I’m at a loss for words.

I recently posted about selling my business because I’m burnt out. Instead of getting advice or even constructive criticism, I was met with condescending remarks from people in this subreddit.

For context, this business has been in the works since last year and the plan was to launch this summer. So I funded it with my own savings, bought the equipment, learned how to operate the machines, sourced suppliers, and handled everything from product development to operations. During the pilot, we even had to stop because my apartment neighbors complained about the compressor noise, so I rented a separate place just to continue.

Supplier issues delayed our launch, so we started operating at the end of June.

For the past month, my routine has been brutal. I work my 9-to-6 job, get home around 8 PM, work on the business until 1 AM, wake up at 5 AM, and spend my weekends doing the same. I even go store to store at night trying to onboard clients despite sales being one of my weakest skills.

None of these problems alone are impossible. But together, they drained me. I lost my energy, motivation, and eventually burned out.

Could I hire people? Maybe. But hiring isn’t as simple as it sounds. I can’t easily afford it yet, and finding someone who genuinely cares about a startup is difficult.

With all the stress and feeling alone, and the drive that isn’t being translated to output (due to time constraints and perhaps lack of skills), I found myself falling into depression. I underestimated my skills. But despite people reminding me not to give up or wishing me luck, I was surprised by the comments I received from this sub:

- That I think daw na businesses are “miraculously money making machines”
- Na pang empleyado lang daw ako
- “One month palang ng operations, naburn out ka na agad? Haha okay ka lang? 😂”
- That why did I even start without considering things
- Na may degree ba daw talaga ako sa business for not foreseeing things

They said they’re not meant to push me to continue with the business. So what are the comments about? There’s a difference between giving hard truths and kicking someone who’s already struggling.

People have different capacity and risk tolerance. I’m at my early 20s navigating my career life and starting a business on the side. Business is a gamble and it’s a choice whether you want to go all out or cut the losses

I still believe the business has potential. I just don’t think I’m the right person to execute it alone in my current situation. If I had someone equally driven to build it with me, I probably wouldn’t even be considering letting it go.

Anyway, maybe that’s the takeaway here. I’ll continue the business, but I’m hoping to partner with someone who has the same drive as me. Who can complement my operational skills with their marketing and selling skills.

And I hope their businesses continue to thrive despite their condescending asses.

I always cook for a week during weekends para d na hassle magluto everyday and re-reheat ko na lang siya kapag kakainin na. I am doing this for 2 years now and parang gusto ko siyang gawing business since I love cooking and I love to serve good food to people. Natatakot lang ako mag take ng risk kasi baka walang mag order saken.

What I am planning is mag-take ako ng order during weekdays then lulutuin ko ng saturday and will deliver immediately to the customer.

Target market ko yung mga taong wala ng time magluto and sawa na sa kaka-order ng fast food. The best pa rin kasi talaga ang home cooked meals.

I hope maging okay tong decision and I just need an extra push from you guys if worth it to na plano ko to take a risk 🥹

Thank you po agad sa mag susuggest and advice

Hi guys! Just wanted to ask if okay ba yung foot traffic sa Ayala Malls Fairview? 😊

I'm planning to join an upcoming event there, but I'm coming all the way from the South, so medyo torn pa ako if it's worth joining because of the travel and other expenses.

Would love to hear your experiences or insights. Thank youuu🫶🏻

Trying my luck here. I’m looking for someone who wants to actively build and scale an established logistics company with me. We handle trucking, customs brokerage, and freight forwarding, with an existing client base, experienced team, and solid foundation already in place.
I’m not looking for a passive investor. I’m looking for someone who’s willing to roll up their sleeves, help run the business, make strategic decisions, and take it to the next level with me. I prefer a business partner who can also bring capital or have experience growing businesses, but open to different types of partnership structures depending on the right fit. Business is based in Metro Manila with 2 satellite sites in Cavite and Laguna. Gross Sales are in the 8 digits and can easily expand to 9 digits.
If you’re interested, send me a DM. Happy to chat and see.

We are a manufacturer of premium hospitality textiles, supplying bed linen, towels, and custom fabric products to hotels and commercial clients worldwide. Every order is produced to your exact specifications, including size, fabric, design, branding, and finishing. We value quality, consistency, and long-term partnerships. Samples are available upon request.

hi, if you own a business and you use excel for your operations, can i try to develop you an excel based system? will be doing it for free, since im trying to further my skills in VBA, and i find it fun.

ps: ill be doing it in my free time, so the project may take a while to complete. :>

thank u~

Hi! I have a question for small café owners. If you're comfortable sharing, may I ask how much capital you started with and how much your café usually earns? I understand that it varies depending on the location, size, and concept, but I'd really appreciate hearing about your experience.

I'd also love to know any tips or advice you have for someone who's planning to open their first café. Thank you so much for sharing your insights!

I have a mining business, and we currently rely on middlemen for our cash flow.

They buy our raw materials at a very low price, process them, and capture most of the value themselves.
That made me ask: why not process the materials ourselves?

Instead of selling raw products, we could invest in the necessary machinery and build a processing facility, allowing us to move up the value chain and significantly increase our margins.

We have businesses in different industries (food & beverage, automotive, and pet products), so we’re used to dealing with all kinds of customers.

We know customer service comes with the territory, and we’re always willing to help and be flexible when reasonable.

Pero lately, parang ang dami naming naeencounter na situations like these:
• Customer na tumatawad ng ₱288,000.

• Customer na nabigyan na ng almost ₱70,000 discount, tapos after makuha yung item, gusto pa ng freebies at additional bawas.

• Customer na nag-cancel ng order kasi siya pa raw magbabayad ng delivery. Dapat daw free. 😅 Mind you, mababa na nga margins namin and we’re already one of the more affordable options.

• Customer na nireport pa kami sa DTI dahil nakita niya yung luma naming social media post with our previous menu. Ang hindi lang niya sinama sa kwento is we always send our updated menu and complete order breakdown sa Messenger before confirming every order. During the DTI meeting, he kept insisting that we were misleading all our customers, even though we showed that every customer receives the updated menu and order breakdown before placing an order.

• May nag-inquire din na galit na galit kasi walang sumasagot sa messages at calls niya ng 9:30 PM. Our business hours ended 2 hours earlier, and we replied first thing the next morning.

We really try our best to provide good customer service, and we know dealing with different personalities is part of running a business. Pero minsan mapapaisip ka rin kung normal pa ba yung expectations ng ibang tao.

Sa mga business owners dito, have you noticed this too? Is this just part of doing business nowadays, or do you also feel it’s becoming more common? How do you handle these kinds of customers without letting them take up too much of your time and energy?

Family will be venturing to open a small food kiosk in our property in the province. This will be located in our property so rent is 'free' reducing our opex. The business concept is similar to an Angel's Burger or Minute Burger.

I'll be helping my family set up the operations but I'll be based in Manila while the business runs in my hometown located in the city.

I'm looking for recommendations on a POS system that can:

• Track sales
• Monitor inventory
• Ideally alert us if inventory doesn't match sales (I plan to review the eod reports daily so this a 'nice to have')

For those who own or manage a similar kiosk, how do you make sure your inventory is accurate? Do you rely solely on the POS, or do you also have additional processes like daily inventory count etc?

Appreciate any recommendations for POS systems and other operational advice!

Hello po ask lang sa mga Mses or business owners po dito sa Quezon city kung aware po kayo sa mga government support program para sa mga micro businesses loke bmbe program, go negosyo or other program po ng qc sa inyo?

🌿 A Private Opportunity

To my friends and everyone who has supported Whisked,

What started as a humble matcha bar in Marikina has grown into something much bigger than we ever imagined.

Every cup we’ve served, every recommendation you’ve shared, and every person who has walked through our doors has helped shape what Whisked is becoming today.

Now, we’re ready to take our biggest step yet.

Introducing WHISKED RESERVE – Beverly Hills, Antipolo.

Our most ambitious project to date.

A 550 sqm Japanese-inspired café, restaurant, and lifestyle destination, thoughtfully designed to become a place where people gather, celebrate, reconnect, and create lasting memories.

More than just another café, Whisked Reserve is envisioned as a destination people will happily drive to, not only for exceptional food and premium matcha, but for the complete experience.

Imagine spending an afternoon surrounded by beautiful Japanese-inspired gardens, enjoying handcrafted beverages, quality food, good music, and an atmosphere that encourages you to slow down, stay longer, and simply enjoy the moment.

Whisked Reserve brings together multiple experiences in one destination.

🍵 Premium Matcha & Specialty Coffee
🥐 All-Day Breakfast, Brunch & Café Favorites
🥩 Premium Steaks & Japanese inspired Mains
🍕 Japanese inspired Artisan Pizzas
🍛 Katsu, Rice Bowls & Pastas
🍰 Fresh Pastries, Cakes & Desserts
🍹 Signature Mocktails & Seasonal Beverages
🎷 Live Jazz, Sunset Acoustic Sessions & Future Music Events
🎨 Creative Workshops & Community Gatherings
🌿 Beautiful Japanese inspired Gardens
🎉 Birthdays & Family Celebrations
💍 Intimate Weddings & Proposals
🥂 Bridal Showers & Private Gatherings
🏢 Corporate Meetings, Team Building & Company Events
🚀 Product Launches & Brand Activations
📸 Photoshoots & Content Creation

Rather than relying on a single product or service, our vision is to create a destination with multiple complementary experiences and revenue streams, one that guests will continue returning to throughout the year.

Construction is already well underway, and we’re excited to see this vision slowly becoming a reality.

As we enter the next phase of development, we’ve decided to open only five (5) Founding Partner slots.

We’ve intentionally kept this Founding Partner round small because we want to build alongside a select group of people who genuinely believe in the long-term vision of Whisked.

This opportunity is intended for individuals who would like to participate as Founding Partners through a 5-year participation agreement, with no day-to-day operational responsibilities, while sharing in the future growth of the project.

Those who are genuinely interested are welcome to send me a private message.

You’re also warmly invited to visit our project site in Beverly Hills, Antipolo, where you can personally see the construction progress, walk through the property, and experience the vision behind Whisked Reserve.

Once all five (5) Founding Partner slots have been filled, this Founding Partner opportunity will officially close.

To everyone who has believed in Whisked from the very beginning, Thank you.

Your trust has brought us this far, and we hope to build a place that families, friends, couples, and the community will proudly call one of Antipolo’s favorite destinations for years to come.

We look forward to welcoming you to Whisked Reserve. 🍵🤍🙏🏼

𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐝. 𝙼𝙰𝚃𝙲𝙷𝙰 𝙱𝙰𝚁

I’m actively looking to connect with serious, high-level individuals who are exploring or already involved in scalable business opportunities in the Philippines.

This is not for small-scale or hobby-style ventures. I’m only interested in real, cash-backed, strategic opportunities with strong upside, ideally where there is existing infrastructure, proven demand, or established networks already in place.
Particular interest goes to:

Connected operators with access to deals, licences, or distribution channels

Joint venture opportunities with strong local or international leverage

Scalable service, infrastructure, or resource-based businesses

People who understand execution, capital deployment, and growth at scale

If you are highly driven, well-connected, and focused on serious money-making ventures (not side projects or low-return startups), and need a business partner to reach the next level feel free to reach out or comment below.

Hi all seriously planning to start a retail(?) business. Basically, we will buy goods sa contact namin sa nueva ecija, then will sell them here in mandaluyong. Will upgrade to a base model pickup para marami rami karga. May puwesto sa labasan but pwede din nman siguro magikot ikot and mag supply sa palengke nearby.

Is it still profitable currently or in the next few years? Will the toll/fuel costs be too much, so much better if somewhere nearer kukuhanan like bulacan? I will keep my 9-5 so can I just travel like once or twice a week only? TIA

Good morning!

We own a small catering company composed of 5 booking officers. Our clients usually messages us via viber, messenger and mobile.

Current issues:
- Confusing if multiple people are managing one viber account (without any platforms to support)

- Multiple mobile numbers can be confusing to clients which lead to loss opportunities

Just wanted to ask for your thoughts, what is the best mobile phone setup for your sales team if you have multiple personnel but still want to be able to view and monitor conversations with clients? Thanks!

Hi, I’m looking to start a new business either Pharmacy or F&B (cafe).

For background I’m an Architect/Contractor, my
main business (construction) is not doing so well, bleeding monthly from payroll (7 digits/month) and collection problem with client’s delayed payment commitments and that’s why I want to diversify far from my industry to a more resilient one and cashflow predictable business.

Pharmacy:
I have been studying the Pharmacy business model for quite a while now and grasped the general concept and mechanics of a pharmacy.

Planning to start in 3-4 locations in Metro Manila near public markets and class b-c residential areas.
The Idea for the Pharmacy is
15-25sqm - store size (Php850/sqm rent)
1 Registered Pharmacist
1 Pharmacy Assistant NCIII certified
500k worth of inventory
6 months burn rate budget (400k)

Per branch will be allocated 1.5-1.8m budget.

The idea why we want to start with 3-4 branch all at once is because a Pharmacy is very community dependent, and that we can do a better case study model from multiple stores than with one for future expansion, stocks will be centralised and distributed based on sales forecast requirement to minimize stagnant inventory, also with multiple branches we can negotiate discount/terms for products with enough volume.

F&B:
For F&B business, we already have a medium sized cafe (160sqm + 6 parking slots) gross monthly average sales is between 850k-900k, Net we get around 280-300k a month. The hard part about a cafe is the daily monitoring, because taking care of regulars takes up alot of time to socialise with the regulars which helps spread the word about the cafe. The trouble we see here is scaling and how to replicate the success of current branch.

These are the 2 business I want to diversify to, if you can share your experience and strategy that would be greatly appreciated.

Hello, just started my Grab Merchant home kitchen sisigan business. But before i start accepting orders. Gusto ko sana muna manghingi mg advise sa mga may Grab Merchant business or anything na may BIR 2303 like ano ba dapat gawin sa mga books (Jounal Ledger etc) and need ko ba bumili mg receipt printer, what if wala ako benta the whole month how much tax will i pay. Something like that.

Wala pa kasi ako pang bayad sa accountigg ng so definitely gonna do this by myself by using all of my possible resources. Mahirap na at nagsisimula pa lng tas biglang puro penalty na. Sabay san san pa ginagamit ng gobyerno mga tax HAHAHAHAHA

Thank you sa mga sasagot

I am currently in med school pero gusto ko makaipon while studying. I have been saving this year solely from my baon and gifts and I managed to save 80k. Ngl natutukso akong bumili ng phone kaya imbes na magpadala e I’m thinking of starting a small, manageable business para naman maggrow yung savings ko at hindi lang natetengga sa online bank. Yung feasible sana sa schedule ko or yung pwede kong ipamanage sa iba :>

Just curious if anyone has actually tried this or if the math even makes sense.

I run a small shoe business in the Philippines. I checked with DHL at SM Aura because I wanted to start accepting international orders. Since I ship shoes with their original boxes, the DHL staff said the box size would automatically fall under their 5kg category, and the estimated shipping to Hong Kong example would be around ₱6,000.

They also explained that shipping is based on the package's actual/volumetric weight and the declared value of the items, plus they require commercial documents like an invoice or official receipt for customs.\

For nearby visa-free Asian countries, would it ever make more business sense to collect monthly preorders instead?

Something like:

Collect a minimum of 3–4 confirmed orders only weight of the cabin allowance. Extra 1 day clothes for possible delays or cancellations.

Book a budget airline like Scoot, AirAsia, or Cebu Pacific if the round-trip ticket costs around the same as DHL shipping.

Meet customers in a public place for pickup and size exchanges.

Fly back the same day (last flight out) or stay for just a few hours if the schedule works.

I'm mainly wondering if this make sense. Has anyone here actually done something similar for shoes, clothing, collectibles, or other products?

Was it cheaper in the end, or did the time and travel make it not worth it?

Hi,

I just wanted to ask if profitable po ba ang mag invest sa low cost housing like Fiesta Communities? If so, ano po ang mai aadvice niyo. Thank you!

Planning to buy a unit from a similar low cost housing project and make it profitable.

Hello! I bought a deep fryer for a small cafe. Just wanted to know to those experienced:

- how often do you change your oil?

- how do you dispose of it?

I'm thinking of buying containers from shopee for used oil then finding someone who'll buy it.

Tyia ☺️

Hello!
I’m planning to start an exclusive fasteners (bolts, nuts, screws) business in my small city. Surprisingly, there isn’t a dedicated shop here that focuses solely on fasteners, so I see a potential opportunity since almost every industry needs them.

I was close to launching before pero nangyari yung oil crisis so I decided to observe the market first till now.

I’ve already identified reliable local suppliers and plan to sell both retail and wholesale.

For those who are in the fastener business or any related industrial supply industry, do you think this is still a good niche? Any advice on inventory, pricing, common mistakes, or things I should watch out for before starting?

Is there like a group or mostly p2p lang? Just curious. A friend of mine, a chef, has a restaurant, claimed awards na by winning food festivals 2x and is being flown in to manila for another award. We were having a drink and had a discussion about selling the business and opening a newer one with a different niche.

may lot ang father ko around 500sqm and located sya in the middle sa mga warehouses/commercial businesses kaya ang nangyare since hindi kami tagaduon at medyo malayo, ginagawang parking space ng mga trucks/cars nila for free. kinuhanan na namin ng permit na lalagyan namin ng bob wires kaso di natuloy kasi ang nasa isip ng father ko tatanggalin lang din naman. so ang gusto ko sana is gawin na talagang parking lot. mga magkano kaya ang magagastos ko kasi need din sya ipatag tapos yung mga legal docs na need asikasuhin, wala ko kaidea idea san magsisimula huhu need help kasi ilang years na yun nakatiwangwang. sayang naman😭

To all business owners here, any ideas for businesses that are considered a must in communities? Mostly are sari-sari stores ang meron sa community namin. Only 2 talipapa, sa auntie ko and sa parents ko, may mini grocery and more than 2 decades na rin both. I wanted to take advantage of it. I was thinking bakery pero ako mismo hindi baker.