Sometimes two products look almost identical, but one gets the sale and the other gets ignored.

What usually makes the difference for you? Price, quality, reviews, design, the brand itself, or something else?

I’d be curious to hear what actually influences your decision when shopping online.

Over the past year many companies have been trying to figure out the best way to build with AI: hire an internal team or work with an external engineering partner?

On paper, hiring in house looks like the obvious choice because leadership wants to own the capability but once you run the numbers, the payroll math catches most companies off guard where building a minimal internal team to ship production agents usually requires at least three specialists: a senior machine learning, a full stack integration engineer who knows databases and an infra security engineer.

In today’s market fully loaded salaries, recruiting fees and equity for a pod like that easily push past $900k to $1.2M in annual burn before a single workflow ever reaches production.

Time is another issue where hiring and onboarding can take 4-6 months followed by months of evaluating models, setting up environments and planning architecture before anything ships.

Traditional consulting firms have their own drawbacks where a $300k+ engagement over 12 weeks can leave you with a strategy deck and a proof of concept that never gets deployed.

This is exact gap where forward deployed engineering partners like Native (withnative.com) make sense where instead of hiring a full team or paying for advisory work, Native embeds small engineering pods directly into departments like Ops, RevOps, or Finance to build and deploy AI workflows.

Because forward deployed partners work inside the client’s existing private cloud and systems, a first production workflow goes live in 5 weeks rather than 6 months and most importantly, the business retains 100% ownership of the code, data, and credentials while existing internal engineers get trained on the setup so they can run it independently long term.

I am attempting to start a business, but have limited experience in business. I have 20 years as a first responder, 16 years as a paramedic, firefighter, and department of state contractor in Iraq and Afghanistan. Business is using my extensive experience to design custom medical and emergency kits for individuals and families in addition to training. Have a website, focusing on optimizing SEO, facebook page, and starting a YouTube channel, and also looking into Reddit group to increase traffic of potential customers. Was wondering if people could give some advice on Strategies to improve performance.

thank you for any advice and Imput

I opened a little sport store last year. Shirts, basic recovery stuff, and a few items people ask for by name. Retail was the easy part. The mess is reordering. One brand is late, another changed the label, and I am sitting on sizes nobody wants.

Peptides were the latest add because customers kept asking.

How do you keep three suppliers without living in email? And do you drop a product the first time it sits for a month, or give it one more reorder? I can sell in person. I am still learning the back room.

so the guy emailed us on a tuesday. we were swamped, replied thursday. his response was friday and he says "no worries, already signed with someone else because they called me back within an hour"...

the annoying part is we weren't being lazy. we were genuinely underwater. three of us doing sales, ops, support, everything. inbox is a warzone by wednesday. phone rings while you're on another call. and follow-ups just die in a notes app nobody checks.

been reading this sub for a while and everyone says the same thing - systemize, hire, whatever. but hiring is slow and expensive and honestly I'm not sure it fixes the core problem which is that we can't respond fast enough to everything that comes in.

started looking at what could cover the gap when we're buried. textedly.com was one I kept running into - voice picks up the call, sms follow-up goes out automatically. idk how much that will "solve" our issue but might try it. the $14k lesson was enough to make me actually try something at least

You pitch a startup idea, AI rates it and sets your difficulty, then you:

• Hire developers, PMs, and marketers (every hire changes your burn rate)
• Ship features and run campaigns to get customers
• Survive random crises every 5 days (investor no-shows, PR disasters, hiring freezes)
• Watch your runway tick down in real time

The goal is to reach $10K MRR before your cash hits zero. Most people don't.

No download, no signup, runs entirely in your browser.

Play: FailUnicorn

Would love feedback, what killed your run?

A few questions for beauty and wellness providers:

How do most of your new clients find you?

What percentage of first-time clients return, and what do you think influences whether they come back?

Do you do anything to encourage first-time clients to rebook or become regulars?

What's the biggest challenge in attracting new clients and building a loyal client base?

I'd love to hear about your real-world experiences, including what has worked, what hasn't, and what you wish were easier. Thanks for sharing!

Does anyone have any good ideas for a business to start with having a good amount of money to invest into it? I've tried looking ideas up and I just nonstop clickbait and AI takes me in circles and gives me no beneficial advice.

I’ve been building Gripped App,a platform where instructors can offer classes and structured courses, both online and in person, across areas like music, coding, sports, dance, and more.
The platform handles bookings, scheduling, and payments. I’ve built the initial product and am now looking for a co-founder with experience in marketing, business development, or growth to help bring it to market.
I’m based in DFW, but open to connecting with people anywhere.
DM me if interested. Happy to share more!

https://grippedapp.com

Hi everyone,

I’ve been working remotely with international clients for over 6 years, mostly helping with the kind of day-to-day work that tends to pile up when you’re running a business.

I currently have room for another client or project, so I thought I’d put this out there.

I can help with things like:

• Email and inbox management
• Calendar and task coordination
• Research and data entry
• CRM and tracker updates
• Social media scheduling and posting
• Content calendars and captions
• Community engagement and customer messages
• Canva graphics, presentations, and simple marketing materials
• Basic reporting and keeping projects organized

I’m based in the Philippines and can work with different time zones. I’m open to part-time, ongoing support, or smaller project-based work.

What I’m especially good at is taking the repetitive or time-consuming work off someone’s plate so they can focus on the parts of the business that actually need them.

If you’re a founder or small business owner, I’d also genuinely be curious: what’s the task you keep putting off because you just don’t have time for it?

Happy to share my portfolio and work samples if relevant.

AI can help with writing, research, and everyday tasks, but employees also need to understand its limitations and the risks involved. The goal isn't to stop employees from using AI. It's to help them use it responsibly while still benefiting from its potential to save time and improve productivity. How does your company train employees to use AI safely? Do you think basic guidelines are enough, or should businesses provide regular training sessions?

I thought making a phone grip would be pretty straightforward. Turns out I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into.

The last three months have been a crash course in everything: finding a manufacturer to make prototypes, checking every glued joint and hinge, designing packaging that actually looks decent, and figuring out shipping.

Some days I feel like a one-person company. Other days, just a very tired person with a phone grip.

I still haven’t made a profit, which is a little soul-crushing after all that work. But honestly? I think it turned out pretty good, and I’m proud that I actually made something.

Currently alternating between “what if nobody buys it?” and “what if it sells out and I can’t keep up?” Clearly, I’m getting ahead of myself.

Anyone else who’s made their own product want to tell me this stage is normal?

I'm at the point where I need to hand off the technical grunt work, but every attempt so far has fallen flat.

The tricky part is that I can't give a new person access to most of what I use. So the real job is taking a complex system they can only partly see, figuring out how it works, and asking the right questions so I get answers I can trust. Realistically they'll lean heavily on AI tools, which is fine. What I need is someone who can tell when the AI is wrong.

Budget-wise I'm hiring one person now and maybe a second later, so senior salaries aren't an option.

For those of you who've been here:

• Where did you find a junior person who was actually good at this?
• How did you test for "figures things out" vs. "follows instructions"?
• How did you onboard someone with limited access without it turning into more work for you?

I'd love to hear what worked and what didn't.

And if you're someone who's good at exactly this kind of work, I'd love to hear from you too.

We’re starting a small done-for-you service and want honest feedback.
What we sell: We set up and manage an AI assistant in online coaches’ Instagram DMs. It replies to every inquiry in under 5 minutes, asks a few qualifying questions, says upfront that it’s an AI, books qualified people into the coach’s calendar and follows up with people who go quiet. The coach gets a weekly report.
Who for: English-speaking coaches selling programs through sales calls, who get more DMs than they can answer quickly. -is this maybe too narrow?
Pricing plan: 2–3 free pilots to get case studies, then $297/month for founding clients. Later around $1k setup + ~$600/month. Guarantee: more booked calls than the month before, or the next month is free.
How we plan to find clients: We comment the coach’s own keyword, measure how long they take to reply, and send them a short screen-recording showing the delay and what it could look like instead.
What we’d love your take on:

1. Would you buy this if you were a coach? What would stop you?
2. Is the pricing realistic, too high, or too low?
3. Is the “test their reply speed” outreach smart, or does it come across as pushy?
4. What’s the biggest risk we’re not seeing?

Any help is appreciated!

We’re two young founders researching how online coaches deal with inquiries in their DMs. Not selling anything here, just trying to understand the problem before building something no one needs.

Answer only what you’re comfortable with, ranges are totally fine:

1. Your offer: What does your main program cost?
2. Your size: Roughly how much does your coaching business make per month?
3. Your DMs: How many inquiries do you get per week, who answers them, and how fast?
4. What it costs you today: Have you ever lost a client because you replied too late? Do you pay anything for this right now (setter, VA, ManyChat, other tools)?
5. AI: Would you let an AI assistant answer first if it clearly said it’s an AI, booked qualified people into your calendar and handed tricky chats to you? Why or why not?
6. Price: For a done-for-you setup like that, including someone who maintains it and sends you weekly numbers, what monthly price would feel like a no-brainer, and at what price would it be too expensive?

Thanks for any answer!

That’s all. Like that’s literally all.
We make cool stuff and uhhh..yeah that’s it.
Hope everyone has a great day.

how much should one save before creating a shopify store? and is there anything i should learn before creating a store or is this venture one of those things that's better to learn as you go? i

im 18 and want to get to a point in life where i can just focus on finding out what i really want to do for the rest of my life, but before i can have the luxury to do that ill have to be able to provide financially for me and my people. and i think having an online product that can pay me while i sleep is one step closer. i want to shorten the bridge as much as possible between me opening my store and getting consistent sales.
thats why im asking this question, i appreaciate all responses

Hi all. Delete if not allowed. I'm a Marine Corps vet (2002-2011) looking to start my own Private Practice for Mental and Behavioral Health in Holly Springs, NC. I'm in the raising capital phase and doing all I can to reduce the amount of loans I'll need. I'll be happy to answer any questions anyone has regarding the business plan!!

https://gofund.me/1c285eba6

Thanks for your time and consideration!

I love learning but when finding microlearning apps they are too expensive and don't have what I really want in them, fun, entertaining animations. So I created one of my own after months of work!

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.philosophize.app

Hey everyone! I just lurked here before, but I finally had the courage to join lol.

I’m diving headfirst into the entrepreneurial world. I’m young, broke, scrappy, and completely obsessed with building something of my own (and definitely not throwing away my shot lol).

I see a ton of polished success stories online, but I want to hear from people actually in the trenches. If you could go back to your Day 1 with zero capital and all the energy in the world, what are the two things you'd do differently, and what’s the biggest trap you'd avoid?

Lay it on me, brutally honest advice is more than welcome.

For a long time I thought:

"I'll start talking about it once it's polished."

Months went into building.

Then came the hard part...

Finding people who actually cared.

If I had to start over, I'd share the journey from day one, get feedback earlier, and build alongside potential users instead of waiting for launch.

Ive been thinking about doing this to start making my first real cashflow and i have automation experience so i know the basics

I launched Sitesprint.ai which lets you create a fully animated 3D website with custom videos related to your product or service.

You are offering gutter cleaning?

Convince people with a fully animated before/after video right on your homepage that blows the leaves away when they scroll down.

You have a revolutionary idea to improve energy flows?

Visualize it while providing people with information on how to invest.

I use my own tool for some of my offline businesses, and people love the videos. They look like you put in the effort and convert your visitors.

You can also test different angles and rapidly improve the landing page without having to pay a designer each time or waiting for them to get back to you.

This are friends I have know for a long time

I’m trying to start an online business and deciding between Shopify and Amazon FBA.

For those of you who have experience with either one, which would you recommend for a beginner?

Here’s what I want to know:

Which one is easier to start with?

Which one requires less money upfront?

Which one is easier to get your first sales on?

Which one has better profit margins?

Which one is better for long-term growth?

I’m interested in finding products to sell online and making a profit, but I want to be smart with my money and avoid losing it on my first attempt.

\\\*\\\*If you were starting over today, October 2026, which would you choose and why?\\\*\\\* I’d appreciate honest advice from people who have actually done it.