As a small business owner, what are some of your biggest challenges small business |
- As a small business owner, what are some of your biggest challenges
- My only competitor is a professional con artist…?
- I am a small business owner looking to network but I just want to meet people, not sell anything. Any tips on vetting networking events in 2021?
- Feeling lonely! Am I going feel this way my whole entrepreneurial journey?
- Advertisement Included in Lease, but Advertisement Sucks.
- ODC - ONLINE DISABILITY COMPLIANCE
- How to politely decline business
- Subscription Box Research
- Business groups
- Small Business Loan
- Wanting To Start A Compliance/Health and Safety Consultation Business
- How to promote catering business and get clients?
- Jewellery scammers!
- Small restaurant
- How to go about finding investors?
- Just opened a small business
- Steel prices skyrocketing
- Building a shed so I pay for a kitchen
- Business partnership opportunity
- Best way for a small dealership to get more traffic?
- Delaying Tax Options
- Is it acceptable to pay mostly cap gains instead of salary?
- Car rental via Turo
- Tips for identifying (and hiring) a high-quality mid-level branding agency?
| As a small business owner, what are some of your biggest challenges Posted: 09 Jul 2021 08:20 PM PDT Pretty broad statement, but looking to help small businesses anyway I can. [link] [comments]  |
| My only competitor is a professional con artist…? Posted: 09 Jul 2021 09:49 AM PDT I doubt anyone here is going to know what to do about a situation like this - but I thought I'd give it a shot. At the very least, maybe some people have had similar experiences they can share so I know I'm not the only one —— So, very long story short, this guy goes from place to place setting up an entrepreneurs club, collecting annual membership fees upfront, and then leaving. In my area he set up three operations. His wife pretends to be staging expensive buildings while he runs an entrepreneur club out of them. He gets a bunch of investment money, expands very quickly, and then moved away. He and his wife come up with a fairly basic backstory that appears to change each time they move (he grew up in the north but also in the south and was also born in England.) I knew he bailed on his investors because it's been the talk of the town for a while now, but I didn't know he was a professional con artist until I networked with someone in the city who knew the guy by a different name & found an article written about him from when he first came to my area and started setting up shop - in which he is actually mentioned by three first names. That was the clue that helped us piece this together. It's the same guy, but he changes his name as he moves. His wife is never mentioned with a last name - not even his own last name, presumably because it isn't actually a last name - it's quite obviously a first name. Anyways. What he's done hurts my business. I set up a short term office rental space with a coworking setup, and his business is close enough to my niche that people think we offer the same service. Customers visiting this area ask about his business and I don't know what to say. The locations are still technically open, but they're unmanaged, unstaffed, and apparently only one guy there can get in touch with the owner via email or something and then he may call you. He still accepts money from customers. Nobody knows where he and his wife live now but there's a lot of rumors flying around. People were already timid to take to this idea because it's something of a novel concept to them - but now it looks like I'm a con artist too. Worse than that, I have a real estate broker breathing down my neck telling me he works for someone who is going to come in and basically monopolize my niche all over my local area - and I started this project on a 10k loan. I don't have the capital to do a marketing war with these million dollar business men. I wanted to try to get some investment money so I can expand my operation quickly - but my competitor already bled that dry and I'm afraid that all of the investors will assume I'm a fraud. I'm a local - born and raised here - and I grew up in a family business that has been around forever, but most of the investors wouldn't know that I think, and I don't even think they'll give me the chance to state my case. This is my first business and it took a lot of work to get everything up and running with so little money to start with - but I feel like I've walked into a bad movie. My customers ask me about this other business when they call and I honestly don't know what to say to them except don't do business with those people…but that just makes me sound like a sleaze. Am I the only person this has happened to? What can I do to mitigate the damage this guy has done - esp because he refuses to properly shut down his operation? How can I get investors to see that I'm a real person? This whole situation just gives me a ton of anxiety because it's bad enough waiting to see how successful I can make this, without having this looming over my head chasing off my customers and investors and defaming my reputation by association. I can't afford to back out of this project - it has to work, but I can't wait forever either because I think this guy took his publicity with him and now the business sharks are circling my niche making plans. It sounds dramatic…but I'm wondering if I should talk to a lawyer? I don't think this guy can be sued though. PS: When I say he's chasing off customers, I mean I keep having customers who ask about his business in a phone call (I say I don't think it's still open and leave it at that), and then they drop off the face of the earth. I'm literally the only person offering this service - they're not going somewhere else. A few days ago, someone texted me to ask about my business and when I texted them back they said I had the wrong number… 😑 [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 09 Jul 2021 12:09 PM PDT I read this post before which has a lot of great info but I am wondering if there are any more recent tips on vetting networking events. I am 29 and started a DTC manufacturing company 4 years ago instead of perusing an MBA. It's been very successful and I feel like I have all of my bases covered. I mainly want to meet other business owners and corporate professionals. Seems like it would be great just to shoot the shit with a supply chain professional from a big company--potentially connect for future job opps or meet people who might one day work for me years in the future. Not lending sharks, insurance agents, and digital marketing sales persons like people on this sub say so many events are crawling with. Is it all about vetting events? Should I be looking at private groups in my city on Facebook and Linkedin? [link] [comments]  |
| Feeling lonely! Am I going feel this way my whole entrepreneurial journey? Posted: 09 Jul 2021 01:41 PM PDT I feel so lonely, really lonely I'm so passionate about business & creating projects and products but when i try to talk about it people get really pored :-( It's honestly my favorite thing to talk about but.. I don't seem to find people with the same interests as mine .. It's really frustrating, i feel like I'm alone, no body seems to understand me and it's me & myself all the time Any idea on what to do? I'm working on creating an MVP to a platform rn, my plan is to get 10k users by the end of this year, if you're in the same journey as mine hit me up & let's connect [link] [comments]  |
| Advertisement Included in Lease, but Advertisement Sucks. Posted: 09 Jul 2021 03:55 PM PDT Pretty much the title says it all, but for some more details: - I'm helping my uncle with his small business. - The Town Center charges a hefty price for advertisement monthly. - The town's advertisement is inconsistent and draws no attention. - The only advertisement they really do is post an ad on the official Town Center's Facebook. - Multiple business owners in the town center are upset about it. They signed the lease and tried to get it removed multiple times, but failed. A recent event that happened is that they posted an ad for us. They took one of the pictures we posted on Instagram, but the way they grabbed the photo reduces the quality of our photo by a lot. That shows unprofessionalism already because how are you going to advertise with a low-quality photo. Moreso, they have other businesses to posts as well, but their posts are inconsistent. Scrolling their official page, there's barely any interaction. The majority of the posts are less than 5 likes. No comments. There is a post, that reached almost 50 likes, 47 to be exact and that was for a giveaway. I was browsing this page: https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/advertising-faqs-guide-small-business Where the point, "What makes an advertisement unfair?" and I see that it states "it is not outweighed by the benefit to consumers." and it honestly does not outweigh the price we pay to the benefit. Business owners could take that money and put it to a better and proper advertisement. I don't get why the town center has to do something so underhanded like that because if businesses put their money towards better advertisement. It is drawing attention to the town square and that's free advertisement for the town square. My endpoint is, does anyone have any advice on how to get them to remove this "included in the lease" advertisement fee b.s. [link] [comments]  |
| ODC - ONLINE DISABILITY COMPLIANCE Posted: 10 Jul 2021 03:57 AM PDT |
| How to politely decline business Posted: 09 Jul 2021 08:10 PM PDT I have a business offering long distance transportation. I've been communicating for several weeks with someone who needed to go 12 hrs away. This person postponed the trip once & is now changing the date again. I'm no longer interested in his business. What's the best way to handle this? [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 10 Jul 2021 03:37 AM PDT Hi all, I run a small business and i'm looking to do some product research. The aim of this survey is to understand why people subscribe to a box, and what they would look for in a new subscription box. This survey shouldn't take more than 5 mins and all responses are confidential. Thanks! [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 10 Jul 2021 03:28 AM PDT Does any one have any business groups they are a part of? I've seen a few recent post where people have been asking about finding like-minded people that they can just chat random business stuff with and it made me think whether there are actually any online groups kicking around off this sub? I'm in Australia and a project consultant but I think it would be great having a network of people that are from all around the place exchanging ideas, talking about random day to day business life, rants, questions and all that…. like not pushing sales on each other or anything but hey if there's someone in the group that can help someone else out then great but mainly just for business chats! Long winded I know! If there isn't anything like that kicking around I might even start one.. what would be a good platform to set it up on? [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 09 Jul 2021 08:58 PM PDT Hello fellow Reddit friends, I am a 22 year old barber who makes roughly 40k a year and the owner of the Barbershop I work at is selling the shop, I have told him I'm interested in buying. He wants 180k for the business which is a little high but somewhat fair. I am in need of a loan to get that business loan, my credit score is at 620-680 depending on what you look it up on. I have about 25k to put down as a down payment. What would be the quickest route to take or what can I do in order to get that loan of that amount? It comes with both the shop is hourly and comes with great clientele and reputation! It makes between the last 5 years 400k-200k with 35-45% profit! Also he's not a barber just owner operator, and the reason he's trying to sell is because he was involved with one of his employees and his wife found out, about 3-4 years ago so he isn't very fond of the business! [link] [comments]  |
| Wanting To Start A Compliance/Health and Safety Consultation Business Posted: 09 Jul 2021 09:36 PM PDT I've worked in safety sensitive jobs my entire life. Meaning I've always been the one doing the work and making sure I was following all the rules. I've been considering the idea of trying my hand at the other side of the business. My idea is to be a third party consultant to businesses and companies to make sure they are in compliance with OSHA, ANSI, NFPA, etc. I would offer audits, inspections, air quality sampling, confined space solutions, and eventually I'd like to be able to offer tailored training programs to fit each company's need. My plan would be to start small with local manufacturing companies and gain experience and exposure that way. My problem is I have no idea where to start. Obviously I have to become certified but is that enough? How do I handle the legal side of this? I feel like this will be my biggest hurdle. Just needing advice on how to get my plan moving forward. Specifically getting my ducks in a row to even start this business. I've tried researching this online but all I can find are IT and legal compliance sites and info. Thanks for any feedback. [link] [comments]  |
| How to promote catering business and get clients? Posted: 09 Jul 2021 08:23 PM PDT I just started a small catering business which does food and beverage catering for small and mid size events in the province. So far I have tried to get clients by posting on Facebook marketplace and neighborhood app, but its obviously not enough. How can I get more clients and how do convert more n more people into paying clients? Any leads are helpful! [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 09 Jul 2021 08:13 PM PDT So I've been seeing this brand "July Child Jewellery" pop up on my social media daily (being promoted) and I tapped onto their websites and seen they are selling rings on average for £95 - they are £1.93 on ali express and £2.30 on ebay. I cannot see how they can justify this price. They are also on tik tok and all of the comments on all of their videos are customers asking for a refund / they're not received their order etc Whats everyone's thoughts on this and has anyone here shopped or heard anything about this brand [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 09 Jul 2021 11:48 AM PDT Hello I am (29f). I've been working at a small restaurant for ten years and the owner recently asked if I would be interested in buying it off him. I was wondering if anyone had advice on finding any grants available in Pennsylvania. I'm not sure where to even start looking, any help would be appreciated! [link] [comments]  |
| How to go about finding investors? Posted: 09 Jul 2021 07:55 PM PDT My small business is growing to a point where I feel confident that I can reasonably support a small- time investor, but I don't have any idea where to start. This is a novelty/ retail business. Any ideas on how to find investors? [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 09 Jul 2021 04:27 AM PDT Hi. I am F 22 & I just opened a small business 1 week ago today. I am EXHAUSTED. I work 12 hours a day & I am just so out of it. My friends ask me how I'm doing & I always say the classic, of course I am doing good, but I am just so tired. I want to give my employees more shifts so I can go home but I do not trust them here alone yet & we are not busy enough for me to pay employees to just sit at the store. I currently get around 25 people everyday which will keep me afloat but my next goal is to get 60 people a day. Instagram has been huge for me, but I guess my question is: how do I keep pushing myself? & how do I generate more business? I am new to the area & relying on word of mouth. I have done some flyer hand outs & boosts on social media but I feel like I am missing something. My customers who come in always come back the next day! It's just all about getting them in first. Help your tired friend :) [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 09 Jul 2021 03:03 PM PDT I own a small welding business and my main focus is making products to sell locally. I advertise via social media and have even had multiple customers drive 2+ hours from out of town for my products. Since January i have been building ramps for trailers, car haulers, etc. While i have had success with these i want to expand and start building ramps for utility trailers with expanded metal........ However the rising cost of steel is going to put the price sky high. I have been researching the past few days and their doesnt seem to be much competition for these things minus a few companies online who sell them but you pay DOUBLE the cost when you factor in shipping. My question is should i go ahead buy the material, build the parts, put them on the market and price it accordingly to todays material costs???? Or wait for the price of steel to drop???? [link] [comments]  |
| Building a shed so I pay for a kitchen Posted: 09 Jul 2021 10:25 PM PDT So, I own a small tea business and to be able to sell nationally I need to rent a commercial kitchen and have food insurance. The thing is, with the cottage food law, if I made tea blends at home (even when it only involves bowls and measuring cups) I can only sell to my state and that's if my kitchen passes the test. I was wondering though. If I built a small little house right on my backyard. With a tiny kitchen and dry storage space, would that pass the inspection? Would that be considered a proper kitchen space to bypass the cottage food law? Paying for commercial kitchen seems to expensive. $30/hour. I don't use stoves or ovens, I have to bring my own bowls, measuring stuff, and scales. They only provided a space that passed and inspection. Its quite a lot of money especially now that I'm not launched yet. What other alternatives are there? [link] [comments]  |
| Business partnership opportunity Posted: 09 Jul 2021 09:44 PM PDT Hello i do WordPress website design and development for living anybody interested in doing partnership with me, here is my website: www.craftly.online ..if anyone is interested just let me know. All you have to do is find me people who wants website. [link] [comments]  |
| Best way for a small dealership to get more traffic? Posted: 09 Jul 2021 05:44 PM PDT I recently started working for a small dealership in a small town about 30 minutes from Portland Oregon. Good prices and good inventory just not a lot of traffic. Any ideas on getting more prospects for the company and/or myself? More internet leads and phone traffic? [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 09 Jul 2021 12:33 PM PDT So, I was laid off early in 2021 and paid a lump sum to cover 1 year of salary, insurance premiums, bonuses, etc. Long story short I don't need any additional income this year. I have since started a business and am wondering if I have any options to delay taxation on income until 2022? I don't need to draw on any of the income made through my business this year, but I'd still like to be working. It seems like a single-member LLC, being a "disregarded entity", wouldn't work as the IRS would still view any money made by the LLC as income. Anyone have experience with a situation like this? Thank you. [link] [comments]  |
| Is it acceptable to pay mostly cap gains instead of salary? Posted: 09 Jul 2021 05:30 PM PDT I'm a US web dev and my s corp can pay me in either salary or cap gains. I was thinking of a 50/50 split but now I wonder why not pay myself 10k salary and $40k cap gains? [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 09 Jul 2021 10:56 AM PDT I've been thinking about renting out my car on Turo and was wondering if anyone has experience making a business out of this? I'd like to take out a loan for car purchase and maintenance purposes and wanted to know if there's some sort of program or something for car rental businesses. Thanks [link] [comments]  |
| Tips for identifying (and hiring) a high-quality mid-level branding agency? Posted: 09 Jul 2021 11:03 AM PDT Does any have experience and recommendations for how to identify a branding agency? We have a few local ones in our town, but having worked with them in a non-business capacity, I've seen first-hand that what a lot of these agencies seem to do is land a big client once and then build on that "fame" with cookie-cutter outcomes for their lesser clients. OR, they're hobby agencies, where they don't listen to their clients because money's not an issue for them. I'm really striving to avoid going with an agency like that because I don't feel they'll have my best interests in mind and will waste my money. I'm willing to pay good money but want to make sure I'm getting what I need and not just fluffing someone's portfolio. We are launching a new product line and already have a logo - we're looking for someone to add a creative flair to it for the packaging. Developing sub-brand names for the items within the product line as well as being creative with designing the rest of the packaging artwork in a way that plays on the theme. Any tips for how to search/find an agency that's a good fit for us? [link] [comments]  |
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