In order to maximize profits early in the nineteenth century, what was a common practice of business owners?

A common practice was to pay ridicilously small wages to workers themselves and pay even less to children and women who were working at factories. Another thing that was done was to either import foreign workers who would have to work for even less, or to move production to companies overseas where they would set up a distribution and where workers themselves would also have to work for very small amounts of money. This increased their profit margins. 

Thomas edison created the light bulb.