Small business general - /sbg/

[Anonymous No.20701069]

Summer shirt edition

This is a general to discuss the real business of business. What kind of business are you trying to start, or to desparately keep alive? Ask here about how to solve your problems, how to network, or how to get started. Helpful answers not guaranteed.

Remember to keep yourself accountable (and give us something to read) and share:
>What you did this week
>What you want to do next week

Feel free to split your posts for easy reading and to stop every new crypto shit knocking us into the archive.

[Anonymous No.20701138]

>summer shirt edition

[Anonymous No.20701153]

>>20701069
I want to start a drink business. Do you know where to start?

[Anonymous No.20701162]

>this week
Still waiting on the Afghan contract, we are in the final round of bids.
Approached a niche investment advisory firm to offer to do some analysis work.
Made an interesting contact (see below)
>next week
Contact the new lead, a Thai guy interested in importing exciting British startup tech products to Thailand. Have some initial ideas to send him to start understanding more about what sectors are of interest.
Submit scholarship application.
Look for more VCs/boutique investment firms.

[Anonymous No.20701236]

This week.

Closed my business because I can get free money from scamerica

Bought pajeetcoin. It works with proof of poo and it is the next breakthrough in distributed scam technology.

[Anonymous No.20701270]

>>20701153
What sort of drinks? What sort of business model? There are a couple of guys that post here about their being businesses. Our I used to do a lot of threat analysis in fmcg, so can talk a bit about soda/soft drinks.

[Anonymous No.20701395]

>>20701138
Excellent choice and excellent bump

[Anonymous No.20701764]

Bumping with a business studies question. Inventory is easily defined for businesses that sell goods, it's the physical product you produce and sell. This was the model of a standard business for centuries and a lot of useful concepts like overage/underage costs etc were developed to fit this.

Now that services are an increasingly important sector, how should we think about the concept of 'inventory' in this context? Is the common 90's approach of treating customers/clients as your inventory valid in this context?

[Anonymous No.20701810]

>>20701069
When I drive through through the ghetto I see those little signs like people use for election candidates but for nigger “clothing lines”. Each yard with them has a different “clothing line” so I assume it’s the ceos section 8 apartment.

[Anonymous No.20701931]

>>20701162
Do you have any problems with professionals getting back to you? I sometimes wonder if people don't take me seriously as well, I'm pretty small and look pretty young, I'm waiting on some consultants to get back to me with reports so I can submit approvals and they seem to disappear after a few weeks of chasing them up, my old boomer dad gave it to me straight and said I need to get some balls and just confront them and ask if they can do it or not, but the industry is absolutely flat out at the moment and I can understand why the small timers aren't getting attention.

I have had success before with just accepting a failure rate, I cold emailed about 10-20 people with some real low ball offers with nothing before I had the actual CEO of one company return my call with a pretty good deal, but going back to what i said before he seemed pretty suprised when i showed up and asked how old I was and what I did for a living.

[Anonymous No.20701997]

>>20701810
Based incoherent poster

[Anonymous No.20702041]

>>20701931
This is a good question that deserves a good answer. Can I just check how old you actually are, what services you sell, and what sort of companies you're approaching?

[Anonymous No.20702160]

>>20701069
>how to network
Get into a local networking group. I've been in one (similar to BNI) for a few years and before Covid we would meet for breakfast every Thursday morning, but now it's been happening on Zoom. It's a great way to get to know local business leaders and once you build rapport in a group like that they are more than willing to help you make other connections.

[Anonymous No.20702164]

>>20701270
I want to make a Gatorade or a soft drink.

How do I do taste testing?

[Anonymous No.20702187]

>>20702164
And how much does it cost?

[Anonymous No.20702238]

>>20702164
You need to assemble a team.

If you really don't know the industry that well you need to mentor under someone who is a guru in the field and be a fast learner.

[Anonymous No.20702254]

t.Anon here looking to start a tech business.
Question:
In order to get some funding for a startup, how far off does my MPV need to be at.
Fully implemented, or can it literally be shit code stitched together to give the impression of something that will work in the future?
Could only an idea get me funding?

[Anonymous No.20702290]

>>20702041
it sounds a bit far fetched but gold mining exploration and development, it is really full of people with no idea and dreamers but I do have experience in the industry and have a rough idea how it works, then again I also realise it is the domain of big companies with 100's of millions of dollars that still fail, it was a good experience though, i remember asking him some questions and straight away he fired back and was like nope thats not going to work because will expose our company to a legal liability further down the track, things I didn't even even think of he knew through his many years of big business experience.

I focus on the support earthmoving parts to setting up the projects, I can operate all the machines myself and done it as a worker for companies but want to do it as a business, so lacking on the legal, regulatory and engineering side of things, I think i need to get a small contract to prove I can do what I say I can do. I'm only 28 and I met this guy recently discussing some new technologies that I could use he sounded excited in the emails and as soon as he met me I swear I could feel him dismiss me straight away.

[Anonymous No.20703050]

>>20702290
So you're offering to do them a service or to operate the vehicles for them? 28 doesn't seem too young, but I know the feeling. My approach is to laugh it off and say 'yeah I have a baby face' without ever actually admitting my age. I'm actually younger than you but in a very different industry. Play to your cv assuming you look strong on paper.

Also, STOP LOWBALLING. I know it seems like a good idea but it a) sets the price for your services and b) when combined with your age will worry people. Low price for someone you know can do the job is great, low price for a young unproven option is worrying.

Your hit rate doesn't actually sound bad, seems like finalising is the issue. Do you get to the point of having a contract or agreed proposal? I can't recommend calling them enough. Emails get ignored, calls get answers. Don't underestimate the ability of busy people to just forget you.

[Anonymous No.20703143]

>>20702254
It could be literal shit. Think 'tech demo' that a user can sort of click through to understand the functionality. Almost everything that gets VC seed money is at that level. Better to focus on communication of the key points of your tech project and business plan. Nobody expects you to show them a working product.

[Anonymous No.20703155]

>>20702254
If you're exceptionally glib, I've seen ventures get away with a frontend mock-up and a cute webpage.
If I was your investor, I'd need to see at least one feature that will carry forward from your minimum viable product to the final product (improvement allowed).

[Anonymous No.20703225]

bump for actual business on biz

[Anonymous No.20703484]

>>20703225
Based

[Anonymous No.20704173]

>>20702164
Okay well congrats for pressing a sore spot for the industry. If you have a product you're already making, look for 'pannel recruitment' companies. For a dozen or so people and an in depth interview about a consumable the cost is probably in the range of $1000. Per panel group. In terms of making it there are cobottling facilities in most countries that will put whatever you give them into bottles and apply labels etc. Here though you need to really know your formulation. You say 'like gatorade' - if you think of that recognisable gatorade bottle, that is a major cost driver but they have to use it because gatorade insists on no preservatives; hence they have to hot bottle the drink and need the expensive bottles to withstand the negative pressures. Depending on factors like pH, preservatives, etc, cost of bottling will change a lot and this will really impact your margins. As another anon said, it would be worth getting someone with production experience on board.

[Anonymous No.20704262]

>>20702290
Oh and another trick I used before is getting an older friend to join me in meetings to give an air of experience.

[Anonymous No.20704467]

>>20701764
To respond to this, I find it hard to really accept the clients are the 'inventory'. To me it feels like my time is the inventory I'm selling.

[Anonymous No.20704761]

Why even bother trying to start on your own? Has any successful non tech company like a consultancy actually been originally founded by just one dude? I don't think it's realistic to expect to make any real kind of money that way...

[Anonymous No.20704844]

I think owning a laundromat would be fun. Anyone have advice/experience? I'm saving up now. Probably ready to purchase within a year. Hoping rona shakes out a good deal.

[Anonymous No.20705158]

I have the opportunity to learn data analytics very comprehensively in the next six months. After this I plan on starting an analytics advisory company- Does anyone have any advice?

[Anonymous No.20705200]

>>20704844
Your largest recurring cost would be rent so ensure that you take advantage of the current pandemic and slowing of the commercial real estate industry, there are some great deals to be had right now for tenants

[Anonymous No.20705422]

>>20705158
Is there any reason anyone should hire someone that just 'learnt' data analytics?

[Anonymous No.20705481]

>>20701069
Lol you take the bus!

[Anonymous No.20706012]

>>20705481
I pity people who don't live in a nice city with a safe, clean bus service. Would use the tube normally but the pandemic and weather put me off.

[Anonymous No.20706014]

>>20705422
anyone who can't afford in-house analysts doesn't know the difference. Good marketing obviously necessary

[Anonymous No.20706353]

>>20706014
Compelling argument. What industry are you in?

[Anonymous No.20706884]

Bump for one non crypto non stocks thread

[Anonymous No.20707134]

Bump. Anyone here ever developed a PaaS?

[Anonymous No.20707193]

Yo let's go, i have an offer to open small business in a place where there was small grocery shop.

it died off because place is not next to a busy street, and there's a grocery shop around the corner.

there's a bus stop with buses coming every 15 minutes with around 10 people, in rush hours buses are filled to like 60 people.

there's a lot of school kids in the area, young generation of people with little kids.

most of the people coming through in those public buses are like 12-18 kids still in schools.

place already is build, kinda small like 40 square meters with air conditioning, water, electricity etc. but can be expanded with some outdoor shit like tables etc.

its not a place for food most likely, because around the corner (where there's functioning grocery shop with hotdogs), couple of small restaurants tried to open and they all failed miserably.

what kind of service i can research to start making buck there ?

ideally it would be nothing with big investment, if i put the money in there in some terms of equipment im looking to sell the equipment for at least 50% out. same goes with products.

it's a kinda sleeping part of town at night, and bar is out of question too.

kinda lost at the moment, brainstorm with me anons

[Anonymous No.20707238]

>>20707193
place is in great visibility from buses, also the actual booth or whatever its called, its white so it brings eye in.

easy to get to, 3 schools with different demographic in 2KM radius.

dentist close to it, mechanical shops closeby, car mechanics close. some logistics companies.

[Anonymous No.20707269]

Im about to start a gardening business with a handfull underpaid polish employees.
Keep it simple fagits

[Anonymous No.20707306]

How the fuck do you guys get ideas for this kinda thing? Any books you recommend? I am hardworking and I have some savings but I'm not creative

[Anonymous No.20707323]

>>20707134
Worked at a startup doing this that blew up because some retard started using the comps to mine shitcoins

[Anonymous No.20707504]

I have an ecomm business that was doing about $5-7k USD/month revenues since I started it in early march. I'm shutting it down though because I've been having a really hard time scaling it profitably, and $2k/month profit isnt really worth the time I'm putting into it. Well, "shutting it down" is probably a poor choice of words, I'm planning to swith niches with more of a focus on SEO and organic growth, but I'll be keeping most of my back end systems in place.

I'm really effective at email marketing as well, which is kind of ironic because the current products I was selling were kind of horrible from an email marketing perspective. Even though sms/email retargetting is accounting for 15% of my sales, there's no real incentive for customers to give me return business other than gifts for friends/family. The products/niche I'm in kind of just solves the problem in one shot. I'd definitely recommend young entrepreneurs ask themselves the question of whether or not customers are actually going to come back. All my successful ventures in the past maintained this principal, but for some reason I lost it in my current endeveur. Having only 5% of your customers come back repeatedly is ridiculously valuable, and increases ROA's dramatically (since that technically still is a return on the first ad they saw and clicked on for your business).

One question I have though, does facebook/google's ad pixels have catalog separation? I could just make and implement new ones, but the niche I'm planning to move into has little to no overlap with my current one. I've heard they do, so you can sell different products in different niches without ruining your pixel, but I've never actually been able to confirm it. I've also heard the opposite from various people.

[Anonymous No.20707690]

>>20707504
What business?

[Anonymous No.20708070]

>>20707690
I was basically just buying bulk electronics and selling them individually or in bundles for more.

I plan to move into the barbecue/meat preparation space (curing and smoking meats, making sausage, etc). I have suppliers and plan to sell the tools to do it (meat grinders, cleavers, bandsaws, smokers, etc) and release instructional videos/recipes. I wont actually be selling food products, just the tools to do it and maybe a cookbook (I'll most likely just throw it in with every purchase though, since my margins will be really good). I have an entire box of old family recipes/techniques which I plan to publish, a lot of which originate back hundreds of years to my family's roots in Ireland and Ukraine. I think I was 7 years old when I shot, skinned and butchered my first deer (my family is basically a bunch of hillbilly rednecks, made for some fun summers), so its not like I'm just speaking out of my ass either. I've eaten basically every animal you can think of that lives in Canada, and really don't know many other people who can track, hunt, kill, butcher, and then cure/smoke/sausage/pickle/etc their food. Or at least I dont know many people who do that with internet access who are also good at web dev, marketing and sales.

I picked this space spefically because I'm kind of guarded from competition right now from large corporations (but there's admittedly a lot of small competition). Everyone right now is focused heavily on vegan/vegetarian/gluten free/organic/etc, and no big players want to focus on meat preparation without fear of hurting their image and losing their hippies/hipster demographic.

[Anonymous No.20708774]

bump, need time to read

[Anonymous No.20709230]

I’m looking to start a weed cafe in partnership with a provisioner, the idea being to host separate businesses in the same complex so I can avoid paying licensing and taxes on weed on the cafe side. I guess my question is, does anyone have any idea how feasible this is? I’m an extreme coffee hobbyist so I know my shit but I have no clue where to start with building the business and what the legal implications would be of a cafe that hosts weed smokers while still trying to cater to the general public

[Anonymous No.20709292]

>>20701069
Need a decent idea for a business, let me list out my problem.

>Reno, NV
>Little to no land for farming or other real estate businesses
>Commercial leases are all targeted towards hypercorps or cannot drive enough traffic to make location rent worth it.
>minimal small warehouse space for ecommerce (smallest new construction I have seen is 10-15k feet)
>service businesses are all relatively regulated
>small business seems like it's dead here

Only hope I can think is something tech related, but I have family who is currently looking for VC money and has said that unless I relo I can't expect any talent to move sort of sinking my business. Been stuck in this cycle now for roughly 5 years of examining ideas and concepts and then finding a roadblock that leaves the idea on the backburner.

[Anonymous No.20709607]

>>20709292
>service businesses are all relatively regulated
What do you mean? Also what is your experience/skillset?

[Anonymous No.20709650]

>>20709292
>service businesses are all relatively regulated
no they're not lol. No industry legally scams people more than the service industry. In some cases there's absolutely 0 regulation other than basic, rudimentary laws like not being able to kill your client.

[Anonymous No.20709676]

>>20709650
>not being able to kill your clients
Don't tread on me!

[Anonymous No.20709760]

>>20701764
you could abstract from inventory to something like "potential sales".
> 3 units of bananas in your stock are price per unit × 3 sales
> 3 hookers, 6 bj per hour 24 * 6 * 3 potential sales
something like that.

[Anonymous No.20709769]

>>20709676
lol'd, I think in some countries this is actually legal too as long as you get express consent. But ya, there's very little legislation to prevent someone from milking you for everything you've got under the guise of "consulting", "mentorship", "marketing", etc.

[Anonymous No.20709912]

>>20709607
My career/education is in warehousing (so it's basically like I have zero education or skills to anyone with money lol). I have some background with CAD, working with tooling and some sales experience from times that I have been brought on temporarily to help with family who are on sales calls or at tradeshows. I can make stuff, get in contact with people who can help me make or sell stuff, and can market stuff. Be it widgets, services or otherwise. Not hard. What's hard is the product.

>>20709607
It's more regulated here than in other states.

>>20709650
Sure in most states or localities, but Nevada a long time ago and throughout the years has slowly added and reinforced occupational licensing for a variety of fields which has closed off a lot of businesses for anyone who can't get over the bar.

>https://www.thecentersquare.com/nevada/nevada-has-highest-rate-of-occupational-licensing-national-study-finds/article_ac00262c-f706-11e8-92c1-43ecc6eebbb9.html

This was a previous year, it's actually up closer to 45-50% now if you include local jobs. Half the economy requires permission slips.

[Anonymous No.20710099]

>>20709912
Literally a tax on working, fucking disgusting to see this from the yanks. A background in warehousing (from now on call it logistics) is pretty interesting actually. There are quite a lot of logistics tech startups in Cali, and you're not that far out. Might be interesting to see how the costs of business compare? Might try and steal some kind of techy to run a distribution centre fro the bay area from Reno (or nearby).

[Anonymous No.20710278]

>>20710099
I looked into that. I would call it logistics, but that would also include purchasing,transportation and parts of operations and if we are going to that I would just call it supply chain management which would grow to encompass even more disparate jobs and functions. For the purposes of this discussion warehousing gives an accurate picture of what I can sell and have familiarity with. Everything else is a value-add.

Anyway, I have considered that as a possibility. Running a 3PL is expensive and trying to convince a company that I can deploy technology or manage workforce is nearly impossible. They don't want to talk to people "from" a hick town and even if you have the "right" education or background they have intelligent people of their own who are ready to make the actual decisions from far away. I would need capital to do that concept right or someone with access to capital. My contacts are all in software and entertainment, they would be out of their depth asking for supply chain money.

My theory on why they are locating in California can be summed up in a longer post, but to be short I don't know how many more companies want to relocate to Reno or Las Vegas when there is not any competitive advantage to doing so.

[Anonymous No.20710364]

>>20709650
>No industry legally scams people more than the service industry. .....
Sounds to me like fitness trainer. no regulations where I am from.
Speaking of it!

I want to go as Fitness Trainer / Coach.
The PTs here have all a shitty website, with no information, 90% look like they don't even lift and have no knowledge besides some basic shit certificate you can get in 2 weeks.
People I have never spoke to already ask me out of the blue all kind of things and want my help and/or are admirin me in some fitness related way.

Yes this sounds like I am on a high horse but experience has shown me that I am better than most of them.
My issue is I am a perfectionist and think of myself of being not good enough even though that is not the case.
I am aware "done is better than perfect" but I can't get myself to do the final step and go out in full force.

I am also aware that being a PT is practically fucking with people to get their money, another point which isn't what I like. So being honest with people to get their money in a good manner is the only way for me (I know not business like).

[Anonymous No.20710558]

>>20707193
Some thoughts:

- I'd start by thinking about how much money those kids can even spend.

- With COVID, we have no idea how long schools will remain shut for.

- With how the commerical real estate market is doing, time is on your side.

- The best I can think of is an arcade, but even then most people get their entertainment from personal devices now.

- I think food is your best bet. Try something different than the examples you have. Something low cost and maintenance. Maybe hop on the next fad, like what boba and frozen yogurt used to be.

[Anonymous No.20710586]

>>20707193
Meme twitch merchandise

[Anonymous No.20710631]

>>20710364
ya that's the shit Im talking about. There's no accountability really. The personal fitness niche is really crowded, but you're right that there's a lot of really weak competition (pun kind of intended). I've looked into this space pretty heavily actually, and my gf is sort of an e-celeb in it (basically just youtube/instagram affiliate marketing by leveraging her looks).

Also don't worry about being on a high horse, people resonate with that even though they'll say they don't. The only problem is that the easiest method of getting clients; 1 on 1 personal training in a gym or at their house, is also the hardest to scale. But the best way to scale; a youtube channel, shilling vitamins and supplements, selling info products, etc, is the most competitive and will probably have a really long road to profitability. If you have a hot girl that can be the face of your methods, or aren't above paying models/influencers to shill your shit, I think you'll have an easier time.

[Anonymous No.20710664]

bump for business related

[Anonymous No.20710947]

>>20710631
thanks, that are some good tips.
my personal issue is that I really want to help people and make a change and not only make as much money as possible - which is not /biz/iess like I know.

On the other hand, many people will waste their money no matter what, better I get it than some scammer.
For now the coaching will work, but I am pretty sure there will be another lockdown and then I have to improvise with online stuff.

[Anonymous No.20711183]

>>20701069
This is a refreshing break from the constant crypto shilling

[Anonymous No.20711213]

>>20710278
I think what I had in mind was less about approaching people with money, and trying to find a partner among the penniless wanna be startup kids in the bay area. They might have the tech but they haven't the fucking foggiest about actual logistics. I once had such a kid tell me he thought shipping was as fast as air freight. What you need is to find someone interested in a logistics project and what you offer is the knowhow and the connections to handle the brick and mortar side. Then together you go out cap in hand. Together you'd make a very unusual combination (in a good way).

[Anonymous No.20711770]

>>20711183
Glad to hear it.

[Anonymous No.20711896]

>long sleeve
>Shorts
>Riding the bus
Post your shoes

[Anonymous No.20712181]

>an actual business thread on biz

[Anonymous No.20712252]

>>20711896
Wow so you must be starting a clothing business, tell us all about it

[Anonymous No.20712953]

>>20709760
I suppose, but it feels like the quantity I'm trying to 'sell' is the hours of time available. Then the overage and underage cost is about pricing my time correctly to sell the most possible.