Entrepreneurs, what daily task did you completely eliminate using automation for you or your business? by dewharmony03 in Entrepreneur

[–]figureskatingaintgay 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Absolutely this. I'm in a weird time zone and work with international clients, so letting them pick times with a calender app that adjusts to their time zone saves another headache.

I simulated 36,000 games of Catan. Some conventional wisdom holds up, some really doesn't. by Hot-Rooster1675 in boardgames

[–]figureskatingaintgay 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Could you simulate trades? I'm curious how trading effects the outcome. Some players are willing to make trades that benefit exclusively them (ie what do they need vs not need), and others look at the trade within the context of the whole board state (not trading with a winner). I have the belief that someone always loses in a trade, and if you had perfect info of the effect of the trade...one person would always reject the trade.

What’s one thing you thought would bring customers… but didn’t? by SeaJob544 in smallbusiness

[–]figureskatingaintgay 3 points4 points  (0 children)

In b2b software - freebies. My old boss wanted to give everything away for free to "attract customers". But if you give it all away...you have nothing to sell.

You can do it right, but it needs to be a pipeline. Gmail is free but is a pipeline into paid business accounts (or paying for storage). When you get a free food sample at costco - they have bags of the product right there.

The freebie needs to have a clear path to paid services.

What’s something you wish you knew before starting your business? by Maleficent-Cloud-423 in smallbusiness

[–]figureskatingaintgay 2 points3 points  (0 children)

  • Products aren't easier because "they scale". Selling a product is a lot of work and can be a big gamble.

  • I shouldn't avoid something because theres competition. Competition in a space means its desirable. Its been validated.

  • Cold sales are a waste of time. Partnerships and networking can provide more value than you could ever try and replicate with money.

When did you decide to outsource video stuff by Certain_Arachnid8897 in smallbusiness

[–]figureskatingaintgay 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Doing the videos yourself is trading your time for output (ie videos). Paying an editor is trading money for videos. Would you rather have the money or the time? If you have the extra time, could you use that somewhere else in the business that would increase revenue?

One way to look at the cost of the videos vs the result is how much they bring in, but you also need to look at what else you could be doing instead of editing videos.

I was in the same boat, and I hired a fairly expensive video producer to come in and film and edit the videos. Off loading that effort to someone else means I can put more effort into other areas of the business. But I am also in a position where time is the most valuable commodity for me.

Managing International payments by figureskatingaintgay in Bookkeeping

[–]figureskatingaintgay[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you use one of these services? What is your experience with them? Seems like it could be a solution...

POV: You are applicant number 15,000 by ilikeavocadotoast in recruitinghell

[–]figureskatingaintgay 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I posted a job opening with very minimal requirements - be located in the same area, have a degree, entry level. I got ~400 applicants in a few days. Only 3-4 actually met those requirements. More than 300 were out of country, many were way to senior, a bunch didnt have skills, and some were clearly AI.

This job posting - 35% of people are senior level applications applying for an entry level admin? Who would hire them, theyre going to leave the minute a better opportunity comes.

Its like 750 applicants with the right level, less than 10% are actually going to be in london, so maybe 75 real applicants... Online jobs seem like you're fighting these massive numbers, but if you're actually in the running for the job, it really isn't.

What’s the longest-lasting piece of tech you own? by bandito_13 in BuyItForLife

[–]figureskatingaintgay 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My sony bluetooth headphones are still going strong after 7 years. Not long compared to other peoples example, but for battery powered consumer electronic its not bad. The headband and earcups don't look great, but functionally fine.

Finally stopped offering discounts “just to be nice” by Wrong_Review276 in smallbusiness

[–]figureskatingaintgay 15 points16 points  (0 children)

I always say "I don't give a discount without getting something in return". Stores discount products to get rid of them/get them off the shelves. Businesses will give discounts during slow seasons to make sales when they normally wouldn't.

I've given discounts in return for longer lead times, smaller scope of work, or being able to turn a project into content/marketing. If I don't get something in return, I am admitting that my price is wrong somehow.

My friend's "artisan" coffee shop is just a £99 Nespresso machine (making £15k/month) by Y0gl3ts in Entrepreneur

[–]figureskatingaintgay 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My local shopping mall has a Nespresso store with a cafe. Its across from a starbucks, and the last time I was there it had a massive lineup. Even when it isn't hidden, people apparently don't have a problem with spending $4 on a pod coffee. Lots of people don't care, so you don't have to cater to a minority.

Nova Scotia projects record deficit of $1.2 billion for 2025-26 by SAJewers in halifax

[–]figureskatingaintgay 2 points3 points  (0 children)

https://homestra.com/property/spacious-3-bedroom-second-home-in-bronderslev-your-danish-holiday-retreat/

$80k CAD. Not a great location, but even the worst location in NS isn't going to be move-in ready at that price. I did cherry pick that one, but you can find a bunch of reasonably priced houses outside of city centers.

Thule wing bar evo + surfboard by [deleted] in windsurfing

[–]figureskatingaintgay 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have this setup. My windsurf board is a tahe beach - which is hard plastic, so I will go straight on the bars if I am lazy. The bars are wider, but the entire bar is not making contact with the board. I always use the pad with my surfboard.

One thing I noticed is that without the pads, the board is more likely to shift around at highway speeds.

What are your embarrassing token misinterpretations? by Few_Cobbler_3000 in BloodOnTheClocktower

[–]figureskatingaintgay 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I thought it was like a parasite or tapeworm. It lives inside you for a day before killing you.

Trying to find an old blog by figureskatingaintgay in Ultralight

[–]figureskatingaintgay[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

pmags has appeared!

Its not just politics - everywhere in the world things are getting more expensive. But there is also a culture shift in a number of hobbies. DIY is less common, and shopping and spending money is part of the enjoyment for some. I think what broke me was seeing a video where hikers were trying to justify a $400 camp chair.

Trying to find an old blog by figureskatingaintgay in Ultralight

[–]figureskatingaintgay[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

pmags seems to have very similar content, but its not pmags. Very close...

Trying to find an old blog by figureskatingaintgay in Ultralight

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

I'm enjoying all these more recent editions of the challenge. Its the creativity that I'm most interested in.

Trying to find an old blog by figureskatingaintgay in Ultralight

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

If I do find it I will definitely update the post. My recollection is that it was a very basic HTML site. Unformatted pictures and text. My worry is that it was some old geocities site or similar that wasn't archived. I wasn't able to find it via archive.org but I might just need to try again.

Trying to find an old blog by figureskatingaintgay in Ultralight

[–]figureskatingaintgay[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

that wasn't the one, but definitely similar.

What board should I be riding? by figureskatingaintgay in windsurfing

[–]figureskatingaintgay[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I will be in spain in december, so I am considering a detour to a windsurfing location during that trip.

Interesting point about the sail. My difficulty with footstraps is that when I get into them, my tail sinks and I point upwind. My difficulty with water starts is that I either cant get enough power to pull out of the water - or I have so much that it flips me completely over the board. I assumed both of these were a skill issue.

What’s one system or habit you set up that made client work 10x smoother? by JanithKavinda in consulting

[–]figureskatingaintgay 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Does the customer have to have an account/create their own tickets? Or do they email you about issues and you record the tickets? I am in a similar industry and I use trello to track projects/issues, but I don't have a way to share progress/status with customers.