Anyone here actually own their own business? Whats your trade?

Bump, somebody on here has to have had some fucking business experience at some point

I own a nonprofit org and a profit biz. Offering IT services. Mostly struggling to get a website running and gaining web traffic. Websites are expensive as fuck when u try to bootstrap your biz. So i'm running on wordpress until i got enough capital to buy some quality webdevs.

>>992656
I run a resume writing /biz/, I mostly use LateX programming to make decent looking formats that people can't make in Word. I average about $100/client, the biggest problem is getting website traffic as my website's a wordpress piece of mediocrity.

If it ever really kicks off I'll design more field-specific templates and hire some subcontractors to do my orders for me.

>>992834
I should also point out the hours are shit. No client tells you everything you need to know, most are shit at explaining their field-specific credentials or experiences, and the writing and research takes up too much damn time.

Really it nets me about $15-$20 hourly, it won't be worth a damn until I can get proper advertising and proper workers.

>>992656

I own a small construction company. I also helped my family create a farming business, which I run jointly with my father. Also helping with the administration stuff on my brother's software company.

>Whats your trade?
I graduated in Business Engineering and then took a maters in Finance, but mostly to know how to handle businesses and not to actually work in finances.

>What kind of problems did you have starting out?

The two main issues were:

1.- Getting suppliers to give us credit for large purchases (say, I need to buy 100 tons of concrete, but I only get paid for that work after it's been poured, so in order to avoid eating up my working capital -which I need to pay salaries and stuff like that- I need the supplier to allow me 30 days of credit so I can fit expenses with income).

2.- Getting the certification. Though each business is different, certifications and permits are a pretty common stumbling block for a lot of new ventures, first because you suddenly realise there's a lot of stuff you had no idea how to do, and second because you often need a lot of stuff done in paralel.

>How did you develop client/ supplier relationships?

First, persistence and being very honest with everyone; we've managed to establish good relations with several suppliers and clients, and being open about both the good and bad helped a lot in cementing that. Everyone knows new companies will have problems; attempting to appear like you are working miracles makes it harder for people to trust you. It's not about painting yourself poorly, but rather about being practical: Put the issues on the front, specially if that can give your clients some time to prepare. It's better to get a stern look for warning them ahead of time you might be late with a deal or payment, than having to scramble to justify yourself when shit actually hits the fan. And a lot of shit will hit the fan at the start.

cont

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>>992851
>I need to buy 100 tons of concrete
>being open about both the good and bad helped a lot in cementing that

>>992851

Second, a little trick a lot of people seem to miss and that's essential on all levels, both in small businesses and large corporations: Befriend the secretaries and the guards. Make note of remembering their names, being polite, and greeting them on important dates. Those people are the ones that handle movement of information, meeting schedules, etc, and if you get on their good side, everything will run a lot smoother. Get on their bad side, and it will be hellish. Be natural about it, though, and consider some times you'll encounter unfriendly people in those posts. Oftentimes, though, you can win over even those people by being polite.

Third, contacts. Though this depends a lot on the context you grew up/studied/worked in, everyone's bound to know someone who knows someone. That friend who owes you a favour? When starting a new company, that's the best moment to cash them; once you are standing strong you'll be the contact, but for now you need to use every single strand of influence you can muster. This will help you reach the proper people faster, assist you in building trust with companies, and making your name roll around.

As my father says "I hire managers for their networks, not so much for their titles", to highlight how crucial your contacts can be. It can be unfair, but odds are already stacked against you if you are starting a new business, so don't recoil from calling everyone you know if it'll give you some extra foothold.

Finally, be gracious. Those little guys that helped you get up? Remember them when you are running a succesful business. Those small clients that trusted you? Keep them on your logs, send tips and offers their way when you get them. If they ask you for a coffee, invite them for lunch. Not only it's the right thing to do, but also helps cement your reputation as someone to do business with. And that gets around a lot faster and farther than people seem to realise.

>>992863

What can I say: This business is a two-way street.

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>>992877

>>992877
>>992899
Woah WOAH
my head is spinning dubs and puns?

>>992830
>>992851
Thats all pretty interesting, thanks. How much capital did you start out with for the construction business?

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>>992952
Question isnt for me but i'll throw my hat in anyway.
If you wait until u got the right starting capital for a biz, u'll wait for a very long time. Bootstrapping is possible. Try to imagine what the minimal requirements for your biz are then go for it and try beating the min.

I started my biz with 300$. At least that's what the papers said. But alone the registration (dep. on your location) was eating that up. So I just transferred the money if needed to the company.

Started in late summer. Have to write a closing balance report this month anyway. So all summed up my expenses equal to ~1300$
Server (luckily i know my shit and can host mail server, web server, etc by myself)
Domain name
Website (wordpress theme if you wanna go cheap)
Seo Content Writer for the text on your website
Logo designer
Corporate identity Designer
Your tax guy

Theres a lot of shit going on u probably havent planned in advance. Not even starting about taxes.

Any tips for increasing website traffic?

I do. But im not telling 4chan shit about it.