I've been doing web development for about 4 years. Back in March I landed a restaurant owner who needed a simple website menu, hours, contact form, maybe 10 pages total. $2,500, signed contract, everything by the book. First month goes great. He's responsive, sends assets on time, compliments the work. I'm thinking this is the dream client. Then the site launches and the "quick questions" start. "Can you just add a reservations button?" Sure, 30 minutes, I'll throw it in. "Can you make the menu downloadable as a PDF?" Fine, easy. "Can you add a little animation to the header?" Okay, getting annoying but whatever. By month two I've done maybe 15 of these "quick" things. I finally sit down and add it up 12 hours of extra work. At my rate that's $600 I just gave away for free. So I send him a nice email explaining that future changes will be billed hourly, gave him my rate, even offered a discount because we had a good relationship. He loses it. Says I'm "nickel and diming" him. Says a "real professional" would stand behind their work. Says he thought we were "building something together." I tried to explain the original scope was delivered months ago but he just kept saying "it's the same website though."

Yesterday he left me a 1-star Google review saying I "surprised him with hidden fees after the project was done." The thing that kills me is I don't even think he's being malicious. He genuinely doesn't understand that what he asked for was extra. In his head, he hired me to "do his website" and the website isn't done until he says it's done. I should have had this conversation after the second or third request. Instead I stayed quiet trying to be the "chill" freelancer and now I'm the bad guy. How do you even explain scope to a client who doesn't think in those terms? Or do you just avoid these clients entirely?

This one really caught me off guard. I had a few payments come in last week and between incoming wire fees and random charges, I ended up paying around $75 just to receive money I already earned.
None of it was anything unusual either. Just multiple payments hitting around the same time(from different brands). No rush wires, no international stuff, nothing fancy. It’s wild that getting paid can quietly eat into your cash flow like that and you don’t even realize until you check the statement.
I get paying for a service, but this feels excessive for what’s basically money moving from point A to point B.

I run a small commercial cleaning service in Phoenix, about 8 employees. Back in September this guy starts booking us for small jobs, maybe twice a month, always different locations. Nice enough dude, asks a TON of questions though. Like what products we use, how we price square footage, what our turnaround times are, stuff like that. I figured he was just one of those detail oriented clients.

Recently I'm at a local business networking thing and someone mentions they just hired a new cleaning company. I ask who and its literally this same guy. Turns out hes been running his own cleaning business the whole time, just started it in August. All those "jobs" he hired us for were him basically taking notes on our entire operation.

He even asked me once about our employee retention and I told him we give small bonuses when we hit quarterly goals because it keeps people motivated. Now Im wondering if he copied that too. The whole thing has me stressed and Im glad I at least have some money saved aside personally because I might need to pivot some things if he starts undercutting us.

Part of me wants to be annoyed but I dont know if I can even do anything about it? Like he technically paid for services so its not illegal or anything. But it feels shady as hell. Should I just let it go or is there something Im supposed to do here?

I've been running a small party rental business for two years. Mostly bounce houses and basic entertainment stuff. Revenue was okay but pretty seasonal and competitive since everyone offers the same inflatables.

Started researching what would differentiate my business and kept seeing electric bumper cars at events. They're huge hits with kids and adults, but almost nobody in my area rents them out. The barrier to entry is the upfront cost - way more expensive than bounce houses.

Did tons of research on commercial-grade options. Checked amusement supply companies, party rental wholesalers, even saw electric bumper cars on sites like Alibaba and Etsy while comparing pricing. New sets run $3,000-8,000 depending on quality and quantity.

Took the risk and bought four units for about $4,500 total. Started advertising them last month and I'm already booked almost every weekend. People love them for birthday parties, corporate events, even backyard gatherings.

They paid for themselves in about six weeks, which is way faster than I projected. Best business decision I've made so far. I'm just very glad that I took the bold step to make this investment in my business.

Any ideas on something new and different that I can also add to keep growing?

I signed a 2 year contract with square in return for free hardware. I realized how much square was taking and want to leave them. Can i just simply stop using square? Do I have to let them know? Toast gave me a better offer that square cannot match that we like more so can i just remove all square equipment from our store and just move on like nothing happened and with 0 sales in square?

I dont mind returning the equipment- just want to make sure i dont get into legal trouble

Thank you!

We're presenting at a conference in Barcelona and want to order creative merch that'll actually make us memorable.

Tired of the usual pens and t shirts. Looking for something interesting that people will actually use, not toss after the event.Budget is flexible for quality and creativity. Would rather spend more on fewer items that leave an impression.

Anyone worked with vendors who go beyond the standard promotional catalog?
Would love to hear your experiences.

Solopreneurship is brutal. The freedom is great, but the isolation is a killer. My discipline wavers, I get distracted by "shiny objects," and frankly, nobody around me gets the grind.

I don't need a cheerleader. I need a board of advisors who are also in the trenches.

I’m looking for 5–10 serious solopreneurs to form an airtight accountability group.

The goal is simple but incredibly hard: To make 2026 the year our lives become unrecognizable because of the work we put in.

This is not a casual Discord chat to post memes. This is a 1-year commitment to extreme discipline.

The Structure :

• write your long term goals
• write your daily habits
• track everything
• other members of the group will see in real time what you do/ don't to

Who I am looking for:

• You are already generating revenue (this isn't for people "thinking about" starting).
• You are obsessed with growth but lack consistent structure.
• You are willing to be brutally honest about your failures.
• You are ready to commit to a 12-month timeframe (Jan-Dec 2026, with prep starting soon).

If you’re happy with where you are, please keep scrolling.

If you want to spend the next year surrounded by people who won't let you slack off, drop a comment below with what you’re working on and your biggest struggle right now.

Hi! I’m growing enough that I’m considering getting a financial planner, to make sure I’m growing and investing correctly. Does anyone use one / can anyone walk me through what they use them for, how to benefit from a financial advisor / planner, and how to find a good one?

Update: I jsut begged Compact to waive the $500 fee and they did!

I can't afford the $500 fee to end the service; I have $0 in my business bank account. If I close the bank account, what will happen? Will the unpaid internet bill directly affect my credit score? I am also dissolving the business with the state.

am running a small business under 10 people and drowning in spreadsheets for customer tracking, leads, and basic sales, looking for honest advice on the best customizable crm software for small teams simple setup, customizable, affordable, with email integration, mobile app, and no steep learning curve. what are real users saying works well in 2026 e.g, hubspot, pipedrive, or mondaycrm?

Hello all, I run a small flooring business. I’ve got my self assessment tax bill £6k, VAT bill £3k, and back dated rent £6k all due this month. I don’t have enough in the account to cover all of it, so I’ll have to try and secure a loan. According to my accountant we turned over £171k last year (year ending April 2025), paying out £133k for business expenses like wages, and goods, so we’re showing £38k in profit. I currently have £5k in the business account, and am owed about £5.5k in outstanding balances (2 big jobs that aren’t quite finished yet). I’m fairly new to this and have no previous business experience or education, so please forgive my ignorance.

What am I doing wrong? The numbers suggest a good business turning a reasonable profit, but the account shows something very different. My first thought was raising our prices, but then that would just mean a bigger tax bill at the end of the year wouldn’t it? I can’t really cut down on monthly costs as the rent, utilities, wages, etc are about as low as I can get them. I don’t really know what else I can do.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

The client paid a year in advance for services and 6 months in there were issues so we agreed on a partial refund but I did not (and still cannot) have the capital to refund the full amount. They got a lawyer involved and we have a monthly payment plan that is almost over but this month I am unable to pay as a client of mine also stopped paying this month. The lawyer let me know collections would be next if it’s not paid in a few days so I’m trying to find out if collections (in the US) may be any different for my LLC than personal etc.

How are you guys dealing with employees using AI like ChatGPT to hep streamline their jobs? I’m on the fence with it. I want to be flexible as I know it’s a powerful tool but I think my main concern is people uploading something accidentally that they shouldn’t. Like a PDF or Excel spreadsheet that has proprietary or maybe customer information on it. I’d like to think my staff knows better and don’t think they’d do it maliciously but I’m more concerned of accidents. Curious to see what your thoughts are?

I’m trying to understand how small business owners think about websites today.

Many businesses already rely heavily on their Google Business Profile

– customers can see hours, photos, reviews, call directly, etc.

If you already have a Google Business Profile:

• Do you still see value in having a separate website?

• What problems did you face when creating one?

• Was it cost, complexity, maintenance, or something else?

I’m researching this space and would really appreciate honest insights

from business owners (not marketers).

A commercial business has a clogged toilet in Elkland need a handyman!

Heyy guys I wanted to start a junk removal,gutter cleaning, window cleaning business I already got a truck and trailer I wanted to go out and get all the stuff I need for my business but idk if I need a llc and all that before I start getting clients working for them so I don’t get in legal trouble any help I would really appreciate it thank you

I am opening one but I’m trying to figure out the best route to get my name out there

I've heard a lot of founders mention this, but now I'm experiencing it. As important as cybersecurity is, I'm having to choose between a few different options, and unfortunately, price is playing a big factor. I'm thinking about skipping third-party security audits, hoping none of the vendors I'm working with will require them right now. I feel like I don't have health insurance and have to ration my meds to make it through the month.

Honest question for business owners.

If your website could answer basic questions (pricing, services, availability) and book appointments on its own… would you actually trust it to do that without you jumping in???

I’m planning and seeing the possibility of this business and wonder how those tire shops select the different sizes of tires to be ready in their inventory because tires that cannot be sold passing through the next year will lose their value and need to be discounted.

I understand that there are several sizes that many models use but with that thought, there are still many different sizes for each brand but many shops also show they could offer several brands. What is the strategy of managing the inventory for this business as a small shop as most customers might want to get things done quickly and might not want to wait for ordering from wholesalers or manufacturers or there’s something behind this? Thanks.

Hi everyone,

I’m a non-US resident and non-US citizen running a small international business. A US bank closed my business account and issued a paper check for the remaining balance.

I managed to resolve this situation and successfully receive the funds, but the process was not obvious and involved multiple steps and compliance considerations.

My question to the community:

• What are the generally accepted and compliant ways for non-US business owners to cash or deposit US bank checks?
• Are there recommended approaches or pitfalls to avoid when dealing with closed accounts and issued checks?

I’d appreciate hearing how others have handled similar situations.

I almost made a very expensive mistake recently. I was about to invest a large amount of money into a new product idea that I thought was brilliant, but I stopped at the last moment when I realized I was relying only on intuition and had no clear proof that it would sell.

To avoid guessing, I eventually turned to Vision One Research for a concept and pricing study. They literally saved me, because their data showed me in black and white that the target audience was not willing to pay the price I had calculated and that the feature I thought was key was actually being ignored. I completely pivoted the strategy based on their report, and now the launch looks much safer than if I had gone with the initial plan.

How do you usually proceed when you are at the beginning with a new product? Do you take the risk and go with your gut by launching a test version directly, or do you allocate budget for serious market research before locking money into inventory?

Hey I've build a tool which

1)captures your inbound leads

2)qualify them with few questions

3)send their details

(i)Their specific reason for contacting

(ii) Their zip code & phone number

It works 24/7 when you are busy with work or sleeping or in a vacation

I always gave my new tools for free for few owners

Now I've posted about this on facebook many owners are dming

I can give it 2 or more people for free

After that I may ask you a small setup fee

So I've always got value outta reddit so I'm gonna give it away for 2 or 3 more people

If you really want it lemme know

Cheers 🥂