No one in my life is a small business owner, so they don’t really understand how good this feels. I started my business three months ago. It’s a service that creates personal skincare routines using Japanese and other Asian beauty products. I knew I was solving a real problem: so many women are using the wrong products, or none at all because they don’t know where to start.

Since the idea is unusual, I offered the service free at first. My hope was that once I got a few people, word of mouth would spread. I ran a free group event to teach skincare basics and how to layer different products. I just held my second one and it went so well.

The results: lots of positive feedback, one sale, and someone volunteering to host more (paid) group events at her workplace, which is mostly women. It’s not a huge breakthrough, but it’s the little boost I needed when doubt was starting to creep in. Starting a small business feels like an endless roller coaster with ups, downs, and twists, and sometimes you just need a small win to keep going.

What small wins have kept you moving forward?

Hi guys,I run a company in Vietnam that sells wood materials for furniture manufactures like plywood, MDF, laminated panels, the raw stuff that turns into desks, cabinets, shelves. For years, U.S. buyers have been one of our biggest markets, keeping designers on budget, and honestly keeping my 200+ employees in jobs as well.

Now with all this talk of a 25% tariff on furniture imports, I’m just… exhausted. Others are rushing to front-load shipments now, trying to beat the tariff window. Meanwhile, my workers are asking if hours will be cut, and I don’t even know how to answer them.

What makes it worse is, even if these tariffs happen, does anyone really believe thousands of Americans will suddenly want to clock into a cheap furniture factory in North Carolina or Ohio tomorrow morning? We all know the answer. The U.S. makes maybe 20% of its own furniture right now, the rest is imported.

Instead of generating more jobs, this just feels like a tax on everyone: higher prices for U.S. families, canceled orders for exporters like my company, and a ton of uncertainty hanging over small businesses who are already stretched thin.

This could be the first time trade policy is threatening my entire business. Has anyone else here had orders disrupted or fears of it because of tariffs? How are you preparing? Any suggestions for me? 

I once had a client who bought my $20 website template and said, “It’s mostly done just needs a few personal touches.” Then offered $50 for those changes.

By “personal touches,” they meant: Changing fonts, Swapping the layout, Rewriting the copy, adding a booking system, integrating a newsletter, making it feel more “premium”

I reminded them it was a template. They said, “Right, but it should still reflect my brand.” I said that would take custom work. They said, “It’s just tweaks.”

So, I tweaked. And tweaked. And tweaked. Until the template was unrecognizable and I was basically rebuilding the site from scratch. No extra budget. No scope change. Just vibes.

They loved the final result. Then asked if I could “quickly” design a pitch deck to match the site.

Freelancing isn’t just delivering work. It’s navigating the blurry line between what’s promised and what’s assumed.

Anyone else been there?

Okay so... I genuinely hate Wix so much. Like, I know I haven't used many website editors and I get that this is supposed to be for beginners but holy shit this has been the most frustrating thing I've ever had to do. I genuinely wish I never started this.

Like if I had to make a website builder, this would literally be my perfect example of what NOT to do. Nothing is consistent!! It'll constantly make random changes - like cropping my logo differently every single time for no reason?? And stuff just isn't where it would make logical sense to put it. The editor is just... it's so poor.

And then - AND THEN - all they do is try to get you to use their premium bullshit. I'm trying to do something simple and they're constantly trying to sell me these "premium services" that their website can supposedly provide. It's absolutely mind-boggling.

Look, I haven't used any other website builders, but if I hadn't already spent so much time trying to push through this nightmare, I would tell everyone: DO NOT use Wix. Do literally anything else.

I genuinely just came here to post this because I've spent the last WEEK trying to get this website to look halfway decent and I'm just losing my mind. Like why is everything so inconsistent?? Why does it keep changing things I already set up???

Anyway... needed to vent. If anyone has better alternatives please let me know because I'm about ready to throw my computer out the window.

I'm trying to learn more about how SMEs discover and use AI tools/agents - so I created this very short (2-3 mins) survey via Google Forms. If you are a small business owner/manager and you are looking into AI solutions, it would be great if you could share your views:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf8f8kOh2Nnn-k6CY32FwI-bNTVivToet-aSMCg3TkZRVsqsA/viewform?usp=dialog

I’m currently trying to raise $500 within the next two weeks, so I’m offering my skills to anyone who needs a project handled. Coding, writing, design, selling, editing, research, spreadsheets, data entry, business tasks - whatever it is, I’ll get it done.

Lately I’ve been realizing that one of the hardest parts of running a small but growing business isn’t the sales or the bookkeeping… it’s the emails.

When I first started, I could get by replying to everything myself; late at night, on my phone, in between tasks. But now that things are picking up, the inbox is constantly filling with customer questions, supplier updates, and even staff stuff.

The problem is, every email feels like a mini mental workout. I catch myself rewriting the same message five times just to make sure it doesn’t sound curt, unprofessional, or worse, like I’m annoyed. Half the time I sit there staring at the screen, knowing I should move on to bigger tasks, but feeling guilty if I don’t answer right away.

Curious how others here handle this:

• ⁠Do you personally write every email, or have you found ways to streamline it? • ⁠Do you rely on canned templates, an assistant, or just sheer willpower? • ⁠Do you block out time for email, or reply as things come in?

Feels like one of those invisible drains on energy that nobody talks about, but adds up fast. How are you all managing the inbox without it taking over your day?

Edit: thanks for the DMs!

I’ve been experimenting by taking small business websites and mocking up cleaner versions.

For example:
– One site had a cluttered homepage with five different CTAs → I simplified it into one clear call-to-action.
– Another had grainy images and hard-to-read fonts → I refreshed it with a modern layout and strong visuals.

When I showed these mockups to the owners, almost every reaction was along the lines of ‘this looks way more professional.’

It got me thinking:
– Do you believe design really changes customer trust?
– Has updating your website ever directly helped your sales?

Hi everyone 👋 I recently launched my first SaaS company, NovaraTech, focused on real estate professionals.

The product: AI chatbots that sit on a realtor’s FB, IG, WhatsApp, or website and:

• Capture & qualify leads automatically
• Sync them to Google Sheets/CRM
• Work 24/7 (so agents don’t lose deals overnight)

I’d love honest feedback from other entrepreneurs:

• Does this sound like something with strong demand?
• What would you improve in the pitch?
• How would you market to busy professionals who are drowning in leads but short on time?

Happy to answer any questions about building this from scratch too — still early days but learning fast! 🚀

Hey everyone,

I've been a long-time lurker here, and now I'm finally at a point where I could post... but I'm honestly struggling to even hit the submit button.

For the last two years, every single day, I've been working on creating a massive, detailed OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examination) course for medical/healthcare students. We're talking hundreds of hours, countless cases, detailed mark schemes – the works. It's been my entire life.

The website is built. The content is uploaded. The payment gateway is set up. It's literally ready to go. I planned the launch for this week.

And now... I'm completely frozen. It's like all the motivation and drive I had has vanished and been replaced with sheer terror. -What if no one buys it? -What if it's not as good as I thought it was? -What if I get negative reviews? -What if I've just wasted two years of my life?

My anxiety is through the roof, and I'm cycling between feeling numb and feeling a deep sense of depression. The self-doubt is overwhelming. The thought of actually promoting it makes me feel physically ill.

I guess I'm just looking to see if any other solo founders or entrepreneurs have hit this exact wall right at the finish line. How did you get past the paralysis and just hit "go"? Any advice or even just some solidarity would mean the world right now.

Thanks for listening.

Hi everyone,

We’re looking to build our web development portfolio with more international work, and thought this could be a good way to start. To do this, we’d love to develop 5 simple websites for free.

A few things to keep in mind:

You’d just need to cover hosting + domain costs.

We’re not including e-commerce sites in this round, as they usually require ongoing management and more advanced integrations. For now, we want to focus on faster, simpler builds that allow us to take on multiple projects and showcase variety in our portfolio.

The websites are completely free. If you feel it’s really well made, you’re welcome to drop us a tip, but that’s entirely optional.

All we ask is a small review/testimonial, and if you’re happy, maybe you could refer us to others later.

This will really help us grow our experience while hopefully giving some of you a chance to get an affordable online presence.

If you’re interested, please drop us a message with a little about your project.

Thanks.

I am the owner and am heavily involved. However I have a team of 4 that can virtually run everything without me (one in particular that operates as the COO). I mainly generate sales and am linked to the brand reputation. Our client base is mainly 5-10 customers annually given the high-end homes we build.

How do I build on the value of the business? We have consistently strong revenue and EBITDA but we are very specialized doing a handful of high-end homes a year and reliant on myself landing clients. I worry that if I ever wanted to sell, the business valuation wouldn’t be huge due to these reasons.

Are there logical ways to expand? Do investors or private equity firms buy businesses like mine? How can I ensure valuation of the business’ brand beyond assets? I want to ensure I have a good exit and target as the business evolves.

We often ask why business in India is not flourishing at the rate of USA, I might have got the answer to that.

I started a humble e-commerce venture. Recently, this guy or should I say goon ordered an action camera from us. Unfortunately, that very unit had some issue so we basically told him so and said to him to wait for 2-3 days till we get the replacement from the brand.

We sent the unit to the brand, but the product had some issues. So, we get back to him saying so and asking him if he wanted any other product or camera listed on our website with extra discount. Now all this way happening within the delivery period we have promised him. But he was abusive from the very start, saying cuss words and what not to me and my team. As he requested we initiated a full refund to his original bank account.

He began posting derogatory, obscene, highly sexualized posts, and highly defamatory content about me, my family, and my business — even after receiving the refund and reimbursement. He went further, creating fake videos claiming we never refunded him, despite proof on our Razorpay dashboard.

When we confronted him, he said that my bank has charged you back and you have not refunded. When we asked him to provide chargeback documents, after sharing screenshot of our RazorPay Dashboard with no chargeback received. He went silent.

He even went on to say that our address, names etc listed on our website are totally wrong. Even after we provided him our GSTIN and trademark certificate.

So, this guy is there just to extort money from you by posting false content. He is saying that he is a graduate and had high paying jobs and whatnot, but all that is bullshit. And he is not doing this just to us, there is a pattern. Check his MouthShut Profile - https://www.mouthshut.com/arun_112, he has posted such content about nearly 77 businesses in order to extort money from them and then has posted video of each of them on his YouTube Channel.

Even his website where he says that they are a registered NGO, but you can check the website is just so shitty for a registered NGO and I was not even able to find the NGO registered with any of the government portals - https://ngodarpan.gov.in/#/search-ngoc, while in their procedure they have mentioned that there NGO is operating from 25 Years - https://www.consumergrievance.com/procedure.pdf

Even the YouTube Channel is trying to impersonate government bodies by titling it as "Consumer Complaint - Consumer Court" using it as a clickbait to entice users to get more views. Check this lawsuit - https://indiankanoon.org/doc/130428480/?type=print, where they got an innocent customer stuck for Defamation. While Arun easily declined to visit the court in Delhi, the customer had to travel 2000 km for the hearing of this case, apparently.

I am sure their internal mechanisms are all fraud and maybe a front for something highly illegal. They just ask the initial INR 500 to get the customer within their vicious net. Then get them stuck in the middle of more lawsuits to extort money from them. The irony, of the fact is that they claim in their procedure form that they do not advertise on their websites, but their website was filled with our website's ads using Google Adsense.

He has said on his website that he is a registered lawyer, but you can search yourself in Government's Database that he is not even registered with any Bar Councils and is not even a lawyer - https://probono-doj.in/list-of-advocates.html?AdvocateSearch%5Bbar_council%5D=13&page=2&per-page=50

This entire incident highlights a deeper issue with India’s business ecosystem, it’s not just about infrastructure, funding, or policies; it’s about trust and accountability. In the U.S., strong consumer protection frameworks exist, but there are also clear consequences for malicious actors who weaponize those very protections for personal gain.

Until then, every founder has to fight not just market competition but also a broken system where integrity gets tested at every step.

I’m sharing this not just for myself but for every Indian entrepreneur who dares to build. If you’ve faced similar extortion or harassment, let’s connect — together, we can create a stronger voice to demand change.

PS - We are already pursuing legal notice against him, if you have been wronged by this goon or his fake NGO. Please DM me we can club our notices together.

Any course or online resource?

Hey folks, I’m exploring the idea of a simple tool for building and sharing mind maps online.
Not trying to be the next Miro, just something lightweight with templates and easy sharing.

Curious → if you use mind-mapping tools today, what annoys you the most?

And do you think there’s still room in this space, or is it already saturated?

As the title goes, my fellow small business owners, what did you guys do to grow your business? Was it strictly word of mouth? Did you invest in going to craft markets? Or were you posting on social media consistently?

I’d love to know and put in some good ideas into mine! Thank you in advance!!

To give you some context, I run an event management company but in the recent months business has slowed and we're currently looking into what we're able to do to help improve sales or look for potential clients.

We had also invested in some new speakers and lighting but in the recent downturn, we're wondering what we're able to do. Any advice would be really helpful!

So I just landed an exciting contract with a local gift shop and wanted to create a custom bundle, one that includes a handmade candle by myself paired with a toy bus. I am going to tie both together with a nice ribbon so it looks like a nice gift set. The gift shop told me it would better if I source the toy buses myself.

So I am a little lost and wanted advice on how to procure something that is not cheap or flimsy. I want something that feels more like a gift and not a party favor, so what are somethings I should look out for in regards to paint, size, and finish?

Have any of you created bundled candle gift with non-candle items and have a specific vendor or site where you can order these items at a reasonable price. I was thinking of Alibaba, because I ordered a bunch of candle making supplies from there. Any other sites that I can use to order wholesale toy buses from? Should I prefer die-cast metal over plastic or is plastic okay if its good quality. Are there certain types of paints or coating that may be more likely to chip or smell that I should avoid? I don't want them to look like dollar-store junk.

Hello! 🚀 I’m in the process of building a startup and I’m looking for ambitious, business-minded people who’d like to be part of this journey. If this excites you, let’s connect — DM me and let’s talk!

How do i get sponsorship for my business

Hi everyone, I’m looking for some help with finding a supplier. I’m starting a stationary business and looking to get planners with my own designs and layouts made but I can’t seem to find anywhere online, maybe I’m using the wrong search terms. As I’m only starting out I’m looking for somewhere not too expensive and that I can buy in small-medium quantities for now.

If anyone has any recommendations it would be much appreciated. Thank you!

Maybe I have forgotten something somewhere along the way. Let's say that a large brick and mortar takes interest in carrying my products. Let's say they want 50,000 units. That could be like $200k just to get those units to the retailer....

What is a financial institution going to want to see to give a loan for that much??? I hear that a retailer probably won't pay for the actual purchase order for 3-4 months after getting the product.

I wouldn't have $200k even in a 401k to use on a loan or such. Can I tell the retailer that I won't sell 50,000 units to them and I need them to start with like 10,000 units or something?

I'm just an average income guy right now working a job and doing my business stuff on the side.

What method did some of you all use when a large purchase order came along?

Thanks8

Hi everyone,

I’ll keep this short: I see a lot of “fast money” hype online, but I’m more interested in what actually brings lasting success as an IT expert.

Right now I’m experimenting with automation workflows, and while it works to some degree, I also see how hype can destroy real opportunities when everyone suddenly jumps on the same trend.

So my question is:
Where do you think it’s truly worth investing time and energy in IT right now?
What areas or skills do you see as a good long-term investment that will still matter in 5–10 years?

I’d love to hear your perspectives.

Hi all, I run a small custom jersey business for almost 2 years. I will ask customers pay an amount for deposit to see the design before confirming their order. If they proceed, The amount is deducted from the final bill. If they don’t, it’s supposed to be non-refundable.

Here’s the situation:
Some customers pay the deposit but then disappearred without confirming their order. I don't feel like the deposits hanging in my records forever, because it looks like an unpaid liability. My initial thought forfeit the deposit after a period. But is it proper (and reasonable) to forfeit the deposit after a period of no action?

For other small business owners: how do you handle this? Do you forfeit deposits after a time limit, or let them stay valid forever?

We have a part time role that I recruit for year round (it's just a few hours per month, same role but in lots of different cities). I get a lot of applicants and it would be great to be able to screen them a bit using an async interview before I interview them myself online.

I've been using myinterview.com and also https://asyncinterview.io/ however the issue I keep running into is that they have no pricing plan for people like me - their free plan runs for at most a month, and then it's a jump to $70 a month, but I only have one part time role I want to advertise, so my budget would be more like 10-20 dollars a month max.

Do you know of any platforms that offer that, or something similar? Free would obviously be the best, but I don't mind paying a little as it helps free up my time.