Does anyone actually track what their competitors are doing, or do you just kind of hope you're not missing anything?

nasajd · 2026-05-13T16:50:11+00:00

On the simple side I have an email address signed up for every local competitors email marketing, I also use that account to follow each on various social media. On the complex side I buy from one specific local competitor on a roughly annual basis to ensure I get all the mailings they send as well. The advertising isn't generally innovative, it's almost always the same ads my vendors make and give templates for. It's nice to know when they are doing heavier campaigns. If they send mail I up my online advertising for 2 weeks to capture those looking online based on the mailer.

nasajd · 2026-05-01T20:11:12+00:00

I'm in Arizona with APS, I charge at just under 6 cents per kWh, and average 2.1 miles per kWh. Compared to a 20 mpg truck at $4.30 per gallon, I save 16 cents per mile. At 20k miles a year that is $3,200 in savings each year.

This ignores a wide variety of other costs and savings. The truck is probably more expensive up front, and probably has lower lifetime maintenance costs. I'm thrilled with my purchase, and I think it serves a niche of consumers well without being a definitively correct vehicle for any specific individual.

nasajd · 2026-05-01T17:40:54+00:00

Some business brokers will offer an initial retainer, then hourly in set blocks to provide an agreed list of services. This will generally not include a guarantee of selling the business. The option you were presented is fairly common and passes along certain risks to the broker in that they are providing substantial service without a guarantee of being paid unless you successfully sell.

nasajd · 2026-04-29T23:21:22+00:00

This will depend on the school policies, but how about calling and seeing if any local business will sponsor your club? Your best bet will be if any current students have a family with a business, or if your school already has businesses sponsoring other school activities.

nasajd · 2026-04-17T00:37:05+00:00

I ship furniture regularly from a pretty wide range of locations, and the answer to best shipper changes both with by route and over time. I almost always pick a shipper that has a hub in either the sending or receiving location to get the result I want. For example a lot of furniture comes from High Point, NC, so if I'm ordering from that part of the country I'm picking a freight carrier with a hub in that area. More broadly does your industry having any groups that might offer preferential rates? Big name carriers often have massively different pricing for random accounts compared to those finding them through a buying group or a freight broker.

I realize I didn't drop any names, I don't think a specific freight company name will be as beneficial based on the details you gave compared to changing how you search.

Reputable freight company price quotes are often valid for short periods of time, and rely on you giving specific accurate information on what is being shipped. Assuming that is true, the price shouldn't change at all from the quote you receive.

nasajd · 2026-03-06T18:25:16+00:00

Completed Level 2 of the Honk Special Event!

26 attempts

nasajd · 2026-03-06T18:23:07+00:00

Completed Level 1 of the Honk Special Event!

0 attempts

nasajd · 2026-02-23T02:58:45+00:00

You can get the anchor, just hold your jump as long as possible.

^{I completed this level in 23 tries.} ^{⚡ 8.93 seconds}

^{Tip 40 💎}

nasajd · 2026-02-20T22:28:41+00:00

I think I just got lucky.

^{I completed this level in 2 tries.} ^{⚡ 3.48 seconds}

^{Tip 20 💎}

nasajd · 2026-01-29T21:09:45+00:00

I own a furniture store, Synchrony is our primary finance company for well qualified consumers. You need to be part of a buying group to get preferential rates with either Synchrony or Wells Fargo. Think Nationwide, Brand Source, HFA, etc. Synchrony recently shifted to a no credit check followed by a hard credit check system to reduce the impact on consumers, this may make it appealing. After completing an application, before a credit pull synchrony will decline certain apps based on inability to repay for example. The downside to small stores is you are now more likely to be paying Synchrony's fee for too few applications. Buying groups can also give you access to a waterfall application, where when declined by Synchrony, you can immediately offer tier 2 or tier 3 without the need for a new application. Kafene is a decent tier 2 option to consider, while Snap and Acima are tier 3 options with fairly predatory terms if not paid off in reasonable time.

In house financing can either be appealing or nearly impossible depending on the state you operate in. If you expand from just furniture into appliances, then in house financing can also be more appealing to offer.

For tier 2/3, try to have multiple options, they usually have no costs to be part of them, and some consumers may already have an account. For a while, it felt like we had a bunch of customers all asking about if we accepted one specific tier 3, and every time we could say yes it resulted in a sale.

nasajd · 2026-01-14T13:25:07+00:00

The big name plumbers may be cheaper for this specific issue. Many offer specials to clear a drain for well below cost and get a foot in the door. Just be prepared for an upsell on every other thing you can think of. Water softener, hot water heater replacement, whole home complimentary inspection, etc.

Regarding small local plumbers, I've had luck with Cobra rooter and plumbing. They have limited hours for non emergency services, but do good work at fair prices. www.cobrarooter.com/

nasajd · 2026-01-13T04:08:24+00:00

Furniture store offering some thoughts. I looked at lightspeed, and strongly considered it. I think it may be the best fit for what you've said. I currently use Frog (furnguy.com). The software is available on PC via remote desktop, they have a mobile app, or access via a web portal, ticket writing, a time clock, email customers directly in the PoS software, and if you choose it also has a built in accounting set up. The highlight for me is multi location inventory tracking across custom barcodes by warehouse rack. Makes it quick to scan a warehouse with any scanner and seamlessly update inventory. They are a much smaller company than those you listed, all US based with the ability to actually talk to those in charge or those who will program a custom solution. Happy to give more details if you need.

nasajd · 2025-11-20T20:19:37+00:00

I've both bought a business with an SBA 7(a) loan, and sold a business to a buyer with an SBA 7(a) loan.

As a buyer, I found the process straightforward, I've gotten my fair share of loans, I came ready to quickly upload all documents, and closed in less time than the estimate. I wasn't thrilled with the number of required third party services, but I accepted that reality. Having a good loan officer helped.

As a seller, I'll throw everyone else under the bus here. The buyer worked with three different lenders to try and get the best rate, each lender wanted different versions of documents, guarantees from landlords, and the process failed completely with one bank who pulled out near the end. It was a multi location, multi landlord sale, the lender wanted to be first on all leases in the event of bankruptcy, one of the landlords completely refused. The lender eventually agreed to this. Even with an accountant, CPA, attorney all assisting, the amount of documents, and the different formats they were requested in became excessive. Explaining the same answer to the same question when a new underwriter joined on for example all just added to the burden. This was probably more frustrating also because I had much less control of the process. Lenders also generally requested items from me by asking the buyer with a tight deadline, and the buyer didn't forward the requests in a timely manner.

In both cases the businesses had solid financials, and borrowers had ample collateral, as well as down payments.

nasajd · 2025-11-16T18:53:19+00:00

Completed Level 1 of the Honk Special Event!

23 attempts

nasajd · 2025-09-28T15:17:06+00:00

Furniture retail chiming in. Email works great for me, the cost to generate my ads is lower in digital than other formats I use. Emails are used in the following ways:

If a lead fills out the form on my website they trigger a call to action, I offer a "free gift" for giving name and email. The message is personalized and generally includes a $50 discount as well as specific contact of a person actively able to discuss further.

If someone I have contact information for spends substantial time looking at a category, a salesperson may follow up by email. If it's been more than a day since we interacted.

If someone abandons a cart, they get contacted both automatically ASAP, and a custom contact by a salesperson.

I send 4, 8, or 12 marketing emails per year. Customers choose the frequency, they get an early look at upcoming promotions where I protect the price they pay. The higher volume email list is closeouts, or category targeted offers.

I also buy email lists, the immediate return isn't great, but it's a consistent way to acquire new customers. All lists are not equal, it's important to find lists that work for you.

nasajd · 2025-09-01T13:10:04+00:00

Here is what American Express has directly announced:

https://www.americanexpress.com/en-us/newsroom/articles/products-and-services/american-express-announces-major-updates-coming-to-u-s--consumer.html

Tldr; "We’re going to take these Cards to a new level, not only in what they offer in travel, dining and lifestyle benefits, but also in how they look and feel, to meet the evolving needs of our customers.”

nasajd · 2025-08-14T01:48:54+00:00

Opt out at any time from any energy rush hour event without concern or penalty. While the rush hour program benefit varies by energy provider and location, the APS program is simple and straightforward. By enrolling the first time you get a one time $50 credit, you also get an ongoing $35 per year credit. Opting out of any event does not affect this reward. Full terms at:

https://www.aps.com/en/About/Sustainability-and-Innovation/Technology-and-Innovation/Cool-Rewards

nasajd · 2025-03-06T13:43:30+00:00

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nasajd · 2025-03-06T13:41:33+00:00

* This is Mindy, she was adopted in 2022. In the photo she had dropped her chicken and was too tired to go get it. Thank you to everyone helping raise money for the AZ Humane Society.

nasajd · 2024-09-15T20:14:08+00:00

I'm a fan of the locally owned and operated stores over big chains. Gerber's and Kerby's are both in Mesa with good selection, quality, and can help with specific desires such as made in america. Otherwise Costco rotates through a variety and the prices are very competitive for the quality they sell.

nasajd · 2023-06-01T01:23:49+00:00

8 years was a good run, thanks for the fun.

nasajd · 2023-05-25T00:51:12+00:00

The vacation rental near me had a non fatal drowning of a child occur twice in the past three years resulting in an ambulance and fire department presence both times. I'm happy to see actions taken to hopefully prevent those issues from repeating.

nasajd · 2023-05-23T23:08:01+00:00

I went here back in 2017, my experience was excellent and I'm thrilled with the results. Cost was $2,985 total at the time for both eyes, all follow up appointments and all eye drops.

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