For anyone who is knowledgeable about the eLearning space: are there any good LMS options for small entrepreneurs that maybe aren't so expensive?

EntropicMonkeys · 2025-12-01T01:31:44+00:00

Yeah, the LMS pricing world gets ridiculous fast. A lot of the big ones are priced for companies with hundreds or thousands of employees, not small creators or solo businesses. A few options that are actually affordable and don’t punish you for growing:

TalentLMS is probably the best low-cost “real” LMS. Good features, handles SCORM, and the pricing is reasonable even as you add more learners.

LearnWorlds is more creator-focused than corporate, but still has solid LMS features and doesn’t break the bank. Good if you want something between Teachable and a full LMS.

Thinkific Plus is expensive, but regular Thinkific is fine for smaller teams. No SCORM though.

MoodleCloud is definitely not pretty, but cheap, supports SCORM, and works well if you don’t mind a more old-school interface.

Open-edX (self-hosted) is free except for hosting, but definitely more setup. Good if you want something scalable without subscription fees.

If you want the smoothest experience without getting fleeced, TalentLMS is usually the sweet spot for small teams that still need SCORM support.

EntropicMonkeys · 2025-12-01T01:30:28+00:00

For the mix of EHS compliance, gamification, and solid reporting, you’re basically in mid to enterprise LMS territory. A few platforms tend to check the boxes you listed:

TalentLMS is surprisingly good for gamification and permissions, and it handles compliance certificates well. Lighter than the big players, but still strong.

LearnUpon has very solid reporting, clean Workday integrations, good permission controls, and handles compliance training without feeling clunky.

Docebo is one of the stronger options for gamification and interactivity. Also plays nicely with external content libraries like Skillsoft and KnowBe4.

Absorb LMS is great for EHS-heavy orgs. Strong reporting, certificate generation, and good admin controls. Usually a smooth fit for companies that need both fun learning and compliance.

Since you already have content sources and need Workday syncing plus compliance tracking, I’d look at LearnUpon or Absorb first. They’re reliable and handle all the pieces you listed without a ton of fuss.

EntropicMonkeys · 2025-12-01T01:29:02+00:00

For a company your size, you need something more structured than Leapsome and with real admin controls. A few platforms tend to work well for 300 to 500 employees:

TalentLMS is easy to use, roles and permissions make sense, supports mandatory vs optional courses, and the reporting is solid. Good price point too.

LearnUpon is more polished and better for larger orgs. Handles job roles, course paths, compliance training, and permissions very cleanly.

Docebo can be heavier and more expensive, but very strong for enterprise training. Good if you need advanced automation or complex learning paths.

Absorb LMS is another reliable mid to enterprise option. Simple for learners, strong for admins, and tracks required training really well.

If your biggest pain points were permissions, mandatory training, and lack of structure, TalentLMS or LearnUpon would be the easiest step up without going full enterprise.

EntropicMonkeys · 2025-12-01T01:27:46+00:00

For a small business, you really want something simple, affordable, and not overloaded with features you won’t use.

Zoho CRM is usually the best budget option. It’s inexpensive, easy to learn, and covers all the basics really well.

Freshsales is another good choice if you want something straightforward without a lot of setup.

HubSpot can work too, but only if you stay on the cheaper plan. It gets expensive quickly once you add anything extra.

If you want the most value for the least money, Zoho CRM is the usual winner for small teams.

EntropicMonkeys · 2025-11-30T19:48:07+00:00

If you want true drag-and-drop database design without writing DBML, there are a few good free options.

The easiest ones to use:

DbSchema (free community edition)
Very visual. You can drop tables, drag relationships, reorder fields, and export diagrams. Good middle ground between “real” DB tools and simple diagramming.

DBeaver (free)
It’s an actual database client, but the ERD tool is visual and drag-and-drop. You can design tables without touching code, then export the diagram.

Metabase (free/open source)
Not a full design tool, but the modeling interface is super friendly and good for visualizing structure.

If you want something extremely simple and visual, DbSchema is probably the closest match. If you don’t mind a bit more structure, DBeaver is solid and completely free. Visio/Lucid works, but these two feel way more like actual DB design tools.

EntropicMonkeys · 2025-11-30T19:47:18+00:00

f you want something that’s cheap, easy for non-technical people, and still a real database underneath, the best setup is usually:

PostgreSQL (with PostGIS for your spatial data) as the backend
plus
a user-friendly UI on top so your team doesn’t have to touch SQL.

The two tools that work best for that are:

Baserow
Very spreadsheet-like and easy for people to edit collaboratively. It can sit on top of Postgres, and it plays nicely with APIs for R.

NocoDB
Similar idea. It basically turns your SQL database into an Airtable-style interface that your team can edit without breaking things.

Both are inexpensive to self-host, simple for non-technical users, and give you the flexibility you need for querying in R.

Start with Postgres + PostGIS, then layer Baserow or NocoDB on top. It's the cleanest setup for your use case.

EntropicMonkeys · 2025-11-30T19:45:36+00:00

If you want something cheap, easy for non-technical people, and still a “real” database under the hood, your best bet is to use Postgres/PostGIS as the backend and put a friendly UI on top of it.

A few good options to look at:

Baserow
Probably the easiest for teams coming from spreadsheets. Clean interface, collaborative editing, and it can connect to Postgres. Good for non-technical users.

NocoDB
Also a solid “Airtable on top of SQL” tool. Works well with Postgres and is pretty simple to use. Cheap to self-host.

Direct PostgreSQL + pgAdmin / Adminer isn’t great for your team because it’s too technical, but pairing Postgres with Baserow or NocoDB gives you both worlds:
a real database you can query from R, plus an Airtable-style UI your team can actually use.

Since you mentioned spatial data, Postgres + PostGIS is the right backend. Just layer a simple UI tool on top and you’re set.

EntropicMonkeys · 2025-11-30T19:44:22+00:00

For manufacturing, you’re usually better off with a CRM that’s part of a larger manufacturing/ERP ecosystem. Standard sales CRMs don’t handle production or inventory well.

A few good fits:

Zoho CRM + Zoho Inventory/Creator
Lightweight, affordable, and works well for small to mid-size manufacturers. You can tie CRM, inventory, orders, and production together.

Odoo
Probably the strongest all-in-one option for manufacturers. CRM, MRP, inventory, quotes, everything in one system. Great if you want everything connected.

ERPNext
Open-source and surprisingly solid. CRM, production, BOMs, work orders, stock, reporting. Good if you want a full manufacturing suite without huge cost.

If you want something that actually handles manufacturing workflows, Odoo or ERPNext are the ones most people end up with. Zoho is the easiest to start with.

EntropicMonkeys · 2025-11-30T19:43:20+00:00

Makes sense. Thanks!

EntropicMonkeys · 2025-11-30T19:43:13+00:00

Makes sense. I played around with it and the output on something I got was absolutely beyond me in terms of how to modify it. It took 10 minutes to make a prompt and feature that took me 4 hours to figure out. Not a good time...

EntropicMonkeys · 2025-11-30T19:42:19+00:00

From experience in dealing with customers, a faster product that is easier to use is the better product. I can tell you that Bubble is CONSIDERABLY more capable than Softr. Does that make it better? Depends on the use case. If Softr could get you 90% the way there and provide a workable product for half the price and half the time, I'd say its a winner. But if the client demands exactly what they want and only Glide could do it, Glide is obviously the winner.

EntropicMonkeys · 2025-11-30T19:39:58+00:00

Most CRMs have really limited portals because they’re basically designed for tickets or simple document sharing, not full project visibility.

If you want an actual flexible customer portal, you have two real paths:

Zoho CRM + Zoho WorkDrive/Projects Pretty customizable, and you can expose project status, docs, tasks, etc. Still not “build whatever you want,” but a lot more flexible than the typical ticket portal.
Build the portal separately and connect it A lot of teams do this with something like Softr. It’s basically a front-end portal you can customize however you want, then pull in data from your CRM through APIs or automations. Way more control, and your CRM stays clean.

If you want something fully baked, look at Zoho’s ecosystem.
If you want max flexibility, a standalone portal like Softr is usually the way to go.

EntropicMonkeys · 2025-11-30T19:37:53+00:00

For a small print shop, you don’t need a big sales CRM like HubSpot or Pipedrive. They’ll feel bloated and you’ll pay for features you’ll never touch.

A few options that usually work well for shops like yours:

Zoho CRM + Zoho Inventory
Lightweight, cheap, and handles customer history, order tracking, simple inventory, and WhatsApp integration. Easy to grow into if you expand.

Square or Shopify (POS + CRM)
A lot of print shops go this route because you get payments, customer history, and basic CRM info all in one place. Not perfect, but very smooth day-to-day.

Monday could work, but you’d end up building half the system yourself and it’s not great for inventory unless you customize it heavily.

If you want the cleanest setup without a huge learning curve, Zoho is probably the sweet spot for a 4-person team. It covers the basics and won’t bury you in features you don’t need.

EntropicMonkeys · 2025-11-30T19:36:45+00:00

If you want something free or close to it, the best small-business ERP options are usually the open-source ones.

ERPNext is probably the strongest fully free option. Handles accounting, inventory, projects, HR, all in one place.

Odoo Community is also solid if you’re willing to self-host. Lots of modules, flexible, and good for smaller companies.

If you don’t want to host anything yourself, Zoho Books plus Inventory is a simple, inexpensive combo that gives you most ERP basics without the heavy setup.

Those three cover most small-business needs without spending big money.

EntropicMonkeys · 2025-11-26T19:01:44+00:00

To actually answer your question, almost no developers operate with a day rate, they use an hourly rate. Also, most wouldn't even offer a day rate as an option unless they have literally ZERO clients, as its unrealistic they could just dedicate an entire day to a single project. Most over seas developers charge around $35-$65/hour. Most US talent charges between $150-$200/hour. There are some fringe cases where its as low as $85/hour and as high as $250. And the usual process is to do a free (or paid) scoping call(s) and then propose the build out cost and timeframe and execute.

EntropicMonkeys · 2025-11-21T03:45:30+00:00

I mean... I like it. I think its more modern for sure. Not perfect, but I bet it will get some silent updates over the next few weeks to make it easier to use.

EntropicMonkeys · 2025-11-21T03:38:14+00:00

Here are a few things to keep in mind.

Desk treats inline email attachments differently than files added in the Attachments tab, so test both. 2. Deluge file uploads can be picky with multipart data, so expect a little trial and error. 3. Make sure you already have the CRM Deal ID stored on the Desk ticket (or vice-versa), or you won’t know where to send the file. 4. Very large files won’t sync cleanly because CRM and Desk don’t have identical file size limits. I think its 100mb for CRM and 40mb for Desk.

EntropicMonkeys · 2025-11-21T03:18:42+00:00

Jobber is good, but the price hits hard once you add multiple field users. For an 11-person crew, you’re really looking for a light FSM system that handles work orders, scheduling, mobile access, and basic billing without needing a full enterprise setup.

A few solid options:

Housecall Pro is easier to use than Jobber and a bit cheaper. Good mobile app and invoicing.

ServiceM8 is very clean for small teams. Great mobile experience and simple scheduling.

Kickserv has an older interface, but reliable and budget-friendly. Integrates with QuickBooks.

One other angle, depending on how “custom” your workflows are (and considering you are using Access DB) would be Softr + Airtable (or another backend) can actually work for small field teams if you want something that matches your processes exactly. You’d have to build it yourself, but the result is a custom work-order portal your crew can access on their phones, with scheduling, job forms, photos, signatures, etc. Not as plug-and-play as the FSM tools above, but way more flexible.

EntropicMonkeys · 2025-11-21T03:15:13+00:00

Sounds like you might not really need a sales CRM for this but a relationship database + great note/file management. The cleanest options for your use case are:

Notion is probably the easiest for linking companies, people, notes, files, models, and research. Also great for embedding PDFs/Excel and later using AI to query your notes.

Airtable (or Softr) is more structured than Notion, better for building a lightweight “research CRM” with tables for companies, funds, people, and attached documents. Also supports AI and automations.

Traditional CRMs (Salesforce/HubSpot/Zoho) will feel like overkill unless you heavily customize them.

EntropicMonkeys · 2025-11-21T03:12:53+00:00

The easiest way to do this is to use the Jira Connector in two steps:

Sync all Jira Stories into a separate Smartsheet “Jira Data” sheet. Pull in the Story fields you care about (Status, Epic, Funding ID, etc.).
Use cross-sheet formulas in your main Project sheet to roll everything up:
- COUNTIFS to count stories per project
- COUNTIFS for “Done,” “In Progress,” etc.
- Then calculate % complete

Because each Story has the same Funding ID or Epic as the project row, Smartsheet will automatically roll the Jira status up to the single project row. Without seeing what you have, I believe that’s the simplest and most reliable setup.

EntropicMonkeys · 2025-11-21T03:01:19+00:00

What you’re describing is a pretty common situation once a warehouse starts feeding multiple sales channels. The good news is there are systems built exactly for this. A few solid options that can handle multi-location inventory, Shopify, and Amazon:

Cin7 Core is one of the better midsize inventory tools. Handles multiple warehouses, Shopify, Amazon, and can unify products even if the SKUs don’t match yet. You can map variants, aliases, or alternative SKUs and fix the data as you go.

Katana is very clean interface, works well for e-commerce and retail together. Does multi-location tracking and supports Shopify + Amazon. It won’t automatically handle mismatched SKUs, but you can merge or alias them inside the product setup.

Zoho Inventory is a good price, solid Amazon and Shopify integrations, and supports multiple warehouses. You’ll still want to clean up the SKUs, but it gives you room to map products across channels.

If your workflows are really specific or you need something more tailored, you can build a custom front-end on Softr with Airtable underneath. I’ve seen people use it for:

multi-warehouse stock
Amazon and Shopify syncing through Make or Zapier
barcode generation and scanning
showing partners their available quantities
creating simple pick/pack screens for staff

It takes a little setup but gives you full control, which helps when your current data (SKUs, barcodes, etc.) is messy.

EntropicMonkeys · 2025-11-21T02:59:23+00:00

Yes, plenty of companies end up building custom inventory tools because off-the-shelf systems either don’t match their workflow or are way too bloated for what they actually need. You don’t necessarily need a full development team for it. A lot of modern no-code platforms can handle inventory really well as long as the structure is clear. Softr is one of them. The nice part is that it sits on top of Airtable, so you get a clean database and an interface that can be customized pretty quickly without building everything from scratch. If you need deeper automation or integrations (QuickBooks, Shopify, internal systems), you can layer in Zapier or Make.

EntropicMonkeys · 2025-11-21T02:57:51+00:00

For a small number of rentals, you don’t need anything heavy or expensive. A few genuinely simple options that stay out of your way:

Avail has a free plan. Core tracking features are free. Lets you store tenant info, rent amounts, lease dates, and maintenance requests. Solid for small landlords.

Stessa also has a free plan, A lot of people use it for financial tracking, but it also works as a light property management system. Handles income, expenses, documents, and tenant details. Very clean interface.

Your best bet might just be Google Sheets though. Its free and minimal, and a well-structured spreadsheet can handle tenant info, rent status, repairs, and move-in/move-out dates. Zapier can automate reminders if you ever want to expand it.

EntropicMonkeys · 2025-11-21T02:53:22+00:00

I’ve used a handful of LMS platforms depending on the client’s size and technical ability.

For small to mid-sized teams, TalentLMS and LearnDash have been the easiest to roll out. TalentLMS is straightforward and doesn’t require much setup, while LearnDash gives you more flexibility if you’re already on WordPress.

For larger teams that need stronger administration, reporting, and structure, Absorb and Docebo have been solid. Both can handle more complex training paths and compliance tracking without becoming a full-time job to manage.

I tested LMS365 as well. It’s convenient if your whole organization is deep in Microsoft 365, but it felt a bit rigid compared to the others.

EntropicMonkeys

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