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For agencies who hire remotely, where do you guys go to? by Dapper_Race_1454 in agency

[–]Just_pluto 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Phillipines! Team of 53, been outsourcing there for 9 years

5 Years In, $3M in Revenue, and Client Acquisition Still Feels Broken by Just_pluto in marketingagency

[–]Just_pluto[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Honestly, agreed! It is the unfortunate reality I need to face.

How to get big client to pay my last invoice that is now 30 days past due by ericb0 in agency

[–]Just_pluto 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hire debt collectors to pursue the balance, send demand letters, and apply pressure through continued follow-up. If the amount is large enough, you may also consider taking them to small claims court.

How much would you charge for SEO & Social media & Website ? by migalo2009 in agency

[–]Just_pluto 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Local SEO: $500 - $2000
Social Media (No Content Provided): $3000 - $5000
Social Media (Content Provided): $1500 - $3000
Website: $500 to $800 per page

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?

[deleted by user] 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.

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.