as I think all artists of all identities should be! 

Some frequently asked questions I get from folks about my business include:

“How can I start my own business?” “How do I use social media without the ‘grindset’?” “How do the taxes work (I’m scared)?” Again, I’m no expert, I am just a guy- but here’s my best advice when it comes to these admittedly-difficult areas of the work. 

How can I start my own business? 
Don’t wait until you’re ready or have all the info; you can really just figure it out along the way. Most folks I meet at my gigs running their own businesses do not have degrees in business. YouTube and your local library have a wealth of resources, even for those of us attempting to work in an anticapitalist way. I also hate to say it, but it’s probably necessary for you to keep a day job for as long as you can and work on your projects outside of work to sustain yourself. I worked on my projects as a side gig for several years before I was able to take it full-time. This is very hard to do and balance well, but it is possible. If you work in a field where you produce intellectual property for someone else, be very careful that you are not operating in a conflict of interest and ALWAYS keep your best ideas for yourself! Don’t ever sign away the rights to your name, face, brand, or your best work. Read carefully and use a lawyer if you have access to one. 

I also always recommend that business owners do it for free first. Use the basic mode of every app, use a free email service (proton.me is excellent), and do not waste your money on every “small biz” product or scheme. You can host your wares for sale on multiple free platforms and there are many accessible paid options if you have the budget for that. Otherwise, see what you can do in your real world simply by asking! A friendly convo with a fellow small business owner can lead to a consignment or wholesale arrangement. Many local fests and markets will offer space for a range of prices ($0-$30 is my range I’ll now pay after a year of some ridiculously high vendor fees…most are between $10-$25, which I’m usually happy to pay for my space in the room). Nothing is stopping you from setting up a 6ft table somewhere and talking about what you do! The other side of the “spend money wisely” coin is also taking money wisely. Loans, grants, book deals, and sponsorships are great ways to get money for your business, or eyes on your work, but you want to be intentional about who you end up answering to and what borders you inadvertently place around your work in doing so.

How do I use social media without the ‘grindset’?

This is something I am still learning how to do! There is so much pressure to be on social media and show up the “right way” to reap the algorithmic rewards. It often feels like the same kind of corporate pressure I went into self-employment to avoid! I took Bear Hébert’s Marketing For Weirdos this year to fill this gap in my knowledge and really found their structure and framework useful for developing content. My main takeaways were that you can (& should) plan your content ahead and be strategic rather than post all the time, and incorporate yourself, your needs, and your values into your schedule and the content itself. They also emphasize that your content can serve multiple purposes and live in multiple places, so you can really save yourself time and effort. There’s a lot more in there, and I do recommend the course if you’re interested in this kind of thing! (Not sponsored, I just enjoyed the class!) 

I just try to be authentic and post about my work according to the intensity of what I have going on. I am currently in a slower season by design, so my posts have gone down to once a week or so, compared to the 6 days a week I did during my peak market season. When I ramp up again, I know how my page will likely react, and I don’t need to be in that space at this time. I’m posting content now that will hopefully engage y’all as I work on new projects behind the scenes!

It’s important to note that I do not want to go viral! I do not want to be an influencer! I am not looking to blow up and have a ton of followers and get brand deals! My goal is to have a genuine page that reflects my work and the aspects of my life that I feel comfortable sharing. I hope to use Meta platforms less and less as well and am looking into alternatives for 2026 already. The short answer is that I use social media when it feels good to use it and avoid it when it doesn’t feel good any more. 

How do the taxes work (I’m scared)?

Me too, friend. The best advice someone gave me on this was to always prepare for the “inevitable audits.” Just assume you’ll have to hand over your receipts and spreadsheets to some fed at some point, and prepare accordingly. I highly recommend finding an accountant or tax/finances coach that is aligned with your values to help you with taxes. It feels overwhelming (by design, and that’s only going to get worse), but it’s at its core as simple as keeping track of what you spend and what you earn. An expert can help you make sure you are in compliance where you need to be, and hopefully save you money in the long run by avoiding fees and fines. 

The tax number you have to pay as anything other than a W-2 employee, is (extremely basically) determined by your income minus your deductible expenses. You should set aside a percentage of your money to pay taxes based on what you earn, just to be safe. Anything like supplies, marketing, travel for work, professional development, or tools of the trade can be written off and deducted from your final earnings of the year. Businesses are encouraged to claim anything relevant to your work as a write-off. Obviously, you should not lie and fabricate this number (and again: you should expect that someone will come knocking to check!), but you can be strategic about your spending when you start to frame it this way. Look at it as investing in your business. I do find that it’s unfortunately true what they say; you do have to spend money to earn it. Once you can find the best channels for putting your money, you can be intentional about directing it there (and hopefully see the returns!) This could look like paying for courses or certifications needed for your field, buying materials for a local DIY marketing campaign in your city, or investing up front in product development. 

And remember, especially in times of political turmoil, the government is most likely just going to send you letters if you do not pay your taxes. There are many reasons someone might not pay their taxes, whether you are not financially able to or in protest of war and injustice. 

This year, my business may have lost money, but I was able to send my work literally around the world in trades and sales, I tabled at six zinefests and 14 markets, hosted paid workshops on zines with multiple groups, and featured at two poetry readings. I released my debut poetry zine and shared it with so many people who have told me that it resonated and impacted them. I’ve been able to meet and connect with talented and creative humans all across the country and I’m so grateful to have been able to be in those rooms. Is that not success? I look forward to what comes next and I hope to keep learning how to run a business in a way that aligns with my values. I am trusting myself and my skills and experiences to guide me as I figure it out along the way. I am excited to continue to grow my business in a sustainable way that shares my art with as many people as possible. I’m mostly grateful to everyone who follows my work, purchases or trades a zine, and who asks the thoughtful questions that prompt these kinds of posts! 

Just know: alternatives to capitalism ARE possible, and you can survive outside the systems and structures if you are willing to not go it alone, and you are not afraid of giving and receiving in reciprocity. Don’t be afraid of sharing your work, don’t ask permission, don’t wait for approval. You can take back your power and share what you make, and you don’t need to just wait for an open call to do it! The world is only made better by more people making things honestly and sharing them with others. 


Resources:

Wynter Appleford
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