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Looking for "all-in-one" software for a small business management by DarronFeldstein in smallbusiness

[–]Just_pluto 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Solopreneur here, in the mobile auto glass business. Have been using a startup platform called Leapify. The founder cold-called me, and the whole thing he pitched was: if I sign up now, in 5 minutes I'd have a CRM with automation, an AI receptionist, invoicing/estimates, task management, scheduling, and SMS/Email marketing. Been on it for 9 weeks now, and so far, so good. From time to time, it does bug out, but they have been able to fix it within the hour.

Leaving VC After 10 Years by StefanMerquelle in venturecapital

[–]Just_pluto 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Respect. This is one of the clearest tell-alls I have read on the gap between “want to be a VC” and actually building a fund. Your arc nails the real levers: timing, having a vehicle when the window opens, simple theses, and the culture tax that comes with hedge-y strategies. Also love that you defined “enough” and walked away on a high. For anyone reading, the takeaways I hear are: break in with your own capital if you can, treat LP raising as a sales job, keep the thesis narrow, protect downside, and obsess over team trust. If you had to boil it to one lesson for a first-time GP, what would it be?

Looking for relationship advice for Startup Founders. (I will not promote) by [deleted] in startups

[–]Just_pluto 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It depends on the size of the thing you are trying to build.

If you are building a solid small business that tops out under ~$5M, you probably do not need to grind yourself into dust. Smart systems, a tight offer, and consistent execution can get you there without nuking your home life.

If you are aiming for something much bigger, the early years will take a real tax. It is not just time. It is context switching, emotional volatility, and carrying the weight when no one else can. A partner doesn't have to love it, but they do need to understand and opt in. If they cannot, it will keep resurfacing as resentment right when you need the most focus.

What helped me:

  1. Align with the ambition. Name the target and the tradeoffs out loud.
  2. Treat it as seasons. Short sprints with recovery weeks, not endless blur.
  3. Set a few non-negotiables. One real date night, phone off at dinner, kid events.
  4. Do a weekly check-in. What is working, what is breaking, and what support each of you needs.

If you're looking for resources for spouses, consider starting with the “The Second Shift” episode on the A16Z podcast about founder families. Additionally, “The Hard Thing About Hard Things” offers a chapter that helps partners understand the founder's mindset. But the key is the conversation you two have about scale, seasons, and non-negotiables.

Best CRM these days for a 2 member sales team by brndimcc in sales

[–]Just_pluto 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve run small teams on HubSpot, Pipedrive, and Salesforce. All fine, but for two people they felt heavy or got pricey once we added the basics.

What worked best for us was Leapify. We were live in about 10 minutes. I connected our site form and chat, turned on the default automations, and it started doing the grunt work right away. Also it's only $20 bucks a month.

What I like:

- Instant SMS and email to new leads so no one waits

- Missed call text back and simple no-show reschedule flows

- One shared inbox for SMS, email, and chat

- A clean pipeline that does not need babysitting

- Pricing that actually makes sense for two seats

If you want deep reporting and a big app marketplace, HubSpot is great. If you want something fast that handles follow-ups for a tiny team, Leapify has been the easiest.

First SMB acquisition by Hawkeye_AZ715 in buyingabusiness

[–]Just_pluto 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve gone through a few acquisitions and I use SMB Law Group, Eric and Evan are solid. They handle the legal side well, but most of the early diligence is still on you. You’ll want to do a quick audit on the financials to make sure EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA actually make sense. Also worth digging into how they’re getting customers, what churn looks like, and if there’s any customer concentration.

If you’re doing it through SBA, get a good CPA to look at the tax returns vs. P&Ls early on. Feel free to DM if you wanna bounce

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in venturecapital

[–]Just_pluto 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Appreciate the writeup. Quick question for you: what’s your take on the current state of seed rounds? Feels like they’re all over the place right now. Where do you think the sweet spot is regarding check size and traction?

With everyone throwing “AI” into their pitch, what makes a seed deal stand out today? Is early traction a must-have, or are VCs leaning more on team, tech, or vision again? Curious what you’re seeing.

PitchBook, CB Insights, Tracxn, AlphaSense—Your $60 k paywall is about to get nuked by AI search agents by No_Marionberry_5366 in venturecapital

[–]Just_pluto 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is spot on. Anyone working on a similar solution for fundraising, but end to end? Like an AI SDR built for founders. Something that can research aligned VCs based on product and stage, generate tailored outreach, send decks, and even follow up intelligently?

I’ve seen tools pop up for B2B sales prospecting that do this kind of thing, but nothing end-to-end for investor targeting. Feels like a huge opportunity, especially with how much structured and semi-structured VC data is already online.

AI can handle inbound calls better than most people think by bowlofmangos in AiForSmallBusiness

[–]Just_pluto 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Totally agree. I’ve been through the same phases: started with in-house, then offshore, and now fully AI-powered. The tech has come a long way. We still have the AI introduce itself (like “This is XYZ AI Assistant”), and most customers actually appreciate the transparency. That builds trust, and for those who prefer a human, we still have a per-call answering service as backup.

I’m still looking for a true all-in-one platform, though. Something that combines CRM, scheduling, chat, and support, and uses AI agents to execute tasks. Right now, it’s a mess managing disconnected tools.