Don't Do This small business |
- Don't Do This
- Start my own small business or join another?
- How to get an edge or a better perspective than your competitors?
- Leasing a vehicle through your business?
- Creative ways to retain part-time employees?
- What are important points during negotiation of a commercial lease and what are common requests a landlord may accept?
- Working with family - yes or no way?
- Advice on taking over a family construction business. Should I go to tech school to learn the trade?
- What % of the profit should a referal be?
- How can I push down negative content on google?
- Profit share in a non-typical business partnership
- Best CRM for my business?
- What should you ask or insist on when you hire a web developer for your business?
- Advice on legalities of creating a consumer to consumer website
- (B2B Sales) How Would You Build Your Coffee Shop Clients As A Coffee Wholesaler?
- Bridal dress store commission for wedding planners.
- It’s been a dream of mine to open up my own bar. Considering I’ve never owned my own business before, I could really use all the help I can get. I’ve taken a couple small business classes, but any information would be helpful! Thank you!
- Business owners: a request
- Most business success I hear about are people going all in? why?
- When do you publicly “celebrate” a follower milestone?
- Anyone else using SEO for Voice Search
- Any good sales workshop in DMV area?
- Looking for an app/software to track food orders and send monthly statements
| Posted: 02 Oct 2018 08:04 AM PDT So, my mother has managed my father's medical practice for 30 years. For my whole life, I have heard the woes of the office, how there's no "good help these days," how people will join the office as a front or back end helper, and then quit suddenly. She's had maybe 1 or 2 people stay long term (more than 5 years). The rest appear unmotivated and take lots of time of unexpectedly, don't do tasks properly or to completion, and essentially it's a shit show. Compare this to my father's colleagues' practices, where it is not uncommon to have the same staff for over 15 years. I've long suspected it's a case of "if you constantly run into assholes, you're the asshole" sort of thing, but never really had any "proof" so to speak. Well, my mom sent out an email to the immediate family last night... She said that she had interviewed and hired a front desk person, and before the job started, this woman had emailed my mom and told her she had a better offer with less of a commute, so thank you for the opportunity but I have to take this job. This is how my mom responded: (person's name), "I suppose we can now add you to our list of people who accept a job and continue looking for a better one. We explicitly asked for your word that you would start as agreed, because this has happened to us many times before. This is a prime example of why robots are replacing people in the work force. They actually show up. " end quote This is generally considered a no-no. Petty, rude, condescending...this woman is probably going to tell everyone she knows not to work at this office. If my mom is lucky, this won't be screenshotted and posted to Linkedin. And now I have some insight into why I knew to never trust my mother's business advice. I hope none of you ever stoop to the level of insulting people that interview or work for you in such a manner. Professionalism is everything, and if you think you are getting away with such behavior, just look forward to years of constant complaining about how there is no good help these days. [link] [comments]  |
| Start my own small business or join another? Posted: 02 Oct 2018 11:41 PM PDT Hi guys, I'm new to this community. So right now I'm at a cross roads and I need some perspective. Background: I'm a music producer and I've been creating music and licensed content for teams and clients that need it, for events, competitions, etc. For the last two years I've been working as a freelancer and helping a company out with most of their projects, I'll keep them anonymous. Now the work is not always consistent. There is a peak season which is about right now and lasts around 9 months and then it slows down hard. I'm not making a ton of money from them, last year I made 10% of what the labor cost charged was, so if my boss charged $300 for the work I would get $30. Now this year I am making 25%. It is an increase but the quality of my work has increased as well. Say I'm creating one piece of content. Before I might have spent 30 minutes-1 hour creating the content. This includes any revisions that the client might request. Now I might spend more time because I know the clients know me and my work and I deliver more at the same cost. Before there was a limit of 2 free revisions, and then the rest of the revisions would come with a fee. Now it is unlimited revisions for 2 weeks. For the most part this is ok, but then since this is a creative endeavor it is all highly based on taste and opinion, so it can lead to clients who increase the workload up to 5x the usual. I get that this is building a good reputation with the clients, but it is not building anything personal for me. On top of all this, for the most part I have to reach out to clients and get more information because my bosses initial sale doesn't get all the information I need. So I'm spending time communicating back and forth. I can say for sure that I run the day to day, talking to leads, sending invoices, following up, etc. about 75 percent of the time. Granted my pay went up by 15%, but only for the projects I get to do. My boss handles the marketing, which is mostly facebook ads. Based on some estimates and some sketchy math it's safe to say that the business brought anywhere from 40-60k last year. After expenses, not including payments made to me. And I have seen an increase this year. I should also say that many of the returning clients from last year have personally requested me to handle their new content. What I need your help with: Option #1
A quick comment: Idk how he isn't able to do everything by himself as it is. I feel I could take over the company without him and have it running smoothly. I think he just isn't as organized as he should be. I understand that expanding it and growing it would mean A LOT more work, so getting new people in would help. Option #2
Sorry for making this so long, but I wanted to make sure I cover everything. Please let me know what you think I should do? Right now I'm thinking long-term financial goals. I have a lot student loans that I need to focus on, and also it is important for me to brand myself for future projects. Thanks! [link] [comments]  |
| How to get an edge or a better perspective than your competitors? Posted: 02 Oct 2018 09:03 PM PDT For example with the ones I've hear Kate spade, Lulu lemon, lyft, bobbi brown on a great podcast "how I built this"They all filled a spot that no company did. Kate spade had simple shapes and unique materials in an affordable bags, lulu lemon had the first comfort yoga pants, lyft along with uber had an updated taxi, bobbi brown had the first natural makeup. They all had better products than the market offered yet was somewhat hard to see at the time. How do you do your thorough research to know which path to take? It seems like if you plot it out thorough from all the companies and their brief market vision and consumer, and the consumer trends you can get a decent trend of products/innovations that people are wanting? A bit like focus groups but more wider scope. Are there anything you recommend on this topic especially experts talking about this? [link] [comments]  |
| Leasing a vehicle through your business? Posted: 02 Oct 2018 03:30 PM PDT Good, bad, and ugly. I know of several small business owners who have done this, but even my bookkeeper doesn't see the benefit to it. What are the benefits? If any? Context: I'm in Canada, if that makes a difference. [link] [comments]  |
| Creative ways to retain part-time employees? Posted: 02 Oct 2018 08:29 PM PDT We're a small IT services company. I don't want to bore anyone with the details of our business model but our technicians typically work 20-30 hours a week. We post jobs as part-time jobs. In the job description it says several times the job is part-time starting off 20 hours a week. When interviewing candidates I try to emphasize as much as I can that the job is part-time and if they are needing a full-time job they should look elsewhere for a position. Yet, numerous times we've hired people only to have them quit a few weeks or months later because they found a full-time job. It's very frustrating. This exact scenario played out today. Had a guy working for us for about a month. He just turned in his 1 week notice as he was hired for a FT position. I'm happy for him as it sounds like a great job and a decent salary but now I'm back to square one. Does anyone else have this problem? Is there a creative way to keep part-time people around? A bonus after a certain period of time? Can you have them sign a contract? BTW, we're in California. Also all of our emps start as 1099 contractors (who are eventually converted to W2s after a period of time). Thanks for any help. [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 02 Oct 2018 08:21 PM PDT Looking at a space for a gym. Ideally would like first months free while membership ramps up but I don't think that's likely. What else should I ask about or look out for? [link] [comments]  |
| Working with family - yes or no way? Posted: 02 Oct 2018 08:20 PM PDT Warning, this is going to be long. My husband and I are considering going into business with my dad. My dad is unemployed and has been for about two years. He has worked as a gardener and landscaper for most of his life and knows his onions. He used to have a landscaping business. However while he is great at landscaping he wasn't very good at business. He struggled with admin, finances and advertising and eventually closed his business due to a lack of clients. He's a nice guy but he's a bit laissez-faire. Meanwhile, I am working part time in a job that I love, that pays moderately, and my husband is a stay at home dad who also has some health problems preventing him from working a traditional job. We are short on cash because we are in the phase of our lives where we are having kids (we have 2) and that involves limits to my capacity to work. Yesterday I had an epiphany. What if my husband and I ran the business side of a landscaping business, and my dad did the actual design and construction? (I'm mainly thinking of yard makeovers, hard landscaping such as retaining walls, raised beds, decks, plant choices, maybe paving) what if we took care of advertising and marketing and administration? We could also provide some capital as we have some savings that we want to invest. Advantages that I see is that it would be flexible, it would provide both us and my dad with an income, and it wouldn't require much capital as he already has equipment. Disadvantages - questions of authority: who is in charge? Also my husband and I are not experienced, although obviously we want to do lots and lots of research and reading before we go for it. Also what happens if it's too much for our somewhat limited capacity? Will Christmas be ruined if we can't work together? And what if my dad lets us down, can we fire him? I can't decide if this is a stroke of genius or the worst idea ever. Help! What have I forgotten to address? Also book recommendations would be gratefully received. [link] [comments]  |
| Advice on taking over a family construction business. Should I go to tech school to learn the trade? Posted: 02 Oct 2018 07:00 PM PDT So my dad has a family construction business. I used to work in marketing at a multi billion $ AEC Firm. So I kinda know the process of getting contract from the city. I would like to take over it but I'm having trouble learning anything in construction. I left my job last year to learn it but the biggest problem is that his workers are foreigner and they speak our common tongue. I can understand our language but since I grew up in the states, I don't know how to communicate in the business setting. They also don't speak English well so learning from them won't help. My dad is too busy to teach me. My question is, should I go to a technical school for a couple of months To learn the trade? [link] [comments]  |
| What % of the profit should a referal be? Posted: 02 Oct 2018 12:59 PM PDT So my father runs a carpet cleaning business, and he has a friend who owns a cleaning company and has contracts with many organisations in my city. The friend gives him referrals which in turn make him a profit, only today when i finished helping him i was wondering how much we would quote him for the work. He stated that he quoted the organisation £175 for the work and told us to invoice £100. Now i'm not an expert but he almost has the same amount of profit as my father for doing nothing but referring him. In these types of dynamics is this a normal occurrence or are we being screwed over? thanks for any input [link] [comments]  |
| How can I push down negative content on google? Posted: 02 Oct 2018 10:07 PM PDT Without paying someone, any recommendations on how to push down a negative piece of information that pops up about my business on google on the first page? I would like it pushed down a few pages. I've tried being more active on social media. But I think because people are looking at it, it continues to come up. Thank you. [link] [comments]  |
| Profit share in a non-typical business partnership Posted: 02 Oct 2018 06:11 PM PDT Hi business pros.. I need your help. I've been offered an opportunity in a profit share situation with someone I've known for a decade and thoroughly trust. He put much effort(and money) into opening a new business and now feels in over his head and needs someone to come in and operate the day-to-day business. This person has been very successful in opening and running many service industry based businesses and somehow I suspect this has been based on luck, likability, and notoriety. It's not that I think this person is not smart, or capable but more uninterested in dealing with the financials/day-to-day runnings of business. He sees big picture, has a great eye for style and trends and people love him. He loves the idea of me and my partner(lover) taking over and managing the business. Its more work than one person could handle which is why it is the two of us. I'm honored and excited to work with him but I have some concerns. I know we need an operating agreement but I am worried that this may offend this "business with a handshake" kind of guy. He makes decisions based on intuition and feeling and as much as this scares me, it really has worked out for him thus far in life. He's very successful and this new business is more like a fun project for him. For me and my lover this is a career change and we have to move. I have an upcoming appointment to consult with a business attorney but in the mean time I wanted to ask if anyone else has a non-typical business situation that works well for them. ALSO this potential business partner has yet to present a clear offer of what our pay would actually be. He is talking about a profit share situation and is not asking for any investment on our part. What is a fair percentage? Should we have a base salary and percentage after expenses? I have no idea what is fair. I don't want either party to take advantage but I want the decision to be cut & dry. Because he can be pretty loosey goosey with decisions and financial discussions, it will help me greatly if I have some numbers to come to him with and give examples of how other business partnerships handle this. I am sure my consultation with an attorney will answer many of these questions but if any of YOU have any examples or advice, I'm all ears. Thanks! [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 02 Oct 2018 03:05 PM PDT Hi guys. I have a very small business reaching out to eligible homeowners and helping them make claims on their property for roof replacement and other necessary repairs. I only have a couple of commission based salespeople. I'm doing a bit of research but there are so many options that I don't know how to wade through it all. What would be a good CRM that would fit my needs? I can provide other information if needed. [link] [comments]  |
| What should you ask or insist on when you hire a web developer for your business? Posted: 02 Oct 2018 02:05 PM PDT Basically i know absolutely nothing about web developing, so i will be at the total mercy of the developer i hire for my business website. Ive heard horror stories in the past about developers taking down website after disputes. I know its best to buy the domain name yourself, which i have done on 1and1. What else can i do, or ask the developer before i enter into a contract? Thanks for reading [link] [comments]  |
| Advice on legalities of creating a consumer to consumer website Posted: 02 Oct 2018 12:03 PM PDT Hello, I want to create a online business website platform where people can sell a digital product to other people (eCommerce Business model C2C). All I want to know is the legalities of creating something like this and what (if any) licenses are required (I live in California). Any advice will be appreciated, thanks. [link] [comments]  |
| (B2B Sales) How Would You Build Your Coffee Shop Clients As A Coffee Wholesaler? Posted: 02 Oct 2018 03:25 PM PDT So I am a coffee wholesaler and am interested in expanding my commercial clients. My target markets are Cafe's, coffee shops, coffee stands and huts, bikini barista huts, restaurants and that is pretty much it. My coffee is really good but that is not my selling point. The reason I am better is I offer flat rate coffee. No shipping costs, no credit card costs and no other fees. The price of the coffee is what you pay. Also, if you sell more coffee one week than normal you can put in a free rush order, delivery same day usually, just for the cost of the coffee. Also, the client can order through text, call, in person or from my site. Basically, I am the easiest person to order from and the most convenient company to work with on top of having great coffee. My prices are also right there with the other wholesalers and roasters. I give my customers the feeling of being taken care of and that I will always be there for them to make their lives easy. Side note, there are 156 coffee shops, cafes and coffee stands in my city alone that do not already roast their own coffee so my target market is definitely substantial and I would like to get a good portion of this market before expanding to neighboring cities. I am tempted to hire on a regional sales manager to work this but I am interested to hear what you would do. How would you sell this target market 1-year contracts? [link] [comments]  |
| Bridal dress store commission for wedding planners. Posted: 02 Oct 2018 12:48 PM PDT Hello fellow small business owners. Long time lurker first time posting. I have a bridal store open for a few months and we are having trouble with sales. I'm trying to reach out to wedding planners to see if they would be open to bringing their clients for dresses to our store. What would a commission structure look like for planners to incentivize them to work with us? what are the industry averages? [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 02 Oct 2018 10:12 AM PDT |
| Posted: 02 Oct 2018 11:21 AM PDT Hi Guys! As part of my side business I'm carrying out some research to find out a little more about graphic design in small businesses. It's mostly just to find out how viable my own service biz idea is but I'll also share the findings in a blog post for those interested in them. I'll happily share the results here for those interested too. If any business owners or marketers within small businesses could spare about 4minutes to complete the survey I would be forever grateful, it's completely anonymous. http://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/GGYZV/ p.s. thanks to /r/smallbusiness mods! [link] [comments]  |
| Most business success I hear about are people going all in? why? Posted: 02 Oct 2018 10:56 AM PDT For something like stock investing people look at their portfolio as investments that should be diversified. For business owners why do they choose 1 investment (their sole business) and take out huge loans for more than their net worth or 50% of their net worth. Are many business owners just gamblers? and a few are smart business owners? or is there something more to it in going in on one business than trying many different sources of revenue? [link] [comments]  |
| When do you publicly “celebrate” a follower milestone? Posted: 02 Oct 2018 04:53 PM PDT Our social media followers follow a stock market trend... some days up, some days down, but generally an upward trend. I'm pretty proud of it because it's not millions, but it's 100% organically grown. No sneaky tricks. No paying for followers. These are all real people. We are about to cross a follower milestone. At what point do you make a public post announcing that milestone? I don't want people to see "We've reached X followers!!" only to visit the profile and see X-4 followers. Kind of embarrassing. In my mind, anyway. But I don't want X+100 either. So when do you do it? [link] [comments]  |
| Anyone else using SEO for Voice Search Posted: 02 Oct 2018 08:49 AM PDT People use voice search functions in a different way than text-based searches. That's why businesses need to have content strategies with answers to all those questions. Several of my clients are asking about this as a viable content strategy. I think it will be a growing trend. Anyone else focusing their content on voice search? [link] [comments]  |
| Any good sales workshop in DMV area? Posted: 02 Oct 2018 10:21 AM PDT My family owns a small contruction business. We mostly work on installation flooring and painting. I was hoping someone would know of a good sales workshop or events I can visit to improve sales. Any other tips would be appreciated as well. [link] [comments]  |
| Looking for an app/software to track food orders and send monthly statements Posted: 02 Oct 2018 07:20 AM PDT As the title says. We have a cafeteria at my work where people can place orders for lunch. Most people then have to pay at the end of the month. The people working in the cafeteria (about 3 of them) want an app (preferably for android) to make the process a bit easier by simply selecting the items and adding it to the person's monthly statement. I have tried looking at POS software, but they only offer receipts instead of invoices. Square seemed perfect, but the invoicing feature isn't available in my country. Any ideas? Thansk [link] [comments]  |
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