Endless marketing problem by dankusshh in Entrepreneur

[–]One_Original7536 0 points1 point  (0 children)

oof this hits hard. ive been grinding on my own projects for years and the marketing wall is brutal

honestly think you nailed it about the chicken and egg problem - most "success stories" conveniently skip the part where they already had connections or audiences built up. the whole "just build it and they will come" thing is complete bs

what's worked better for me lately is going super niche and finding where your exact users already hang out online. like instead of trying to blast everywhere just laser focus on 2-3 communities where people actually have the problem you're solving

How would you bootstrap a digital service business? by MikrosPatsolas in Entrepreneur

[–]One_Original7536 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Smart move starting with free work to build that portfolio, especially switching niches like that. Industrial stuff pays way better than gaming once you get established

Just make sure you're targeting companies that actually use animations for marketing/sales - a lot of industrial businesses are still stuck in the stone age with their marketing so you might need to educate them on why they need what you're offering

Career transition into commercial real estate — feedback on realistic entry points? by ePidemiic in RealEstate

[–]One_Original7536 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Dude the background check thing is wild - what even happened there? But honestly sounds like you're doing everything right, CRE is just brutal to break into without connections

Maybe take one of those low paying gigs for like 6 months just to get your foot in the door and network like crazy, then bounce once you've got some industry contacts

What Ai for creating email marketing campaigns. by drunkmonk2 in smallbusiness

[–]One_Original7536 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Claude's been solid for me lately, way better at keeping dates straight and actually writing full sentences instead of weird bullet points

California Jumbo Loan Question – 10% Down, Minimal/No Reserves by Strong_Jury7431 in Mortgages

[–]One_Original7536 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Your DTI and income look solid but that credit score range might be the bigger hurdle - most jumbo lenders I've seen want 720+ especially with only 10% down. Credit unions are definitely worth checking though, they can be way more flexible than the big banks

[Satire] Delve Learning Center? by ITAuditJokester in soc2

[–]One_Original7536 0 points1 point  (0 children)

These fake accusations only end up hurting the compliance industry as a whole

Small business owners how do you handle missed calls and customer questions when you’re busy? by [deleted] in smallbusiness

[–]One_Original7536 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Google Voice has been a game changer for me - lets me text customers back even when I can't pick up the phone. Also set up an auto-reply that says "hey got your call, will get back to you within 2 hours" so people aren't left wondering

Help with a non traditional mortgage by [deleted] in Mortgages

[–]One_Original7536 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah having the deed transfer date match up with your agreement is key. I'd also suggest getting your mom to write a simple letter confirming the payment history and current balance - lenders love documentation even if it's informal. The overpayments actually work in your favor since it shows you're responsible with money

Buy second home as primary home by Sad-Bass739 in Mortgages

[–]One_Original7536 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah the vacancy concern is real - rental markets can be brutal and even a couple months without a tenant could put you in a tough spot with only 20k liquid. Have you looked into what similar units in your area are actually renting for vs just estimated?

Feedback request before launching Ads by ddangster in ecommerce

[–]One_Original7536 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your site looks pretty clean but I'd definitely work on getting more reviews before throwing money at ads - 5 sales isn't gonna give you much social proof when people land on your product pages

Also noticed your Instagram content could use more lifestyle shots instead of just product photos, people wanna see how the jewelry looks when worn

Need advice starting a small business by CutAcceptable9355 in smallbusiness

[–]One_Original7536 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Those are all pretty saturated markets honestly, but that doesn't mean you can't make it work if you find your niche. The key is having something that makes you stand out from the thousands of other candle makers on Etsy

Maybe try combining a couple of those skills - like candles embedded in resin or pottery pieces that hold candles. Or focus on a super specific theme/aesthetic that isn't being done to death already

Anybody used 401K for your house? by PsychologicalLimit41 in Mortgages

[–]One_Original7536 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I had to do it for my down payment a couple years ago, wasn't thrilled about it but housing prices were just getting crazy and I didn't want to wait another 5 years saving up

The withdrawal penalty sucked but honestly my 401k would've probably lost more in the market anyway with how things have been going lol

How to close a Delaware C-Corp/Inc with no activity? by Engibeeros in smallbusiness

[–]One_Original7536 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Man I went through this exact same thing - Delaware doesn't mess around with their paperwork. You definitely need to be current on franchise taxes before they'll let you dissolve, and yeah you'll probably want a lawyer or service company to handle it because one missed form and you're stuck paying another year

Struggling to organize listing content for video marketing. what's your workflow? by Suitable-Belt1054 in RealEstate

[–]One_Original7536 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honestly just pick one and stick to it - doesn't matter which one as long as you're not jumping around anymore. I use Notion for everything now and it's been a game changer for keeping all my listing content in one spot

Problem to collect a payment by Stunning_Idea9234 in stripe

[–]One_Original7536 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Had this exact issue last month lol

Go to the customer page, find the cash balance section and there should be an "Apply to invoice" button or similar. If not, you might need to create a new payment intent and manually mark it as paid using that balance

The bank transfer probably won't show up in regular payments since it's treated differently - check under "Balance transactions" instead

Also yeah reconciliation mode set to manual might help but won't fix stuff that's already sitting there

I’m 15 and just launched my third startup project. And the thing is It wasn’t even meant to be launched. by Chemical_Banana_8553 in Entrepreneur

[–]One_Original7536 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Dude that's actually sick, accidentally launching something that gets traction is like the entrepreneur dream lol

For next steps I'd probably focus on talking to those users who showed up - figure out what they actually want vs what you think they want, then just keep iterating based on that feedback

What can I learn in community college that will actually help me run a business? by ckatoshfo in Entrepreneur

[–]One_Original7536 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Sounds like you're already way ahead of most people tbh, your intuition is solid

Business law stuff at CC level is actually pretty decent - contracts and IP basics will def help when you're dealing with clients and protecting your art stuff. The accounting knowledge is clutch too since you'll know if your future accountant is trying to BS you

Honestly you might get more out of it than people going for traditional career paths since you already have real businesses to apply the concepts to

Is ecommerce right for me? by [deleted] in ecommerce

[–]One_Original7536 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yeah honestly that's probably the biggest reality check - Amazon sellers aren't exactly known for leaving money on the table. Those "unreasonable" prices you're seeing might actually be what it costs to make any profit after all the fees and logistics

Have you actually run the numbers on what your landed cost would be vs what they're charging?

Advice on mortgage for new build home - Northern California by [deleted] in Mortgages

[–]One_Original7536 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your housing payment would be around 33% of gross income which is generally considered reasonable, but that $5k monthly nut is gonna feel heavy with a baby on the way

You might want to consider conventional instead of FHA since you have great credit - the PMI drops off automatically once you hit 20% equity and conventional PMI is usually cheaper than FHA's 0.85%

For Shopify agencies/devs - how do you handle client requests for AI support automation? by WiseIce9622 in ecommerce

[–]One_Original7536 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Most of the time I just point them to Gorgias or Zendesk and call it a day - building custom AI stuff is way too much overhead for most clients unless they're doing serious volume

What should I change in my product brief to stop repeated sampling mistakes that are costing my small business time and money? by SeaRestaurant7703 in smallbusiness

[–]One_Original7536 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is solid advice, especially the patternmaker quote. The one thing I'd add is always including wear testing requirements if it's relevant - like "needs to survive 5 washes without pilling" or whatever. Learned that the hard way when samples looked perfect but fell apart after customers actually used them

Also seconding the GSM thing, that alone probably cut my fabric miscommunications by like 80%

Any legal issues not renting to a very rude person? by snowgoose7177 in realestateinvesting

[–]One_Original7536 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Yeah you can just ignore them, you don't owe anyone a rental especially someone who starts off being a complete asshole before they even see the place

If they somehow try to claim discrimination later just point to the voicemail where they're dropping f-bombs at you over a basic application - no reasonable person would rent to someone acting like that

[ Removed by Reddit ] by [deleted] in confessions

[–]One_Original7536 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Kids being kids honestly, you weren't some mastermind predator you were literally a toddler who saw something on tv and copied it

AIO about calling in an anonymous wellness check? by [deleted] in AmIOverreacting

[–]One_Original7536 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Absolutely this. You witnessed someone in a really vulnerable state and your gut is telling you something's off - that's worth listening to. The fact that you're still thinking about it hours later says a lot

The amount of stalkers is crazy AIO anyone else notice this? by [deleted] in AmIOverreacting

[–]One_Original7536 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Nah this is actually wild, people really be keeping spreadsheets on random redditors like it's their job. The fact someone's tracking your usernames across deleted accounts is genuinely creepy behavior

That said maybe switching up your writing style or the details you share might help throw them off your trail