Our parking lot is overrun by the three restaurants and gym in our center. It's killing our business. What can I do? small business |
- Our parking lot is overrun by the three restaurants and gym in our center. It's killing our business. What can I do?
- Our employee is hurting our business, or even worse, may be stealing from us. Need advice
- New sub for entrepreneurs looking for passionate professionals from all disciplines to for long-term teams to make things actually happen. r/Crowdspark
- How Do I Get Digital Agency Clients?
- Where does business strategy, vision, competitive advantage all come together?
- What sort of Film Industry related small businesses are there?
- Are you using Wave in Australia?
- How many business owners see a psychiatrist/psychologist/therapist/counselor?
- Print on Demand Fulfillers in the Middle East?
- UK Small Business Owners - tax and HMRC things you wish you had known
- how to share equity with new partner
- What resources are essential for a new small business owner to learn basic, practical marketing?
- CPA wants me to move from an LLC to S-CORP based on income - what are my pros and cons?
- Anyone own a laser engraver for their business?
- Anyone with a cafe/restaurant that I could do a short interview with?
- [Apply by 11/20] Governments looking to solve problems with small+young businesses
- looking for recommendations for standalone webcam to view remote booking ledger
- Thinking about forming an LLC - thoughts?
- Needing mobile sign in application
- Book reccomendations for just starting in business?
- New small business owner looking for advice/suggestions
- App development
- Thinking of building a financial product for self-employed professionals - looking for feedback
- Software for invoicing and inventory
| Posted: 01 Nov 2019 11:45 AM PDT There is no where for our customers to park. We are a furniture store and rely on 1-2 big sales a day to reach our goals. If there is no parking we literally cannot do business. We've had customers call and say there is no parking. We lose sales to this on a regular basis. They originally put up "reserved signs" for two parking spots. The sign has been ripped down and not replaced. Even when the sign is up they do no enforce it with a towing company. I'm starting to wonder if there is something I can do legally here or am I just screwed. My business is hurting. There is limited parking and there are three restaurants, a gym to compete, a salon, and a vape shop to compete with. Two of the restaurants and the salon were not here when we opened. [link] [comments]  |
| Our employee is hurting our business, or even worse, may be stealing from us. Need advice Posted: 01 Nov 2019 10:34 AM PDT EDIT: my wife and I can't thank you all enough for your advice. We really really appreciate all the comments and it looks like we have a lot to fix. Many lessons learned today. I will make an update post in the near future Hey folks, My wife and I own a beauty salon which focuses on lash extensions. We have one employee who works on 50% commission, so every client she does, we get half the money for providing the location, supplies and client and she gets half the money for doing the lash service. We haven't set up an online booking system yet (working on it) so clients book via phone. They call my wife who either sets them up with an appointment herself or refers them to our employee and they call the employee. Therefore we leave it up to our employee to schedule her own clients on her calendar and fill out a log of every client she has that week. Our employee gives us the money from clients (most is cash) and at the end of the week we give her the 50% as her paycheck. Recently though our employee's clients are dwindling. We are getting more potential clients calling my wife but our employee's schedule has many less clients. The other day, we noticed that our employee didn't give us money for a client and she told my wife "that was my aunt, I didn't charge her". (we never told her she could take free clients) Yesterday we saw her car at the office but now she's telling us she didn't work yesterday. Should I be concerned that she is taking free clients and pocketing 100% instead of the 50%? I'm thinking of solutions to prevent this possibility and seek your advice, or on how to talk to her / possibly fire her. Things I want to consider trying: -installing cameras at the office to see when shes working (but idk if privacy will be an issue) -giving her a minimum amount of clients she needs or else we will have to fire her -making a new employee policies handbook -rushing out the online booking system so that we can see all clients' appointments that day online -just training a new employee If anyone has dealt with something similar before, I would really love your input. Thank you so much for reading! [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 01 Nov 2019 09:09 AM PDT Hello Everyone, There is a real need for a free public forum where entrepreneurs and founders and can meet up with the passionate professionals they need to form lasting teams/relationships and make things happen. I don't mean a freelance site or people looking for odd jobs, but rather a place where you can find the people you need who are actually passionate about your idea and are dedicated to it and in it for the long-haul vs. a quick payout. Some of us in the reddit entrepreneurship community decided to create a new sub, r/Crowdspark just for that. It is a dedicated forum to try to find the professionals you need to actualize your ideas. Looking for a lawyer, a marketing professional, a strategist, an engineer, or whatever? The idea is that you can pitch your idea to the community, say what you are looking for, and find interested people. Simple. It isn't a place so much for to seek advice or guidance, that is what this forum is for. Its strictly an open place to make contacts and find the people you need. Check it out. r/Crowdspark Thanks! [link] [comments]  |
| How Do I Get Digital Agency Clients? Posted: 01 Nov 2019 09:26 PM PDT So I'm starting a digital agency and am curious about the best ways to establish a consistent stream of decent clients. I do web design, graphic design, copywriting, social media, and related services. I quality work, but I feel that my biggest advantage is that I can get stuff done quickly. The issue I'm having is finding clients. I don't really have much of an existing network and a lot of the freelance sites like Upwork seem like they put you in desperate competition over a small pool of rude low pay clients. I guess my problem is that I don't want to constantly market myself and struggle to get client after client, I just want to do the work. I would actually be entirely willing to pay someone or a group of people to find me clients. This is leading me to strongly considering starting some sort of affiliate program where I give people a percent of the sales they bring me. Is this viable? How would I go about setting up an affiliate program like this? Another thing I'm considering is just using Facebook ads to get clients, though I am skeptical of if this will bring me any better clients than the rude low pay ones you would get off Upwork or Craigslist. A third strategy I'm considering is just trying to build a local network of clients who can afford to pay well and often have little to no online presence. I'm specifically considering seeking out local medical practices and lawyers, though I have no idea how to make these connections without cold calling/walking in which I feel would be pretty poorly received. [link] [comments]  |
| Where does business strategy, vision, competitive advantage all come together? Posted: 01 Nov 2019 10:05 PM PDT How should a company look to build towards the vision (with which specific customer segments), while having a specific competitive advantage and specific capabilities. Should the business link the customers to the vision to the competitive advantage, and capabilities? It sort of makes sense at some point to connect them. Apple has innovation, marketing, branding, customer service, which connects > customer and vision. It all is connected in an effective way. I think it makes sense to grow the capabilities and the branding, marketing, product really well, and then slowly weave it all together to the customer and vision as the company matures? Do you have input on this, or are there any topics on creating that alignment? [link] [comments]  |
| What sort of Film Industry related small businesses are there? Posted: 01 Nov 2019 07:14 PM PDT Just like in the title, what kind of small business startups are there in the film industry? [link] [comments]  |
| Are you using Wave in Australia? Posted: 02 Nov 2019 02:45 AM PDT Wave is removing Bank Connections as a feature. This means you will have to upload transactions into Wave, instead of them automatically updating from your bank. Please add your voice to the chorus of protest here: https://support.waveapps.com/hc/en-us/articles/360035247272 [link] [comments]  |
| How many business owners see a psychiatrist/psychologist/therapist/counselor? Posted: 01 Nov 2019 05:42 AM PDT Without going into gorey details, minor depression and focus have been an issue that plagued me since I was in my late teens. Medication has always worked well enough. Now that business things are getting more and more serious I've been contemplating seeing a therapist to make sure I'm staying even keel. When I'm outside the margins of what my medication will correct I tend to overreact or get overly ambitious and spend the next 6 months correcting a deal or project I thought we could take on. So, let's help break the stigma of mental health and open the door. Who here has, or currently does, seek regular visits to a mental health professional? What are your experiences like? Did it help with business or personal life? Something you would recommend to a colleague that you feel would benefit? [link] [comments]  |
| Print on Demand Fulfillers in the Middle East? Posted: 02 Nov 2019 01:23 AM PDT I'm looking for Alternatives to Printify/Printful because shipping times for both take 8-10 business days in the Middle East. Any suggestions? [link] [comments]  |
| UK Small Business Owners - tax and HMRC things you wish you had known Posted: 01 Nov 2019 04:45 AM PDT I run a small design business that has been going for a few years. We're exploring ways to be more tax efficient and maximise cash flow and there are a couple of things I wish I'd known in the beginning. Here are my 2 tips for starters, just wonder if anyone had any other tips they could add: 1- Employment Allowance: You could get up to £3,000 a year off your National Insurance bill if you're an employer. The allowance will reduce your employers' (secondary) Class 1 National Insurance each time you run your payroll until the £3,000 has gone or the tax year ends (whichever is sooner). More info here: https://www.gov.uk/claim-employment-allowance 2 - R & D Tax Credits: Research and Development (R&D) reliefs support companies that work on innovative projects in science and technology. It can be claimed by a range of companies that seek to research or develop an advance in their field. It can even be claimed on unsuccessful projects. Ask your accountant for more info or read up on it here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/corporation-tax-research-and-development-rd-relief 3 - TAP grant (TradeShow Access Program): If you're planning to attend a trade show outside of the UK you can easily get up to £1500 back for the cost of exhibiting. We applied for this by going through our industry trade federation, it may be different sector by sector, but it's a major help to reduce costs if you're a small business doing shows overseas. More info here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/tradeshow-access-programme I'm just exploring options of how me and another director can start a second company that we are employees of to reduce our NIC and PAYE cost on the design business (as we both have other side line hustles so could put multiple streams of revenue through 2nd company and avoid any IR35 issues) If anyone else has done this let me know (we are going to see an independent advisor on it too though) [link] [comments]  |
| how to share equity with new partner Posted: 02 Nov 2019 12:08 AM PDT Hi guys, I am trying to expand my one man show by bringing on a partner and would like to know your opinions on how to fairly split the equity. some background: I am 41M, software engineer, working first for IT companies, the last 10 years in the family business planning and selling interior design. 2-3 years ago I founded a "smarthome" company. I plan the smart home and sell the components, the installation is done by a qualified electrician, at the end i do the integration and program everything. My wife is doing the accounting. I am working roughly 25-30 yours a week on this "side company" and managed to equip ~11 smart Homes and turn over approx 220K (net roughly 45-50k). Apart from the smart home and the furniture I am working also on a hardware product which is in prototype stage, can be sold as an add-on product to smart buildings and looks promising. I also have two small boys (5 and 10) and as you can imagine its all a bit much. I cannot quit my family job as it is my main source of income and pays well, also they are relying on me and I cannot quit it - only reduce it to 3 days a week. The smart home company and the hw product is my passion and I want to develop this business. So I found a potential partner 30M with a business background and working in a Network (IT) business at the moment, who is willing to come on board as a partner. He agreed to quit his job, become a freelancer and work for free for as long as it is required. His main task will be marketing and sales, I will also train him a bit in how to set up smart homes so that he gets some first hand experience. He would invoice the company some times when necessary/possible depending on how sales go. I have an office of 25-30m2 which can be used for the smarthome business and has the IT infrastructure set up, I also have a small storage for the hw components which I will provide. Furthermore I am planning to make a smarhome showroom as part of a refurbishing of the furniture store. We set a term of 1 Year and would then create a limited company where he gets a stake in it. We want to use the slicing pie model to determine a fair share for everyone. We determined the hourly rate of 40 for me and 30 for my partner according to the book. However the slicing pie does not provide a mechanism for work "done before" and the idea/work done for the hw product. Any advice on how to do this properly? Or even personal experiences which you could share? I am more than happy to give equity away, but would like to do it right from the beginning and transparent for both parties. Thanks in advance. [link] [comments]  |
| What resources are essential for a new small business owner to learn basic, practical marketing? Posted: 01 Nov 2019 08:05 PM PDT |
| CPA wants me to move from an LLC to S-CORP based on income - what are my pros and cons? Posted: 01 Nov 2019 10:37 PM PDT I will post ~ $380k in income (profit ~$300k) on my LLC for 2019. There are no employees. My CPA isn't the best in explaining the pros and cons other than saying it would be a no brainer and that I would come out on top even with the additional cost for preparation, filing and fees. Is she correct? P.S There is an additional wrinkle in that I just relocated to Germany and took back on a salaried position so while I will file in both countries most of my income will not come through the LLC over the next years. P.S.S I am currently trying to refinance and often get asked to wait to show my 2019 tax returns; would a S-CORP over LLC setup strengthen or worsen my refinance case or does it not make a difference? TIA! [link] [comments]  |
| Anyone own a laser engraver for their business? Posted: 01 Nov 2019 06:00 PM PDT I'd like to be able to make laser engraved name plates for equipment that we rent out. I have been working with an outside manufacturer to do it, but just wondering if this is something I could take in house to get some more flexibility and speed. Would love to hear if anyone has a setup that is working for them or if it's more trouble than its worth. Maximum I'd like to make name plates roughly 3"x9" wide. [link] [comments]  |
| Anyone with a cafe/restaurant that I could do a short interview with? Posted: 01 Nov 2019 12:49 PM PDT Hey guys, I am taking an entrepreneurship class at my university and was asked to interview someone from an industry I am interested in. If anyone would be up for a short interview over PM about their experiences owning a restaurant, I would really appreciate it! [link] [comments]  |
| [Apply by 11/20] Governments looking to solve problems with small+young businesses Posted: 01 Nov 2019 04:51 PM PDT I'd like to extend an invitation to apply and join a program I manage, Startup in Residence. Through STIR I connect local, regional and state government organizations with small and young businesses to solve problems using technology. You can view the current group of government project opportunities here: cityinnovate.com/challenge Apply by November 20th 2019 at 11:59pm in your timezone. For any questions please email [STIR@cityinnovate.org](mailto:STIR@cityinnovate.org) [link] [comments]  |
| looking for recommendations for standalone webcam to view remote booking ledger Posted: 01 Nov 2019 03:02 PM PDT Hi All, I'm looking to remotely view the paper based booking ledger for a Hotel. So I can see the current bookings without having to bother anyone. The owners of this Hotel are not computer savvy and don't plan to be either. I think a standalone webcam might be a solution , ideally something that doesn't require a laptop/device to work. And I'd welcome any advice on this task. thanks [link] [comments]  |
| Thinking about forming an LLC - thoughts? Posted: 01 Nov 2019 02:04 PM PDT I'm thinking about forming an LLC for a business I currently run out of my home. I repair computers and phones and have an interesting name I'd like registered so I could use on social media and represent the business overall. Upfront, it would cost me $125, and I believe $50 after to keep it maintained. Is this something you guys see viable? As for my second question, I have seen a few people recommend IncFile to register a business as it is a seamless process (or so they say). How do you guys feel about it? [link] [comments]  |
| Needing mobile sign in application Posted: 01 Nov 2019 01:37 PM PDT I'm looking for an app where I can track how often a customer signs into my establishment and where they can also sign a waiver. I've looked for different apps in the mobile store but nothing that suits my needs [link] [comments]  |
| Book reccomendations for just starting in business? Posted: 01 Nov 2019 12:44 PM PDT |
| New small business owner looking for advice/suggestions Posted: 01 Nov 2019 12:44 PM PDT So, I'll try to make the length of this somewhere between informative enough and too long where no one reads it. Quick background, I have worked for about 12 years in the horticultural business, first a retail nursery, then a re-wholesaler (sells directly to landscapers after sourcing in plant material from across the country.) During my time in these positions, I have gone from cashier, to salesperson, to asst. manager, to manager. After some time spent in the manager position the company I was working for decided that the re-wholesale department was not needed and they would combine their re-wholesale with their retail area. I told them they were fools, (they were) and I was laid off, at that time my number came up for a civil service exam in the local police department, after getting through the entire screening process (and passing) and the miserable experience I had during it, I decided that it was not going to be for me. Which leads us to me opening my own outdoor design business this past June. I have had plenty of design experience from the landscapers I would design jobs for in my previous position, I registered my LLC and was on my way, biggest issue being leads. However, I am fairly well connected within the community and was able to pick up a reasonable amount of work for starting my business in the dead of Summer when this business typically comes to a lull. As the cold weather approaches I find myself building my strategy for the coming Spring 2020 season and would love to hear thoughts/criticism. 1.) Brochure campaign - Basically, this is what it sounds like, drive around my local area and drop brochures in the mailboxes of houses that I believe could benefit from improvement of their front yard landscape since I obviously will not be skulking in people's backyards to see what houses could benefit from my services. 2.) Reaching out to Real Estate agents - This one is tricky and I'm not sure what the most professional approach would be, e-mails to agents listed addresses, LinkedIn approaches, Facebook messages? This seems to be a less tapped into market around here concerning outdoor staging for open houses or simply outright investment from homeowners who are looking to improve curb appeal within a good budget and increase foot traffic into their homes. 3.) Social Media Advertising (?) - This one I'm not confident about, the ROI from all of my research appears to be pretty terrible unless you're playing with tons of money and essentially paying to win. So, I will simply be creating social media posts consistently for the jobs I do and hoping it eventually has more reach. The services I supply are fairly expansive, I've done a lot and seen a lot. I handle all project design, horticultural purchasing, and planting aspects myself with plenty of connections to sublet the labor and reduce weekly overhead. Additionally, the things I can not do myself I have connections for, irrigation, masonry, carpentry, fencing, and so on from which I get a percentage for bringing them onto jobs. I am trying to avoid being a "mow and blow" company and have had mixed responses, many guys in the industry saying it's a great concept to sublet labor for planting jobs so I don't have to mow lawns to make ends meet between jobs, with a few saying I'll never build my business visibility without mowing for people. I stay on schedule, on budget, am well organized, give free consultations, provide graphics to customers who move forward with me and only work with reputable businesses who get the job done in the same fashion as I. Ultimately my questions are as follows Does this seem like a strong enough first year outreach? What seems the best way if I were to approach real estate agents/agencies? Is a brochure campaign going to be worth my time/effort? How do you view my business structure? I'd love to hear insight from any and all regarding their opinions of my business model, future plans, and current structure. I know this is an outside the box way to approach building a company, but it seems that the industry needs innovation and someone with an edge has plenty of room to succeed. If anyone would like to see my website feel free to PM me and I would be happy to send it over. I appreciate all I have learned from this subreddit and the wisdom so far and look forward to reading through responses, I probably didn't cover everything so I'll be responding promptly to any questions. Thanks! [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 01 Nov 2019 05:41 PM PDT Hey, do you have a serious app idea that you want to build but don't want to spend a fortune on? I own an app development company based out of bangalore. In the past we have successfully built fully working front-end iOS/android apps for $600 USD. The reason why we are so cost effective is because of our geographical advantage and reduced fixed costs. You will own the complete ownership of your app and the source code. You can see our previous work portfolio on our website: https://www.codecentr.com/ If you are interested to discuss a project, inbox me! [link] [comments]  |
| Thinking of building a financial product for self-employed professionals - looking for feedback Posted: 01 Nov 2019 07:56 AM PDT I'm a software engineer with experience in the financial industry thinking of building a debit card for self-employed professionals that does your taxes and finds write-offs for you. Think of it as a personal accountant in your wallet. Here is what features I'm thinking to provide for free with the card:
All in all, the goal is to save you money, time and make sure you don't have to deal with bookkeeping. This idea was born, when I realized that I could have saved ~3k last year on my taxes had I known about tax write-offs as a contractor. This is super early stage and I don't have too much to show yet, but I would love to get your guys' opinions on this! [link] [comments]  |
| Software for invoicing and inventory Posted: 01 Nov 2019 11:18 AM PDT Hello everyone I have an established family business. Since this family business is still pretty low tech (typing out invoicing and manually checking inventory) I was wondering if there is a software/program that when I type out an invoice it automatically takes out from an inventory list. Thanks in advanced for advice/suggestions [link] [comments]  |
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