Hi all, I’m Arham, based in India and taking on projects for US and UK clients.

What I do:

• Excel: financial models, budgets and forecasts, dashboards, pivot tables, data cleaning, formula and automation fixes
• Financial analysis: P&L and cash flow summaries, break-even and ratio analysis, investor-ready numbers
• Business research: market sizing, competitor breakdowns, industry reports
• Documents: clean, formatted reports, proposals and decks
• How I work:
• Fixed price, agreed up front, with no surprises
• 30-50% deposit, rest on delivery
• Updates along the way, and revisions included until you’re happy
• Most projects done in 2-5 days

I’m currently working to clear some loans and save for a family event in January, so I’m committed to doing great work and getting repeat clients. Your project gets my full attention.

I'm based in Canada and building my event coordination and admin support business, while working full-time.

My experience is in event logistics, coordination, and admin/operations support, including working with nonprofits, vendors, and volunteers. I'm trying to turn this into a consistent income stream, but figuring out how to actually find paying clients is the biggest question right now!

Long-term, I'd love to work partially remotely and travel. I'm also working with Fora in travel sales, and eventually I'd love to combine the two by helping people organize destination birthdays, bachelorette parties, and other celebrations in Europe.

For those who've built a business on the side:

How did you find your first clients, and where do you get clients now?

How many hours a week do you spend on your business while working full-time?

How do you balance paid work with marketing and finding new clients?

Has anyone combined event coordination with travel or built a destination events business?

I'd love to hear what has actually worked for you, what hasn't, and what you'd focus on if you were starting from scratch. I'm trying to build something sustainable without burning myself out in the process...I also volunteer 4-6 hours a week (in events).

Hi all,

I recently started a small BPO in Visakhapatnam, India. We handle chat, email, and voice support, plus some back-office work, and we can run teams of around 10-25 seats. We’re looking for our first few clients, and open to working with anyone worldwide.

I’d really appreciate advice on a few things:

1. For businesses that outsource support: where do you look for vendors, and what makes you trust a small, new one?
2. For BPO owners: how did you land your first clients, and what worked or didn’t (subcontracting, cold outreach, marketplaces, referrals)?
3. Pricing: what do you consider a fair per-seat or per-hour rate for a small team, and is a paid pilot reasonable?
4. Red flags: what should a new vendor avoid that makes buyers walk away?

Happy to share more about what we do if it helps. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

I’m convinced every operation has one.

The spreadsheet emailed around every Friday, the form someone prints, signs, scans, and sends back, or the number copied from one system to another because “that’s just how we do it.”

Usually, there’s a perfectly understandable reason it started. What’s more interesting is why it’s still there five or ten years later.

Maybe replacing it is more trouble than it’s worth. Maybe the workaround genuinely works. Or maybe everyone knows it’s ridiculous, but nobody wants to be the one who touches it and accidentally breaks something.

What’s the manual process in your business that simply refuses to die, and why’s it still there?

We run a small commercial cleaning business, mostly offices, schools and strata buildings. Our clients are generally happy and many have stayed with us for years, but almost none of them leave reviews. Our newest reviews are a few years old now.

The problem is that the person who hires us is usually an office or facility manager. They’re busy, the cleaning happens after hours, and when it’s done well, nobody thinks about it. We only hear from them when something goes wrong.

We’ve tried sending a review link by email after the first month, but the response is close to zero.

For those of you in B2B or service businesses:

• When and how do you ask for reviews?
• Does asking in person or over the phone work better than email?
• Is it worth asking the same client again a year later?

Would love to hear what’s actually worked for you.

Where do you draw the line on getting changes confirmed in writing?

I mean the little stuff. A client asks for a change by email, then texts later to say keep part of the original. Neither message is a big deal on its own, but now there isn’t one place that says what you’re actually doing.

Sending a recap makes sense. Waiting for them to approve every recap feels like it could hold up the job.

I want to start a small business for home making dessert like donut,cakes, etc..but u have no idea how i should start ...let's talk about this I need your help and suggestions

This group is not for business, it is to build a habit of shopping at small businesses. The event will be in Moseley this Saturday, and we will change different town for every even.

Event name is: Shop Locally, Make Friends ☕🛍️Moseley this Saturday

I also post a medium yesterday try to advertise for the group, looks no one read yet. I hope I can find some people have same passion to join us.

This is the medium article name is:Shop Small, Keep Communities Alive: My £10-a-Week Challenge

I have a very clear vision of how my dream business looks like, what I want to sell and how it will look, but I’m stuck on how to even start. I’ll be a bit vague and say I want to start a secondhand store essentially with a niche that my community is missing.

The goal is to have an actual community-based brick and mortar that my town is missing, it would fill a need that I am passionate about, but I don’t have the funds to start it immediately.

I hear the advice constantly that I need to start online, so my options are to start with social media that direct customers to a web store, but I worry that selling on Depop or eBay would miss the need my direct community has, and if I make a Shopify that I wouldn’t get organic traffic.

I want to create a business plan and try to get a loan for a shop, but with that too I feel stuck not having an existing customer base or sales data from internet sales. I created an LLC (I know it was probably a bad idea) but all I’ve done so far is buy inventory. I feel paralyzed to actually start selling because I have no idea where to do it.

I have a full time job currently that absolutely requires me on the weekends so I can’t go to markets. I’d have to drive very far as well because we don’t have them locally. I’ve considered a local swap meet, but my worry is that the customers there are looking for dirt cheap random stuff, not specialized merchandise.

Am I truly overthinking this? Should I just write the business plan without sales history? Or do I bite the bullet and start an online store paired with social media? Would I be taken seriously through Depop or is Shopify/squarespace the professional way to start?

I'm curious how other small business owners are managing everything these days.

There seem to be so many different tools for CRM, email marketing, appointment booking, social media scheduling, automation and client management. Before you know it, you're paying for five or six different subscriptions.

I'm interested in finding out what works well for small businesses, particularly service-based businesses, consultants and freelancers.

- Do you use an all-in-one platform or separate tools?

- Which CRM or business management platform are you using?

- What's one feature you couldn't run your business without?

- What frustrates you most about your current setup?

Would love to hear your experiences, including the good and the bad!

We run a Mango Mango Desserts franchise and most of our staff are high school students, about eight of them. They’re good kids, they show up, they do the job. But there’s a gap between doing the job and actually caring, and I think that gap is most of the customer experience in a small store.

We’re about a year in and we’ve worked hard on service, taste and cleanliness, and it holds up when we're there. What I want is for it to hold up when we're not.

What I also want is for them to get something out of working here beyond the paycheck. First job stuff that sticks. Talking to customers properly, handling orders without panicking, taking some ownership of the place when nobody’s watching. I believe this will go a long way for them when they go to college and start their own careers.

I don’t think more money alone does it, and I don’t want to build some points system that feels like homework. For anyone who’s managed teenagers in a small business, what actually changed behavior? Shift leads with real responsibility, performance bonuses, writing them recommendation letters, something else entirely? Including the stuff you tried that didn’t work.

Hi, my comment in the Q4 2026 business promotion thread appears to have been removed.

Could you please review it and let me know whether it can be approved or what needs changing?

Comment: https://www.reddit.com/r/smallbusiness/comments/1wwpjlw/comment/pgu0ma6/

I have not reposted it. Thank you.

I started a lawn care/property maintenance business straight out of high school in a small tourist town. Two years in, I’ve got about 90 recurring clients, mostly absentee holiday-home owners.

Numbers:

• Last financial year (to March 2026): ~$57k revenue, ~$37k profit
• April–Sept 2026: ~$35k ex-GST, and that’s mostly winter
• Peak season is starting now and October is already well booked - going to do over 15k this month.
• Company structure, GST registered

The situation:
I’m starting uni at the end of February. I listed the business, and a buyer has offered $30k for the client base and goodwill based on last year’s numbers. I think it’s worth closer to $50k given how it’s grown, and I’ve proposed $35k upfront plus up to $15k based on client retention after six months.

I'm a little bit torn as I'm over the work and want to pursue other passions in my life, but feel drained from working all the time. On the other side, I feel as though this could be a massive financial upside that could set me up really well for my later years in life.

Option A – Sell: Take roughly $30–50k, have a clean break and focus on uni.

Option B – Keep it: Hire a team lead (about $30/hr as a subcontractor plus a ~$5k end-of-season bonus) to run the work while I’m studying, and manage the business side remotely. I’m honestly keen to see how far it can go without me on the tools. My dad thinks it’s a bad idea.

Questions:

1. Is $30k fair for a business like this, or am I right that it’s worth more?
2. Has anyone run a service business remotely with a team lead while studying or working another job? What went wrong?
3. What would you do in my position?

TIA

Hello, I have to ask a question on this forum because I don't know where else to look for help. I have a Pax A920 Pro. I downloaded the PayDroid tool and wiped Android via CMD by running the `flash` command. I used `0x1F3A` to connect in developer/download mode. Can anyone help me? Or perhaps send me an `.img` file?

Genuine question, because the number of businesses I've contacted recently that either don't answer their phones, don't return voicemails or never respond to online enquiries is baffling.

And I'm not talking about businesses being busy. I completely understand that small business owners are juggling a million things.

But if someone is actively trying to give you their business and can't get hold of you, how much money is being left on the table?

It's something I see regularly in customer experience and sales operations.

The frustrating part is that the solution often isn't particularly complicated. Sometimes it's as simple as having a clear process for handling enquiries, following up and making sure someone actually owns the next step.

If you're running a small business and wondering why enquiries aren't turning into customers, I'm happy to share a few practical tips. No pitch, just advice.

And for everyone else, what's the most frustrating customer service experience you've had recently?

I've been thinking about something that I feel many people overlook when starting a business.

Most people focus on getting their product ready, finding customers, making sales, and generating revenue. And honestly, that's important.

But I think one thing that often gets ignored is building a brand from day one.

Take Nike, for example. They don't just sell shoes. People recognise the name, associate it with certain values, and have an emotional connection with the brand.

Of course, not every business needs to become the next Nike. But there's a difference between selling a product and building something people recognise, trust, and remember.

A product can be copied. Competitors can offer similar features or lower prices. But building a strong reputation and earning customer trust takes time.

That's why I feel branding shouldn't be something businesses think about only after they've started growing. It should be part of the journey from the beginning.

And by branding, I don't just mean having a logo, a good-looking website, or an Instagram page. I mean having a clear vision, a consistent identity, a good customer experience, and a reason for people to choose you.

I'm curious to know what other founders think:

When starting a business, should you focus on building the product and generating revenue first, or should brand-building be a priority from day one?

I'd love to hear different perspectives, especially from people who have actually built a business.

Genuine question. Why does something being free sometimes make people trust it less?

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately as someone building something from the ground up.

When you’re a small, unknown startup, you don’t have the brand recognition, thousands of reviews, or big marketing budget that makes people feel comfortable giving you a chance.

We’re building a community app that was designed from the beginning to have an always-free tier with access to all features. That’s part of the vision, not a temporary promotion or something we’re offering just because we’re new.

But I’ve noticed that when something is free, people sometimes become even more skeptical. What’s the catch? How are you making money? Why would you offer everything for free?

And I get it. Skepticism is healthy.

In our case, building a community app adds another layer to the challenge. We’re already trying to figure out which initial community to focus on and how to get those first members engaged. Because let’s face it, nobody wants to join an empty community. But you can’t build an active community without people willing to be the first to show up.

So we’re dealing with two challenges at once: building trust as an unknown startup and convincing people to give a new community a chance before it has the activity that makes communities valuable.

It’s an interesting catch-22. People want proof that something is worth joining, but you need people willing to join before you can build that proof.

At the same time, we’re genuinely enjoying the journey and are prepared to take on the challenges that come with building something from scratch.

I’m curious, for those who’ve built something from scratch, especially a community-based product, how did you overcome that initial trust barrier?

And for everyone else, what makes you comfortable giving a new, unfamiliar product a chance?

I have been MIA from google searches for about 8 years due to my exs stalking me. I have been trying to build up courage and strength to start a new business in e-commerce. I resorted to living in a car and babysitting so that no one knows my location. But thats not the life i wanted.

I was a successful student with a masters and an engineer at google at one point. I suffered a herniated disc three yrs ago and It made me mad that I am pausing my dream because I am afraid of ex partners and new attention that could have adverse affects.

I have a successful business plan and I am in school part-time for business. While I love social media, I do sit back and wonder how people can handle the constant bullying, weird people in your dms, death threats, korn pics , and god knows what else.

I am going to be a variety streamer, twitch dj program and selling temporary tattoos is one of my favorite ventures. I will later expand to VR/AR.

Since being MIA and using aliases/avatars to just be a 'watcher' I have still been in constant dramatic situations with men. I was in jamaica nd id get followed around. you dont need to be famous anymore.

Do you have a lawyer on call? I am now a legitimate business LLC and will be moving differently. When I think about my future world, I dont want to feel like plankton next to a shark.

I’ve been reading a lot about how searching for and buying a small business actually works, and the more I read, the more it seems like the real experience is very different from the guides. Most of what’s out there is either textbook advice or a success story told after the fact.

So I’d like to hear from people who’ve been through it, whether you closed, are still searching, or walked away.

Where did things take longer, cost more, or go differently than you expected? It could be sourcing, working with brokers, valuing a business, financing, diligence, the LOI, closing, or even after you took over. Slow and expensive counts too, not just deals that died.

A few things I’m curious about if you’re up for sharing: what you expected going in, what actually happened, and what you’d do differently now. And if you’ve got advice for someone just trying to understand this world, I’d welcome that too.

Thanks for any stories you’re willing to share.

I've been digging into the LLC formation industry for a project I'm building, and I wanted to share the numbers because I wish someone had told me this before I almost paid for all of it:

EIN filing: $50–$99 charged vs. $0 actual. The IRS gives you an EIN free in about 10 minutes on their website. There is no filing, no paperwork, no waiting period. Companies charge up to $99 to fill out a web form for you.

Compliance/deadline tracking: $99–$299/yr charged vs. $0 actual. This is just calendar reminders for your annual report. The deadlines are public record on every Secretary of State site. You're paying $200/yr for someone to email you a date.

Registered agent service: $125–$299/yr charged vs. $0 actual (for many people). If you have a physical address in your state and someone's there during business hours, you can legally be your own registered agent in most states. Half the people paying for this don't need to.

Operating agreement templates: $35–$149 charged vs. free templates everywhere. It's a standard document. The paid versions aren't meaningfully better than what's freely available.

I'm not saying these companies are scams — formation filing itself is a real service. But the upsells are priced on the assumption that you won't look up the alternative. So look up the alternative.

I ended up building free versions of all of these (cost calculator, EIN walkthrough, compliance deadline tracker with calendar reminders, registered-agent quiz) because I was annoyed. They're at aetherdynamics.net/tools if anyone wants them. No signup, no paywall — that was the whole point.

Happy to answer questions about LLC costs in specific states — I compiled the fee data for all 50.

Hey everyone!
I’m a mum of 2 from Australia and I’ve been working on a little business idea that I’m really passionate about.
I’m wanting to create my own baby and children’s brand starting with a collection of unique comforters.
Both of my children have heavily relied on their comforters for comfort and reassurance and I know just how special they can become to a child. I want to create something magical that children will grow attached to and families will remember for years to come.
I’ve spent quite a bit of time researching, learning the basics and developing my ideas. I have a brand name, a vision, some design concepts and an idea of what I want my products to look like.
My comforters would have their own little characters, special features, beautiful packaging. They’re intended to be comfort items rather than sleep products and I understand that safety testing and compliance will be an important part of development.
Eventually, I’d love to expand this business into a wider baby and children’s lifestyle brand rather than just being known as a toy brand.

Where I’m currently stuck is turning my ideas into an actual product.

I have no previous experience in product development or manufacturing, and I’m struggling to figure out what the next steps should be.
I’d really appreciate some advice on:
Where to find a product or plush designer who can turn my concepts into professional designs and manufacturing specifications.
How to find trustworthy manufacturers, either in Australia or overseas.
Whether I should work with a designer first or approach manufacturers directly.
How prototypes and samples work before committing to a larger order.
What sort of costs I should realistically expect when starting from scratch.
How other small business owners went from having an idea to launching their first physical product.
I’m not expecting it to happen overnight, and I know there’s a lot of work involved. I just really want to do this properly and build something meaningful that could eventually grow into a successful brand.
I’d especially love to hear from anyone who has started a baby brand, children’s brand, plush business or any other physical product business.
Any recommendations, advice or personal experiences would honestly mean so much!
Thank you! 🤍

I want to start a B2B business in Germany, importing paper products for restaurants and other hospitality businesses. My supplier offers prices around 50–70% cheaper than comparable products in Germany.
I have €5,000 in savings, a garage for storage, a supplier, and 10 potential customers who want to order because of my prices.

I’m thinking about starting small and reinvesting the profits, but I’m afraid of losing my savings if it doesn’t work out.
What would you do in my position? How would you approach the first steps, manage the risks, and use the €5,000 wisely?
I’d appreciate honest advice from people with real business experience

For those of you who have experience running a small business, what is one lesson you learned along the way that made a real difference?

Not for money, mainly interest & passion, and potential side hustle.
For example, sponsor athlete, personal brand of clothing, gears, drinks & etc.

What is your first step?

also a starting va here and want to have some experience so i can do freelance soon. what i do?

- email management
- editing graphics through canva
- social media handling, posting, keeping your account active and engagement etc
- editing reels

my experience: 7 years as a nonvoice customer support for a publishing journal, has a small food business that i manage and has been into a lot of online selling

if youre selling goods? im also interested, i live in Laguna Philippines so if you have any proposal that works as a starting income for me then good lets talk