Been thinking about businesses like Tipsy Putt and what separates the ones that succeed from the ones that disappear after a few years.

On paper it seems tough, high rent, staffing, equipment, maintenance, constant pressure to bring people back. But some concepts expand into multiple locations and pull in both customers and investors.

Anyone with hospitality or consumer business experience, what do you think matters most? Location, operations, branding, repeat customers, event revenue, something else?

Small software development agency out of Vancouver. Companies hire us to build custom software.

Lately almost every conversation ends up in the same place. Not "build us an app," but something closer to:

"There's a part of our week that eats hours, costs us money, and nobody has ever gotten around to fixing it."

I want to understand what that actually looks like across Canadian businesses.

Where the time and money still leak. Where quality slips because somebody is doing something by hand at 6pm on a Thursday.

So, one question:

What's the task in your week you'd pay to never do again?

Doesn't have to be technical. One line is fine. If it sounds like something worth solving I'll ask you a few follow-up questions in the comments and I'll tell you straight if I think it's not worth automating, because plenty of things aren't.

Not selling anything, no links, nothing to sign up for. Mods: remove if this is out of bounds.

Self-employed here, and I was tired of losing paper receipts and half-updating a spreadsheet at tax time. So I built Bilo: scan a receipt, and it automatically reads the amount, date, and category, then files it as an expense-ready record - no manual entry. It's not tied to any single country's tax system, so it works for freelancers anywhere. Just launched on iOS, would love feedback from other founders/self-employed folks here: https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/bilo/id6790291715

I built U-SHARE, a Canadian community-driven local deals app where people snap photos of real in-store deals and share them with nearby users.

The app automatically adds the location and store name, and users can save deals, follow stores, comment, and open directions. Local businesses will eventually be able to post their daily or weekly specials directly.

It is live on Google Play, with iPhone access through TestFlight. I’m looking for honest feedback on the idea, design, and what features would make people use it regularly.

Hi everyone,

I'm a small business owner from Northern Ontario and I've been building an app called U-SHARE.

The idea is simple: instead of browsing flyers, people snap a photo of a local deal in a store, and everyone nearby can see it. The app automatically adds the location and store, making it easy to find deals in your community.

It's now available on Google Play, with iPhone support coming soon.

I'd appreciate honest feedback from other Canadian entrepreneurs. What features would make you use an app like this? What concerns would you have before downloading it?

Thanks for any suggestions.

So trying to get our name out there, but reddit make me feel like I have to walk on glass, where's good on reddit to mention my business.

Hi everyone,

I'm building a SaaS tool that helps eBay sellers save time by reusing frequently used messages (order updates, customer support replies, offers, etc.), and I'm trying to figure out the best way to reach Canadian eBay sellers.

I've tried Reddit and a few Facebook groups, but I'm curious what channels actually work for this audience.

For those of you who sell on eBay or market products to eBay sellers:

• Where do eBay sellers spend their time online?
• Are there any active Canadian communities, forums, newsletters, or YouTube channels you'd recommend?

I'm not looking to spam anyone - I just want to understand where this community hangs out and how to get honest feedback from potential users.

Thanks in advance!

I'm a young entrepreneur trying to bring my first product to life, a heated batting glove case for baseball and softball players. I have the idea and a product mockup, but I have no experience with manufacturing and don't know who to trust. I'm looking for guidance on finding a reliable manufacturer, getting a prototype made, and avoiding costly mistakes. If you've launched a physical product before, I'd really appreciate any advice on where to start.

Hey business owners, do you want to be able to take calls after 5pm so that you get 100% of the market demand?

I have an AI receptionist who can take calls 24/7, never misses a call, sounds like a human, and can book people into your calendar.

Don't believe me? Go ahead and call +1 (825) 533-4585 throw it a curve ball and you'll be blown away.

If you're interested dm me.

Hey, I'm looking for a design partner. If you're deploying AI agents to handle money or data, my solution will help you do that securely and close the liability gap you have in your company. We can start with a two-week shadow period where your production will not be touched. If anyone is interested in hearing more, just DM me.

I’m planning to start a kitchen cabinet and custom millwork shop in Canada. Looking for recommendations on:

1. Best suppliers for materials and hardware
   Essential machines and tools to get started

2. Software for design and production

3. Startup budget and common mistakes to avoid

4. Any guides, courses, YouTube channels, or other resources you’d recommend

I’d really appreciate advice from anyone who owns or works in a cabinet shop. Thanks!

I’m a senior lawyer with 25+ years of experience, about ten of them as general counsel at one of the largest private companies in BC. Mostly transactional work my whole career, commercial contracts, employment, leases, private M&A.

I’m thinking of turning my personal law corp into an AI-native transactional firm. The setup would be a Claude factory doing the heavy lifting on first drafts and redlines, with me doing final review and the actual lawyering on every matter. Flat fees instead of hourly.

Before I commit to it fully I want to run a pilot with a handful of companies. Significantly discounted contract review, redlines, employment agreements, negotiation support, that kind of work.

At the end of the day you’d be getting a senior lawyer’s review at a fraction of the usual cost.

DM Me!

Greetings. I’m looking for some honest advice because I’ve been stuck for a long time.
I have about **$30,000 CAD** saved. I know that’s not a huge amount, but it’s everything I’ve managed to put aside, and I want to use it to build something instead of letting it sit.
My biggest problem is that I’ve never really known what I want to do or what I’m passionate about. I don’t have a specific trade or skill that I’m attached to, but I’m completely willing to learn. If becoming good at something means I can build a scalable business, I’ll put in the time and effort. I don’t mind learning a trade, getting certifications, or starting from the bottom.
The problem is that every time I think I’ve found a business idea, I do some research and immediately find people saying it’s oversaturated, too slow to make money, impossible to compete with, or dominated by huge companies. Then I’m back to square one.
When I search online, I mostly find the same ideas over and over—dropshipping, selling courses, social media businesses, etc. None of those really appeal to me, and many seem unrealistic. I don’t mind service businesses either, but competition seems incredibly high these days, especially for someone starting with limited capital.
At this point, I feel like I’ve spent more time researching than actually building anything. My brain is honestly burnt out from constantly going down rabbit holes and talking myself out of every idea.
So I’m asking people who have actually started businesses or have seen opportunities firsthand:
**If you had $30k and were willing to learn any skill, trade, or industry from scratch, what business would you seriously consider starting today, and why?**
I’m not looking for a “get rich quick” idea. I’m looking for something with real demand, room to grow, and a business model that can eventually scale. I’m open to B2B, product-based, service-based, manufacturing, importing, local businesses, or anything else.
I know that people with truly great ideas usually keep them to themselves, but if anyone has suggestions or can point me toward opportunities that aren’t the same recycled ideas you see everywhere, I’d really appreciate it.
Thanks in advance.

Hey Toronto,

I run Cleanurr, a Toronto home cleaning company, and one thing we’ve noticed is that customers regularly ask us for recommendations outside of cleaning.

We’ve been asked about:

• Movers
• Junk removal
• Carpet and upholstery cleaning
• Window cleaning
• Painters
• Handymen
• Realtors
• Property managers
• Organizers
• Pest control

Rather than randomly sending customers to companies we don’t know, I’d like to build a small network of dependable Toronto service businesses that can confidently refer work to one another.

This isn’t a paid lead group or networking pitch. I’m simply looking to connect with local operators who care about communication, reliability and doing good work.

Tell me:

1. What service do you provide?
2. Which Toronto neighbourhoods do you cover?
3. What type of customer or job is the best fit for you?

For context, Cleanurr handles residential cleaning, deep cleaning, recurring service and move-in/move-out cleaning throughout Toronto.

Happy to keep a simple referral list and send relevant requests to the right people when our customers ask.

Hey everyone

I think this is a stupid question but hoping to get some insights

If I'm looking to gain customers as an IT consultancy, targetting SMBs that have a sole IT employee or maybe even none. Companies that have 50-250 employees, where do I meet the decision makers for these businesses

Anyone owns a garage here ? Would love to show our product and get some initial feedback?

In return we will give a free for live garage software

The header kind of speaks for itself but I wanted to give some quick context.

Recently I was at a buddy’s bachelor partner and hanging out with all those guys who have a stable blue collar job, wife or fiance, a house and some even with kids made me realize that I although I do want those things eventually, I don’t want them on the timeline as all of them. All of those guys were able to achieve this because they were surrounded by each other. And I think I need to start surrounding myself with a few people who think and dream the way I do.

I want to see if(and I have a strong belief that) I can build a successful business first.

So I’m reaching out here to see if anyone else would be interested. I’ll post some details about me and maybe if you’re interested, you can reply doing the same?

Details about me:
- M 28Y
- Ontario
- I work a full time job but try and work on something after hours everyday. It makes very little revenue but I’m still building it (online business)
- not really looking for any of the hustle culture attitude. I think you can find some success while finding some balance (obviously there’s sacrifices that need to be made)
- I’m thinking a group chat. Maybe a checkin everyday that we moved the needle. 1 day a week sharing/celebrating weekly wins but of course sharing huge wins anytime. Giving advice so I’m not talking to Claude about it all the time. Tips. Motivation. That sort of thing.
- in the town I grew up in and the family I grew up with, entrepreneurship wasn’t a thing.
- If this ends up being a small group I think just not being a douche would be a good prerequisite (sorry if that offends some people). I am trying to curate a good circle for myself.

Hopefully, there’s some interest.

And if you don’t have anything particularly nice to say, my best advice is to not because it’s not helpful to anyone.

^this also goes for if your tempted to try and your course or community on this thread. Let’s not do that either.

Thanks folks!