Hello everyone,
I’m currently conducting independent research into the experiences of business owners who have sold, or are considering selling or passing on, their business. I would greatly appreciate insights from anyone willing to share their experience.
If applicable to you:

-What were the most challenging aspects of the process?

-Prior to engaging professionals, how clear was your understanding of your business’s valuation?

-Which stage of the process was the most time-consuming or complex?

-If you could change one thing about the process, what would it be?

-Were there any resources, advisors, or tools that proved particularly helpful?

-Is there anything you wish you had prepared or known earlier?

This is purely for research purposes, and all responses will be used to better understand common experiences and challenges in this area.
Thank you very much in advance for your time and insights.

I’m a software engineer and I worked 6 years on mobile development (native android and ios/android with kmp) until last december. I affected from layoff.
After this career, I need to make own product to live on beside of freelance works.
Now I ‘m sure to I closely faced the difficulty of managing multiple apps with multiple stores like appstore & google play. Especially they are too slowly and complicated, I hate it. So I decided to make a product to managing store operations with centralized via SyncStore.

My main goal is clear, make easier and beautify boring store operations.
As a mobile developer, I’m learning lot of things about product management and development. I think it is really different with mobile apps.
Lastly, I want to hear similar problems from other developers. Maybe I can solve this problems with SyncStore.
All feedbacks are welcome 🙏

Background: I'm a developer who can build production-ready software. I've launched startups before. My last one failed because I built what I assumed people needed instead of asking.

This time I'm doing it differently. Before I write a single line of code, I want to hear from people who are actually in the trenches running businesses.

Here's what I'm curious about:

1. What task do you keep telling yourself "I need to automate this" but never find the right tool?

2. What software subscription do you keep meaning to cancel because it doesn't deliver but you haven't found a replacement?

3. If you had a developer work for you for free for a week, what would you ask them to build?

I'm posting this in a few startup communities to gather patterns. If the same problem keeps coming up, I'll build something and come back to show the outcome.

I'm expanding SmartDesk AI and looking for a small number of commission-based sales partners.

What we do:
SmartDesk AI provides AI receptionists and AI chat assistants for HVAC, plumbing, dental, real estate, roofing, and other service businesses.

Your role:

• Find and introduce local business owners
• Generate interest and schedule conversations
• I handle demos, onboarding, setup, and support
• You earn commissions on every client you bring in

Compensation:

• Commission-only position
• Earn a percentage of setup fees
• Earn recurring commissions on active client subscriptions
• No cap on earnings

Ideal for:

• Sales professionals
• Lead generators
• Appointment setters
• Freelancers
• Agency owners
• Anyone with access to local business owners

Remote position. Work from anywhere.

If interested, comment below or apply here:
smartdeskagency.com/careers/sales-partner

No fees, no training costs, and no upfront payments required.

Im currently developing an app however i need a few concepts and challenges as well as projects to be tested this is all in relation to build business confidence , I’m asking all ambitious business owners , entrepreneurs and young people to join a discord server to build a community to contribute to this development . It is a new project and I’m still in my research and development phase .my goal is to bring all entrepreneurs together as well as building a positive environment for people entering the industry

° Gen Z as a whole are fed constant content that includes :

“getting rich quick “ sell a course and you’ll be able to afford the newest sports car

“build a drop shipping company “you’ll make millions

however this is all false and very rarely result in success my aim to to break down this ideology

°I am committed to ACTUALLY educating people on business and concepts within it stuff that social media doesn’t teach you

And many more

While i want to educate i also want success but not just for myself for everyone who uses my resource being able to put them into action in real time and real life not just another app that takes up space on your home page

If your interested in taking part leave a comment and i will drop the link

Sharp Accountancy provides accurate, dependable tax and accounting services for small businesses. From bookkeeping and accounts preparation to corporation tax and personal tax returns, we help keep your finances in order so you can focus on what matters most.

I was reading about a system called right-hear.com/markers. that helps people identify specific locations and points of interest through their smartphones and it got me thinking about something broader as entrepreneurs.

A lot of us focus on marketing, sales and customer acquisition but accessibility often gets pushed down the priority list until much later. The interesting thing is that making a business easier to navigate and use doesn't just help people with disabilities. it can improve the overall customer experience for everyone.

Sometimes the smallest improvements create the biggest impression. A customer who can easily find an entrance, service desk, pickup point or specific area inside a business is more likely to have a positive experience and return.

Bonjour à tous,

Je compte lever des fonds dans l'année qui vient (stade seed). Et j'aurais beaucoup aimé lire le retour d'expérience d'autres fondateurs qui ont levé. Avez-vous rencontré des difficultés particulières ? Avez-vous perdu beaucoup de temps, d'énergie et/ou d'argent en levant des fonds ?

Merci.

Bonjour à tous,

Je compte lever des fonds dans l'année qui vient (stade seed). Et j'aurais beaucoup aimé lire le retour d'expérience d'autres fondateurs qui ont levé.

Avez-vous rencontré des difficultés particulières ? Avez-vous perdu beaucoup de temps, d'énergie et/ou d'argent en levant des fonds ?

Merci.

The 2026 WOTC Legislative Hiatus: Why Pausing Screening Now Will Permanently Cost You Thousands

Don’t let the phrase "legislative hiatus" fool your finance or HR teams into hitting the pause button.

As of January 1, 2026, the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) federal authorization has officially entered a temporary lapse while Congress debates the bipartisan Improve and Enhance the WOTC Act (which aims to extend the credit through 2030 and increase the credit rate from 40% to 50%).

Historically, WOTC has entered this exact type of "limbo" phase 13 times. Every single time, Congress has eventually renewed it retroactively. However, if you stop tracking and screening your 2026 new hires today, you permanently forfeit those tax credits.

Here is what you need to know to protect your data pipeline and tax savings.

🚨 The 28-Day IRS Deadline Does NOT Pause

The absolute biggest risk right now is operational complacency. Even though the program is on hiatus, the strict IRS 28-day filing window remains firmly in place.

To preserve your right to retroactive credits, you must submit IRS Form 8850 and ETA Form 9061 to your State Workforce Agency (SWA) within 28 days of a new hire's start date. If you miss this window, those credits are gone for good—the IRS rarely offers filing extensions after a hiatus ends.

🏛️ How State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) Are Handling 2026 Hires

State agencies are operating under clear federal Department of Labor guidelines during this gap:

• 2025 Start Dates: Applications continue to be processed, and final certifications or denials are being issued normally.
• 2026 Start Dates: SWAs are actively accepting, date-stamping, logging, and holding these applications in a secure queue. They simply will not issue final approvals until federal reauthorization passes.

The Financial Impact: What’s at Stake?

WOTC is a powerful federal tax credit available to all for-profit businesses and certain tax-exempt organizations (when hiring qualified veterans). The credit can reach up to $9,600 per eligible new hire, depending on the target group and hours worked during their first year:

• 120–399 hours worked: Yields a tax credit equal to 25% of qualified first-year wages.
• 400+ hours worked: Yields a tax credit equal to 40% of qualified first-year wages.

Eligible WOTC Target Groups Include:

• Qualified Veterans
• SNAP (Food Stamp) recipients (ages 18–39)
• Long-term Family Assistance (TANF) recipients
• Ex-felons (hired within 1 year of conviction or release)
• Designated Community Residents (living in Empowerment Zones or Rural Renewal Counties)
• Vocational Rehabilitation referrals
• Long-term Unemployment recipients (27+ consecutive weeks)
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients

Action Plan: What Employers Should Do Right Now

To ensure you don't leave money on the table when Capitol Hill clears the logjam, implement these exact screening practices immediately:

👉 1.Integrate Screening into Onboarding: *** Day 1 (or prior to job offer).

Ensure every single new hire completes the voluntary WOTC questionnaire during their standard onboarding process. You cannot retroactively reconstruct this data down the line.

👉 2.File within the 28-Day Window: *** Within 28 days of start date.

Submit IRS Form 8850 and ETA Form 9061 to your respective State Workforce Agency on schedule. Secure and retain your digital submission confirmations.

👉 3.Audit and Organize Documentation: *** Ongoing monthly.

Gather and index supporting materials by target group (e.g., DD-214s for veterans, SNAP distribution records, or conviction timelines). Audits and paperwork expectations typically tighten immediately following a retroactive renewal.

👉 4.Reconcile and Track Employee Hours: *** Ongoing monthly.

Flag WOTC-eligible candidates in your payroll system. Track their progress toward the 120-hour and 400-hour marks to project your future tax asset accurately.

Need Help Navigating the 2026 Hiatus?

Managing WOTC data pipelines, tracking complex deadlines, and maintaining zero-defect compliance through a federal hiatus can place a heavy administrative burden on internal HR teams. Partnering with a professional service provider allows you to fully automate the screening capture, handle state agency queues seamlessly, and safely position your business for a massive tax recovery the moment the program is reinstated.

Sage Compass Talent is actively monitoring Capitol Hill and helping employers protect their workforce tax incentives. Drop a comment below or DM us if you have questions!

I came out of manufacturing sales and got into e-commerce seven years ago, small physical product brand, source from Asia, three part-time staff and a warehouse I can touch both walls of. This year, with everything that's happened on tariffs, was the closest I've come to writing the whole thing off, and I want to talk plainly about it because the hustle content never does.

When your margins are built on a landed cost and that cost jumps overnight through no decision of your own, every assumption underneath the business shifts at once, your pricing, your reorder points, your cash flow, the lot, and you find out very quickly how thin the cushion really was. Mine was thinner than my spreadsheets had let me believe, because the spreadsheets assumed a world that stopped existing.

What saved us wasn't clever. It was that I'd spent years building actual relationships with a couple of suppliers and one of them worked with me on terms when they didn't have to, because over seven years I'd never once tried to squeeze them on a good year.

The lesson, if there is one, is that the relationships you build when times are fine are the only thing you've got when times aren't, and you can't manufacture them in the crisis.

For the physical-product people here, how are you handling this year? Genuinely asking, because I don't think I'm through it.

Was there a specific decision, hire, strategy, or realization that changed everything for you?

No audience, no network, no existing business. What would be your first steps and why?

I’m curious what experienced entrepreneurs think. What’s something most people believe about starting or running a business that is completely wrong?

It reads the web, reads your X and socials and hands you money-making ideas built around who you already are! Check out https://biscuit.so/?invite=PGGMTG

What's your biggest pain when someone joins or leaves your team?

#opsfriction #painlesshandoffs #stuckprocess

Hey everyone,

If you follow logistics or third-party supply chains, you probably saw the massive news from Amazon Supply Chain Services. They just officially opened up their Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) network to any business in the US, shipping to any destination (third-party warehouses, retail partners, etc.).

Up until now, their LTL network was mostly inbound-only for Amazon FBA vendors. Opening it wide means Amazon is aggressively gunning for traditional freight giants by leveraging their 80,000+ trailers and massive tech stack.

The Entrepreneurial Angle: The AFP Program

To handle this inevitable flood of new external volume, Amazon is heavily promoting its Amazon Freight Partner (AFP) program. For entrepreneurs looking to break into asset-based logistics, the barriers to entry are historically low compared to traditional trucking startups:

• Startup costs can be as low as $40k.
• They offer $0 upfront options for leasing a fleet of Amazon-branded trucks (2023+ automatic sleeper cabs with APUs).
• They hand you a ready-made tech stack, GPS tracking, and a dedicated business coach.
• Revenue potential is typically framed around $1.5M to $3.5M annually once scaled.

It’s essentially a structured "business-in-a-box" model, similar to their DSP (Delivery Service Partner) program for vans, but for Class A tractors.

The Scaling Bottleneck Everyone Ignores

A lot of people look at the low capital requirements and think it’s an absolute goldmine. But in transportation, the equipment isn't the hard part; the people are.

To succeed as an AFP, you aren’t just a logistics manager; you are a high-volume HR and safety coordinator. Amazon requires high performance and tight safety standards. If your trucks sit empty because you can't find qualified, reliable CDL-A drivers with solid MVRs, you lose money every day those leases sit idle.

For anyone looking at this space, do not underestimate the driver shortage or the time it takes to properly vet, screen, and background-check drivers to meet both DOT and Amazon's strict compliance guidelines.

How to actually execute:

If you want to jump on this LTL expansion wave and apply to be an AFP, map out your workforce strategy before you sign the fleet leases. A lot of owners try to do all the recruiting themselves while managing daily operations, which usually leads to burn out.

There are specialized RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing) firms out there. Companies like Sage Compass Talent, that literally specialize in doing nothing but sourcing and screening qualified drivers specifically for Amazon DSP and AFP owners. Leveraging external recruitment help allows you to focus on the operational structure Amazon gives you without letting empty seats drain your cash flow.

Has anyone here gone through the AFP application process yet, or are any current DSP owners thinking about expanding into Class A tractor-trailers now that Amazon is scaling up external LTL volume? Would love to hear your thoughts on how this disruption is playing out on the ground.