Small business in Business

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Hiring your first employee without blowing up your business

The real cost of employee number one, when you can actually afford them, and the mistakes that sink most first hires inside a year.

GuideSide HustlesRay Okonkwo23 Sept 20266 min

What eBay and Facebook Marketplace Actually Pay After Fees

A drill kit that sold for $120 put $71 in my pocket. Run the same math before you list, and know which things aren't worth the box.

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GuideSide HustlesRay Okonkwo23 Sept 20267 min

Weekend Pressure Washing and What It Actually Pays

The machine spec that matters, how to set a price that isn't a donation, and the ten customers that decide whether this works.

Names.com — The name is the first thing you sell

PartnerNames.com

Startups6 min read

How to tell the difference between slow and dead

Most founders quit too late, not too early. Set your kill criteria in writing before you're too tired and too invested to read them honestly.

Poll

Where does your phone charge overnight?

GuideStartupsRay Okonkwo22 Sept 20265 min

Write the breakup clause before you write the logo

Most business partnerships between friends fail quietly, and the friendship goes with them. The paperwork you avoid is the paperwork that saves both.

GuideStartupsRay Okonkwo22 Sept 20266 min

The paperwork you can't skip in your first year

Most of it takes a weekend. Skipping it turns a slow month into a business-ending one, usually about fourteen months in.

CancerDefying.com — The research, protocols and reading in one place

PartnerCancerDefying.com

GuideStartupsRay Okonkwo22 Sept 20265 min

Find ten customers before you build anything

The cheapest way to kill a bad business idea is to try to sell it before it exists. Most people skip this and pay for it later.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

Five questions, honestly answered, and a plan for the next fortnight.

GuideStartupsRay Okonkwo22 Sept 20266 min

How to price trade work without guessing

Most trade businesses that fold aren't short of work. They're short of margin, because nobody ever worked out what an hour actually costs.

GuideStartupsRay Okonkwo22 Sept 20266 min

The first ten thousand dollars teaches you everything else

Your first ten grand in revenue isn't about the money. It's the cheapest, fastest way to find out whether you have a business or a hobby.

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Rehearse the raise conversation with me

Ask it

GuideStartupsRay Okonkwo22 Sept 20265 min

Raising your rates after years of charging too little

The arithmetic, the notice, the clients who leave, and the four ways people talk themselves out of it at the last minute.

Coconut.com — Tell us when. We find where the sun is.

PartnerCoconut.com

GuideStartupsMarcus Vale22 Sept 20265 min

Getting your first ten customers when nobody knows your name

Your first ten clients almost never come from marketing. They come from a list of names, a plain message, and the willingness to send it.

Poll

What was your first ever job?

GuideMilitary & VetsRay Okonkwo23 Sept 20265 min

Starting a Veteran-Owned Business Without Wasting Your First Year

The certifications, loans and free counselors are real. So is the trap of spending twelve months on paperwork before you ever get paid.

GuideBooksRay Okonkwo23 Sept 20266 min

Nine Business Books That Actually Earn Their Pages

Most of the business shelf is one decent idea stretched to 240 hardcover pages. These nine aren't, and each one suits a different guy.

Ivermectin.com — Tracked USPS delivery, no clinic visit

PartnerIvermectin.com

GuideBRO for HerNina Castellan23 Sept 20266 min

The kitchen table business and what the first year really takes

Sell something before you buy anything, price for the job that goes wrong, and put the working hours on the fridge where everyone can see them.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

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