Used to work for Yelp. AMA. small business |
- Used to work for Yelp. AMA.
- Is There a Good Way to Tell a Client They're "Using You?"
- Yelp Reviews Keep Disappearing- What Is Going On?
- Exit Strategy for a Small sports club based in India.
- How to reach home builders?
- (Small Restaurant) Thinking about adding a tip to the kitchen on our menu. Thoughts?
- Installing an RP Backflow Assembly
- What are good questions to ask a tax consultant to avoid missteps
- What is invoice factoring and how can it help businesses get on top of payments?
- Starting New Entrepreneurial Podcast For Generation Z. Help Wanted.
- I want to build a product to help business owners make data-driven decisions and improve their business!
- How to choose a bank for your small business
- Best time-management/job costing software?
- Internet not fast enough for VOIP, are there voicemail options?
- Upgrading from Excel workbook, Accounting
- Starting to look for clients but need help from developed businesses
- Starting my Photography and Video LLC next month! Any advice or tips?
- Capital One Spark Business: Say Goodbye to Invoicing (Alternatives?)
- Mightycall, 8X8, RingCentral, Line2, Grasshopper...thoughts?
- Forbes New York Business Council?
- Pricing Strategy for Bid and Proposal Consultancy
- taking a service-based small business to next level?
- If I was an independent contractor at my last job was I already a small business?
- Small construction company, need to have better organization
| Posted: 08 Feb 2018 06:24 PM PST I used to work for Yelp. As in not presently or in any way connected to them. But I'm tired of the inaccurate information being spread here. So ask your questions. Do your worst. [link] [comments]  |
| Is There a Good Way to Tell a Client They're "Using You?" Posted: 08 Feb 2018 07:24 PM PST TLDR; Called out a client on getting more free consulting time than I was comfortable giving him. Got fired. Ideas on how to handle similar situations in the future? I'm a web developer, and my business has taken off enough that I've had to graduate from being a solo freelance coder to building a business with a team to support me. Now that I employ people I'm becoming more careful about where labor is spent. I have a client that, if I'm being honest, my instincts told me I should never have taken but I did anyway. After about a year of working with him, I realized he was eating entire days out of my schedule each month, and none of that time resulted in billable work. After a particularly frustrating weekend, I emailed him back and said that any discussion related to his website would have to be "on the clock" for now on. I thought I worded it politely and professionally. But I was almost immediately fired. I am not complaining about the loss of this specific client. I'll make more money putting the time he was sucking up into paying clients. But in the future is there a "positive" way to spin this that could save such a relationship? Or do you think the relationship was simply one where the client felt entitled to more of my time than he was willing to pay for, and I made the right call? [link] [comments]  |
| Yelp Reviews Keep Disappearing- What Is Going On? Posted: 08 Feb 2018 02:15 PM PST I have a relatively new business and have had 3-4 Yelp reviews so far, but each of them have been removed from Yelp. I personally asked a customer if they took one down and they said no. I do not get an email or response from Yelp as to why. Why is this happening? Is this Yelp trying to exploit small business? [link] [comments]  |
| Exit Strategy for a Small sports club based in India. Posted: 09 Feb 2018 03:16 AM PST Hey, I started a chess club in early 2016 with my friend as a co-founder. Each has a 50% ownership and started with a small investment of less than 1000$ each. But today it has grown to be the best in town for what it does. It's been more than two years now, and I notice that my co-founder's interest and commitment has gone down over the past many months. I felt that it's good to exit right now and do something else. I was expecting to ask for a small compensation while going out, say about 3000$ or something. The venture makes around 1500$ a month in gross income, and a profit of around, say, 1000$ a month. I'm yet to talk to my co-founder about this and I have little experience to go about. It would be a great help if you can share your thoughts. Thank you so much! edit: All numbers in USD are actually converted INR. [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 08 Feb 2018 07:05 AM PST We are in an absolutely booming housing market in my area and at any given time there are 1,000+ houses under construction in my county alone, no exaggeration. I own a small, struggling, custom cabinet shop. We have only been in business since September of 2017 and we have had moderate success in that we've had several jobs which have paid very well and our customers have been very happy. The problem is that most consumers aren't looking for a whole new set of cabinets and if they are looking for that, they go through a GC. We have called over 100 builders in our area and most already have cabinet builders. The few that were interested in us seem to have dropped off the face of the earth after asking us to call them back on date Y or send them an email to follow up with us. One builder in particular has a small apartment complex being built and needs cabinets for 17 units. He requested that we email him to get the blueprints, which we did, and we never heard back. Called him back a few days later and it was, "Oh yeah, sorry, I'm so busy. Please call me back tomorrow I'll be in the office and can send them to you then" then tomorrow comes and he never answers the phone. Repeat this story for multiple builders spanning multiple months. At this point, we are dangerously close to shutting down. I don't see how we can make it to March without an influx of business from either small home owner projects or a contract with a builder. I have invested around $30,000 in tools and equipment, we do excellent work (Over 30 years of experience in cabinet building), I just can't seem to get in the door of these guys and we don't get enough home owner business to keep us open. We already rank very highly on Google for custom cabinets in our area and do get phone calls from that on the rate of about 1 per week. Most of the time though, people are asking for recommendations from their friends, and we're still too new for that to be a good source of business. Unfortunately, because cabinet shops require so much room, I have no choice but to rent a large shop. Not being able to pay that rent means we shut down. It would be very difficult if not impossible to build a set of cabinets from my garage. Any advice would be appreciated. I'm struggling to come up with a solution on how to get new business. Cold calling apparently doesn't work for us and I'm unsure how to move forward. [link] [comments]  |
| (Small Restaurant) Thinking about adding a tip to the kitchen on our menu. Thoughts? Posted: 09 Feb 2018 12:19 AM PST We have a rather unusual set up. It's a kitchen that serves a taproom but we're two separate businesses. I have no problem with the servers receiving the tips they receive for the orders of food & drinks. However, recently I've been thinking about adding a sort of tip to the kitchen staff on the menu. I was going to label it as "Buy the Kitchen a beer" or something similar for say a few dollars. I don't expect many patrons to add it to their bill, but the few that are regulars and really enjoy the food might get a kick out of buying the line a beer for after hours. Do you think this is alright to publicize or does it seem tacky/off-putting? [link] [comments]  |
| Installing an RP Backflow Assembly Posted: 08 Feb 2018 11:01 PM PST Hello, I don't really know who to ask this question to but I thought this subreddit would be closest. My parents manage a small convenience store in California and Cal Water asked us to install an RP Backflow Assembly, stating that it is hazardous for customers to consume anything that gets backflowed from a different water source. (We have a water machine in front of the store, so it is understandable.) The person from Cal Water surveyed our store and told us that there is an exposed piping that the RP Backflow Assembly could be easily attached to, and that it should be as simple as attaching it and letting it run. I've called multiple places around the area for pricing, but I haven't been able to find a price under $1400 that installs and tests the assembly. I think this is ridiculous -- I've looked around and the Backflow Assembly itself costs less than $300. I could understand if they charged the same amount for the labor (~$600 total), or even double the amount (~$900), as testing is also required. But $1400? We're a small business and it's really difficult to fork out that much money. And to top it off, the piping is EXPOSED. No drilling or construction work is necessary, so I don't know why the estimate is so much. Am I missing something here? Has anyone had experience installing this backflow assembly? [link] [comments]  |
| What are good questions to ask a tax consultant to avoid missteps Posted: 08 Feb 2018 06:27 PM PST I am currently in the process of setting up my small business (an online clothing store) & have a scheduled call with a tax consultant coming up soon, I wanted to find out what are some good questions to bring up while on this call to help set my business up for success. Here is the information on what I have completed so far:
Some questions that I would love to have answered:
These were the only two real questions that came to mind when I started to research on my own, any other questions that I missed or should be asked by a 1st time business owner would be greatly appreciated. I know it is impossible to avoid all mistakes but the more I can prepare for the better off. [link] [comments]  |
| What is invoice factoring and how can it help businesses get on top of payments? Posted: 08 Feb 2018 09:44 PM PST According to recent market data, around 10% of small and medium sized enterprises don't get paid from their customers on time – on average, invoices are, on average, paid after two months, which is far more than agreed payment terms. A recent Plusnet 2018 survey revealed that accessing capital and business finance remained one of the biggest challenges to business owners: Invoice finance as an industry has been around for several years, allowing businesses to release working capital from receivables (unpaid or outstanding invoices) and realise this capital on their balance sheet. However only until recently, invoice finance was often perceived as expensive and a last solution for businesses, given the fees and charges associated. In recent years, the transparency of invoice finance has changed due to competition, the rise of alternative lenders and increased awareness about accessible and affordable finance to help businesses grow. So what is invoice finance? Invoice finance is a solution which advances money against unpaid invoices that a business receives. The business can receive an upfront payment, a certain percentage of the total value of that invoice, less a fee. Invoice finance is a type of asset finance, and there are two types: invoice factoring and invoice discounting Invoice factoring Factoring allows a finance provider (including a bank, non-bank funder or alternative financier) to take full control of the sales ledger and manage the process of invoices coming into the company, including collecting payments from customers and controlling credit. Rather than the business reaching out to customers, a factor will do this on behalf of the business. Invoice factoring can be a useful tool for businesses with just a small accounting or finance team, plugging into cash flow gaps that a company faces in the short term. Because the factor takes responsibility for cash collection from customers, it can save time and free up resource in the business, whilst continuing to ensure the business has liquidity to pay for day to day expenditure (e.g. staff costs). One key challenge for businesses using invoice factoring companies for their accounts receivable however is the idea that the customer and customer service is now outsourced. This could be an issue for big relationships and key clients. Invoice discounting can often be an option here; an invoice financier discounts the invoice less a fee, and it's still the businesses responsibility to collect payment. On the other hand, often a factor can make a business look more professional. Customers might react better to a factoring company than your business, and this can often result in faster payments. [link] [comments]  |
| Starting New Entrepreneurial Podcast For Generation Z. Help Wanted. Posted: 08 Feb 2018 09:36 PM PST Hey guys, I'm starting a new business podcast that is predicated on teaching people in generation Z, especially high school kids, the basics that they will need in life like how to network, how to market, and other basics like that. If you're a business owner or entrepreneur, it'd be amazing if you could shoot me an email at: typfenningerlindfors@hotmail.com if you're interested. [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 08 Feb 2018 09:27 PM PST Hi there, I'm working on building this app to help small business owners become more data-driven without doing any real work, just connecting all the software they already use. The product would be entirely data-driven using AI, with some consulting services to help businesses get all the systems setup correctly, to manage their business accurately and using up-to-date software. Basically, this is my pitch: Helping small business owners and managers become more informed and data-driven in their strategy and decision-making. Using their own business data that they currently have and aren't using, they will be able to build upon what they are doing and improve their performance, operations, and ultimately profits. Instead of having to go out and use multiple programs to monitor their business and having to hire expensive consultants, they'd receive industry metrics to gauge how they're doing and prescriptive analytics (recommendations) to improve. Example: A business owner should know what their Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC), which can be $5.00 or $2,000, depending on what their product or service costs. This number lets you decide how much you should be spending on marketing, if you're spending too much, and if your marketing department (or agency) and sales team is doing. I just want some critical feedback, suggestions, or if it's something you wouldn't really want or need destroy my idea (with reasons). Thank you! [link] [comments]  |
| How to choose a bank for your small business Posted: 08 Feb 2018 09:12 PM PST Here is some information on how to chose a bank for your small business [link] [comments]  |
| Best time-management/job costing software? Posted: 08 Feb 2018 08:47 PM PST I run a custom woodworking shop. We're relatively small right now with 3 employees. But Im looking for the most affordable, quality time tracking software in order to keep track of time spent on individual projects fo job costing. Id like to implement something my guys could easily punch in and out of while working.. preferably through an app. Im throwing the idea of "Harvest" around right now. But its about $12 per month, per user. Which isn't bad compared to a couple others I know of. Im just wondering if there is anything that compares to that, but cost a little less. Any ideas? [link] [comments]  |
| Internet not fast enough for VOIP, are there voicemail options? Posted: 08 Feb 2018 04:58 PM PST Hello! I'm in a rural area and what I need for an effective VOIP system isn't here, so unfortunately I have to stick to hardlines. Does anyone know if there are voicemail options though that will take hardline and spit out an email? Currently our voicemail system is this and tldr it sucks. We are heavy on Streak as our CRM so it would be amazing if there was something out there that could capture the voicemails and email blast it off to us. That way I could do some zapier tricks and do sales tracking on the inquiry. [link] [comments]  |
| Upgrading from Excel workbook, Accounting Posted: 08 Feb 2018 09:16 AM PST I buy and sell on an eCommerce platform. So I have an inventory based business. Currently I import a Paypal csv into an Excel workbook that produces an income statement. In one sheet I manually enter in all of my inventory buy receipts and the mileage is entered on each receipt's row also. I am entering in 7 rows of data each week so it is no sweat. This is the basics of my current accounting system. I simply want something more professional and with the new tax laws coming in to play I don't want to have to keep updating my workbook manually every year. I'm looking into Wave (Waveapps.com) but it seems like a steep learning curve because they aren't setup for cash-based accounting. (I would love a link to any available Wave for ecommerce platforms guides!) I would have to utilize several workarounds in order for it to work, but the good thing is that it would work and be free. For example, there is a separate work around for mileage tracking and one for cash-based accounting. I know that Quickbooks Online is the way to go because every accountant is familiar with it. The downside is that it too isn't really setup for a cash-based inventory business. Plus, I don't really plan to have an accountant because I can do the taxes myself with something like Taxact. 2 things I want in the future: I will be having at least one contractor to help do work for my business, so I need 1099 capability. And two, I want to go from average cost of goods to actual cost of goods so that I can purchase a few big ticket items every once in a while. [link] [comments]  |
| Starting to look for clients but need help from developed businesses Posted: 08 Feb 2018 07:31 PM PST Hi everyone! My name is Brendan and I am a co-founder of a digital marketing businesses called RYSE Digital. We started around October of 2017 and we have been working hard to update our pages as well as our website to be more marketable to clients in our area as well as around the US and beyond. We are having trouble finding clients because we don't want to come off too sales-ey and make them think we only want to email/talk because we want their money. Some questions for you all:
All of your advice is very helpful and I am willing to give out an email address in my private inbox to maybe talk further or even video chat to ask more questions and to hear your responses. Thank you again for reading or replying and I wish nothing but the best for your business. [RYSE Digital](www.ryse-digital.com) [link] [comments]  |
| Starting my Photography and Video LLC next month! Any advice or tips? Posted: 08 Feb 2018 07:16 PM PST I know that there are plenty of successful business owners here with with great advice. This is a big step and I'm super excited to take my photography to the next level! Also, any advertisement tips? Other than Facebook? I don't want to use Facebook. [link] [comments]  |
| Capital One Spark Business: Say Goodbye to Invoicing (Alternatives?) Posted: 08 Feb 2018 12:09 PM PST I just got this email from Capital One, which is a bummer because the primary draw for me was accepting large customer payments electronically without incurring any transaction fees. I'm looking for a low-cost (ideally zero fee) checking account that allows me to accept electronic payments from US customers up to 40K without fees. Bonus points for a good interest rate. Dear customer, Starting March 1, 2018, we will no longer be offering invoicing services for your Spark Business® account(s). Pending invoices can be fulfilled until March 31, 2018. Our priority is helping you keep your business running smoothly and we're sorry for any inconvenience this change may cause you. If you have any questions, we're here to help. Please give us a call: 1-844-88-SPARK (1-844-887-7275) 8 a.m.-10 p.m. ET, Monday-Saturday. Thank you. [link] [comments]  |
| Mightycall, 8X8, RingCentral, Line2, Grasshopper...thoughts? Posted: 08 Feb 2018 05:55 PM PST I run a solo, home-based business-law practice, and I need to make a change with my phones. I get anywhere from 0-5 calls per day - I'm not inundated with calls, but the calls I get are important (at least to me and my clients!). I'm currently running an Intermedia VOIP phone, which forwards to my cell, and I use the Intermedia softphone app. It works....ok. The softphone isn't great. I prefer to handle client calls from the physical IP phone in my home office, which works great (but I work remotely A LOT). I have no texting capacity whatsoever (I'd like to keep personal and work texts separate for workflow purposes, so I want to be able to text from my work number). After doing some digging, I've identified some potential providers that LOOK like they offer a solution I'm looking for, but their app reviews are full of negative reviews which makes me wonder if I'm not just making a lateral move here (If I can get SMS reliably through the app, I'm cool with a lateral move). Basically, here's what I need: 1) The ability to port in my existing number, 2) the ability to make and receive calls and texts from that same number from my cell phone, and have that number show up on all outbound calls, 3) Voicemail sent to my e-mail immediately (not necessarily transcribed), 4) the easy ability to expand to additional lines/plans in the future, and 5) Reliability. Things I WANT in a new phone provider: 1) Efax, 2) Ability to use my existing physical IP phone as wanted/needed, 3) The ability to record calls, 4) A comprehensive record of all calls and duration of calls 5) a Month-to-Month contract. I've currently narrowed my list down to Line2 (cheapest) RingCentral, Telzio (most expensive), 8x8, Grasshopper (their website is really obtuse) and MightyCall (no fax, boo). Anybody have direct experience with any of these providers (or others I may have missed and want to weigh in with their experience, in particular with regard to what I want/need in a provider? Thanks a gazillion in advance - if you ever need a Minnesota LLC fired up quick I'll hook you up! [link] [comments]  |
| Forbes New York Business Council? Posted: 08 Feb 2018 07:59 AM PST I have someone borderline harassing me about joining this group. I have read that it is basically a scam on one site but otherwise haven't found much more about it other than their own website. Any feedback? [link] [comments]  |
| Pricing Strategy for Bid and Proposal Consultancy Posted: 08 Feb 2018 08:52 AM PST I recently started a bid and proposal consultancy. My business is focused on supporting companies (usually SMEs) to win public sector contracts through the tender system. Lots of companies struggle with this, whether not knowing anything about the intricacies of the procurement system, not having time to complete lengthy bid responses, or not having their own internal bid team. My help ranges from simply reviewing a completed bid and offering critical advice, all the way up to writing the full bid on behalf of the company. I submit this post in the hopes of hearing from business owners who may use this kind of service. What do you think would be a good pricing approach? Previously, I've worked for other bid consultancies and they have used a day-rate model. E.g. this bid is 10,000 words, it will take us 4 days to write and review the responses, @£350/day this gives a total cost of £1400. My wider research and my own personal philosophies don't necessarily agree with this model, however. I believe in charging for value, and this seems to be the way many other types of consultancies are charging now. The problem is that to many of my clients, the value of my work lies entirely in the result of the bid. Fundamentally, I don't have a problem with this, however I CANNOT guarantee a win, no matter how good the bid is. There are too many factors out of my control; for example, I've written for a company and got them 100% quality score for my answers, however their pricing was off and they lost the bid (I can't offer too much advice on pricing for obvious reasons). I've thought of some potential models, listed below. What do you think guys? What would you like to see if you used my company to help try and win a tender? Model #1 - Time-spent Charging by day-rate/hour-rate. Fair on the basis that I get paid for the time I put in. Disconnect between time-spent and final value (some bids are huge in terms of inputs required, but low value; some bids have huge values, but don't require much writing). It also doesn't account for wins/losses. Model #2 - Percentage of tender contract value If the bid is for a contract worth £200,000, I would charge somewhere in the region of 1-5%. This seems fair in the sense that it's relevant to the contract value, however it doesn't address the disconnect between time-spent and contract value, which can be hugely different. It also doesn't account for wins/losses. Model #3 - Small upfront fee + win fee This model is heavily biased towards the client, and would involve me charging a small fee for my time, followed by a larger fee if the bid was successful. This would be attractive for clients I'm sure, but would leave me exposed to losses that aren't my fault. Any thoughts appreciated guys! [link] [comments]  |
| taking a service-based small business to next level? Posted: 08 Feb 2018 05:21 PM PST i'm the office manager of a small business (a specialty animal health practice), and I have been for 10 years. I am an English major--I don't know what in the hell I'm doing. I have totally winged it all this time, but my boss trusts me, and we have built this place from just us two to a staff of 10. We are busy, we have great reviews, and we are paying the bills plus little extra, but it's not a windfall. And it could be, because the need is there and we are a specialized practice--I just don't know how to get there as a service-based industry. Think chiropractic. I can't clone the doctors to have them see more patients each day. We carry a small amount of inventory. I don't know what else to do--get a consultant? Thanks for any advice. [link] [comments]  |
| If I was an independent contractor at my last job was I already a small business? Posted: 08 Feb 2018 08:07 AM PST As an Licensed Massage Therapist I've worked as independent contractor for several years. Recently I started my own practice and have a simple, no resale, tax ID number. Could I count the start of my time as an independent contractor as the start of my small business? If I can is it simply a technicality or should I? [link] [comments]  |
| Small construction company, need to have better organization Posted: 08 Feb 2018 02:02 PM PST As you can tell from my username, I'm a residential builder. I am part owner of a company with another person. They do sales and marketing and I am the license holder and contractor. We do small room additions, porches, decks, exterior remodeling, concrete and patios, etc. We are a very small company, since it's only the two of us. We have a couple of crews that do all of our work that we subcontract. At the moment we never have more than two crews working for us at a time. Our main problem right now is my partner and I being on the same page about everything. We live apart and both work out of our homes, so I have information on my computer, he has information on his, etc. We share an email account. We communicate throughout the day and have regular meetings so we always know what's going on, but we don't always have access to the same documents, we don't have one schedule that we both look at, etc. My partner is not very technology oriented, but if I have something like a web site with a back office or a Google drive account then I can set him up to access and look at, then that is a good starting point. My main goal is to provide a shared "digital office space" where we can look at the same calendar, schedules, have access to the same documents, etc. Also, any suggestions on how to implement a way to track jobs or how to arrange the schedule are welcome. Thank you. [link] [comments]  |
| You are subscribed to email updates from smallbusiness: Starting, owning and growing a small business. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States | |
No comments:
Post a Comment