r/smallbusinessowner

i've been in web dev for 10+ years and the range is insane. i've seen people drop $500 on a wix site that looks like it was made in 2012, and i've seen people pay $15k to an agency for basically the same thing with a nicer font.

had a client last month who came to me after paying an agency $8k for a wordpress site that scored a 23 on google pagespeed. twenty three. my guy could've gotten better results from a free template.

on the flip side i know business owners running $200/yr squarespace sites that are crushing it because the content is solid and they actually put effort into their google business profile.

price ≠ quality in this space. it really doesn't.

so what was your experience? what did you pay, what did you get, and would you do it again?

If you’re a business owner struggling with customer communication issues, like missed messages, slow replies, or misunderstandings, drop a comment or DM me.

I’ll listen to your situation and share a custom solution tailored to your specific challenge. No sales pitch, just practical help. 🫶

Honestly, didn’t think I’d ever post something like this.

A friend had been telling me about this method ($1700/week), but I kept ignoring it.

Recently I decided to check it myself — and yeah, I shouldn’t have doubted it.

He explains everything on his Reddit - nickname: lolbit_511

You can just copy the username and paste it into search, or use the link — his profile will be the first one.

At least take a look.

Walk me through the last time you felt stuck or frustrated building your business. What specifically happened?

What did you do the last time you needed business advice? Where did you go? How much did you spend? Was it worth it?

I understand that everyone's experience and struggles are different, so for me, preparation is everything. If you are willing to spend a little time, I would love to hear your story!

Honestly, didn’t think I’d ever post something like this.

A friend had been telling me about this method ($1700/week), but I kept ignoring it.

Recently I decided to check it myself — and yeah, I shouldn’t have doubted it.

He explains everything on his Reddit - nickname: lolbit_511

You can just copy the username and paste it into search, or use the link — his profile will be the first one.

At least take a look.

I’ve been working on an email cleanup app for the past few months and honestly didn’t know if anyone would actually pay for it.

Today I got my first subscription.

It’s only one person, but seeing someone put their card down for something I built from scratch felt crazy.

The idea came from dealing with tens of thousands of emails and not knowing where to even start cleaning.

So I built something that:

- shows what’s actually clogging your inbox

- groups emails by sender

- lets you clean thousands at once

Still super early, but this was a big moment for me.

https://preview.redd.it/9v3ikc4hu2tg1.png?width=491&format=png&auto=webp&s=c99cc03460c19058d6429e4a5bdc56f6e6c0ce15

Curious for other builders, do you remember your first paying user?

i have known this guy for ages. we started 15 years ago together as trainees, i moved to different cities and last year i came back here and we started a carpentry together as 50/50 owners.

ive noticed more and more things that makes it harder to do anything in terms of long term profitability. he regulary wants to do quick fixes, last minute schedule changes, overcharge, add extra to invoices higher than agreed amount.

I think we have burnt bridges with 3 different companies last year. about 15 days 1 or 2 of our employees had been sitting at home because "im not working for free"

every decision is almost a get rich scheme.

"oh we should do decking its great money in that" then gets me to contact every supplier and lead site to set these up. then he leaves MASSIVE qoutes around 40-80% higher than average. gets plenty of declines . i leave one qoute at regular pricing or 10% below average. massive crashout and refuses to show up to do it so i have to drop everything to do the job he wanted get into.

i manage to bag a contract that will generate enough job to keep us busy for a year or 2. first thing he wanta to do is to hire eastern europeans to do the job uber cheap so we can "become millionaires real fast"

he sent in this guy to do some parquette flooring. 2 rooms has pretty squint flooring and only the two i helped with is straight. i had to do a section because "you cant lay it backwards directions" which is odd because the flooring guys i bring in can do it. costs more per hour but puts down the floor at 3x times the speed.

i starting to feel like starting this was a shite decision. like the more days i put into this the more i tarnish my reputation

It's Mike, Gym Launch President. I've got two hours cleared on my schedule, so let's get into it.

I’m here to talk about growing your gym, any challenges you’ve had along the way, and also to share what we’re seeing work right now in 2026. 

If you’re not sure what to ask… think about “what keeps me up at night” about my business… that should get the gears turning. 

Drop all your questions here in this thread.

I'll be working through 'em as fast as I can until 2PM EST.  Ask away. 👇

— Mike Ferreira 

https://preview.redd.it/5rvxweknwzsg1.png?width=800&format=png&auto=webp&s=6c7a3b15992af5715cc0f0756b7fbf23553e1751

I have a solid history in supply chain and operations, particularly in management and analytics, and a software product that solves a specific operational problem for a niche segment of the manufacturing industry. The product is validated and in use, but the addressable market is small and every prospect is genuinely valuable.

I'm looking for someone who has sold products or services directly to manufacturing operators, particularly smaller to mid-sized operations. Someone who understands how decisions get made in that environment, and has a track record in either selling or consulting to manufacturers.

Open to an advisory arrangement, a commission-based partnership, or a combination of both depending on the fit.

Based in Melbourne, Australia but happy to work with anyone remotely.

One challenge I’ve noticed is testing new product ideas without ordering too much upfront. Large orders can be risky, but small batches often cost more per unit.

I came across Vograce while looking at suppliers that allow small orders, which seems useful for testing. For other small business owners, how do you approach product testing small quantities, pre-orders, or some other method to avoid dead inventory? Any lessons learned would be great to hear.

Hey all,

I run a small restaurant and this has been bugging me lately, so I wanted to see if it’s just me or a more common issue.

We’ve definitely had people show up when we’re closed, especially around holidays or random early closures. A lot of the time they say “but Google says you’re open,” which is frustrating because we thought we updated it. Sometimes we miss it, or it doesn’t change right away.

We also get a decent number of calls asking if we’re open on holidays or closing early. It’s not overwhelming, but enough to be annoying when we’re busy.

Worst part is the occasional bad review from someone who showed up and we were closed. Doesn’t happen all the time, but when it does it feels pretty unfair.

Right now we just try to manually update Google hours whenever something changes, but honestly it’s easy to forget, especially during busy weeks.

I'm curious as to how you all handle this. Do you run into the same issue with customers showing up when you're closed? What’s your process for updating holiday or special hours? Are there any tools that you use to update the hours across google, your website, doordash, postmates, grub hub, uber eats, etc...?

I have family business with 4 owners. Father, sons and a close friend. Somehow we double revenue every year but still end up broke. I live with my parents and my main reoccurring expense is $1000 a month for my car

Pay structure is unclear in the company some months we are negative and don’t take money some months we take 6k. I don’t know what to tackle first. It always seems making more money will solve the problem but it hasn’t for the past 5 years we are in business.

If anyone has advice on any of these topics I would love to hear it.

[supprimé]

I hear this a lot. Owner of a real business : trades, services, retail, whatever knows they need to "go digital" but has no idea what that actually means in practice for their specific situation.

And the internet is not helpful. You search for advice and you get articles written for tech startups about SaaS metrics and product-market fit. None of it maps to a business that has real customers, real staff, and real operations that have been running for years.

So let me share what I've actually seen work when a traditional business starts to digitize properly.

It's almost never "build an app." And it's almost never "get a new website" either, at least not first.

The first move that actually moves the needle is usually figuring out where the business is leaking. Not in a vague way ,specifically. Where are leads being lost? Where is staff time going that isn't generating revenue? Where are customers dropping off or getting frustrated? Where is information being communicated through three different channels and still getting lost?

Once you can answer those questions specifically, the tech decisions become obvious. Sometimes it's a simple automated follow-up. Sometimes it's a proper booking system that stops the back-and-forth. Sometimes it's just a website that doesn't look like it was built in 2011.

The businesses I've seen waste the most money on digitization are the ones who bought the tech before they understood the problem.

What's the thing in your business that you know is broken but you haven't figured out how to fix yet?

I run a small delivery business supplying product to convenience stores and liquor stores. As part of my service, I sometimes provide a freezer to clients (it’s necessary for the product). Either they already have one, or I provide one myself.

The thing is, these freezers aren’t cheap, they range anywhere from $500 to $2,000. I’ve been offering them for free as a way to secure and support clients, especially since bigger freezers usually mean more product movement and more consistent weekly orders.

On top of that, I’ve also been giving some of these clients very low pricing on the product itself — honestly lower than I probably should.

Here’s the situation:

One of my clients (who already gets one of my lowest prices because she knows my husband and she referred me to someone else) called saying she was completely out of product. I told her she was already scheduled for delivery today and asked if she could wait, she agreed.

When I got there today, I saw she actually had my product in the back and another company’s product in the freezer. So she wasn’t really “out,” and it looks like she brought in another supplier. I know this because the product I sell comes from a different vendor, so the difference is clear. Also the product I sell needs to be delivered in a refrigerated truck, diesel prices are Averaging $7 here.

Important context:

• The freezer in her store is mine (not rented, I just placed it there)
• It’s one of the more expensive ones (~$2,000)
• She’s getting some of my lowest pricing

So now I’m stuck wondering…

As a small business owner, would you take your freezer back in this situation? Or leave it and try to keep the account?

I’m trying to balance being fair vs. not letting people take advantage of me. I’m a small business owner. I am able to financially handle to let her go, but she was my client since I started so continuing to service her location is also out of respect appreciation that she was willing to take a small business owner starting off.

Hey everyone,

I’m a startup insurance agency owner and could really use some advice. I recently completed a year-and-a-half training program, which paid very little, and I’ve now been approved to open my own agency. Once my office is fully operational, I’ll start receiving a 300% bonus on all future commissions, plus a signing bonus.

I’ve already hired two employees. With start date of next month.

To prepare the office and buy employees equipment, I’ve been supplementing my income with gig work. I’ve also furnished it partially with items from Facebook Marketplace. The most recent setback.. my only vehicle’s transmission just went out, leaving me without transportation. Loans aren’t an option, and my credit isn’t great due to low pay over the past year and a half.

I’m looking for advice on short-term cash flow strategies or creative ways to bridge this gap until the office is fully generating revenue. Any ideas or guidance from others who’ve faced similar startup hurdles would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much in advance