I had to fire the new guy this week, and I am incredibly upset with myself for not doing it sooner. small business |
- I had to fire the new guy this week, and I am incredibly upset with myself for not doing it sooner.
- I think I might have to fire the team and start again
- Lodging business
- How do people make money when shipping costs are so high?
- Have record low interest rates help you secure a loan more easily?
- Can you help me (17, trying to start a business) by filling out a 1 minute survey?
- Help Slashing Costs
- Looking for ideas on a marketing business
- Doing work by textbook or doing it in your own way?
- What is the best way to track customer data?
- Resources for running a business with high regulations and codes.
- Since I've started working on my business, I've lost all motivation for my current job. How do I snap out of it?
- Need some creative ideas in transportation during the week
- Digital Marketing and SEO
- Looking to create a beverage(non-alcoholic) anyone out there with some experience? Advice?
- plan to grow our biz from 200k year to 1 million
- Seeking advice as a small business employee
- Thinking of renaming our business after 2 years- has anyone renamed theirs? Pros and cons?
- Do I need an business license to work at home as an indie video game developer in southern California?
- Any shift scheduling software recommendation for a small translation/interpretation company?
- How would you market my business?
- 2 years in, almost made a profit.
- Invoice storage?
- Small business WHILE employed ideas?
| I had to fire the new guy this week, and I am incredibly upset with myself for not doing it sooner. Posted: 08 Nov 2019 06:58 AM PST I have 5 employees. I own a small plumbing firm that specializes in sewer cleaning, inspection, and replacement. Two months ago, I hired a guy who was very friendly, excellent with customers, and fun to work with. After only one week, yellow flags came. Late to work. Calling in sick every Monday. I sat down with him and reminded him that he's still on his ninety day probation period, and that he need to shape up. He started going home during the day, during work hours. Like, him and another employee will be driving to our next appointment, and the new guy simply wouldn't show up for that particular job. And then he'd be at the next one. Next sit down, he was defensive, blamed his lack of learning new skills on poor training, and then had the gall to start telling me how I could be running things better (I'm in year 13, and I do quite well. I always listen to my employees ideas, but the new guys simply don't know enough to offer meaningful input) Next week, he violates a safety standard by wearing ear buds while working. Later that day, he forgets to take hi work gloves off and gets fecal matter on the kitchen counter of an elderly client. Later that same day, he got angry at a difficult job and threw his gloves. At the end of that day, I took a couple minutes to asked all of the other employees what they thought about him. Almost all of them thought that he wasn't going to make it. And I decided to let him go. I didn't. I let him talk me into another chance. Big mistake. We did quality control inspections of all of his work after a day of running solo. He failed at every job. We had to make return appointments to redo all of his work under warranty. I fired him. Later that day , The foreman at one of my biggest clients screenshoted me an internal memo that said that they were considering not using my company anymore after the behaviour of new guy at a property. I apologized up and down. Called the tenant of the property and apologized. Assured all parties that new guy has been fired. New guy did the following at that site: swore loudly and repeatedly while working. Broke the vent hose on the dryer. Moved the washing machine, and then did not move it back. Left a mess. Argued with the tenant. And here's the best one: went through the elderly tenant's medicine cabinet. New guy refused to give back company van , and we basically had to repo it from him. Refuses to give back his uniform. Claims that he lost his key to our building. I've never been so disappointed in myself for not firing him sooner. [link] [comments]  |
| I think I might have to fire the team and start again Posted: 08 Nov 2019 05:13 PM PST I run a small company with just 3 staff who very simply hate their jobs. Back when I started the company, my goal was very simple - be that cool boss who is super flexible, pays well, has awesome bonuses and extras and just has a great place to work. I spent major amounts of money on building a great workspace which everyone collaborated on, gave everyone the equivalent of unlimited leave and just really had no discipline or rules. This worked well for a while, but over the past two years or so, the team has all started resenting each other, and the workplace has turned super toxic. Someone takes a day or two of leave an the amount of bitching about that person is insane. It's ended up at a point where sometimes I'll be the only one in the office. Everyone will take leave or be off sick and then they'll all come back and complain about each other. Nobody wants to work together or even talk to each other. Don't get me wrong, this is 100% my fault. There were signs that there would be issues between employees, yet I didn't do anything because I wanted it to be a nice place to be where they didn't have to fear a boss telling them off all the time. I spent 6 months trying to correct this recently - put in place codes of conduct, procedures and rules... but they get ignored, and then everyone just gets angrier at each other. I'm now the only real person here doing any work, and right now, I'm looking at an Instagram story from an employee sitting in his office where he has posted about hating his job - but all he's done all day is watch Hulu on his computer. I ask him to do some work (scanning paperwork into Google Drive) and then I end up getting yelled at for having unrealistic expectations. There are plenty of people who would love the jobs we have going here and in all honesty, it wouldn't cause any damage to the business to replace everyone as I'm the only one doing any real work at the moment, but I have no idea if there's a better option. I don't want to make people redundant for something that's not really their fault, but I can't carry on working 7 day / 110 hour weeks anymore when I can easily work 30-40 hours with proper employees. Has anyone encountered a situation like this? I'm very good at what we do in business, but my actual business experience prior to opening this company was zero and this has clearly had a detrimental effect. [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 09 Nov 2019 03:44 AM PST I've had a business idea floating in my head since moving to an area that has a goldmild of potential for tourism that just hasn't been tapped into properly. The place I work has been bringing in a ton of tourists with some really cool attractions to the area here. The area feature a very large lake open May through Sept. There is a huge shortage in lodging. The only lodging is RV camp grounds, a very small and outdated state park lodge, several old outdated and small state park cabins, and a trashy motel 12 minutes from the lake. Real estate is hard to come by and expesinve. I would like to buy up little pieces of property near but not lake front and then put cabins on them eventually but unsure if this would be the best route to go as it will take much time. Is there anyone out there with positive or negative experience in the lodging business who could offer up any info on their experiences with lodging in tourist areas. [link] [comments]  |
| How do people make money when shipping costs are so high? Posted: 08 Nov 2019 10:43 PM PST I want to make gift baskets and sell them but the shipping costs are outrageous here. If I sent a small package from west Canada to east Canada it will already be $20 which would eat into my profits dearly. That's also just domestic. Imagine how much more if it were international. I know I can charge for shipping but who wants to spend half the items worth on shipping alone. What do companies do to combat this? [link] [comments]  |
| Have record low interest rates help you secure a loan more easily? Posted: 09 Nov 2019 02:07 AM PST The interest rates (worldwide) have been setting new low records for a couple of years now, but have you been able to secure a bank loan more easily than before? [link] [comments]  |
| Can you help me (17, trying to start a business) by filling out a 1 minute survey? Posted: 08 Nov 2019 04:27 PM PST Hi! Im a junior in high school and I'm trying to start a business (online clothing line), and I'm looking to get some feedback on a potential customer base. Would you mind filling out a 1 minute survey? It'd be a HUGE help and greatly appreciated. [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 08 Nov 2019 11:33 PM PST Hello . I run a small business with big monthly overheads. I really need an accountant or financial business specialist that can look at my monthly expenses and assist with where they can be dramatically cut . Does anyone on here offer a service like that ? Or have any advice around it ? [link] [comments]  |
| Looking for ideas on a marketing business Posted: 08 Nov 2019 11:09 PM PST I have had a passion for sales/marketing for some time now. I see a lot of mistakes small business are marking and I want t help them bring their company to the next level. However I have no experience in marketing. I have been reading and listening to podcast for the last year and I feel like I know what I am doing. How do I get someone to trust me enough to help them when I having no prier success stories? [link] [comments]  |
| Doing work by textbook or doing it in your own way? Posted: 08 Nov 2019 11:07 PM PST For small businesses does it make more sense to just have a loose way of doing projects, and do it how you want it? Or do you do it by textbook of how a project manager would? [link] [comments]  |
| What is the best way to track customer data? Posted: 08 Nov 2019 08:08 PM PST I currently run a small/side business and am wondering what the best ways of tracking my clients data (i.e. name, project#, value, due date etc.). I currently use Coda.io and use Excel as a redundancy (I have to manually input data in both). I am worried that as the number of customers grows, I'll start hitting some challenges with this method. Should I be using another method? I imagine there are free vs. paid methods. I am currently eyeing MS Access but honestly I am new to this and would appreciate an expert opinion. Respectfully, [link] [comments]  |
| Resources for running a business with high regulations and codes. Posted: 08 Nov 2019 07:23 PM PST I'm running a furniture repair and refinish company. We are in Ca which have regulations and we are growing quickly and may draw eyes to us from various agencies. We use a lot of chemicals and flammable items. I know there are standards for storage and disposal for everything (especially in Ca). I'm working to get my shop compliant with all and any regulations before the fire department or inspectors of any other agencies show up. Where can I find resources to tell me what is necessary to be compliant? Hope I'm making sense. Thanks for the help! [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 08 Nov 2019 05:49 AM PST Just as the title sounds like. I literally don't have any desire to work here at all. I honestly don't even really care if I get fired, which is just so odd considering my work ethic. My business is still not profitable yet however and I know this is destructive to feel this way, but my itch for independence is so strong. How did you all handle it initially? [link] [comments]  |
| Need some creative ideas in transportation during the week Posted: 08 Nov 2019 10:53 AM PST I own a brewery tour business that I started about 4 years ago. At this point, it's probably more hobby than a business as I don't make money (though I've averaged over 100K in revenue the past 3 years). I'm currently losing about $1k a month over the past 2 years as I've tried to scale but haven't found the time/energy/ability/people to breakthrough to the next level. That's an entirely different story. My goal here isn't to make $10k/month or something, I simply need to get to becoming consistently making $1-$2k/month to stabilize the business and strategize for next steps. Currently, weekends are busy (typically running 2 - 4 tours a weekend), but it's just not quite enough to get us over some of our pretty high fixed costs - insurance, maintenance, vehicle payments, etc. If I could find a consistent, reliable source of income that brings in $1k - $3k/month in additional profit during the week, I'd be able to hit that short term goal and start developing longer term strategies. Now, to the question: I have 2 vehicles - a 15 passenger Transit van and a 20 passenger shuttle bus that sit idle most weekdays except about 2x a month and have drivers available if needed. Fully licensed and insured with the state to transport passengers commercially (a significant barrier to entry) and can be on the cheaper end as it's not my core business. What creative ideas do you have to find a way to monetize them Monday - Friday? One thing to keep in mind is that my vehicles are currently branded as a brewery tour company. It's nice and upscale but clearly branded as a beer tour. So that could be limiting, but willing to explore any option. [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 08 Nov 2019 02:27 PM PST Recently started a small business from home, but need advice on website and google ranking. What resources are out there for small business owners? Where did you go to find the right fit for you? [link] [comments]  |
| Looking to create a beverage(non-alcoholic) anyone out there with some experience? Advice? Posted: 08 Nov 2019 05:12 PM PST Im new to this, but have an idea that I think is good. Im thinking of using a beverage formulation company which pretty much is vertically integrated into the whole process from formulation to distribution of final product. Im wondering if any of you have any experience with the beverage industry, sales, marketing, etc. [link] [comments]  |
| plan to grow our biz from 200k year to 1 million Posted: 08 Nov 2019 04:56 PM PST So we hit our 1 year mark, we cleared a little over 200k... Started in a tiny apartment, moved to a large 3 story house, and we just opened a small store front. here is our % growth rate over the past 12 months, we are leveling out and its scaring me, i could use your guys advice with my plan.
Our product is great, we have over 300+ reviews at 4.9 stars. all our bad reviews are regarding customer service, not our product. Our products are Hand made Pet products, currently we are high volume, low profit, average sale is about 17 bucks, with about a 57% profit margin. So we only have used facebook adverts we spend almost 2000 usd a month in FB adverts. we started the store front last month so we could get more google traffic, we dont expect the store to generate much, if any profit, its simply for status and a place for loyal customers to come say hi. we hired an SEO expert to get our website to atleast the 2nd page, which it should take about 6 months. we live in a city with over 10 million people, i know we can do this, its just a matter of how. We need to get back to 20% a month in revenue growth, we could hit 1 million usd a year in less then 2 years. How i think we should break out of this current low growth rate that we have had in the past few months.
If you have any ideas on what we should do to get us back to a 20% growth rate, i am all ears. We are a pet products company, specifically pet food. We are a manufacturer direct business model, We do not put our high quality pet food in any store except our own, keeps the price down and the quality up. Further, I am in a dilemma, i hate kibble, our pet food is similar to "fresh pet" but much higher quality. But our store front customers keep asking for kibble, i dont know if i should cave in against my beliefs and start selling kibble, it has a similar profit margin to what we make, and honestly i think we could drive our business to the next level if we carried kibble... but i dont want to cave in. [link] [comments]  |
| Seeking advice as a small business employee Posted: 08 Nov 2019 03:31 PM PST I'm looking for some advice and perspective on my current situation. It requires a little context. I have been an employee of a small (single digit employees) marketing & technology business for over 7 years now. The moment I was hired, I hit the ground running. I transformed the entire technology side of the business into a very profitable, efficient, highly respected operation. We are recognized as the best in our market. I've built custom tools that we use internally for billing, budgeting, reporting, and more. This year, after 2 years of asking for the opportunity, I started and finished building what I would consider to be a career-defining project that will again reshape our business. I am recognized as upper management. I'm essentially third in command behind the two owning partners who founded the company 18 years ago. They are immediate family to each other. This company is their baby. They have been great employers - I've never had to argue (or even ask) for a raise. Every year I get one - and it's quite nice. We get along well - even when there is annoyance, there is still professional respect. But we all know that I still get paid less than what I could if I went to a larger company. Meanwhile, they're sending their kids to private school. And after 7 years, I feel this company has my fingerprints all over it. My contributions have touched more than just technology. It is now twice as big as it was when I joined, and that expansion has mostly been within my department. I kinda consider it to be my baby, too. And, against my anti-capitalist instincts, I feel kinda loyal to my employers. We all want to work with each other for a long time. Here's the deal: I'm thinking about asking to be made a partner. I want to know if this is in the realm of justified or ludicrous ideas. I also want to know how this might work for a small company. I know that in a professional services firm, partners usually have to buy their stake. If they even go for it, would they want me to buy in? (Maybe I'll just argue that past underpayment will cover it... hah) I'm looking for different perspectives. Can any small business owners tell me how they would react to such a proposal? Do I even want this? Should I just ask for a competitive salary and call it a day? I don't want to make this awkward and I don't want to give them an ultimatum. I just want the value I have added to come back to me. [link] [comments]  |
| Thinking of renaming our business after 2 years- has anyone renamed theirs? Pros and cons? Posted: 08 Nov 2019 03:02 PM PST My wife started her tiny beauty business 2 years ago with a very simple name: (service) by (first name). We appear on Google, are growing in client requests and overall have pretty good growth. However, we are considering renaming it due to the following reasons: 1) the name she chose is most likely trademarked. The service is common and her first name is common so even though we are the only local business with that name, there are others in the surrounding states with the same name and we don't want to run into legal issues if we expand. 2) when clients book our services, they always want to book with my wife directly due to her name being on the title of the business. We are in the process of hiring two contractors now to help with services but fear that clients will continue to only want to book with the person who's name is on the search result. 3) we are starting a new website, business phone, new booking software and new policies soon and with all these changes, perhaps a new name could be suitable too. My fear is of course losing recognition and business. I'd love to hear advice and thoughts; thanks reddit! [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 08 Nov 2019 02:52 PM PST |
| Any shift scheduling software recommendation for a small translation/interpretation company? Posted: 08 Nov 2019 02:40 PM PST Any shift scheduling software recommendation for a small translation/interpretation company? It is very challenging for arranging the shits for those simultaneous interpretation meetings which need to consider the interpreter's skills and take times to rest. Any good software for this? Thank you so much. [link] [comments]  |
| How would you market my business? Posted: 08 Nov 2019 06:44 AM PST Hey guys, We haven't done any installations yet so we don't have proof, although we know exactly what to do and we're supremely confident we would give the client what they want. Focusing on this, how would you market it on the website? www.prestigeflowerwalls.com Thanks p.s We know we need to get better content etc which we're planning on doing. I also made rash decision to flip the wix website we have to ecommerce to allow payments but realised it's limitations soon after such as you can't change the 'buy button' to 'hire now' on the hiring section as it changes it everywhere etc. [link] [comments]  |
| 2 years in, almost made a profit. Posted: 08 Nov 2019 01:44 PM PST Seasonal business winding down, looking over all the numbers and fixed costs. I took in about 140,000 and spent about 138,000. Not done with the last payroll so I'll end up just in the red for 2019. I am looking over quickbooks and some interesting things come out. There is nothing I can really do about my payroll, equipment, fees, taxes, licensing and fuel. But I have to say that I am not interested in working year three for no money again, I would really like to at least not have to dip into my personal money to keep this thing going. My plan is to say no to just about everything, my plan is to fire the vendors I might like and go with the least expensive options everywhere. If i can save $200 in one area and $50 in another and $100 in another, by the end of next summer I might be able to just make a few thousand dollars. Now, I know that I do not want to be penny wise at the cost of my reputation or getting poor service from a vendor but i really need to tighten my belt to make this work. So I'm doing all the little things, I canceled the second gmail address for my wife and downgraded to the lowest gmail hosting option, saved $15 a month, I canceled my quickbooks subscription for the winter, you can turn it back on for tax season and next summer without having to set it up again, saving $40 a month. I am planning on shunning my US suppliers and buying supplies from Alibaba, It is a risk on quality i know but saving money on the gear might make the difference. I'm skipping the industry trade show. the answer is just NO to everything not absolutely necessary. Has anyone done anything similar and regretted it? Am I better off posing like I am successful as in the Fake it till you make it? [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 08 Nov 2019 01:17 PM PST I get between 80 to 100 invoices a week from my suppliers and need to keep for 7 years. Does anyone have a software that they use to store and file invoices on a computer. Looking to start the new year with less clutter. Thanks. [link] [comments]  |
| Small business WHILE employed ideas? Posted: 08 Nov 2019 01:06 PM PST I work part time for 2 employers and have time on my own for more work. I would like to know your ideas about small business or work I could do self-employed like one or two days a week on my own. It can be a product to sell or services I could provide. I have a garage and could use it for the business. I want to stay employed so the business should not become a full time job but something I can do while working. Thank you for your ideas and tips. [link] [comments]  |
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