The success of a creative business can really depend on the quality and popularity of the product created.
In the case of Heath Ceramics, an artisanal pottery firm which produces handcrafted tile and tableware, that certainly seems to ring true.
An article in the New York Times has put the spotlight on the company, which was founded in the 1940s and is still going strong.
Entitled A Label of Pride That Pays, the article highlights how the company's "idiosyncratic way of doing things and its geographical roots" have helped it to survive.
The company's sales "increased fivefold" last year and its staff increased from 25 employees to 67.
Robin Petravic and his wife Catherine Bailey purchased Heath Ceramics in 2003 and the couple were very taken by the way in which the entire manufacturing process was contained in one place.
Ms Bailey told the newspaper: "Many of the employees had worked there for decades and knew everything, including how to fix the machines if they broke down."
In the same article, the NY Times highlighted how another firm, from a slightly different industry, is also doing rather well.
Swerve, a company which provides office furniture solutions, has kept its head above water by resisting the option to outsource any of the work involved.
Run by architect Michael Goldin for almost 15 years, the firm has been "contributing to the rejuvenation of a light-industrial district in Berkeley", the NY Times explained.
He told the newspaper that he has always been interested in staying very involved with the work produced by Swerve.
"Ever since I was at grad school I have felt very strongly about having my hands in what I am making - actually feeling materials and how they work. It all started with my desire to make things and to have a shop where I could do that."
It appears as though his love of staying close to the product produced by his firm has helped it to succeed.
As noted by the newspaper, Swerve has recently received an order for 500 aluminium chairs that will generate a profit for the firm.
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