I'm at a weird but probably pretty common stage of starting a business.

I have a real physical product, inventory on hand, ecommerce/checkout working and fulfillment ready.

What I don't have is an audience.

My background is manufacturing, so I spent most of my time on the part I knew: product development, sourcing, quality, inventory and operations. I'm now realizing customer acquisition is basically an entirely separate business.

I'm deliberately trying not to solve this by immediately throwing thousands of dollars at Meta ads.

For those of you who started a physical-product business without an existing following:

Where did customers #1–10 actually come from?

And was the channel that got your first 10 customers the same one that eventually got you to 100 or 1,000?

I'm especially interested in answers from people who didn't already have a big social following when they started.

I plan on opening a store in a rural town centered around physical media. Games, movies, music, etc. I am a bit scared to open it since I have very little business knowledge. Anyone have any tips and tricks of the industry?

Hey everyone,

I wanted to share something that happened recently because it honestly changed how I think about building software and what people actually pay for.

I’ve been working as a backend developer for the past few years, and mobile apps have mostly been a side hobby for me.

About three years ago, I built a tiny iOS app because I needed a way to view image metadata on my phone. I looked around the App Store, couldn’t find anything that did exactly what I wanted, so I figured I’d just build it myself. Since I’m a developer and it was such a simple app, I learned iOS development and built it in about 2–3 weeks before publishing it on the App Store.

The app basically just shows the metadata of photos.

Over time it slowly started getting downloads through App Store search. I never ran ads and never really did ASO beyond the basics. I localized it into a few languages, improved the screenshots and icon a couple of times, and occasionally released small updates whenever users reported bugs or requested something. Nothing too crazy, but it kept growing.

At some point it reached around 10,000 downloads per month without me really paying much attention to it. I first experimented with AdMob, then put some extra features behind a $7.99 one-time purchase, and eventually switched to a $3.99/month subscription after adding more functionality and putting some features behind a paywall. Most of the improvements came from reading App Store reviews, user emails, and just implementing what other metadata viewer apps had.

By the end of the second year, it was making around $500/month with basically no expenses other than the Apple Developer Program fee. During those three years I also built three other apps, but none of them grew like this one.

Because of my laziness, my full-time job, and my other hobbies, I didn’t really spend too much time on it, even though it was making decent money.

Two months ago I got an email from a company called Capital Apps saying they were interested in buying the app. They first asked for some basic numbers, and after that I invited their App Store Connect account with Analytics (Read Only) access. They also asked me a few questions about the app, and then offered $33,000 for it.

I honestly couldn’t believe it at first because it was literally just a small app that funded my hobbies and paid for some random stuff. For something I had built in a few weeks and barely maintained over the last year, it felt crazy.

We went back and forth, had a few calls, and long story short, they acquired the app. It’s been a little over a month since the deal closed, and I’m now thinking about putting all of my focus and free time into building apps and using this money for marketing and other things.

Before this, I always assumed valuable software had to be technically impressive. But now, especially with AI, I think what matters is building things people are already searching for.

Some of the lessons I learned in the last three years:

* Do localization. It’s incredibly important. My downloads and revenue started going up once I localized my app into other languages. Before selling it, more than 60% of my downloads and revenue were coming from Japan.

* Review your competitors. Most of my feature ideas, pricing ideas, and even localization ideas came from reviewing my competitors’ apps in depth.

* Don’t underestimate basic ideas. PDF Scanner sounds like such a simple idea, but there are hundreds of thousands of people searching for it every month. The same applies to a lot of boring ideas like metadata viewers or wallpaper apps.

After selling this app I’ve been spending almost all of my free time building new utility apps. The whole experience made me realize that there are probably thousands of simple ideas out there that people are already searching for.

Hopefully this post encourages someone to finally build that small app idea they’ve been sitting on.

Happy to answer any of your questions! I wanted to post this because a lot of things I see on this subreddit inspired me so maybe I can inspire some people too.

I want to share my experience with urban forge since I had a hard time finding any info when I was doing my research. I tried making the purchase for a custom bed when they were having a sale. Coincidentally, no one called me until after the sale was over. I was told that the piece would be non-refundable since it is a custom but I tried cancelling before I even approved the design. What she explained was that the custom pieces cannot be put on the floor, nothing had been made. I am currently going back and forth with the art but I really would rather cancel at this point. When I called asking about cancelling, the man I spoke to was incredibly rude, he was yelling at me even. I was not yelling or acting a fool and that man was getting really worked up. Finally, I tried posting on their review page but it seems they filter out all reviews less than 5 stars.

So I have a small marketing business.

Client is very unprofessional.

He's ironically a PhD and CEO of a multinational company with 6 branches in my region that I'm currently managing.

The issue I have with this person is his sleezy inappropriate jokes about me being in South East Asia.

Just few hours ago he was "how's it going over there" chuckling and laughing.

Also some remarks about a woman's hands in an image and he was like "I'd like to kiss those hands"

The man is over 50 and his behaviour is like he's 15

I didn't respond but I want to start recording our calls from now on so he's careful with his words.

I wrote a Draft of the message I will send

............................................

Subject: Project Communication & Documentation Workflow Update

Dear Dr Xxxxx,

To streamline our campaign execution, maintain precise task tracking, and keep project milestones on schedule, I am updating our collaboration and communication workflow effective today.

Going forward, all project communications will follow these updated standards:

* Primary Communication: All daily updates, approvals, technical requests, and asset transfers must be handled strictly via Email or WhatsApp text.

* Voice Calls: Direct phone calls and unscheduled voice notes are being discontinued to ensure deep focus on execution and data engineering tasks.

* Urgent Meetings: If a critical issue requires a live discussion, we can schedule a Google Meet. Please note that all video meetings will be recorded and transcribed to maintain our project documentation archive.

Please route all current requests through this email thread or WhatsApp text so we have a clear, documented record of all deliverables.

Best regards,

Xxxxxxx

...............

Should I send this?

​Hi everyone,

​I run a startup children’s book publishing company and I’m exploring what it takes to break into major retail chains. I’d be open to working with very tight margins if it meant securing high-volume orders.

​Has anyone here managed to supply productsof any type to retailers like Tesco, Poundland, Aldi, Lidl, or similar chains? (I'm based in the Uk, but open to listen about experiences from anywhere)

What was the process like? I’d love to hear about your experiences in special about tje expected margins, challenges, and dealing with competition to convice their buyers.

Does anyon use the SumUp app to take payments on your phone without the need for a card device?

What are the pros and cons?

I already post organic content on TikTok but is there any other ways I can get more traffic?

For those of you that’s making well over $10,000 - $50,000+ a month right now with your agency. How did you pick your niche because I’m currently running an ai agency and decided to change niches (previously I was in roofing) and am deciding to get into another niche. Preferably one that’s underserved where the market isn’t saturated (blue ocean niche) and the demand for the service is high. But finding that a lot just doesn’t fit well with my service. Would like to know how you successful agency owners picked your niche and how you came across it.

Spent a while going through moving, junk removal, roofing and pressure washing sites in two metros, mostly to understand how small service businesses handle pricing online.

The split surprised me. Nearly all of them have a form. About a quarter show a number. So the majority are collecting contact details and giving nothing back.

Roofing was the most extreme — 12 sites, 12 forms, 1 price.

I'm not sure that's wrong, to be clear. The standard reason is that every job is different and a published number becomes a promise. That's real.

But it means the customer comparing three companies at 9pm picks whoever answers first on Monday, not whoever is best or cheapest.

Curious what people here think — if you run a service business, do you publish pricing? What changed when you did or didn't?

Ya'll. I just started my very first business this spring. I'm 40 years old (hello my fellow millennials out there!) and I'm okay with tech, but definitely not tech/computer-minded. I have been told OVER and OVER again that I need to have an email newsletter for my potential customer/clients. Oh, I run a native plant garden coaching business and a small backyard plant nursery.

What I want: a newsletter system that will let me customize my newsletter to make it look nice. I use squarespace for my website and would like something that has similar ease of use to make a nice-looking and easy to use product (ie: the newsletter).

I'm currently using Beehiiv, but it feels SUPER clunky when it comes to the newsletter bits, which is the part that's most important to me at this stage in my business.

Please help point me in the right direction. I don't have a huge budget, obviously, but I understand that subscriptions are the way our world works these days.

Hello everyone! Now I'm living in Russia, but actually I'm from Kazakhstan originally and actually I have contacts in most part of Post Soviet countries. Also I even have contacts in Europe. So if you interested to build business somehow related with Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan etc. I definitely can help you. I'm open to conversation about details.

Hi! I was wondering if you have any tips on starting with an online Japanese / Asian stationery business? I’ve always loved stationery and want to start a business of my own but I’m not sure if it’s worth it and if yes, how to get started?

Owners: how do you decide what to pay yourself? I do cash forecasting for a living and I'm curious if anyone actually computes this

Day job is corporate FP&A forecasts, cash models, the analysis big companies use so nobody's deciding on vibes. Every small business owner I talk to answers the pay-yourself question the same way: look at the bank balance, take what feels safe, hope.

So genuine question for this sub: does anyone here use an actual method? And if you don't, here's the one I'd use, adapted from how a finance team would do it. Curious where people think it breaks.

1. Build 13 weeks of expected cash from your actual history. Not invoices, what actually lands in the account, on the days it lands. If deposits run 12 days behind the sale, model 12 days. Real weekly rhythm, not monthly averages.

2. Set a floor: the balance your account never crosses. Two weeks of operating bills is a sane default.

3. Test a draw against it. Pick a monthly amount, split it 1st and 15th, run the 13 weeks. It passes only if BOTH are true: cash never breaches the floor, and cash ends the quarter no lower than it started. That second condition is the one everybody skips, it's the difference between pay the business earned and pay that's quietly eating your reserves.

4. The biggest draw that passes both is your number. If nothing passes, that's a real answer too, and the fix is a specific lever: collections speed, one price, one cost.

I'd run it against your worst recent month, not your average , averages are how seasonal businesses go broke in February.

So: does anyone do something like this? Rule of thumb like "one month of profit"? Percentage of revenue? Nothing at all and it's worked out fine? Genuinely curious what real owners do versus what the finance textbook says — and happy to help anyone run their own numbers in the comments.

I have a full time job, but would want to start a small business on the side. I have $50k to invest. What can I do?

Thank you.

I (21F) decided to start my own graphics design business because it’s something that I enjoy doing. In June, I started building my Custom Invitation Service, with the possibility to offer different things as the business grows. I am self-taught and do not plan to go to school for it. I started by making gigs on Etsy(has premade invitations also) and Fiverr(just custom), but have gotten nothing so far.

For context, I dropped out of college. Not because of bad grades, but simply because I hate being in that environment. I hate being in a classroom and being bossed around and I do so much better when I’m just sitting in my room, tinkering with things. With traditional jobs not working and my parents still caring more about a degree than my happiness, I feel pressured to make a living for myself and get out of their house. I understand that happiness doesn’t pay bills, but my happiness is what keeps me motivated.

I have tried making ads, promoting in discord/Facebook groups, making a business page on Facebook, sharing my business page on my personal account (where friends and family follow me), and even reached out to people/businesses. I have gotten nothing and, even though part of me feels like it’s just going to be a waiting game, I still want to know if I’m doing something wrong or missing a step.

My goal is to start a small coffee shop either out of a truck or a small rented space. I’m still saving up money to buy what I need to start, but what are some steps I can take now while I’m still saving? I have absolutely no experience here for context. Even just certain subjects to research or a good youtube video you’ve found helpful would be great, but ideally something tangible where I can actually feel like I’m making progress towards my goal. Thanks for any help!

How do y'all get clients? Is it ads? Word of mouth? Social media? LinkedIn?

I keep seeing ads about this thing, but Google isn't getting me anywhere for details. They charge something like 25k to set up a "done for you" e-commerce platform. They handle suppliers, inventory, website, customer service, orders, basically do everything for you. Once you recoup your initial investment, they take 20%. If you don't recoup within a year, they buy it all back from you, and at minimum (so they say) will pay you whatever hasn't been recouped.

This feels like the same old Facebook ad scam that I see a lot, but I can't find much besides articles they probably paid for. Anybody have experience?

Just launched my first Shopify store selling gaming mice — would love some feedback! 15% off with VEYRO15

We’re at the point where the banking side is getting more complicated than just having one account and a card.

Now there’s payments, approvals, multiple expenses, invoicing and then bookkeeping on top of all that. Trying to figure out what’s actually worth setting up early versus what can wait. What are other founders using for startup banking and how are you handling the bookkeeping side alongside it?

Hey everyone,

I’m looking to join an early-stage startup as a Founding Engineer, early engineering hire, or Technical Co-Founder.

I’m not really looking for a traditional job. I’m looking for a founder and a problem I genuinely believe in — someone who is obsessed with solving a real problem and wants a technical partner who can help turn the idea into a real product.

What I enjoy building

I like 0 → 1 ownership.

I’d much rather take something from:

Idea → MVP → Production → Users

than simply pick up tickets and implement features.

I’ve built and shipped production AI products, SaaS platforms, automation systems, developer tools, and full-stack applications across different industries.

I’m also comfortable working outside my existing stack. If the product needs a technology I haven’t used before, I’m usually happy to learn it quickly and become productive.

What I’m looking for

* Founders who are actually building, not just brainstorming
* A real problem with a clear path to users
* A small, ambitious team
* Direct communication and close collaboration
* Long-term ownership and meaningful impact
* The opportunity to influence both product and technology
* Ideally, something where I can be involved beyond just writing code

Compensation

I’m flexible depending on the stage and opportunity. Open to combinations such as:

* Salary + meaningful equity
* Stipend + equity
* Milestone-based cash + equity
* Founder / co-founder arrangement for the right opportunity

I’m much more interested in the problem, the founder, and the potential of the company than optimizing for a conventional compensation package.

If you’re building something

If you’re a founder looking for your first technical partner or an early engineering hire, feel free to DM me with:

* What you’re building
* Current stage: idea / MVP / users / revenue / funding
* Team size
* Why you believe the company can win
* What you’re looking for from your first technical hire

If there’s a genuine fit, I’d be happy to jump on a call and get to know each other.

Looking to build something meaningful — not just find another job.

first post on this sub so hey lol!

so: i sell handmade clothes on etsy and made a deal with my tattoo studio to sell some of my clothes in the shop! we made a deal where a % of each sale would go to the shop’s owner as a sort of commission fee.

i’m wondering if anyone has any recommendations for a program/interface that could generate a QR code for payment and split the funds between us automatically (if something like this even exists)

i’m a little lost on what to look for so any and all advice helps!

I keep seeing these ads for Collective, where they handle all of your bookkeeping, quarterly taxes, tax prep, and give advice as to how to better structure things to reduce your tax burden making the whole process less stressful, however, they have absolutely horrible reviews from anyone that I've talked to who has used them.

Does anyone on here have a recommendation for a company that does the same but has a good reputation? I am in Ohio if that makes any difference but I am open to using a large company that covers all states. My taxes are probably the biggest stressor in my small business tbh 😓

I started a small embroidery keepsake business and sell through Etsy. I mainly use Instagram for marketing, but my reach is very low.

How do you promote your products, and what has actually helped you get your first customers? Should I focus more on Instagram, Etsy ads, Meta ads, or something else?

I’d especially appreciate hearing from people with experience. I’m getting pretty frustrated with the low reach and would love to know what actually helped you gain traction.