Small Businesses Tangled in Licensing & Regulation

“Do you do a flat rate on top of material purchases and then burn rate per hour? Or do you add a surcharge for your labor only? submitted by /u/LessWeakness [link] [comments]”

“Good afternoon my dear brothers and sisters. I just opened up an electrical company and looking to see how you guys solicit and get your work? submitted by /u/Snoo_84178 [link] [comments]”

“What they should focus on in corporate governance when it comes to the corporate formation, all the things you need to do yearly or quarterly for your state and federal filings, etc. Basically act as your corporate legal assistant for the paperwork drudgery. I’d easily pay a one time fee for the filing and setup, and then a small fee per month for the agents to do maintenance. Sure I could build my own connectors and do something similar, but I’d rather pay a company focused on that with actual”

checkout r/sweatystartup . they are your people

“been in a somewhat similar spot with a different type of business. the bottleneck thing you're describing is not a strategy problem, it's an operations one. every option on your list gets easier if you're not the only person buying inventory and making the daily calls. before deciding between second location vs ecommerce vs new business, i'd spend 6 months building one person who can do 70% of your current role. everything else stays theoretical until then. the "which path i”

Exactly!

I’m getting eaten alive man

Thank you!

“So I’ve been a carpenter for around 10 years now, and I am looking to start a business around converting vans into mobile businesses and motor homes, I feel like there is a good demand this, as business rates and shop increase, and I feel I have the skills to complete build to a very high standard. The thing is I am trying to get my first client with no actual portfolio to show them, I am offering a 10% discount to the first client, but I understand why people wouldn’t want to particularly trust”

“Wow this is wonderful advice and suitable for any small business. Thanks mate, I really appreciate the time you took to type this out. 😁”

“Every decision you make should be with margin in mind. I would not offer/fulfill a service that doesn’t have at least a 30% margin to me. Regardless of clientele, it’s time to let team members go until it is profitable to your own business. Imagine you were reporting to a “CEO” of your own business. You made a deal where you brought on staff but not enough billables came from the deal in the end. You would be told to trim your team to make the revenue make sense”

“Not rude! When he told back in 22, there was 400 clients. Unfortunately only like 110 remain. I think the hard thing is keeping the long term employees on staff. I either let them go, or the business.”

“From what you said here, she is the CEO, there is no COO, and you are a fractional CFO/CMO and you should be taking an hourly fee if you need to get paid on the books. If you put your salary back into the business, that’s your very minor equity stake. Unless you are investing in startup like a company truck, not sure why you are 50/50?”

“Get your own website. Reviews can be kept unfiltered and allow you to act on their complaints. Add requirement for bill number without which you will reject the review.”

“great start, having a paying work early is huge. track time, travel, supplies and callbacks so you know which jobs are profitable. focus on repeat clients and referrals before scaling, a asteady base of recuring work makes a cleaning business far more strong than chasing the one offs.”

“Who uses a registered agent service for their llc? Or do you do it yourself ? submitted by /u/Reasonable_Wave_6402 [link] [comments]”

“Hey everyone! I’m a girl living in Sri Lanka, and I’m thinking of starting a small online business with my dad, who’s in Dubai. I don’t have a huge budget, but I have a moderate amount to invest. I’m thinking about importing small products from Dubai and selling them online in Sri Lanka — maybe things like olive oil, food products, or other products that are popular and in demand. I’m still at the very beginning and don’t know much about starting a business, so I’d really appreciate advice from”

“I'm currently studying for my pi license while working for a big 4 bank.What work can I do as a second job, once I've got my pi license in Vic? submitted by /u/Few_Pomegranate_2638 [link] [comments]”

I made 280k in a year selling drains

“Hi everyone, I took over my family business many around 6 years ago, which has been operating for over many years. It’s a stable business with thousands of clients. There are a few things we do simply because “that’s how we’ve always done it.” “We’ve always done it this way.” For example I brought up to my husband that I was super frustrated that I had to post a document. We normally charge for courier but this was a particularly old client who kept rambling we posted it for free and how we used”

Thanks! You got this!

“Being the one who still buys inventory, lists products, and makes every call, that might actually answer most of your list on its own. A second location or heavier e-commerce both need more of exactly that from you, not less, they'd tighten the bottleneck instead of loosening it. Which maybe means "builder to operator" isn't one item on the list, it's probably the thing that has to happen before the other options even make sense to weigh against each other. Doubling down on”

“I've recently been thinking about making a big purchase off of credit and hoping to invest in something that I can make some money off of for side work. The idea of buying or building a larger 3D printer and selling creations came across my mind. Im pretty decent with a computer so I dont think learning a program would be very difficult. I do want to want to avoid common mistakes and such along rhe way though. Can anyone tell me what questions I should be asking, what I should be thinking ab”

“I wouldn’t add a second location or start another business until the first store can run for a few weeks without you. Your next challenge isn’t finding a new opportunity, it’s turning what you built into a system. Track everything only you currently do, delegate one bottleneck at a time, and use the freed-up time to test e-commerce before making a bigger bet.”

“I’d focus on three things: collect reviews obsessively, create repeatable SOPs/checklists from day one, and don’t race to the bottom on price. A reliable cleaner who shows up every time is worth paying for. Sounds like you’re off to a solid start already.”

“I’m CEO handling the boring admin side of things where my financial expertise comes into play. She’s COO where her physical skills come in to play. Neither of us see issue with it.”

“You don't really need to "create systems" you need to hire out for all the stuff that you hate to do in the business. Even hiring someone that can do the job 70-80% as well as you and then your still only having to do the remaining 20-30% which is a massive time savings. That would definitely help you scale if you wanna go that route or you could continue with it at slightly lower margins but much more passive and pour the profits into another biz. No correct answer but I hate the”

“I don't work for them. I own a roofing company that's now booked up all day Monday-Saturday. I'm looking for good answers to my question about tracking, not your opinion on another business's ads. I'd go take it up with them, not me. Or, I'd at least try it out without making assumptions, but that would be between you and them.”

“your real advantage is something most new cleaning businesses dont have: a cleaner with 3 years of proven, top-tier reputation. lean on that hard. two moves: 1) now that her non-compete is done, reach out to her past private clients and anyone who asked for her specifically, those are warm leads who already trust her work, not cold strangers, and a few become your first recurring accounts + first reviews. 2) do NOT compete on price. shes employee-of-the-month level, so sell reliability and quali”

“Yeah getting DBA and insurance before the first clean this week. Located in the Carolinas.”

“Great to hear? What location? As far as advice goes, stay as simple as possible. Build your book of business and learn + adapt from there. Get cheapest insurance as you can right now if you truly feel you need it.”

“Hello everyone! I (24M) am starting a cleaning business with my (23F) girlfriend. For some background, I currently work in finance (remotely for company \~1bn market cap) and my girlfriend is unemployed, taking online classes to finish her degree in Horticulture. My girlfriend previously worked as a house cleaner for 3 years and was consistently fighting for employee of the month with one other lady. She is exceptional at her job but had to call it quits for a few months to recover from injury.”

“Hey everyone, I’m trying to start my own car interior detailing business and I’m trying to figure out what are the MUST HAVES for chemicals and tools, I watched a video on YouTube titled “everything you need for perfect interior detailing “by Hudson Archer, but I feel like the products he’s advertising are just because he’s getting commission off them, what do you guys think is necessary to get and can I buy these products physically at stores? I plan on having this as a side hustle for now and”

“Hi everybody, Currently work in commercial lending on the risk side and deal with countless small businesses in need of funding/capital. I realized in a lot of cases, these businesses are being declined, receiving heavily capped offers (either shorter term or max funding amounts), and higher buy rates due to very controllable factors. I know it's been a rough couple of months for a lot of businesses so I have a tool that I feel can help business owners understand what they can do in order to”

“I don't own a roofing company, but I've worked with a few home service businesses, and one thing jumps out immediately... You only need 2–4 qualified appointments a week. That's actually a pretty achievable problem to solve. If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't be looking for one "silver bullet" lead source. I'd stack a few channels that consistently produce one or two leads each. Here's where I'd focus: • Double down on Google Business Profile. Keep generati”

“I’ve been running a business for 6 years and I knew NOTHING about running a business when I started. Spend within your means, provide excellent customer service/ get to know your customers -ask them about their families etc then watch your business grow by word of mouth because people like YOU. also, you DO NOT need to spend wasteful money on junk with your business name on it… hats, shirts, magnets pens etc. It’s all junk and no one need more junk. Hire when you get the sense that you’re starti”

“The useful version of this idea is figuring out the one thing only you should touch. Once I got clear on that, hiring got easier because I stopped looking for mini-mes and started buying relief for specific bottlenecks. Even one solid operator can give a founder a surprising amount of brain space back.”

“I've been out of the industry for a few years, but I used to work variously as a sous, a charcutier, and a fishmonger. A friend of mine is looking to buy a restaurant and has asked me to tag along to their first meeting with the current owner to advise on the state of the kitchen. I think I have a pretty good idea of what to look for in terms of the age and maintenance of most of the equipment, including the range, fryers, flattop, hood, etc. However, I'm curious if anyone has any additi”

“Hello everyone, I live in a small town in NSW, Australia. I'm starting out as a mobile detailer and would like to begin by doing headlight restoration on weekends. I have $1000 available to invest. After researching, I saw that the ShineMate EX603 polisher would be ideal to start with. Does anyone use this machine? Could you help me or suggest any alternatives? submitted by /u/motrizsports [link] [comments]”

“I'm cold-calling small business owners offering my bookkeeping service. I've been doing it for 2-3 hours per day in the past 3 weeks. Never had any luck. My target market is photographers and brick-and-mortar businesses like flower shops. 90% of the objection I get is the "got things covered with someone else." Now I understand that most of them will have this objection, but I wonder if the problem is in my target market or something. I haven't tried ads, Upwork sucks, and”

“I’m looking for honest feedback before I spend any money setting up an LLC. The idea is a small, solo B2B business focused on keeping commercial properties looking clean on a subscription basis. I would only work in my hometown, so the goal is to build a dense route instead of driving all over the place. The service would be more of a regular touch up and appearance maintenance service, not full building pressure washing or parking lot sweeping. Things like picking up litter, removing cigarette”

“My advice: if you don’t know the competitive landscape or customer acquisition process for a business, you’re not ready to enter that business.”

“"The Problem" comes down to demonstrating that you are: Solving a problem for someone you KNOW actually has Who is willing to PAY you to solve it for them At a price point ABOVE what it costs you to solve it for them If you cannot check all three boxes? That's a hobby and not a business.”

“Hi all, My husband and i are looking to start a website that sells European/asian lighting fixtures and plan on contacting a few international manufacturers to ask them if we can put their products on our website to sell to the American market. We’re aiming for smaller companies that are more niche. What would be the best first course of action for something like this? Any advice is welcome. submitted by /u/Equivalent_Smile_376 [link] [comments]”

“You need to do research on your area. What’s the daytime population. Do people commute there? Or do they leave to work and just live there? Is it growing? Declining? Are there ice cream shops? Is there a need? Are new businesses moving in? Are they moving out or closing?”

“The buying decisions are probably the main thing keeping you stuck. That’s usually the hardest part of a business to systemize because it depends a lot on experience and judgment, which is why stepping away from it can feel difficult. I’d start by separating the tasks that truly require your input from the ones that only feel like they do. For example, product listing is probably something that can be delegated or automated without needing you involved.”

“Solid framework. The inventory turns metric alone would probably give this person a clear idea of where to focus next without getting stuck analyzing everything else. Sometimes one key number can highlight the biggest bottleneck and point you toward the right decision faster than looking at a dozen different metrics.”

“I have to say $30k net is suspiciously high for someone this size of company, given a strong profit margin is 20% for a landscaper. The exception is if it’s a sole proprietor or they gross around 150k average monthly. The reason I am skeptical is landscaping is a very seasonal business and is capital intensive especially if they are sub-contracting a lot. It’s definitely possible to gross that much in a VCHOL spring to summer months, but keep in mind, profits decline sharply in fall and winter.”

“Handle your pricing for what ever sees fit. See what the landfill dump fees are etc….”

“This is what you call the research stage. You’re meant to learn about the industry by visiting the websites of businesses already operating. Read their blogs and FAQ. Call your local town to find out more about waste disposal or look online at their website. You can’t just ask massive questions on Reddit. Do your research.”

“I could use some advice from those of you who have experience with fleet washing or municipal fleet detailing. I have a city that’s interested in contracting me to maintain their vehicles, and I want to make sure I’m setting myself up for success. My current plan is to use Chem-X Stars & Stripes for the wash process, Snake Oil as a maintenance protectant, and NanoSkin UV Protectant for the interior plastics and trim. Right now I’m using a Ryobi 1.8 GPM pressure washer, but I’m wondering if I”

“It's hard to go wrong with Square or Toast tbh. Don't waste too much time debating on what's best now, it's not a critical success factor for your business honestly. Picking either will do just fine to start and it's not *too* hard to switch if you really don't like it. You have enough other critical problems to worry about starting off. As for a paging system, it's not cellular but we actually started life as a free paging system for food trucks before expanding to r”

“$275 a month for a landscaping company pulling 30k net is wild, that dude's current bookkeeper is either a family friend or doing the bare minimum”

“EDIT: Seems like our plan was doomed to fail. Most of the advice is "just hire an MSP" and I'm leaning that way. I might find a unicorn IT consultant, still not really sure how to look for one, but will start looking into local MSPs too. Thanks everyone for your feedback, still open to more if you have it or any recs for consultants/MSPs in the Denver area would be welcome. Looking for a reality check from people who actually do this work. Quick background. We're a ~15 person e”

“I "started" my junk removal business at the end of May. We formed a multi-member LLC, but we didn't land our first paying job until June 28th. Since then, we've completed two jobs totaling about $5,300 in revenue , and after dump fees, gas, equipment purchases, and other startup costs, we're sitting at roughly $1,700 in profit . Right now we're borrowing both a truck and dump trailer from family, so we're basically bootstrapping the business. We're incredibly gr”

“I’m 21 and graduated from the University of South Florida last year with a business logistics degree. Long story short, the corporate world wasn’t for me and I’ve been working at my brother-in-law’s plumbing business for 7 months now. I enjoy hard work, but the low wages and long commute are really depressing me. I have an idea to start a moving business that specifically focuses on moving students in and out of USF and the surrounding area. I believe close to 10k live on campus with 20-30k more”

“Why do you need Claude max if you're a small shop? Are you really hitting the limits on the lower subs?”

“https://preview.redd.it/57h8w1lxvldh1.jpg?width=2316&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8e48fad01a96d3bd9a495a7cccf9f0aa5fb7fb61 I'm Henry Lindpere, senior immigration attorney at Manifest Law. I'm Estonian American, Arizona-barred, and I've filed 700+ cases over 5 years handling employment-based immigration including E-2, O-1, EB-1A, and EB-2 NIW for founders, entrepreneurs, and professionals across tech and business. A lot of SaaS founders outside the US assume they can't buil”

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