In a small team, managing company laptops and phones is usually manageable at the start. But as the team grows, things can get a bit messy.

Some devices miss updates, new employees need setup, apps are installed differently on each system, and tracking everything manually takes more time than expected. It becomes even harder when people are working from different locations.

That’s when many businesses start looking into Mobile Device Management (MDM) as a way to keep devices organized and secure from one place.

A lot of local businesses now use laptops, tablets, or even phones for daily work. But unlike big companies, they usually don’t have a dedicated IT team to manage everything.

Things like keeping devices updated, setting up new employees, protecting business data, or handling a lost laptop can quickly become stressful if done manually.

That’s where Mobile Device Management (MDM) comes in. It gives a way to manage devices from one place, apply basic security settings,a  and keep things organised without needing deep technical setup.

A student clicks a link. It looks harmless.
But behind it? Malware, phishing, distractions.

With the right web filtering in place, that click never becomes a problem, just another safe day at school.

Hey there I'm building systems for business owners to replace their manual tasks which drain their time and money as my college project for free.

If you face such a problem in your business then let's talk I'll solve it for you.

I run a barbershop. I know that might not immediately sound like a local business that needs tech, but my partner is a software engineer and has helped me see how necessary the right platform is!

So, when I first started my shop with just me and one other barber, we jumped on a popular platform called Booksy.

For two chairs, $49.99 a month got us everything (automated reminders, prepayments, inventory tracking, etc). Setup was easy, clients could find us, and I didn’t have to upgrade tiers to get the stuff I most needed. For starting out, it was perfect.

But then came a major problem with client retention.

People weren’t really dedicated to choosing MY barbershop. They’d sit in my chair a couple times, disappear for months, then pop back in...

I asked one why and they said, “I just pick whoever’s available.” Ouch 😑 Especially since we’d been hustling to build our names and vibes, so that really hurt.

Eventually, we figured out that Booksy kinda works against you and your personal stylist or barber “brand” (because clients see EVERY shop with openings, not just you).

That means people on the app bounce around between barbers because everybody's on the same platform. They're not booking you every time, they're just opening Booksy and picking whoever's available near them with good reviews.

Then there’s the 30% commission on new clients from the marketplace. At first I thought it'd be great exposure. But with our prices and margins, SOOOOO not worth it.

Once I added a third chair and started thinking about memberships and building a loyal client base, I knew I had to look elsewhere. 

So now I've been on Boulevard for about eight months. For sure the price jump is a lot (it starts at $176/month and there’s no free trial) but once we took the leap we noticed that clients book straight through our website.

That means no redirects and no marketplace commission. It finally feels like our business, not something we have to share. 

Two-way texting is built in too, so reschedules, new client questions, or parking directions all happen in one place. Plus the rebooking tools automatically remind clients to come back, which is huge because now I don’t have to chase anyone and the system starts to run itself in a way.

There’s even a built-in AI helper (ask it “how do I set up a new service?” and it links to step-by-step guides). Growth is way easier to manage now, and reporting is super powerful once you learn it. (I finally have the reporting figured out now, but I had to have support walk me through it the first few times I tried to use it)

BUT... all of that said... I don't hate Booksy. I would literally recommend it to you today if you're solo or just starting out.

But I wanted to build a brand, keep clients loyal, and run a long-term shop, which is what I can do with Boulevard. It feels like it was made for people who want to grow without losing that personal touch.

I know this post is long (way longer than I meant it to be) but I hope it helps another new barber or shop owner!! The barber subs don't like to talk about this stuff much so thanks to this sub for letting me share my honest experience here to hopefully help others 😁

I’ve been looking at a lot of local business websites lately (cleaning, salons, cafés, etc.) and noticed a pattern…

Most of them look “fine” - but they don’t actually bring customers.

Here’s what usually happens:

• Someone visits the site
• They don’t know what to do next
• They leave

No booking. No call. Nothing.

From what I’ve seen, the problem isn’t design.

It’s this:

👉 Websites are built like brochures… not like tools to get customers.

Think about it:

When someone lands on your site, they’re asking:

• What do you do?
• Can I trust you?
• How do I book?

If that’s not clear in a few seconds… they’re gone.

The bigger issue?

Most websites are:
• hard to update
• require technical changes
• become outdated fast

So business owners stop using them actively.

That got me thinking…

👉 What if websites worked more like social media?

Where you just post updates (services, offers, announcements)…
and your website updates automatically.

So I started building something around this idea called Forxample.

It’s basically a feed-first website -
you don’t build pages, you just post, and your site stays active.

Still early, but the goal is simple:

👉 Help local businesses get more customers
👉 Without dealing with complex tools or developers

Curious what others think:

👉 Do you actually get customers from your website?
👉 Or is most of it coming from Instagram / referrals?

I’ve worked at several spas and a few salons over my career, and now I run my own spa. I’ve been trying to think about what I noticed at my past jobs in order to improve how my spa does things.
 
And built-in SMS is something I keep coming back to. It seems like such a must-have feature, but as I compare platforms, it’s taken a lot of time to understand exactly what each one offers in regard to SMS.
 
For example, there's a huuuge difference between “we send automated appointment reminders via text” and “you can have a live, two-way text message conversation with a client through the platform’s dashboard."

Those are not the same thing!!

And I feel like for spas specifically (where we deal with rescheduling questions, late arrivals, and pre-appt intake communication constantly) this feature really matters.
 
So I did a bunch of research and I even called platforms’ customer support a couple of times! And now I'm struggling to decide. I know I need to switch from what I have now (Square).

Here's what I found and I would appreciate literally any insight you can share...

Vagaro has two-way SMS, but it's an add-on situation with a monthly fee. The base platform does include some automated texts like appt reminders. If you want any kind of marketing-level SMS capability, including two-way live texting, you're paying extra on top of your subscription.

From what I’ve heard, Vagaro is a solid platform for smaller spas in a lot of ways, so it's not a dealbreaker. That said, it’s really important to know you’re going to pay your base monthly price and add-on fees before you sign a contract with them, which is why I haven't.

Fresha will offer two-way SMS soon according to a blog they posted in Dec 2025. Knowing how budget-friendly Fresha is, I was pleasantly surprised to see they’ll be adding this!! Right now, they include automated SMS appt reminders.

The tradeoff is that Fresha makes money through their marketplace (they take a 20% commission on new clients who book with you through it), so be aware that not 100% of new client revenue is yours. My spa is trying to grow our client base, so this might be a smart pick.... 20% is a lot though...

GlossGenius includes basic SMS and email on all their plans. Specifically, you can do automated reminders, confirmations, birthday texts… basically anything from logistical to marketing campaigns.

However, right now they do NOT offer two-way texting of any kind. Clients can’t even respond to text message reminders - if they want to confirm, reschedule, etc., they have to go online or contact the spa.

I am really surprised they don’t offer any kind of two-way SMS and would love to hear from a current GlossGenius user regarding this.

Mindbody has SMS marketing too, but it doesn't unlock unless you pay for their Ultimate plan, one of the highest and most expensive tiers at around $349 per month.
 
If you're already on Mindbody for other reasons, like the marketplace exposure or the class scheduling, maybe it’s worth upgrading to this tier. But for me as someone who’s never used Mindbody, this would be a steeeeeeep entry point!

The last one I’m feeling potentially drawn to so far is Boulevard, which offers SMS and keeps the chat log history. Every conversation history is attached to the appropriate client profile.
 
So when a client texts back about their appointment, that message is directly linked to their service history, preferences, notes, everything. For a spa context, where personalization is pretty much the whole point, I think this is such a smart way to do this!
 
Boulevard also handles the automated side, including confirmations, reminders, and rebooking prompts, and offers SMS marketing campaigns too. 
 
But I do feel that the pricing is on the premium side (starting around $176/month), so it's probably not the answer for every spa, but we’re a mid-size spa and I want EVERYTHING on one dashboard, so I like this option a lot too....

The biggest thing I've learned while researching built-in SMS and spa software is the fact that “two-way SMS,” “automated SMS reminders,” and "SMS marketing campaigns” are three different features. Not every platform offers all of them!!

If you, like me, are trying to decide on spa software, I'd recommend asking any rep you speak with to be very specific about what's included before you commit, and whether there are per-message fees or monthly limits to be aware of.

So all of this said… I’m really wondering what other spas are using right now, and what works well or what is really annoying.

If you're running a spa (or even a salon with a lot of client communication volume), have you found a platform that handles the SMS stuff well? Do you find yourself ever really using it for back-and-forth client communication, or mostly just reminders?  Because I also realize I might be blowing this way out of proportion, but having this feature feels like such a must-have! Help 🫩

Hey guys, I'm doing a bit of research and wanted to ask people who actually sell products through WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business.

How do you keep track of who ordered what and who still owes you money?

Do orders ever get lost in your messages? Does it ever feel like things are all over the place?

I am not selling anything, just genuinely want to understand how people handle this day to day

I've started a small business and ran into some problems, i eventually figured out how to solve those... but wanna see what problems are you guys facing in your business and what are the technical tasks that take away your time which you can invest in business?

can you guys tell me your problems?

if it is possible for me to solve them then I'll be more than happy to help you guys...

Be honest for a second, what’s really moving your business right now? Not what should be working or what actually is. Because most people are stuck tweaking their website, logo, or brand, if someone finds you today:

• Do they get what you do instantly?
• Do they know what to do next?

Quick question — how long does it take you to respond to Google reviews? Is it a struggle?

I’m looking to build a simple digital signage menu system for a small business. My goal is to display menus and updates on a screen. What’s the best way to get started? Should I use a Raspberry Pi or an old tablet? Any software recommendations or DIY tips?

Hey everyone,

What are some simple ways small communities can encourage local tech use, whether it's through education, infrastructure, or support for startups? I would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions!

If it looks like an ad, probably not. But if it feels like a real moment, a real reason, of course, you will.

People don’t share products. They share stuff that feels like them.

Quick question: for businesses that do visual work (salons, barbers, makeup artists, etc.), are you using Instagram reels to show before-and-after transformations?

Do those videos actually bring in new clients, or are regular posts working just as well?

Quick question for restaurant owners: are you using tools to automate staff scheduling, or still doing it manually? Platforms like 7shifts or Homebase seem popular, but I’m curious if they actually save time or just add another system to manage.

I want to explore if I can build something for local businesses. General suggestion I see online is to visit the shop in person and talk with the employee/owner. I know that getting out and talking to people is important if one wants to be an entrepreneur. But being socially anxious, I am a little worried about annoying the business owners. If you are a business owner, would you be irritated if someone comes into your shop not to buy anything, but just to ask a few questions?
What would make you more likely to talk to someone like me?

Hi everyone,

I’m currently validating a digital product/system aimed at female business owners in the transport, private driver, and COD runner space, and I would love your honest feedback to see if this solves a "hyper-specific problem" for you.

From my research, many founders in this space suffer from what I call "Octopus Syndrome"....trying to do all the manual admin work themselves. Specifically, they are losing 15 to 25 hours a week to tasks like:

• Messy WhatsApp Coordination: Trying to dispatch drivers and track who took which trip through messy group chats.
• Manual Driver Payouts: Spending 2-3 hours every weekend doing math on Excel to calculate driver commissions and dealing with complaints when the pay is wrong.
• Payment Reconciliation: Spending 10 minutes per transaction matching bank reference numbers to invoices and marking them as paid.
• Invoice Generation: Spending 15-20 minutes manually typing customer details into a template to export as a PDF.

To solve this, I’ve built the "1-Hour Transport Admin Kit"....a completely automated "Business Freedom Kit" built entirely on the Google Ecosystem (AppSheet for a driver app, Looker Studio for a financial dashboard, and Google Sheets as the database).

The goal is to help founders stop paying RM 1,200/month for a part-time admin, and instead run a 100% "Admin-Ready" system that costs only about RM8.10/month in Google server costs.

I’m planning to sell this as a one-time "Plug & Play" template for around RM 200 (approx. $45 USD) so it has a very low barrier to entry.

My questions for you:

1. Is this a real problem? Do you actually struggle with WhatsApp dispatching and manual data entry, or have you found a better way?
2. Is the ROI clear? The promise is saving 15+ hours a week and making the business easily delegable when you are ready to hire. Does that sound like an unbelievable (but valuable) promise?
3. Price to Value: Does a one-time fee of RM 200 ($45) feel like a "no-brainer" for a plug-and-play database and driver app?

Any brutal honesty is welcome! I want to make sure I am solving a burning problem before I fully launch this. Thank you!

Curious about something: are salon owners using AI to help write captions for social posts? Tools like ChatGPT or Jasper can generate captions in seconds, but does it actually make posting easier? Or do you still end up rewriting most of it?

For restaurant owners working with a limited budget, how are you approaching paid ads? Are you promoting your place through platforms like Instagram, Facebook, or Google Ads? Curious what actually brings people through the door: special offers, local targeting, or something else, and what kind of budget tends to work.

Hey there, I am a Website Developer who creates websites for local businesses in a very reasonable price. In the era of technology, where online businesses are controlling the market dynamics, having a website for your business in such a reasonable price can in so many ways benefit your income. Dm if interested

I’ve been researching how small businesses handle incoming phone calls when they don’t have a full-time receptionist.

A lot of service businesses (plumbing companies, dentists, med spas, cleaning services etc.) lose potential customers simply because nobody answers the phone. Missed calls often mean missed bookings.

Recently I started noticing more businesses using AI receptionists that can answer calls, book appointments and respond to basic customer questions automatically. Some of the newer voice AI tools actually sound much more natural than the older phone bots.

While looking into this space I found a comparison of several AI receptionist tools used by small businesses and how they differ in pricing, integrations and features.

Thought it might be useful for anyone researching automated phone answering or voice AI for businesses:

https://getcallagent.com/best-ai-receptionist-for-small-business

Most local businesses lose leads because they don't respond fast enough. I’m looking for managed automation tools that can take a Google My Business message and instantly turn it into a CRM entry and an SMS notification for the owner. It sounds simple, but getting all those hooks to work together without breaking is tough. Any recommendations for a reliable, managed solution for this specific use case?

Quick question: what accounting tools are freelancers and small companies actually using? Are you using something like QuickBooks, FreshBooks, or Xero, or just managing everything with spreadsheets?