u/Instance_Other

I just turned 30 with 2 young kids and I keep thinking about starting a football/sports podcast because I genuinely love football / sports and talking about the game.

I know it’s not exactly original but I’m actually serious about it and feel like I’d regret never trying.

Main thing holding me back is embarrassment and judgement. I keep thinking people will laugh, think I’m forcing it, or ask who I think I am starting a podcast.( live in small town )

I also know absolutely nothing about podcasting/content creation and everything I read just confuses me even more. With 2 kids to support, I also wonder how people even make money from it in the first place.

Anyone else start from zero feeling like this? And anyone wanna do it with me? I am British Asian, 30 based in Banbury Oxfordshire

*** Edit***
Wow! I never expected so much encouragement from strangers 😂, thank you so much!

I have another question… how do I push my podcast up? How to grow the listeners?

Bit confused with cash flow in reselling.

Say I start with £500 and buy stock.

First month maybe I only sell £250-300 worth, so after fees/postage I’ve got less cash than I started with but I still have loads of stock sitting there to sell.

Then next month more sells, but I’m also buying more inventory at the same time.

So how do people actually judge if the business is doing well?

Do you need to be making profit every month or is it normal for cash to feel tight while stock builds up?

Think I’m confusing profit with actual cash in the bank.

Hello, I would like some guidance on how to better utilise the product research option on eBay. I resell clothing and I wanted to understand if a clothing piece has let’s say 10-20% sell through rate over last month, would you consider this a positive high metric or low? And what would be a sell through percentage look like for you to take notice?

I’ve recently discovered Reddit and I can’t lie… I’ve been posting on here a lot lately 😂 but honestly it’s because I don’t really have business minded people around me in real life, so this feels like one of the only places I can get genuine opinions and advice.
There’s currently a retail unit available in the town I live in and I’ve been seriously thinking about the possibility of buying it and turning it into a convenience store.

I know it’s probably not the most exciting business idea in the world, and maybe not even the smartest, but I keep thinking:
- people always need basics
- local shops still seem busy
- and owning something physical/business-related feels better to me than just drifting through jobs forever

I’ve started doing a bit of research already:
- looked into average convenience store profit margins
- watched a few UK shop owner videos on YouTube
- checked nearby shop competition in my area
- and realised startup costs seem way higher than I first thought once you include stock, refrigeration, EPOS systems, licensing, business rates, etc.

The problem is I still don’t really know what’s realistic versus what people online exaggerate.

So I wanted to ask people with actual experience:
- Roughly how much money would you realistically need to get started?
- What costs catch people out?
- Is buying a unit a bad idea compared to renting?
- Are margins actually decent or is it a constant grind?
- And if you were starting again today, would you still do it?

For context, I’m 30, from a British Asian background, and I’ve spent most of my adult life working jobs rather than building something for myself. I think part of me just wants to finally create something stable long term instead of constantly feeling financially behind.

Would genuinely appreciate honest opinions - even if the answer is “don’t do it.”

I’ve recently discovered Reddit and I can’t lie… I’ve been posting on here a lot lately 😂 but honestly it’s because I don’t really have business minded people around me in real life, so this feels like one of the only places I can get genuine opinions and advice.
There’s currently a retail unit available in the town I live in and I’ve been seriously thinking about the possibility of buying it and turning it into a convenience store.

I know it’s probably not the most exciting business idea in the world, and maybe not even the smartest, but I keep thinking:
- people always need basics
- local shops still seem busy
- and owning something physical/business-related feels better to me than just drifting through jobs forever

I’ve started doing a bit of research already:
- looked into average convenience store profit margins
- watched a few UK shop owner videos on YouTube
- checked nearby shop competition in my area
- and realised startup costs seem way higher than I first thought once you include stock, refrigeration, EPOS systems, licensing, business rates, etc.

The problem is I still don’t really know what’s realistic versus what people online exaggerate.

So I wanted to ask people with actual experience:
- Roughly how much money would you realistically need to get started?
- What costs catch people out?
- Is buying a unit a bad idea compared to renting?
- Are margins actually decent or is it a constant grind?
- And if you were starting again today, would you still do it?

For context, I’m 30, from a British Asian background, and I’ve spent most of my adult life working jobs rather than building something for myself. I think part of me just wants to finally create something stable long term instead of constantly feeling financially behind.

Would genuinely appreciate honest opinions - even if the answer is “don’t do it.”

Started reselling properly around 3 months ago, mainly selling my own stuff at first, then slowly picking up bits from car boots, charity shops, found a warehouse in Birmingham, and recently placed my first order through Fleek.

It’s still early days but I genuinely want to turn this into my long term thing. Since January I’ve made around £500 profit so far, not life changing money yet but for me it’s proof there’s potential if I stay consistent and keep learning.

One thing I really want now is to connect with more people in the reselling/vintage space. Whether it’s networking, sharing advice, sourcing tips or even collaborating — I’m keen to meet others on the same journey.

Based in Banbury uk

Started reselling properly around 3 months ago, mainly selling my own stuff at first, then slowly picking up bits from car boots, charity shops, found a warehouse in Birmingham, and recently placed my first order through Fleek.

I can’t lie… I think I’ve caught the bug 😂

It’s still early days but I genuinely want to turn this into my long term thing. Since January I’ve made around £500 profit so far, not life changing money yet but for me it’s proof there’s potential if I stay consistent and keep learning.

One thing I really want now is to connect with more people in the reselling/vintage space. Whether it’s networking, sharing advice, sourcing tips or even collaborating — I’m keen to meet others on the same journey.

Based in Banbury uk

Hi all,

Looking for some advice

I’m earning around £1,600–£1,700 net per month (paid weekly) and I’m trying to get onto the property ladder but my goal is buy to let, not buying a place to live in.

From what I’ve worked out so far:
- I’d likely be able to borrow somewhere around £90k–£110k
- I know I’d need ~25% deposit for BTL
- So realistically targeting properties around £90k–£120k

The issue I’m running into is location.

A lot of advice points to places like the North (Middlesbrough, Sunderland, etc.) for better yields, but honestly… that feels too far for me. I’d prefer something I can get to within about 1 hour (max 1.5h) - mainly for peace of mind as a first property.

I’m based in Banbury, so I’ve been looking at areas like:
- Northampton / Wellingborough / Kettering
- Coventry / Nuneaton
- Maybe parts of Birmingham

My goal isn’t massive profit — I’d be happy with:
- Mortgage covered
- Small monthly cash flow (£100–£200)
- Decent tenant demand

A few questions:

1. Am I being unrealistic trying to stay within commuting distance for a BTL?
2. Are the areas I mentioned actually viable for ~6–8% yields?
3. Would I be better off going cheaper/further out for my first deal, even if it’s uncomfortable?
4. Any tips on managing a property remotely vs wanting to stay local?

Thanks in advance 👍

Hi all,

I’m not really sure where else to ask this, so hoping someone here might have some advice or experience.

I’m 30, my wife is 27 and we have 2 young kids (both under 3). We’re currently living in my parents’ 3 bed end of terrace house in Banbury, Oxfordshire (Cherwell council area), and it’s honestly become unbearable.

There are 8 of us officially living here:
my mum and dad, me, my wife and our two kids, plus my sister and her husband.

On top of that, my mum has a friend who is here basically every single day from late morning until late at night. She doesn’t sleep here, but she’s around so much that it feels like there are 9 people in the house most of the time.

There just isn’t enough space. Me and my oldest are sleeping on sofas in the living room. There’s no privacy at all, and it’s really starting to affect my relationship and just our general wellbeing.

I know what some people might think reading this - “why have kids in that situation?” and honestly, fair enough but things weren’t like this before. When I got married and when my first child was born, I had a good job and was in a position where I was planning to buy my own place. Then I got laid off, struggled to find work for a long time and ended up going through my savings while also helping out at home.

I’ve finally managed to get a job again (it’s a fixed-term contract) and mentally I’m in a much better place now. Feels like I can actually start moving forward again. I’m also on Universal Credit at the moment.

I’ll be applying through Cherwell District Council, so if anyone has experience specifically with them that would be really helpful too or actually any experience

What I’m trying to figure out is:
- has anyone here actually managed to get a council house in a situation like this?
- how long did it take you?
- does overcrowding like this actually make a difference in priority?
- is there anything I can do to improve my chances or speed things up?

I know there are people in worse situations, so I’m not expecting special treatment. I just feel stuck and need to do something for my family.

Any advice would really help. Appreciate it.

Hi all,
I’ve got two young kids (3 years old, just started nursery, and a 1-year-old), and I’ve been thinking a lot about how to give them the best start in terms of developing strong intelligence, curiosity, and awareness from early on.
I want them to grow up really switched on — not just academically, but in how they think, communicate, and understand the world. The challenge I’m facing is that my current social circle doesn’t really prioritise this kind of development, so I feel like I need to be more intentional about creating that environment myself.
For those of you who’ve been through this or are doing it now:
What actually makes a difference at this age?
What habits, routines, or activities helped your kids become more curious and sharp?
How important is the environment vs. what you do at home?
Any books, games, or approaches you’d recommend?
Not looking to pressure them or make things intense — just want to set a strong foundation early.
Appreciate any advice or experiences!

My son ( 3 years old ) prefers playing on his own at nursery and doesn’t really interact much with the other kids. He’s happy doing his own thing and seems comfortable, but it does make me wonder if I should be concerned.

I’ve actually been aware for a while that socially he might not quite be “there” yet. Part of me wonders if that’s on us a bit—we don’t have a huge close family with lots of cousins around, and most of our friends don’t have kids the same age. So he hasn’t consistently had that peer-to-peer interaction growing up, and I’m starting to think that might be playing a role.

It was his nursery teacher who really made me aware of it more recently. She mentioned that he struggles to sit and eat with the other kids at the table. He sometimes doesn’t eat much, then gets really hungry later and ends up eating with her during her lunch time.

That part feels like something I can improve at home—maybe by having more regular sit-down meals together as a family so he gets used to that routine.

What’s interesting is that outside of nursery, he’s quite social in other ways. He comes everywhere with me (shops, park, etc.) and interacts really well with adults. He’s also fine around kids in our family, and at the park he seems okay being around other children too.

I’m trying to figure out the right balance. I want him to be as prepared as possible socially, but I don’t want to push too hard and knock his confidence either. At the same time, I don’t want him to default to only adult interaction and miss out on building friendships with kids his age.

Has anyone else been through something similar? Is this just a phase/temperament thing, or something I should be more proactive about? And what are some good ways to gently encourage social interaction without putting pressure on them?