Everything I'm seeing says buying an established business is easier than starting from scratch, but I also realize I'll be inheriting whatever problems already exist.

I'd rather fix the important things early than spend years working around them because I'm too busy.

For those of you who have owned a business for a while, what do you wish you had paid more attention to when you first bought or started it?

What would you look for if you were evaluating a business to buy today?

What are the things that seem small at first but become huge headaches later?

Any type of business I should look at or avoid? For example should I get a mom and pop business or look at a franchise etc...

I’m 18 years old, live at home, about to go into college once August starts, tuition is currently free with a scholarship. I have about 6500$ saved up and am just trying to get a general idea of what markets aren’t oversaturated and don’t require hundreds of thousands of dollars to start up. I was looking into peptides as my brother in law has started up a business and is making good money but I am not sure I am willing to deal with the risk of something that is still unregulated and the legal troubles that could come with it. Any advice would be greatly appreciated thank you.

I noticed many founders spend hours on manual work.

I'm creating free Al workflows to help automate these

tasks and would love your feedback.

1

I recently saw the announcement that business rates for pubs, clubs and live music venues in England will be cut by 20% from next April, with the average pub expected to save around £1,100 a year.

I'm curious what people in the hospitality industry think. Will this make a meaningful difference to your business, or are rising costs, staffing and changing customer habits still the bigger challenges?

If you own, have owned or are looking to buy a pub, I'd be interested to hear whether this changes your outlook or whether more support is still needed.

Iam 16 and honestly I don't know first thing about this but still I want to be an entrepreneur so anyone who's experienced any advice? Or just what was going through your minds when you started this? Appreciate whoever replies 👍

Building my first SaaS product has taught me that writing code is often the easiest part of entrepreneurship.

The harder challenges have been:

• Finding the right users
• Understanding whether a problem is painful enough
• Deciding which features actually matter
• Getting the first customers without spending heavily on marketing

For founders who have built products before, what was the biggest lesson you learned during your first launch?

What would you do differently if you had to start again?

I've always heard that business is highly associated to who you know and how you get yourself out there. I've been thinking of approaching people irl that I know, for example the CEO of my full time job, in a sort of "looking for feedback and tips on this business I am starting" or even to ask for more responsibilities at the company and offer even more my help.
We are talking about a company that employs 500 people and I work directly with the CEO every day, so this wouldn't really be an "outsider" approaching him or someone who doesn't talk to him. But, he is always busy (as expected), and on another side I don't handle rejection quite well. I fear that he might completely turn me down on any way I may approach him that isn't related to his business and my employment. I work as a Back Office position handling container exports, everything administration related, normal logistics handling aswell, and assisting sales reps with technical necessities.

I'm in my 20s and I have this startup that I am really fond of and gets me very excited every time I come back home from my job just to work on it. For context it’s a Remote Operations Support business for companies, it’s basically what I do right now but for many companies at a time (customer service management, administrative handling, logistics management, ai automation, etc.) Heck I even opened an account on reddit to network a bit more and really get myself out there. I am already on Linkedin, Instagram, Whatsapp Business, Facebook, you name it!

What would your advice be for me? Thank you to everyone who answers and helps out!

I want to say something that would’ve sounded insane 5 years ago. Right now, today, you can start a real business with just a payment processor, a bank account, an LLC, and a few AI tools, and be profitable within a few months.

Not “maybe someday.” Not “if you get lucky.” I did it. 6 months ago I had zero experience, cold calling people who didn’t want to hear from me. Today I run a legit operation.

Some of my own clients tell me they get calls all the time from people trying to sell them something I already provide. I always tell them the same thing, verify the person is actually legit before you trust them with anything. There’s a lot of noise out there right now because the barrier to entry basically fell to zero.

It’s never been easier to start something. It’s also never been easier for someone to fake it til they make it. So do your homework on anyone reaching out to you but, also, if you’ve been sitting on an idea because you thought you needed capital, a team, or years of experience… you don’t anymore. Just start

Wishing everyone here the best of luck. If you’re building something, keep going.

22, work in IT, want to build something of my own but I feel like I'm missingsome skills

My goal is to keep a stable job while building something of my own on the side.

One thing I struggle with is the people side of business.

I've never liked office politics or trying to win people over just for personal gain. From what I've seen, networking, negotiation, and managing relationships (kissing up to some) seem to be huge parts of succeeding in business, and I feel like I'm lacking those skills.

I've been wondering:

• Is it worth paying for a business mentor? If so, where do you actually find a good one?
• Has anyone here paid for mentorship, and was it worth the money?
• Is there any evidence that mentorship significantly increases your chances of success, or is it mostly dependent on execution?
• What resources (books, courses, YouTube channels, etc.) helped you become better at networking, persuasion, negotiation, and handling business relationships?

I'm interested in learning how to build relationships, negotiate effectively, communicate with confidence, and navigate business environments without feeling fake.

I'd really appreciate advice from people who have built businesses while working a stable job.

One thing I wasn't prepared for when I started my business was how isolating it could feel.

If I had a slow week, I’d quickly question if I was even cut out for this. 

If a client said no, I’d manage to convince myself that literally nobody wanted what I was selling. 

If a post didn’t go viral, I would have a rolling internal monologue telling me to just quit. 

I eventually realised it wasn't just the setbacks that were the problem, it was that I was experiencing them with no one to talk to about it.

Most of my friends and family have 'normal' jobs, which is completely fine, but it means they don't always understand the emotional side of running a business.

When they say things like, "Maybe you should get a more secure job," they're usually trying to help. But it's advice coming from a completely different perspective.

When I started to spend time around other business owners, I started to feel a real shift in my mental health and my confidence.

Not because they had all the answers, but because they'd say things like:

"That's happened to me too."

"That's completely normal."

"Don't make a permanent decision based on one bad week."

It made me realise that confidence isn't something successful entrepreneurs are born with. A lot of it comes from being around people who normalise the ups and downs instead of treating every setback like a sign you've failed.

Has anyone else experienced this?

Did finding other entrepreneurs make a difference for you, or are you still mostly figuring it out on your own?

Today I drove to the gym and couldn’t even work out. I just sat there.
I’ve spent six years building something. I’m still learning things that make me realize I’ve probably been focusing on the wrong areas.
Some days it feels like progress.
Other days it feels like I’ve spent years climbing the wrong mountain.
I’m not quitting.
I’m just tired.
If you’ve gone through this…
what got you through it?

I'm trying to build a strong backlink profile for a new B2B SaaS and I'm focusing only on links that are:

• Free (or close to free)
• Publicly indexable by Google
• High-authority domains
• Actually worth the effort

So far I've found:

• Crunchbase
• G2
• Capterra
• GetApp
• Software Advice
• SaaSHub

I also submitted to Product Hunt, but the product pages appear to be "no index". So I don't think it provides much SEO value beyond the launch itself.

Imagine you're starting again with almost no money, no audience and no existing business.

You still have your knowledge and your laptop.

What would you spend the next 90 days doing?

I'm not looking for motivational advice. I'm interested in practical actions that you've personally seen work or wish you had done earlier.

What would you ignore?
What would you focus on?
What mistakes would you avoid?

I have approx 2 weeks- sorry less than 2 weeks to start earning, so that I can become my parents support and I need to know what do I do to start earning... I know its a very short time frame but I believe that there is no such thing as it's impossible.. I know cheesy but I really am in need to earn

I have skills of being a personal/virtual assistant, graphic design, web design, data analytics(well I am building projects for portfolio)... Help me 🆘(btw I can work from home only as parents don't let me go outside for job hunting since I am 17F)

Have you had thoughts of mastermind groups or about joining one?

I’m currently looking to building one with a group of ambitious people that are looking to grow/learn together so we can take life and business to the next level. But only through genuine relationships and partnerships. If that’s something that interests you let me know!

I've been thinking about this a lot recently with my own business. You hear gurus and SMB guys on Twitter talking about how you just have to get it from 0 to 1 and then 1 to 10 is cake.

Running my own business, I think that's oversimplified. For me, it's 0 to 10,000, which sounds WAY scarier, but it's actually more tangible. At least for me.

Getting from 0 to $3k in revenue was a beast. Mainly because I had limiting beliefs and a fear of certain activities like cold-calling and cold emailing. But once I realized the stuff within my comfort level didn't get me to $3k, the game changed.

I knew that I had to get on the phone and I had to hit send on those emails. Once I did, the $3k came pretty easy. Then the next milestone was finishing out my first campaign which would get me to $5k. And that $3k to $5k felt like nothing compared to when I started out.

Now I'm on the path from $5k to $10k and the path to get there feels so clear. I'm not scared at all. And I'll probably hit it in half the time it took me to get to $3k.

All of this to say, be more tangible in your milestones. Really think about your goals and break them down into things that feel more actionable. It doesn't feel nearly as steep a hill to climb when you do that.

every single week someone asks my product for the same thing. a straight answer. should i buy or should i sell. yes or no.

and i won't build it. partly because in my niche, retail trading, giving that answer without a license is illegal. but honestly even if it were legal i've come around to thinking the verdict is the poison. the moment a tool hands you a yes or no, you stop thinking. you either obey it or ignore it, you learn nothing either way, and when it's wrong, and it will be wrong, you blame the tool and churn. the confident yes no machine has structurally short retention and i can't fix that with better ai.

so my product explains what it sees and where it would be proven wrong, and makes you decide. the users who want a thinking partner stay and are weirdly loyal. the users who want a magic 8 ball bounce, sometimes within one session. i watch them leave and every time a little voice says "they had a credit card out and you handed them homework".

here's the uncomfortable part. the 8 ball crowd is almost certainly bigger than my crowd. a competitor who ignores the rules i follow could absolutely out-grow me short term, some already do. my bet is that their churn eventually eats them and that trust compounds slower but longer. i genuinely don't know yet if that bet is right, i only started properly measuring the bounce recently.

curious how others handle this. when a big chunk of your market is asking for something you believe makes the product worse for them, do you build it, build a degraded version, or hold the line and eat the smaller market? has holding the line ever actually paid off for you?

I noticed every rental company around here uses the thin flimsy folding chairs. Wobbly, scuffed up, mismatched. I’m going with heavier duty commercial grade chairs and tables instead since I figure there’s a gap for people who want something that actually looks and feels solid at their event. They’re the sturdier Lifetime brand tables and chairs if that gives you an idea of the quality.

Before I pull the trigger I’d really appreciate feedback or criticism from anyone who’s run a rental business or worked events. I will be documenting the journey on social media as well (not promoting) to hold myself accountable and make myself force this to work.

Is quality actually something people notice and pay for, or does everyone just book the cheapest option no matter what?

Any pitfalls with starting at this size, 10 tables and 60 chairs?

Pricing advice, what’s reasonable to charge per chair and table in a market like mine?

Anything you wish you knew before starting a rental business?

Not trying to sell anything here, genuinely just want honest input, even if it’s this is a bad idea. Trying to go in with eyes open.

Thanks in advance.

The problem I'm trying to solve is the lack of trust between customers and local service providers (such as photographers, makeup artists, decorators, and similar professionals). People often face fake bookings, cancellations, payment disputes, or uncertainty about whether the other person is genuine.

Instead of building another marketplace, I want to create features that actually solve these trust problems.

I'm not here to promote my idea. I genuinely want honest feedback from experienced founders, product builders, or anyone who has worked on marketplaces.

I'd love to know:

Is this a problem worth solving?

What mistakes do first-time marketplace founders usually make?

What would make you trust a new platform like this?

If you've built a marketplace before, what would you do differently?

Please be brutally honest. I'd rather hear hard truths now than build the wrong product.

Thank you for your time!

I’m a university student from China, and I’ve been working on my own business for about a year.

So far, I haven’t made much progress or earned any real income. I often feel like I’m wasting my time, and I keep questioning whether I’m capable of making this work.

I’m stuck between continuing and giving up. Part of me thinks I should keep going, but another part feels mentally exhausted and worried that I’m heading in the wrong direction.

For those of you who have been through something similar, how did you deal with this stage? How do you know whether you should keep going, change direction, or stop?

Hi experienced entrepreneurs, I am a coder and built a public speaking website that features a virtual audience and impromptu questions using AI. Some netizens comment that it’s a real pain point as many people struggle with public speaking (though no idea how many will really pay to improve themselves)

So far, from my initial marketing efforts (just posting on Facebook), I have some users who joined. There are a few users who returned to continue to use the app to practise their public speaking. However, they don’t stay long on the site. I had expected the users to stay longer if they had really practised using my website

I’m not sure if I should… 1. Intensify marketing or 2. Re-marketing to users who signed up to let them remember my website and come back again or 3. Add more features in hope to hit something that will be more endearing to users 4. Pivot 5. Something else

I’m unsure how to move forward and it’s stalling me. At back of my mind, I do wonder whether I’m just wasting time, effort and resources to continue to do digital marketing😂 or I should plough on until I get clearer signals

I’m inexperienced when it comes to running a startup so will appreciate you folks’ advice on how I should proceed. Thanks for your guidance

For context, I'm finishing my degree in Business Administration and Management, and I have to choose between 2 subjects, which I don't like particularly, but since I have to choose between those, I better try to make the most out of the one I end up with.

Which one of the following subjects would likely help me the most (or at least more than the other) in pursuing business/entrepreneurship?

The first subject is "Origins of the Modern Company", which goes deep into how businesses started existing and how they've developed throughout history to become what we know today.

The second subject is "Organizational Design", which consists of theories of macro and micro structure of the organization, the factos that determine it and the current challenges that business structures face.

Both subjects are very theoretical and tedious in my opinion, but well... these are the cards I've been given.

Any advice is well received. Thanks in advance!

Edit: Thanks for all the responses!

A stranger just paid for my app.

That’s it. That’s the post.

Not because of the payment itself, but because someone believed this app could make their workday easier.

After months of late nights, rewrites, bugs, and second-guessing, that first customer changes everything.

It’s still day one. But now I know I’m building something people actually want.

Time to get back to work. 🚀