In the five years that Sam Newell and her husband have run Fruit Fair in Chicopee, Massachusetts, they haven’t had a profitable year.

“We tend to be full until we’re well through the Balloon Fiesta,” says Steve Hiatt, who with his wife, Kathy, owns Bottger Mansion.

Mike Woglom of Cargo Trailer Sales in Pennsylvania sells equipment that’s widely needed but often unnoticed.

Tyler Graybeal, owner of a Swedish-style store in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, says keeping up with demand was difficult at first.

Natalie Adams in Everett, Washington finds her job as producer clerk “absolutely gratifying.”

Gary LeBlanc, owner of Scenic RailRiders in Concord, explains why he opened his business and what he loves about it.

Jessica Mozeico, owner of Et Fille Wines, started the business with her father. She hopes she can pass it along to the next generation.

Chef-turned-innkeeper Amanda Zimlich cooks breakfast and does all the housekeeping at Otter’s Pond B&B on Orcas Island.

Joanna Reese funds her Maine shops on a shoestring. “[We do] as much as we can ourselves,” she says, “to save on costs.”

“Virality is fleeting,” says Kelsey Campion. “We could go viral tomorrow. We could go viral in a year, we could never go viral again.”