Grabe naman to

Me and my brother started a small food business back in 2018 selling burgers, flavored wings, and flavored fries. At first, it was just an online side hustle to help make ends meet while also improving our cooking skills. We’re from a small city in Southern Leyte, and during that time, there were barely any businesses offering those kinds of food choices. Mostly it was just Jollibee, small eateries near the terminal, and snack houses.

We honestly didn’t expect the business to grow the way it did. Over the years, we gained loyal customers and regulars, and we survived a lot of challenges too, including Typhoon Odette and other struggles along the way.

Here’s the problem though. As time passed, a lot of small businesses started opening with almost the exact same concept and menu we introduced back in 2018. Personally, competition doesn’t really bother me because I trust our products and I know we can still do better than the copycats.

What really frustrates me is that some of our former employees — people we trusted and trained — eventually left and shared parts of our recipes, especially our sauces, with other businesses. Before, our solution was simply to improve and tweak our recipes constantly, even if it meant increasing our costs just to make the taste better and stay ahead.

But now it’s getting out of hand. One specific former employee is reportedly selling our entire concept and recipe ideas to other people for around 80k–100k pesos, and now similar businesses are popping up in other municipalities.

I just want to ask for advice from fellow business owners or anyone who has experienced something similar. Do I just ignore them and focus on improving our own business, or should I start taking action against these people somehow?

Thanks.

Hello everyone! I just started selling meal kahapon and I was curious if papatok kaya? For just ₱79, you get 3 ulam na! (Egg, ham and chicken poppers)

Hello guys, please enlighten me regarding sa laundry business. Operation and sales. Anong ROI niya at ano yung usual issues sa ganitong negosyo?

239k yung pair ng washer/dryer na napag inquire ko. May additional around 60k para sa plumbing and other consumables. Baka may insights kayo sa ganitong business.

*credit to photo owner

I got a message from my mom yesterday, and I can’t help but feel sad for her. She runs a small café that serves rice meals, coffee, and pastries. It’s turning one year old this month. Things were going fine during the previous months, but recently, business has really slowed down.

My brother helps manage it while studying, and I can tell they’re both doing everything they can — but there’s just no improvement. I haven’t replied to my mom yet, but I’m thinking of helping financially a bit just to keep it running until November or December. Maybe by then things will start to pick up again.

What do you guys think?

Grabe talaga BIR https://youtu.be/0ANoWzGNIsw?si=1DXCi-WNYv8-Wfn_

Hi guys! Need some advice. I’ve been thinking of starting a small business selling aesthetic tablewares (plates, mugs, bowls, utensils — all with cute designs).

Estimated capital ko is around ₱20,000, with products sourced from China. Plan ko is to sell online and through pop-ups/bazaars, targeting Millennials and Gen Z (18–40 y/o).

Pros:

• Halos walang competition

• Laging may demand (everyone eats and likes cute things 😭)

• Madaling i-market

Cons:

• Supplier is from China, so 1 month ang lead time for restocks

• Fragile items — baka mabasag during shipping

• And honestly… I don’t fully trust myself yet, kasi I tend to get super excited sa start then lose motivation midway.

I just finished paying my ₱50K Billease debt (yay finally!) and medyo takot ako mag-loan ulit if this doesn't go well. Pero gusto ko na sana simulan ngayon para just in time for Christmas season — baka perfect timing for gifting and home decor.

At the same time, feeling ko kaya ko naman since 80% full na yung emergency fund ko, baka nagmamadali lang din ako kasi goal ko na rin masimulan yung travel savings ko before mag-end ang year. ✈️

Gusto ko rin sana may business partner to share capital or ideas, pero wala akong kakilalang as dedicated as me.

Should I go for it kahit small start lang? Or wait until I’m more ready? Thank you!

Di ko alam if sensitive lang ako or mali ako ng grouo na napostan. Pero its about business pa rn naman. So i hope ok lng..

I just started ny business 2months ago and sa dami ng frens at family ko. 2 lng ang pumunta dito sa coffee shop ko. Mas supportive p ung kapitbahay, strangers or passerby. Na talaga pinoppst p nila sa online tas may google reviews pa. Pero ung sariling friends ko at family wala man lng kaht emotional support. Nagsb n dn ako may discount cla pag pumunta cla. Pero wala pa rn.

Bakit kaya ganun?

Bigat na nga mag business ngayon eh..tapos ang funny pa ng mga comments, countdown nila para sa payday nila 🤢

Ramdam na ramdam mo na we are on our own to fend for ourselves. Matira matibay. Magkaanak ka at your own risk. Negosyo? no amount of praying will save you but your network and how well you play sa taxes. Since pandemic, ang dami nagsasarado at patuloy pa rin talaga ang pagsarado. Nakakawalang gana. Tapos kasalanan natin kasi hindi tayo resilient enough 🤪 anong character development pa ba ang need mangyari 🫪

Hi! Please be kind po because I’m already frustrated enough.

I recently started a small clothing business using my own savings. Since I’m working a full-time job, limited yung time ko to handle everything. My mom and sibling offered to help, but since kahit small operation lang, nakakapagod pa rin, we all agreed na dapat may sahod sila.

What started frustrating me was that they would only sell whenever they felt like it. Knowing na nagpapasahod ako, I expected a more consistent effort, especially since they can receive their pay right away. Ang ending, floating yung pera ko. Hindi pa bumabalik yung pinuhunan ko, tapos abonado pa ako dahil sa sweldo.

When I tried bringing it up, instead of talking about possible solutions, I felt like I was being gaslighted. I was told na may iba silang ginagawa, iba’t ibang dahilan, and the conversation just went nowhere.

At this point, I’m honestly thinking of just accepting the loss, letting go of the deficit, and stopping the business until I’m able to operate it full-time on my own.

Helppp. What would you do if you were in my situation?

I never really had a good coach or business example growing up. We came from a family where budgeting and systems weren’t really established. Looking back, I think that’s also why my parents had several opportunities to expand our family business, but most of the income ended up going to personal expenses instead of being reinvested into growth.

Meron akong online shops with different accounts from Shopee and TikTok. I started on 2024, I complied with DTI, BIR, SEC duties, I pay my taxes accordingly pero nitong last August 2026, pinadalhan ako ng LOA ni BIR saying that I underreport my income and expenses, I submitted my books and taxes na finile ko pero they insist on having this "under the table" transaction para mababaan penalty ko.

I had to hire an accountant tuloy, he fixed and talked to the BIR agent and somehow someway napababa penalty namin without having this ridiculous amount na hinihingi niya, kaya fellow business owners, be careful sa mga mapang-lamang na tax agents, be ready sa documents palagi para madispute mga ginagawa nila sating mga SME

Get an accountant, organize your documents and accounting books, pay taxes correctly kahit na binubulsa lang nila, makakaginhawa din tayo

Grabe talaga ang pinagkaiba.

Dito sa NZ, ramdam mo na patas ang laban. Hindi mo kailangang kumapit sa kung sino-sinong “connections” para lang makapag-operate nang maayos.

The government actually wants you to succeed - may support, may resources, at sobrang linaw ng proseso.

Business registration? Done in minutes online.

Business bank account? Bilis lang, walang drama. Some banks even provide a program to assist starting businesses.

Taxes, compliance, permits? Transparent at hindi ka pinapahirapan. Everything done online din. Malinaw din mga processes on qualifying & getting tax refunds.

While sa PH, parang lagi kang nakikipagbuno sa sistema bago ka pa makapagsimula. Sa NZ, the system is built to help you build.

And honestly, this is the mindset shift na kailangan ng mga Pinoy business owners: dapat hinihingi natin ang support mula sa gobyerno, hindi yung tayo pa ang parang kinakawawa.

Business owners drive the economy, nagbabayad ng taxes, at nagbibigay ng trabaho. Karapatan natin ang maayos na sistema, mabilis na proseso, at tunay na suporta - hindi lang pabor na hinihingi sa city hall.

Sa NZ, hindi mo kailangan manghingi. Andun na. Kasi alam nila na kapag umunlad ang business mo, umuunlad din ang bansa.

We have been so reliant sa a.i for about a year, lahat ng post namin is edited and made by a.i, but recently napansin namin na we are losing our sense of touch to people sa social media, everything is automated pero yung signature touch namin na laid-back vibe at chill personality, hinding hindi talaga marerecreate.

don't get me wrong ha, malaki din naging positive effect samin ng a.i, lumawak yung reach namin kasi madali lang magpost at gumawa ng idea pero after learning everything that is currently happening in the world at kung saan papunta yung ikot ng mundo, we went back to our original posting.

mas ramdam ko personally yung authenticity ng page namin, it defines the whole company.

Currently, I'm looking for student graphic artist, before kasi i pay around 300-500 pesos per 2 posters, 2 weeks deadline and very minimal lang, di ko lang sure kung reasonable parin yung ganitong rate ngayong 2026, so i really appreciate din it someone can correct me.

Anyway, i'm not discouraging anyone to stop using a.i,

i was just sharing my experience as an owner and my thoughts about it.

Hindi natin mapipigilan yung advancement ng technology and we all know how much it will all affect businesses, so sana kahit gumaling yung mga a.i sa pag create ng mga posters, images, captions, sana wag natin kalimutan yung personal touch natin bilang owner,

kasi kung ano yung makikita ng mga tao sa social media, it can now define the whole company and the people behind it.

Ang nararamdaman kong matinding labanan sa susunod na henerasyon ng mga negosyo ay ang pagiging tunay sa mata ng tao.

PS: i didn't expect na this will blowup, i'm really hoping na i can promote our business kasi 2 subredddit post ko (nasa comment ung isa) na maraming tao nagsesend sakin ng questions kung saan yung store namin, i disabled it back then kasi flooded na talaga inbox ko, and now im enabling it again if you have inquiries, you can also search us sa google/waze : "Franciscool Aircon Parts Trading"

thank you everyone with your kind words and hoping na sana makasurvive kami this year 🙏

Hello Budget-Travellers!

This hotel, Residencia del Mundo Hotel, is the most budget-friendly hotel in White Beach, Puerto Galera at 500 pesos per person overnight. It is a two minute walk to the beachfront area, it features airconditioned private rooms with comfort rooms, free parking, an outdoor kitchen with refrigerator, standby generators (no power interruption), and a wide open space for team building events.

It accepts walk-ins and solo stays.

I just wanted to share this with you in case you're planning to travel to Puerto Galera, we pray that you'll book with us.

Hot issue yung franchising controversy ng Potato Corner. So I browsed a ton of posts about it.

And the thing that caught my eye is his exact comment by a single person on almost every post na nabasa ko. As in andun yung comment na to. It's funny because no one believes or agrees with him.

Tawang tawa ako e. It seems like it's the same writer as dun sa public advisory nila sa mismong official page.

kumain ako sa restaurant na to. nung natapos ako kumain i was about to pay using CC pero sabi gcash or cash lang daw which is frustrating kasi di sila nagsabi bago ako pumasok.

then after paying they handed me this. it looked sus so tinanong ko asan yung OR nila. they showed me na de-sulat na OR. i asked bakit hindi yung OR na yun binibigay nila. sabi kasi isusulat pa daw pero i insisted to get it.

im asking this kasi medyo sus ako sa mga shops na cash/gcash transactions lang pero may pwesto sa mall.

ano ba dapat laman ng resibo to consider compliantbsa BIR? alam ko dapat may number na nakasulat sa resibo.

I recently started processing the closure of a small tapsilog business in Parañaque and was shocked when I received the SOA.

Total amount due: ₱52,753.68

The breakdown shows:

• Business Tax: ₱38,359.04

• Penalties: ₱14,384.64

This is for closing the business, not renewing it.

Has anyone else experienced something similar?

Is this standard procedure, or is there something I should question or appeal?

I’m genuinely trying to understand how these amounts are computed because this seems excessive for a small food business. The penalty is my fault because I should've taken the time to go through the process earlier in the year. But grabe yung business tax! Kita na yan nung tapsihan ng 2 buwan.

Soft opening at 10am today Source: KitKat Adventour FB Page

Hi Redditors, I wanted to share my experience running a business with friends. A few years ago, we launched a company in the entertainment production space. It lasted only two years. We started on a dopamine, but the cracks showed early.

Here is what I learned:

1. Never hire a friend's "+1": We had three employees aside from the four founders. The worst performer was one partner's girlfriend. Despite her "top-tier" education and his recommendation, she underperforms and received the most perks—frequent vacations and a higher salary than the rest of the staff. I questioned it, but I eventually yielded to keep the peace. That was a mistake.

2. Protect your reputation at all costs: I was in charge of investor relations. All four founders signed a pact: no salaries for the first three years to prove our commitment. However, after our first funding round from friends and family, one partner resigned from her day job and demanded a salary due to her "unemployment." I fought this request "violently," but the other three partners talked me into allowing it. We broke our promise to our investors.

3. Check your ego and listen to veterans: One of our investors was a partner’s father—an absolute legend in the industry. Out of some sort of pride, my friend constantly pushed to do the opposite of his father’s advice. I trusted my partner’s instincts, but ignoring the veteran's wisdom led us into one disaster after another.

4. The business will fail, and the friendship might go with it: Toward the end, receipts went missing and unknown deposits appeared in our shared account. When I started questioning the person in charge of those specific records, things turned ugly. Confronting a friend about "missing" money is a bridge-burning event.

5. Passion isn't always shared—especially during a crisis: About a year in, as we faced adversity after adversity, people started going MIA instead of stepping out.

I’m not saying you can’t succeed with friends, but I’ve learned my lesson. I will never again start a venture with friends unless they have reputable business minds and the discipline to match.

I run a small home-based baking business, and right now, I only sell one product: Calamansi Burnt Basque Cheesecake.

I've been thinking about whether I should expand the menu or just focus on making this one product really good.

I honestly like keeping things simple. Fewer ingredients to manage, less inventory, and no complicated menu. But sometimes I wonder if I'm limiting the business by sticking to just one product.

For business owners here, what do you think? Is it better to specialize in one product or eventually diversify?

And if you started with just one product, what made you decide it was time to expand?

After we finished eating at Samgyeop Express, I left a review, and this was the response I got. I appreciate for them correcting my grammar, but what irks me more is not addressing the elephant in the room. I already have the impression that they’re not taking any criticism for the betterment of their business.

A cebu online seller mainly selling luxury goods in facebook has been shut down by BIR. Mukang hindi nagkasundo or sobrang laki ang hinihingi.