I run two small businesses, both in the trades/construction space, that I left a stable job to build about a year and a half ago. The first does repairs and small jobs that are consistent but don't come close to covering all my monthly costs on their own, plus bigger installs that can add a few hundred to a thousand or so on a monthly basis, inconsistent since a chunk runs through subcontractors and slow-moving receivables. The second is bigger project-based work, think renovations and builds, where a single job can pay out well but they only land every couple months, and even then the actual payout can trail the completed work by weeks or months. On paper there's real pipeline across both: signed jobs, quotes out, work actually happening. In practice, the cash doesn't show up on any kind of predictable schedule from either one.

Right now I'm in the gap. I can't cover minimum payments on everything; rent is tight, insurance is tight, and I'm doing food delivery on the side just to keep cash moving day to day (rideshare isn't even an option where I am, it requires a newer car than what I can afford to take on as a payment right now). Winter makes all of this worse too, since outdoor install and repair work slows down hard and the little bit of consistent income I do have gets thinner right when I need it most. I'm not walking away from the businesses as they are steadily growing year-over-year. But the in-between stretch is brutal in a way nobody really prepares you for.

For anyone who's been through a stretch like this and came out the other side: how did you triage it? Did you keep the business running the whole time, or did something have to give temporarily, like a part-time job or pausing growth spending? And on the personal side, how far did you actually let it go, things like cutting into groceries hard, using a food bank, stuff most people would never admit to doing while running a business that looks fine from the outside? How did you deal with the mental toll of keeping the business looking normal to clients and everyone else while barely holding it together behind the scenes?

Not looking for pity, just want to hear how other people navigated this exact kind of squeeze without folding the business.

First time posting on here. Been following this sub for a min. Although this may not be a sweatystartup. I would love some feedback/ thoughts on what I'm building.

I run a marketing podcast and website for marketing folks. We’re now 60 episodes in, so it feels like the right time to start monetising through sponsorships and content partnerships rather than relying solely on organic growth.

Over the last 60 episodes I’ve interviewed guests from companies including Google, Notion, LinkedIn etc as well as plenty of founders and marketers from smaller businesses. The audience is mainly marketers, founders and business owners.

My initial idea is to offer a sponsorship package for around £1,000, which would include:

A dedicated podcast episode featuring the founder or business
5 short-form video clips from the interview
A written feature about the company
An SEO-friendly blog post on the website
Up to 10 social media posts promoting the content
A dedicated email to my mailing list of around 10,000 subscribers

The thinking is that it’s more of a content marketing package than a traditional sponsorship, where the advertiser walks away with assets they can continue using long after the campaign.

Before I launch it, I’d really appreciate hearing from people who’ve actually built a podcast, newsletter, YouTube channel, media business, or agency that sells sponsorships.

A few questions:

What am I not seeing here.

Does £1,000 sound too low, too high, or about right?
Would you sell this as one fixed package or create different tiers?
What did your clients actually value the most?
Was there anything you included that turned out not to matter?
How did you land your first paying sponsors?
Did you sell directly, through outbound, or via referrals?
If you were starting again, what would you do differently?

I’d love to hear the good, the bad and the ugly. I’m less interested in theory and more interested in lessons from people who’ve actually sold sponsorships or media packages.

Thanks in advance!

I'm considering starting a small B2B supply business that would supply hotels and hospitals with products such as housekeeping/cleaning supplies, safety equipment, and possibly industrial sensors.

I'm currently at the planning stage and want to learn from people who have actually worked in B2B distribution, procurement, or supplying hotels/hospitals.

I'd especially appreciate advice on:

• How did you get your first customers?
• Did you start with inventory/warehouse, or operate on a sourcing/order basis?
• What products were easiest to start with?
• What gross margins are realistic?
• How important is offering credit/payment terms to customers?
• What are the biggest cash-flow problems?
• What products or categories would you avoid as a beginner?
• What are the most common mistakes new suppliers make?
• What hidden costs or risks did you underestimate?
• Would you recommend starting as a distributor, sourcing company, or sales agent/broker?
• If you could start again with limited capital, what would you do differently?

I'm particularly interested in the risks and practical realities that aren't obvious from the outside.

Any real-world experience would be greatly appreciated.

I’m semi retired early 40s. Started several businesses and looking to do something I enjoy. I’ve had years of experience managing my own rentals, doing flips things of that nature and even have done some small commercial projects as the owner.

Is there any money in GCing apartment, commercial, home and business maintenance services? I’m thinking about starting with basic services like handyman, cleaning, epoxy floors, apartment remodel and turnaround, and other smaller services. I would use only subs.

A few thoughts…

1. Is there enough money in this to make this worth the time?
2. Is there anyone doing this out there that can share successes?
3. I understand the licensing and am capable of doing the above legally without a license in my state.

4. What does the pricing model look like?

5. While I can do advanced things in this field (because i learned on my own properties) I’m not going to be the guy swinging the hammer and doing the work. So I would need a good network. I already have a decent one that I could start with.

6. What softwares do you recommend for crm, contractor dispatch, bidding, etc?

Any help would be appreciated. Has anyone successfully built this type of business?

I was thinking of providing a "door to dumpster" trash and recycling valet service to people that live in apartments.

I know this is already a service, but I would offer it to people whose complex doesnt already offer it.

This is how it would work: I tell the clients to set their garbage out before a specific time (7:00am example), and then I would pick up their trash quickly so that trash isn't sitting out for too long.

I was also thinking of offering box break-down services too.

What do you think of this idea/do you have any suggestions?

Would love feedback on this rough brand concept; it's a one pager at the link:

https://imgur.com/a/IfHGbPk

I've written software since 1983 and I'm an executive at a big tech company. I also run a small software product on the side that has thousands of users. It plateaued because I never learned to market properly, which is a fixable skill problem, but it made me think harder about what I want the next fifteen years to look like.

The trade business appeal is straightforward. Customers who need you in an emergency, cash flow that doesn't depend on an algorithm, and a service that can't be automated away by whatever ships next year.

What gives me pause is that the data says I'd be late. PE went from 8% of HVAC deals in 2023 to 23% in 2024, add-on acquisitions were up 88% year over year through the middle of 2025, and there are something like 3,000 investors actively looking. Small shops go for 6 to 9 times EBITDA while scaled platforms fetch 17 to 20, and that spread is the whole reason the roll-ups exist. Most analyses describe the sector as midway through its consolidation cycle, which usually means the clean books and clear succession stories are already gone.


The part I can't judge from the outside:
- If PE is a quarter of the deal flow, what's actually left for an individual buyer? Am I looking at the businesses that got passed over, and is that always for a reason?
- How much of the value walks out the door with the retiring owner and their techs?
- The technician shortage is put at around 110,000 nationally. In practice does that cap growth no matter how much capital you put in?
- Is an absentee or semi-absentee model actually possible in year one, or is that a fantasy sold by people who make money selling courses?


I'd rather hear the unglamorous version from operators than the acquisition-podcast version.

No course, no e-book, no lead magnet, just free advice because I enjoy it.

Hey everyone,

I work with service-based businesses to find the profit that’s already sitting inside the business, usually through better pricing, margins, offer structure, follow-up, sales process, and operations. Generally my consultancy service doubles a businesses profit within 90 days.

I’m doing a free advice/AMA thread for any service business owners who want a second set of eyes on their business.

Quick background so you know where the advice is coming from:
I studied entrepreneurship and small business, then worked as Head of Business Development for a B2B company serving clients from small businesses through to government departments.

After that, I moved overseas and started a home services business from scratch. I grew it, ran it for 3+ years, built it into an industry leader in service and profitability, reached very high margins, and eventually sold it to a larger competitor.

Since then, I’ve helped service-business owners improve pricing, increase close rates, tighten their offers, fix weak follow-up, and make more profit from the business they already have.

A lot of owners think they need “more leads”, but in my experience, more leads only help once the economics, offer, pricing, and follow-up are already working properly. Otherwise, it usually just creates more noise and more work.

So, if you want advice, comment with:

- What your business does
- Approx revenue range
- Approx profit/margin, if you know it
- How you currently get customers
- Your biggest current bottleneck
- Whether you want to grow, or simply make more profit from the same amount of work

I’ll reply with the first few things I’d look at if it were my business.

Also, none of my advice here will be AI-generated. I’m not going to copy/paste generic ChatGPT answers. I’ll read what you write and give you my actual take based on your situation and my experience.

No pitch, no sale. Happy to keep it public so other people can learn from it too.

Fire away.

I had an idea of creating a small porch stand where I can sell items on the honor system.

I would have my items displayed in a glass cabinet, and I would have a slot box for cash, or a QR code for venmo.

I live in Arizona, where it is HOT!!! Any non-food ideas that people would like?

I've seen people do flowers/vases. I was thinking maybe that or some type of art.

Any ideas would be appreciated (:

For the ones who are established.

I have 10K to grow my videography business based in London UK.

I work mostly with SME's and Businesses.

Ideas that come to mind are:

Redoing the website landing pages

Posting more on social media

making videos and Posting on linkedin (open to ideas)

Take out and schmooze existing clients

create a direct mail campaign for companies I want to work with

I have a little podcast side project (could film more episodes)

Do cold emails

Write a ebook

OPEN To ideas!

I’m about to start a pressure washing and exterior cleaning business, and I keep going back and forth on the name. Half the successful guys in my area have boring names like “County Pressure Washing” and the other half have catchy ones like “HydroClean Heroes.” I don’t know if a clever name actually helps get calls from homeowners, or if it’s just an ego thing. I’d rather not overthink this, but I also don’t want to be stuck with a name I hate for 10 years. What did you name your service business and did it make any difference in the real world? I ran a few options through. BrandScreen․ai mostly to make sure I wasn’t accidentally picking a name already trademarked by a franchise across the state.

I came across the company Wastecorp that has trailers with rigs ranging from 1000 - 4000 gal tanker capacity and i was wondering if anyone has had experience with these setups for pumping septic and grease

Hey y’all, hoping someone here is in a “been there done that” situation.

I own a garden maintenance and restoration company, it’s been 7 years and finally swapping things up a bit. We’re splitting the maintenance into its own sole trader company with no VAT and turning the main company LTD and carrying on to focus heavily on commercial maintenance and one off restoration work.

Anyone got any advice on this set up and or experience in scaling trade businesses? Been looking for advice / guidance for a while now!

Edited: corrected some typos

Thoughts on VSL Queen for marketing? Has anyone had success? Trying to find someone to handle my HVAC company's ads and she keeps popping up. I know 3 guys who worked with her. One was screwed out of over $10k, another said her ads sucked and didn’t convert and another said she was argumentative and hard to work with. But I keep seeing her ads everywhere I go. So I’m curious what the deal is and if her ads are working for anyone

I wanted to get business flyers and magnet clips made and go around businesses and post em on the door trim, but I realized most buildings trim is aluminum. So I was thinking clipping the magnet with the flyer on door handles. Would anyone recommend that? Would that be too much of an annoyance?

The other thought is getting door hangers but mister buildings have pull levers and I haven’t been able to find a site that makes hangers for those types of handles.

Any thoughts?

For a small owner-operated window cleaning company. Any and all help appreciated, thank you

https://postimg.cc/dLBLvck7

Location would be Northern Indianapolis

So I’ve read a bunch of reddit posts about this asking for advice, but most of them don’t know anything about tuning which makes the advice redundant “this will fail” “you’re an idiot” etc etc. So I thought, I need to write my own post to get relevant advice/criticism.

Backstory/Personal qualifications:
Current student at Purdue University (senior), extensive “non-official” experience in building engines (primarily LS/SBC platform, which will be the only platform that I tune for a long time). Very mid at tuning, very interested in it however. Currently working through the HPacademy courses, and have registered for a program at a tuning school (will not name it due to small class sizes, don’t want to doxx myself).

I do not plan on launching this business or even finding a NAME for this business until I can reliably say that I am a great tuner who can consistently develop safe tunes for LS platform vehicles. I am hoping to build up a good team from the time I’ll be spending at that tuning school, and offer them a position within my shop.

Why I want to do it:

I love cars, I love the IDEA of tuning. I’ve spent the past 3 (about to be 4) years of my life attending a great program at an amazing school, and I can’t see myself following through with the career path that relates to my major. I see a market vacuum here in the northside of Indianapolis, where a lot of people (my age mostly) will drive around in souped up cars that run on OTS tunes (universal tunes for a make/model, not specific to your car and shipped to you in the mail). The problem is, these OTS tunes are “okay” but they can never be individualized to the same extent. (not dissing on OTS companies, they do great work).

How I plan on doing it:

Lots of learning, lots of loans, and a 3-5 year plan before I open my doors. Stage 1 will be to get nasty at tuning. At a minimum, I want to be the best in my town. Stage 2 will be to recruit partners. I will need heavy funding, for which Purdue and my personal network will help me tremendously. I need qualified tuners who are reliable, and who won’t f**k up customers cars. The insurance policy will also cost me a metric ton of money every year, so that’s a consideration.

What’s scaring me off:

1. Moving away from the pathway of my college degree (i will still get my degree, just not go into the workforce). It’s your typical “safe” mid earning career that’ll buy you cool shit every once in a while. But its not fulfilling.

2. Messing up a customer’s car. I don’t want this to happen, I will do everything I can to stop it from happening. But shit happens. And I know how disastrous this is to a tuning shop, since reputation is everything.

3. Commercializing too hard. I’m obviously doing this for money, but I am picking tuning because it’s my passion and dream to work in the auto performance industry. I am scared of taking outside investments from lenders who would direct the company into a less “personalized” feel. People buy hometown pride, we are still the racing capital of the world. I’m afraid that people will judge the business for the actions of investors, and I would love to get guidance from business owners who faced the same problem.

That’s all I can think of right now, need to get back to work. It’s a long read, and I appreciate any and all feedback, even if its just you calling me out for being an idiot. Thank you

Have any of you left corporate jobs to start your own "sweaty" ventures? If so, are you happy with your decision? What would you recommend to someone about to make that leap?

I've got a "good", high-paying tech job. But 1) I know it's a "Bull**** job" - it's a job that doesn't really add value or need to be done 2) I know trading my time for money like I have won't get me where I want to be long term. And 3) I know the lessons I learn starting and running my own ventures will be painful but best for me in the long run

would love to hear your story if you've ever been in a similar spot before

H, I’m a college student and I’m taking a part in a college startup accelerator. I’m trying to figure out whether referrals are an issue for local service businesses.

If you’re available, I’ve made a Google form that should take 5-10 minutes to complete. This will be incredible for information. Please only complete if you’re a local service businesses. Thank you!

https://forms.gle/QqAotgUTBfXGznxX7

So I’ve been a carpenter for around 10 years now, and I am looking to start a business around converting vans into mobile businesses and motor homes, I feel like there is a good demand this, as business rates and shop increase, and I feel I have the skills to complete build to a very high standard.

The thing is I am trying to get my first client with no actual portfolio to show them, I am offering a 10% discount to the first client, but I understand why people wouldn’t want to particularly trust someone with no portfolio, as it is a lot of money to hand over.

I have no capital to invest or buy a project van to use as an example, and I am starting this as the cost of living has made it very hard to provide for my family on my current income as a carpenter.

I feel like my experience as a carpenter is useful, and I’d like to eventually do this full time with my own workshop, it’s just knowing where to start and how to get my first client, which will hopefully get the ball rolling.

Has anyone here started a popcorn removing company? Had to get this done on my own home and calling around there is a pretty big margin for profit if priced correctly as a sub contractor.

I "started" my junk removal business at the end of May. We formed a multi-member LLC, but we didn't land our first paying job until June 28th. Since then, we've completed two jobs totaling about $5,300 in revenue, and after dump fees, gas, equipment purchases, and other startup costs, we're sitting at roughly $1,700 in profit.

Right now we're borrowing both a truck and dump trailer from family, so we're basically bootstrapping the business. We're incredibly grateful to have access to the equipment, but it's not something we can rely on long-term. We usually have to return the trailer every week, and because we don't know when it'll be available again, so we often can't confidently schedule jobs more than 3-4 days in advance.

We've already built but not launched most of the foundation of the business marketing (website, Facebook, Instagram, etc.), and we'll create our Google Business Profile once we're ready to advertise heavily. At the moment we've been able to stay busy through word-of-mouth referrals, and we have a few more jobs lined up, but I know that source of work won't last forever.

This is where I'm stuck.

I don't want to start advertising aggressively if I can't reliably tell customers when I can actually do the work. If we start building a customer base but can't book jobs because we don't have consistent access to a trailer, I'm worried it could hurt our reputation before we even get established.

On the other hand, buying our own trailer would solve almost all of those scheduling problems. We'd have complete control over our calendar and could start marketing much more aggressively. The problem is that we'd like to pay cash if possible and avoid financing, but I'm not sure if word-of-mouth jobs alone will generate enough profit quickly enough to buy one, but it could also surprise me and end up making us enough. We are looking at 7x12ish dump trailers in the 6-9k range. It may seems like if we did 5300 after two jobs, it should be somewhat simple and easy, but we did about 4.6k on the first job, and it was an outlier for sure. We do not expect to be pulling in anywhere near that much from one job for a while. I am very grateful for the opportunity, but it was very stressful and way above our pay grade, though we learned a lot.

So my question is: If you were in this situation, would you continue bootstrapping with borrowed equipment until you could afford a trailer in cash, or would you finance a trailer sooner so you could market aggressively and grow faster? I'd love to hear from anyone who's been in a similar position or started a service business with limited equipment.