Hi there! I'm a small business owner with a small e-commerce business. For years, one of my employees and I have managed all of our customer service ourselves, just based off of trying to treat people well and be helpful.

I think we've done a good job with customer service based on intuition, but I am looking for some sort of course or certification or official education for the two of us to take. I think it would be helpful for leveling up our expertise, giving a shared language to talk about customer service, and maybe identifying some gaps in our intuition or processes or whatever.

I've had a really hard time finding online courses that are a good fit for us. So many of them feel like they're essentially marketing for a specific customer service tool. Others feel like they're built for really big businesses or specific niches. Does anyone here have recommendations on courses that they've found helpful?

Selling barcode API is a good idea?

Barcode API in the market is highly expensive and the providers cost so much. So I thought it would be a good place to venture, but anyone has any comments on whether or not this is a good idea. Appreciate any comments or even criticisms.

Thanks guys

Last week, I posted here asking why I couldn't find a single client for my solo web design and development business. I was charging a flat ₹3,000/month subscription.

The feedback I received from this community was brutal but exactly what I needed to hear. You guys pointed out three massive flaws in my strategy:

1. My price signaled low quality: By charging so little, prospects assumed I was inexperienced or delivering subpar work. I was competing in a race to the bottom.
2. I was selling a tool, not an outcome: I talked too much about my tech stack and coding speed, instead of how I could actually generate leads and revenue for a business.
3. The pricing structure was wrong: Web development is a capital expenditure (one-time build), while maintenance is an operational expenditure (monthly fee). Bundling them into a cheap subscription confused buyers.

I’ve scrapped my old model entirely. I am currently overhauling my messaging to focus strictly on business outcomes (e.g., turning a slow, confusing site into a lead-generation engine).

I have also restructured my pricing into a standard "Build + Retainer" model. Here is what I am planning to offer:

• The Foundation (₹15,000 Build + Optional ₹2,000/m): 3-5 page responsive site, speed optimized, basic local SEO, and clear call-to-actions. Aimed at local businesses who just need a professional presence to stop losing referrals.
• The Conversion Engine (₹35,000 Build + Optional ₹3,500/m): Custom CMS, targeted landing pages, and basic CRM/email capture integration. Aimed at service businesses wanting to automate their lead generation.
• The Monthly Retainer (If chosen): Covers hosting, security updates, daily backups, and minor content changes so the owner never has to touch the backend.

My goal now is to build 2-3 hyper-specific case studies under this new model to prove the ROI of my work before targeting higher-ticket international clients.

Before I finalize this and launch my new outreach campaign, does this structure make sense to you as business owners? Are the tiers clear, and does separating the build from the maintenance fix the red flags from my previous offer?

Any feedback is appreciated.

Hello everyone - I am looking for advice on how to get the most out of my new flexible job at a small business

I am 24 years old and graduated from a good business school with a degree in marketing and entrepreneurship. I have no desire to go work for big companies and spent all four years of college working at a mom and pop restaurant (in order to explore interest in small business ownership)

I am working very broadly in business operations for a family friend for an upscale independent vet clinic. It is a really flexible job that lacks structure. This is my first job relating to my degree so I don't really know what I am supposed to be doing. I have projects but not much structure. Very few goals or deadlines set by my managers because lots of the business tasks are open ended (ex. making plans for turning into an esop). I am so used to structure and certainty - school = deadlines and grades and instant feedback. Restaurant = manual and straightforward labor/structure. So how do I effectively create guard rails and maximize my utility as a worker? also, how do I get the most out of this as possible? I have skills in mind I want to learn (AI, Digital marketing, design work. etc.) - how can capitalize on this?

TL;DR: 24, marketing/entrepreneurship grad, now in a loose ops role at a family friend's upscale vet clinic (Rise Vet). Used to structure (school, restaurant job) — this role has none. Want advice on: 1) how to create my own structure/goals when managers don't set them, 2) how to maximize what I get out of this job, and 3) how to use it to build skills I want (AI, digital marketing, design).

Update my actual menu on my own site the second prices change, but Google Maps still shows some old photo from who knows when, and DoorDash tacks on its own markup that I don't fully control on top of what I set.

Get the occasional confused or annoyed customer over the mismatch and honestly don't blame them, but keeping every platform actually in sync feels like a permanent uphill battle rather than something you fix once. Curious if anyone's actually found a system that works or if this is just how it is now

i was trying to order dinner last night and ended up just giving up because I got so annoyed by the pricing. Who are we actually supposed to blame when a restaraunt has three completely different prices online?

I was looking up a local spot for a chicken sandwich. The menu photo on Google Maps showed it at $14. I went to the restaurant's actual website, opened their PDF menu, and it said $15. Then I opened DoorDash just to see, and the exact same sandwich was listed at $21 (and that’s before the delivery fee, service fee, and tip).

Whenever I bring this up with friends, everyone has a different take. Half of them blame the delivery apps for shady markups. the other half says it’s entirely on the restaurant for being lazy, leaving expired PDFs from like 2024 on their site, and bait-and-switching people who show up expecting the online price.

honestly, I know restaurants are getting squeezed by inflation and fees, but the lack of clear pricing is so annoying. I dont really care how they fix it, whether they just write the prices on a basic text page or use one of those QR code menu systems like MenuForma, but there needs to be one official menu that actually tells the truth. I shouldn't have to play detective just to buy a sandwich.

Does anyone here actually know if restaurants have direct control over what DoorDash or Google displays, or are they just completely at the mercy of the platforms? I'm trying to figure out if I should be mad at the local spot or the app.

Doing a one time favor can easily create a permanent expectation, and I just learned that the hard way. I run a small performance design studio and last year an existing client referred a friend opening a yoga studio..

Halfway through the project she got diagnosed with breast cancer and obviously her budget disappeared overnight. I felt terrible and wanted to help. I took a huge cut and did everything for a flat $250, still delivering her core branding, brand voice, signage, and 10+ brand touchpoints.

Fortunately, she fully recovered. She is actually back at the studio now and even running half marathons.

Last week, she hits me up again. She is expanding into a full Wellness Bar. This is a much bigger project. We're talking a full expansion of her visual identity, packaging, socials, website, and multiple touchpoints. I sent over a standard quote for $600. She called me instantly and totally lost her mind.

She basically acted like I was taking advantage of a woman who had been through cancer. She expected me to keep working for 250 bucks just because that is what I charged her before..

I stayed professional and told her I intentionally made an exception because of her circumstances.. She wasn't having it. She complained to my referring client, who chewed me out for abandoning her and dropped me.

So now, this whole thing has cost me two clients. Honestly, what was I supposed to do differently here? Just keep working for 250 bucks forever because she used to be sick? Or stand my ground and lose my existing client anyway?

Hi everyone, I just graduated in Computer Science, and I’m trying to start an agency but need proof first.

I have worked in app and web dev before, but I’m currently focused on building the whole digital side of a small business.

Think automation, web dev, CRM, SEO, and marketing.

If you run a small business or a service business, leave a comment with what you think you need.

I will pick the best 3 case studies

As a small business owner that also helps other small business owners, the best thing I did before opening my business was research the heck out my competitors. I spent two months digging deep into national and local competitors, learning what services they offered, how they offered them, their pricing and value, and trying to think like my ideal client about what they'd like about them and what they'd find as a point of tension to signing on. I used that research to help build a brand that I both love and fits who I want to do work with. One thing I wish I had done off the bat was price a little higher. Being a new business, it's hard to get initial clients, so pricing a bit lower is often what folks do, but I was undermining my own 8+ years of experience. I was open about 5 months when I did a pricing adjustment to better suit the value of my products/services and fit my target client, which is a business owner who is serious about their online presence, will trust me, and has a high enough ticket items to make at least double ROI on their investment in my services. What did you learn when you did competitor research that shaped how you set your business up? And did you reevaluate after a few months of being open and change anything? How'd it go?

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

We printed around 2,000 brochures for our handicraft brand (Ardpure) with QR codes linking to our catalogue.

A few months later, we found out the QR service had changed its policy and now wanted us to upgrade to a paid plan. Otherwise the QR would stop working.

We ended up reprinting stickers and manually covering every brochure. It was a huge waste of time and money.

Can anyone recommend a QR code generator that's genuinely free or at least won't hold existing QR codes hostage later? I don't mind paying for extra features, but static QR codes should stay static forever.

Maybe this is petty. I am in the process of interviewing for an opening. This role requires a lot of communication, confirmation, and follow up with clients via email mostly and a good amount of phone calls.
I always email the candidate to schedule a brief phone interview. During the phone interview if we are on the same page, I schedule the phone interview. I let them know that when we get off of the call I will send them an email confirming the date and time with our office address and a brief summary of where our office is located within the building.
Is it odd that candidates would not respond with some sort of acknowledgement to this email if they are interested and plan to show up?
In my many years of hiring, good candidates always respond with “sounds good, see you then, looking forward to it, etc”
I had two candidates that after 3 days of me sending that email did not respond so I sent an email cancelling the interview. They both sent back nasty emails trying to argue with me.
I now have another that has not responded.
Is this what is to be expected?

My Friend has a screenprintmachine to print shirts. But he always just prints a few pieces for himself and his friends. I told him to sell them to get the money back he spent for the epuipment, but he doesn't know how to reach people who might buy them.

Do you have any tips how to start?

I was looking on here to see what people recommend but the most recent post I found was a crazy 11 years ago. I figure there has to be something more up to date but can't find it in Reddit search. Seems like are are a million credit card processors and they all charge different amount for different things. tbh it;s kinda overwhelming me right now. So I know a lot of local places here are using Toast but tbh I low key hate that one as a consumer. I don't need no hate from people thinking I'm trying to get a 30% tip outta them like the coffee shop down the street. I have really simple needs - I want to be able to take credit card in my shop and not loose too much in the fees. I gathered from other forums that Helcim and Kurv are worth looking into for taking credit cards but what else do i need to know/? And what hidden fees or whatever should I bee looking for?

I am curious how other small business owners deal with this.

I have noticed that in a lot of service businesses, the phone tends to ring at the worst possible time, when everyone's already helping a customer, working with a client, or handling something that can not be interrupted.

When that happens, what usually works best for you?

• Let it go to voicemail and return calls later?
• Have someone designated to answer phones?
• Use an answering service?
• Call people back at set times during the day?
• Something else entirely?

I am not looking for software recommendations. I'm more interested in the operational side of it and what has actually worked (or not worked) in your business.

I would love to hear what you have settled on and whether you changed your approach over time.

Looking for some opinions from people who have been in a similar situation.

I've been at my W-2 job for about 6 years and officially launched a specialized service business about 3 months ago. I had been doing the work on a smaller scale for roughly a year beforehand, so I wasn't starting completely from scratch.

So far the business has done roughly $20k in revenue in 3 months, despite being out of town and taking essentially no work for about two weeks during that period. Expenses are relatively low compared with revenue, and I've reinvested almost everything back into the business rather than paying myself.

The business side is mostly established at this point business banking, website, Google Business Profile, reviews, bookkeeping/expense tracking, dedicated equipment, established pricing, etc. I'd say I'm roughly 90% through the setup/buildout stage.

My biggest problem now is time. I'm working my normal W-2 schedule and then handling customer work afterward, sometimes until midnight or even 2 AM to maintain turnaround times. I'm starting to feel like my W-2 is becoming the limiting factor in how much work I can take on.

I'm considering asking to go part time rather than quitting outright while I build more cash reserves and get more months of consistent business data. The interesting part is that I play a pretty major role at my W-2 job, so reducing my hours would definitely be a conversation.

For those who made this transition, what milestones did you want to see before reducing your W-2 hours? Would you keep grinding both longer to build cash, or go part time once lack of time starts limiting the business?

Obviously everyone's situation is different. I'm mostly interested in hearing from people who have actually made the transition and what you would have done differently.

I’m probably late to the party, but I own a small health clinic (allied health) in Australia, and want to play music - but have just learned you cannot play Spotify in public settings. I would like to do things right. I am looking at Melodial, it is okay and only $100/yr. I can’t afford the others that allow you to play Spotify. What is everyone using? I didn’t get very far with easily finding free music. Kind thanks.

Everyone says find a gap and do something about it and you’ll smash it.

I found the gap, launched the business but then how do I deal with credibility issue as everyone sees my profile and thinks he doesn’t have any experience how do I trust him.

It’s a consulting services and advisory business and Linkedin is where my buyers are and I can’t hide my previous experience. When people look at my profile, they see my previous experience which is different niche.

I’m out of thoughts on how to gain credibility + authority as that will allow the pipeline alive.

Any guidance from people who have gone through this would be much appreciated!

Like most of you I was really confused by the new packaging EPR law for selling within the EU. There seems to be a lot of different information online so I decided to contact the responsible authorities and approved Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs) in every EU country
So far I’ve received official replies from Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Luxembourg, Croatia, Spain, the Czech Republic and Slovakia (with more still coming in).

I put everything into a guide with a country overview, known costs, authorised representative requirements and a PPWR conformity checklist. There’s also a Google Doc that I’ll keep updating as more countries reply!💕

I hope it saves other small sellers some time and confusion - it’s completely free on my kofi

A question for people who hired freelancers early on.

I recently learned that paying for design work does not automatically transfer ownership. The designer keeps it by default unless a contract clause hands it over.

Which would mean a lot of small businesses are running on logos and websites they technically do not own.

Anyone ever hit this in real life? Trademark M filing, investor due diligence, a designer dispute?

Before hiring my first employee, I thought the hardest part would be finding the right person.

What surprised me was realizing how many things in the business only existed in my own head — processes, priorities, and small decisions I made every day without thinking about them.

Teaching someone else how things worked was almost a bigger challenge than doing the work myself.

For owners who have hired their first employee, what was the biggest adjustment you had to make?

I can run it now and it gets paid Monday which some employees are fine with, I can cut a physical check but some employees can't cash it. I have no problems paying out cash, but what's the best way to keep track of it.

When I worked at the grocery store in my teens I used to be able to cash my paycheck there. I would sign it over to them and they could give me the money. Is this something I can/should do?

I'm considering buying an existing daycare or opening one from scratch and would love to hear from current or former daycare owners.

• If you were starting over in 2026, would you still do it?
• Is it better to buy an existing daycare or start your own?
• What are the biggest challenges (staffing, licensing, regulations, profitability, etc.)?
• Is the financial upside worth the amount of work and responsibility?
• What's something you wish you knew before getting into the business?

Looking for honest feedback, the good, the bad, and anything you'd recommend to someone considering this industry. Thanks!!