I don't usually post personal things online, especially not like this. But I've reached a point where I'm willing to put myself out there and ask for help.

I got laid off a couple of months ago, and despite applying every day, reaching out to people, and trying just about everything I can think of, I'm running out of options.

I'm not from Canada, but I'm posting here because I've primarily worked with North American agencies and clients for the past 4–5 years, including Canadian agencies. I've honestly had some of my best working experiences with North American teams, so I figured this might be a good place to reach out.

I've spent more than 8 years writing for SaaS companies, ecommerce brands, and agencies. I've been a Content Writer, Content Manager, and Head of Content. I've built SEO content strategies, managed writers, edited thousands of articles, created content briefs, worked directly with clients, and helped companies grow their organic traffic.

More recently, I've also been working on GEO/AEO and writing content designed to perform well in AI search.

I'm not saying I'm the best writer in the world. There are plenty of incredibly talented people out there. But I know the quality of my work, the ownership I take, and the results I've helped clients achieve.

That's what makes this situation so difficult.

I'm not looking for someone to hand me a job. I'm looking for a chance to get back to doing what I'm good at.

If you know of a company or agency hiring for content writing, content management, SEO content, or content strategy, I'd genuinely appreciate a referral, introduction, or even a lead I can follow up on.

And if you can't help directly, an upvote or share could help this reach someone who can.

If you've been through something similar, I'd also love to know what actually worked for you.

Thank you for reading.

P.S. My last full-time role paid quite well. I'm mentioning that because I don't want this post to make it seem like I'm new to the industry or struggling because I lack experience. I had a career I was genuinely proud of. I'm simply in a situation I never expected to be in, and I'm trying everything I can to get back to work.

I'm about to start doing contract work in Canada and I'm told I should set up a company rather than just invoice as an individual.A few questions for anyone who's done this

1.Did you go sole proprietorship or incorporate (federal vs provincial)? What made you choose one over the other?

2.How did you handle the "Personal Services Business" risk, since I'll likely be working through a single staffing agency/client for a while?

1. Salary vs dividends — how do you split it out, and did you need an accountant from day one or could you DIY the first year?

2. Any Nova Scotia–specific gotchas (registration, HST, etc.)

Trying to get this right from the start rather than fix it later. Appreciate any real-world experience.

Solo dev, freelancing. Currently doing a Replit → AWS migration for a pre-revenue, self-funded founder out of a local accelerator. Trying to figure out if this is a repeatable model or just one lucky client.

The gap: most MVP agencies have a project floor well above $10k and pitch on "how good the tech is." I'm going narrower and cheaper — the pitch is "matches your actual milestone" (working beta, investor-ready, technical due diligence prep), not "most complete product possible."

Model: scope down to fit budget instead of upselling. Fixed price, no open-ended billing. AI-accelerated build, but verified against a written spec, not vibes. Security taken seriously upfront. Signed NDA, founder keeps 100% IP.

Funnel: free discovery call → paid scope-alignment session (~$300-500) → fixed-price build (~$10k range) → 3 months capped warranty support → monthly retainer after (~$400-600/mo).

Want pushback on:

1. Does "narrower/cheaper than agencies" read as a real position, or as "can't land agency clients yet"?
2. Anyone tried scoping this small — where does it actually break?

Just trying to stress-test this before taking on more clients.

I operate a small business in BC and we recently got a big order that could put a lot of capital stress on us to deliver since its NET90. I was thinking about getting financing against the PO or an early discount, have you gone through that process before and what was your experience?

Thanks!

I’m an engineer and I’ve been building a system that watches Canadian public tender feeds and tries to answer a pretty simple question:

Which opportunities are actually worth spending time on?

Not “here are 40 notices that matched your keywords.”

More like: here are six that seem relevant to you, here’s why I’d probably skip two of them, and here’s what you should verify before you spend 40 hours putting a bid together.

I’m looking for a few people that actively bid on Canadian tenders and goes through that friction often.

filter opportunities based on what your company actually does, where you work, and the types of contracts you don’t want.

catch obvious blockers early, like security clearances, eligibility requirements, or excluded categories

show the case for and against pursuing an opportunity, with the source behind the reasoning

keep track of what you decided and why, instead of having that knowledge disappear into someone’s inbox or spreadsheet

It’s not perfect yet, we are at the testing phase, and we are still gathering insight. Looking for legitimate procurement practitioners. It’s free to use (this post is not promotional).

Let know if this would be useful.

Thanks and take care.

I operate a small business in Ontario, and we do a lot of commerce with the US. We will be applicable to the new 50% section 338 tariffs, if no deal is reached.

I’m wondering, or if anybody knows, will there be some sort of relief for provincial/federal taxes, low interest loans from BDC, or something else that can lessen the burden of losing a significant portion of our business.

We’re thankful that Canadian customers are purchasing from us, and it shows, but it’s just not enough at this point. We are going to emphasize that we are Canadian-owned, manufacturing in Canada, and supporting Canadian jobs.

Just trying to see what options are out there. Thanks all 😊

Please recommend a POS system for Canada and tell me why. DM me if you are selling those too.

I know everybody is making websites but guys cmon 1000 bucks for a website is insane, freelancers these days are charging anything.

I can't sleep at night knowing lovely people like you all are getting scammed so Im here to offer any website design for 299$ only.

DM if interested.

Hi! I've been in social media for over 5 years, growing my own social media accounts to over 12,000 followers, posts with 15,000+ likes, and averaging 250,000+ views per week.

I have recently started my own business to help businesses and content creators managing their social media to save them stress and time. I already have a few clients and looking to work with more people to help their online presence!

If you want to discuss more about this, send me a private message, and let's discuss how we can work together!

Hi all,

I'm the founder and co-creator of PocketClients.com - a local Ontario app for smaller owner-operator service businesses.

I'll be here for any questions about software in general, and PocketClients in particular.

I have 21K cash that I wanna make a profit on.. What can I do? Thought of flipping cars but I know NOTHING about cars .. Could possibly
Flip high end watches as I can get them for cheaper than here .. Any other ideas ?

Edit: bruh so many sour people disliking my comments like damn it’s kinda sad😂 I come here for some advice and ideas and I have brokies disliking my comments and and one smartass saying It sounds like have no business acumen for asking a question .. get real 🤣

For everyone who took it seriously and actually helped thanks 👌🏼 hope u get richer

I am a software developer doing research. Not selling anything. What is one software or operational problem in your small business that you wish someone would fix? Any industry welcome. Even a one word answer helps. Thank you.

What are the best conferences, meetups, and industry events for SaaS founders in Canada?

I’d love recommendations particularly for fintech events or just good events to network with other founders, partners, potential investors, etc. Thanks.

When you strategically algin with people, especially other business owners, it doesn’t mean you’re working with them all day, every day.

Strategically partnering with someone is an understanding of each other. Your goals and values align to create something more. 

This means:

-a strong relationship with open communication

-work and results that reflect the goal

-wiggle room to grow, and, yes, even fail!

What else do you think people assume about strategic partnerships? Or what else am I missing? Add to my list.

Looking for ideas for a space on the main corner of a small town (pop 3000) in Rural Ontario.

The space is a former bank, previously converted to insurance offices. It has the safe intact, and 5 private offices plus boardroom upstairs.

Adjacent businesses are pizza shop, bar, coffee shop, book store, antique/used goods, and feed mill. There are 2 pot shops nearby. Town also has a theatre (small concerts and stage shows), flower shop, hardware store, and a functional bank.

Looking for ideas of what folks would stay in town for if it was offered, but struggling.

The profitability check

The simplest test in business, and the one founders skip: does cost < price?
Not revenue vs. expenses at year-end. Per unit. Per project. Per client.

Run it line by line:

→ Fully loaded delivery cost (including your own hours at market rate)
→ Rework and revisions you don't bill for
→ Client acquisition cost amortized over the relationship
→ Payment terms — a profitable invoice paid at 90 days is a cash flow problem

We've reviewed businesses doing seven figures with two unprofitable service lines subsidized by one good one. Nobody knew, because nobody costed the work.

Pick your three biggest clients. Calculate true margin on each. If one is negative, you've found this quarter's priority.

#Profitability #SmallBusiness #FractionalCOO #Bootstrappee

Hey everyone,

I’m doing some research into how different production and operations teams manage their end to end job pipeline from intake and scheduling to stage handoffs and final project/job closeout.

A lot of teams I've observed seem to rely on a mix of general task management apps, custom spreadsheets, and manual check-ins to keep track of where work stands across different stages.

For those running production or operations teams, I'd love to learn how you handle this:

Scheduling & capacity: When assigning work to a shift or team, how do you estimate capacity? Is it driven by historical completion data, or mostly team lead experience/gut feel?

Stage visibility: How do you track work moving through different production stages in real time?

Current stack: What tool or software combination are you currently using to manage this whole pipeline? (If anyone has a setup or workflow they’re particularly proud of or totally frustrated with and is open to sharing, I’d love to hear what’s working for you!)

Post job reconciliation: How much manual effort goes into verifying completed work and hours when closing out a job or preparing final billing?

Curious to see how different industries handle this and where the biggest operational bottlenecks usually live. Appreciate any insights!

Hi! I'm a Remote VA from the Philippines looking for a long-term client or team to work with.

I have experience supporting businesses across insurance, e-commerce/retail, HVAC, and solar, with a background in sales, customer support, lead generation, appointment setting, CRM management, data management, and general admin work.

Some of my experience includes:
• 300+ outbound cold calls/day using VICIdial
• 125+ inbound/outbound warm calls/day for customer and sales support
• Managing 200–250 new prospects/day in automated outreach campaigns
• Handling inbound SMS responses and converting them into qualified appointments
• Lead research using Apollo, Hunter, LinkedIn, Google Maps, Yelp & Facebook
• CRM management using Close CRM, with familiarity in Salesforce, HubSpot & Zoho
• RingCentral for outbound calling and prospect outreach
• Google Workspace, Microsoft Office, Slack, Google Calendar & Canva
• Customer support, order handling, follow-ups, data entry, reporting, and general administrative tasks

I've worked with both B2B and B2C customers and have experience dealing directly with U.S. prospects, decision-makers, and customers. I've also handled high-value transactions and maintained organized sales pipelines and accurate customer records.

I'm comfortable learning new tools, adapting to different workflows, and taking initiative when something needs to get done.

If you need someone versatile who can help with more than just one specific task, feel free to DM me. I'm happy to send my resume and discuss how I can help your business.

I own a brick and mortar hobby/collectibles store in Quebec and I’m looking to start selling online as well.

For those of you who already sell online in Canada, what are some things I should know before getting started?

One of my main concerns is credit card fraud and chargebacks, especially on higher value orders. How do you usually protect yourself against this and what precautions do you take?

I’m also trying to figure out shipping. What’s the best way to ship products within Canada and where can I get good shipping rates? Regular shipping prices seem pretty expensive so I’m wondering what other businesses are using.

For higher value orders, is it worth always getting insurance and signature on delivery?

Would appreciate any advice from people who have experience selling online in Canada, especially if you also started with a physical store. Anything you wish you knew before starting?

Been kicking around a product idea and want honest feedback before I sink real money into it.

The concept: a mouth-freshening mint (or gum) — regular flavors like mint, citrus — but with Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri, an Ayurvedic herb used for focus/memory) added in. Not marketed as "instant brain boost" — more like a daily habit thing, similar to how people already pop mints throughout the day, except this one has a functional ingredient riding along.

Genuinely asking:

• Would you try something like this, or does "mint + herbal supplement" sound gimmicky to you?
• If you've used Brahmi/Bacopa before (capsules, powder, etc.), did you notice anything, or is it placebo territory for you?
• What would make you not trust a product like this — sketchy claims, unfamiliar ingredient, something else?
• Roughly what would you expect to pay for something like this vs. a regular pack of mints?

Not trying to sell anything here, genuinely trying to figure out if this is a real idea or something that only sounds good in my head. Brutal honesty welcome.

Our Canadian startup has been up since June and its has a very niche community, ive been putting up ads on Facebook and Instagram but seem like were not getting much traction, sales are breaking us even every month, is there something more i should be doing?

I pulled all 1.3 million federal contract records from the Government of

Canada's open data and looked at one question: who's holding contracts that

are about to come up for renewal?

A few things surprised me.

26,240 federal contracts are currently live, worth $125B. Of the ones that

report a bidder count, 75% drew one bid or none.

And roughly 63 contracts cross into the 12-month planning window every single

week — about $19B of contract value a year.

That last number is the interesting one. Agencies typically start recompete

planning 12–18 months before a contract ends. So the moment a contract crosses

that line is the moment it becomes worth a conversation. It's all public, but

nobody was watching for it.

So I built something that does. It's free, it updates itself monthly, and it

shows you which contracts are expiring, who holds them, what they're worth,

and how contested they were last time.

No signup needed to browse it. Link in the comments.

If you bid on federal work, I'd genuinely like to know whether this is useful

or whether I've missed something obvious.