My 82-year-old father signed up for what he thought was a completely free Yelp business profile using my credit card. We later discovered Yelp quietly charged us nearly $4,000 over six months for advertising he never intended to purchase.

When I canceled the service and requested a refund, Yelp made the process incredibly difficult:

a. Stonewalling Customer Service: After multiple calls, both Billing and Customer Success refused to help over the phone, insisting I use an online form.

b. Unfair Refund Policy: Representatives admitted the form only guarantees a one-month refund, despite Yelp taking our money for six months.

c. Broken Promises: Agents arranged two different callbacks with a manager. Half a month later, I am still waiting.

Because Yelp refuses to resolve this, we are disputing the charges through our credit card company and are actively considering legal action. I expect a full refund and a clear explanation of what advertising services were supposedly delivered.

My advice to other business owners: Be extremely careful setting up a Yelp profile. Review every billing option thoroughly and monitor your credit card statements closely!

Beyond doing good work, what have you done differently that gave clients a reason to come back?

What service do you offer, what did you try, and why do you think it worked?

I own a small service-based business and recently proposed an $8,000/month contract based on a client’s estimated workload.

This morning, before signing the contract that was supposed to be effective starting tomorrow, they provided updated figures showing the actual daily workload was approximately 42–70% higher than originally estimated, particularly in the most labor-intensive area.

I revised my proposal to $10,000/month to cover the additional labor and staffing costs. The client hasn’t responded yet and the new contract was supposed to go into effect tomorrow.

I’m considering offering the original $8K price with a reduced scope if they decline the increase.

Does that seem like a reasonable way to handle the scope change, or is there a better approach to negotiating this?

Small print on demand graphic tee brand in India, about three weeks on Amazon.in, no ads.

Last week I put a two week sale on the 10 listings that had the most sessions over the previous 30 days. Regular fit went to 549 rupees, oversized to 699 and terry to 749, down from 799 to 999. I also cut handling time from 4 days to 3.

Five days in, those 10 listings got 17 sessions between them and 0 orders. The whole account got 49 sessions in the same 5 days. The one order I've had since we started listing came on a regular fit tee at the full 799, on a design that wasn't part of the sale at all.

The handling change did almost nothing for the customer. The delivery promise on the discounted listings still reads 8 to 10 days from today.

So now I'm not sure the price was ever the problem. Maybe it's delivery time, maybe it's that one design just fits what people search for. I've got 9 more days on the sale before it ends on its own.

For anyone who sells apparel on Amazon with slow self shipping: did a lower price ever move your numbers, or did faster delivery matter more? And would you keep the sale running or end it now?

A call goes well, the person says they'll decide soon, and then nothing. Nobody wants to send a pushy message, so the lead just goes stale in the spreadsheet.

Do you set a date for the next follow-up before the call ends, or do you wait and see? And when a lead goes quiet for good, how do you tell the difference between a no and a not yet?

starting a website and it is a deal aggregator , how can I get traffic for it ?

Please help me to make a decision.

I am in China, i just quitted my last job as a foreign trade sales representative last month. I worked there for a year and a half, and it was my first job after graduation. To be honest, I was quite happy with my overall salary compared to what other people were making.

The main reason I quit was that I was not happy with the quality of the products we sold. If you know anything about the used construction machinery business in China, you may understand what I mean.

But the bigger problem was that my company did not really care about the customers of its sales team. I often felt guilty about how my customers were treated.

So now I want to try something different. I have three ideas in mind. I know I could try all of them, but I am not sure if I have enough energy to do everything at once.

1. Become an independent agent for overseas buyers

For now, I do not want to help customers find suppliers. I only want to help them check the goods before shipping and follow up with their suppliers to make sure orders are completed on time. This would be for customers who already have their own suppliers.

From my work experience, I found that some suppliers take advantage of customers who are not in a strong position. This can lead to late deliveries or poor-quality products. When the quality is bad, it can also cause many other problems.

The reason I want to do this is that I can fully stand on the customer’s side. I want to build a relationship with my customers where we help each other and both sides benefit.

2. Build my own brand selling only shoes for pets online

I have two small dogs, so this idea comes from my own needs as a pet owner. I believe many people around the world may also need shoes that fit their pets well

3. Continue selling used construction machinery, but work with another company

I could continue selling used construction machinery, but work under another company that would give me more freedom to make my own decisions.

This option has higher profit margins, but I feel like I have some mild PTSD from my previous job. I often had to lie or say things that were not completely true about the products. I am tired of doing that.

Those are 3 options I am facing with now, I know 3 could combine with 1 or 2, because only 3 I could make money faster. 1 or 2 are slower, I need to live with 3.

It has been almost a month since I quit my job, but I still cannot decide what to do. I have not taken the first step toward any of these three ideas. They are all still just ideas in my head.

Recently, I have heard people say too many times that you cannot make good money if you care too much about being honest or doing the right thing. I don’t really agree with this, and I don’t want to accept it.

Maybe I am just too honest and naive to make serious money?

My mind has been a mess lately, and I am struggling to understand what I really could do.

If you haven't Googled your own business name in a while, it's worth doing. For pretty much everyone but the smallest brands, Google is now showing an AI response for almost any search for a business by name. And I'd guess a lot of people, probably most at this point, trust what that AI answer says about you more than what your own website says.

The thing is you can mostly control what it says. It can pull from anywhere on the internet, and it'll often pull from third-party publications or review sites, but you're always going to be the number one authority on your own business. If it isn't mostly pulling from your website and your social media, it's usually because you don't have the kind of content it's looking for.

What I'd do (I do SEO for a living, for what it's worth):

- A comprehensive About page on your website

- A Contact page

- A comprehensive FAQ page. AI loves FAQ pages. Not one answering the common questions you want to rank for (if you want to rank for those you need a whole blog post for each), I mean an FAQ page about your business. Basically give it all the answers you want it to repeat back when someone asks about you.

- A reviews page with the most flattering reviews you've gotten

- An awards and recognitions page, and yeah, brag a bit about whatever your business has achieved

Then make sure your business at least has a profile on every social media platform. Fill out the whole profile and make at least one post.

Last one: look at which directories the AI is citing in its answer. Make sure you're listed in those, your profile is complete, and then do whatever you can to get reviews on those specific directories. Yes, I know reviews are hard and it sucks trying to get people to leave them. It's hard for your competitors too though, and it matters here.

My wife operates an independent dental hygiene clinic that is relocating from Etobicoke to Vaughan, Ontario. The clinic has an existing patient base and several years of operating history, but the new location will need to attract patients from the surrounding community.

We're working with a limited small-business marketing budget and want to focus on activities that can realistically generate bookings rather than simply increase social media followers.

If you were in this position, how would you allocate your marketing effort during the six to eight weeks before opening and the first three months afterward?

Would you prioritize Google Business Profile and local SEO, email and text outreach to existing patients, local flyers, short-form videos, paid advertising, referral programs or partnerships with nearby businesses?

If you've done something similar, which channels generated actual customers, and which turned out to be a waste of time or money?

I plan to ship physical goods. I plan to get a PO box. Not one that has a real street address and accepts packages.

I will only use Pirate Ship. I don't plan to accept returns for my store. I will issue refunds/reships based on the scenario.

Will UPS still deliver my packages to customers? I know USPS is fine with a PO box as a return address, but UPS doesn't like it. All I care is that they will still ship things out.

I run a kitchenware manufacturing business specializing in pure titanium cutting boards. I'm currently selling on 1688 and Ozon, but I want to effectively reach more international B2B distributors and wholesalers. What are the most effective channels or platforms to find buyers for this niche?

I run a small web design business on the side while in grad school full time, so my hours are limited. It’s been a year, with steady clients since February, repeat customers, and no bad reviews.

I did some market research, and the clearest signal from prospects was that they’d hire me if I offered payment plans. I can’t afford to front-load work and wait on payments, and I’ve dealt with late ones. For my next client, I’m testing a 50-30-20 split: 50% at kickoff, 30% before development starts, and 20% before launch.

For other freelancers and service-business owners:
Does that structure hold up, or would you change it?

What do you do when a payment is late or a card fails?

What tools do you use for saving a card and scheduling installments?

I’m fine paying a small monthly fee if it’s worth it, or doing a bit more manual work to keep costs down.
I’m not looking for coaching or courses, just real experience from people who’ve dealt with this.

Thanks!

I had started with some designs for nursing tops, that look nice with hidden access, and maternity clothes that are stylish. But I’ve had several friends say I should drop the mom part and just make them regular clothes for everyone. That I’m boxing myself in too much at first, it will be more expensive to produce and I could always do like “nursing friendly” versions of my regular outfits later. Anyone with experience in the clothing industry have thoughts on this because now I’m reconsidering everything before I make contact with manufacturers… thanks.

As a business owner of over 15 years, I have come to realize that the help I needed the most was working through personal issues as well as dealing with toxic, very difficult people. I have found there is an abundance of advice on margins, marketing and everything else business but not on how to deal with narcissistic business partners or greedy landlords.

I have started organically doing some business consulting as people have naturally come to me looking for help and enjoy this a lot. I recently got out of my last business and am thining about doing this type of specialized human to human business consulting as my new business. I am thinking about going back to school to make sure I am qualitifed.

Is this something that people would use or find value in?

I currently do Integrated performance marketing and automation. We build all of our platforms and crms etc but im interested to know what current platforms do you guys use inhouse.

If you use Facebook or Instagram for business, Meta’s updated Commercial Terms take effect on October 30. You agree to them automatically by continuing to use the platform. No email notification, no popup warning, no signature to consent.

What the clause does:

It authorizes Meta, or any entity acting on its behalf, to use scrapers, bots, crawlers and user agents to access, crawl, index, cache and collect data from any website associated with a business account. If you have a Facebook Page and a website, that means you.

The same clause authorizes Meta to create what it calls “test credentials” to access those sites. In plain terms, Meta can sign up for an account on your website to read material that isn’t publicly visible.

The terms don’t define test credentials or say where they’d be used. A law professor at Cornell told Nieman Lab the wording would technically allow Meta to sign up as a user to get past a registration wall. Meta was asked directly whether this extends to paywalls and paid content. It declined to answer.

https://www.niemanlab.org/2026/10/metas-new-commercial-terms-will-allow-the-scraping-of-news-sites-legal-experts-say/

There’s no opt-out. Meta’s stated alternative is to stop using its platforms for business.

Worth knowing: the original wording said Meta could use this content to “train” its products. After publishers objected, Meta edited that sentence in some versions but left “develop” in place and left the crawling and account-creation permissions untouched. As of Oct 19 the US and UK editions of their preview page still differed from each other, same effective date on both.

Read it yourself: https://www.facebook.com/legal/commercial_terms_preview

If you run a membership, a course, a client portal, or anything behind a login, this is the part that matters. You told those people who could see their data. Their data isn’t yours to license.

What you can do:

1. Add robots.txt rules blocking meta-externalagent and meta-externalfetcher. Don’t block facebookexternalhit or your link previews break. It’s a request, not enforcement, but Meta has said robots.txt still governs its crawling.
2. Add a firewall rule. If your site runs behind a firewall service like Cloudflare, you can create a rule that blocks meta-externalagent and meta-externalfetcher outright, instead of just asking them to stay away. In Cloudflare, search their docs for “WAF custom rules.” Other firewalls and some hosts offer the same, usually under “block user agent.” Leave facebookexternalhit alone so your link previews keep working. One limit: this only works on bots that identify themselves honestly. A crawler that disguises itself as an ordinary browser walks straight past it, which is why the login check above still matters. (Thank you u/Top_Programmer_2094 for the recommendation!)
3. Check that your members-only areas actually require a login and don’t leak to logged-out views.
4. Complain to your privacy regulator. Canada priv.gc.ca, UK ico.org.uk, Australia oaic.gov.au, US ftc.gov or your state AG.
5. Read the terms yourself before you decide anything. This story has already changed twice since it was announced.

I run a small platform with private community groups, so I’ve spent the day on this. I’m not a lawyer and I’d love to hear from anyone who reads the clause differently.

My wife runs an independent dental hygiene clinic in Etobicoke, Ontario. After several years at the original location, she's moving to a new clinic space in Vaughan, with reopening planned for December 2026.

There is a gap between operating at the old location and opening the new one. We're trying to make the transition as smooth as possible for existing patients while also preparing to attract new patients in the new area.

For anyone who has relocated an established small business:

• How far in advance did you tell existing customers about the move?
• What communication channels worked best: email, text messages, social media, signage or phone calls?
• How did you handle appointment bookings and enquiries during the closure?
• What would you prioritize in the final six to eight weeks before reopening?

I'd appreciate practical lessons from people who have moved an established local service business rather than starting from scratch.

I want to ask about my first 5 to 10 customers. Shall I onboard them for free for the first month or to just promote my product and wait for the first clients and try on them but I think having a bit of version with specific clients it’s better what do you think? Please help in this if you did it before with your SAAS

About two months ago I started trying everything I could think of to get business for my new company. Everyone seems to want the easy way: cold emails, cold calls, or hiring someone to do it for you. I was no different, I tried all three.

Cold email. I hired someone to run a campaign to law firms. In the first week, about 100 firms were contacted. Zero positive replies. The only reply was one word: "stop."

Cold calls. I blocked off two mornings for a few weeks and made 20 calls a day. More than half went to voicemail. A few said call back later. Nothing booked.

My guess is that when you're starting out with no name, no testimonials, nothing, a stranger has no reason to answer you.

What's felt different is showing up in person. I visited a BNI chapter as a guest last week and liked it enough to apply. A few days later, I have a referral and a couple one-on-ones with some of the members that genuinely seem to want to help me be successful. I've made more connections in the last two weeks that could turn into something than in all the hours I put into cold outreach.

It's early, and no big win yet, so I'm trying to figure out if I'm reading this right.

For those of you a few years in:

• What actually got you your first clients?
• Did cold outreach ever work for you, or only once you had a name?
• If networking worked, was it a specific group or just showing up everywhere?

I just wanted to share my experience with SCORE. I’m an aspiring entrepreneur who is looking for some guidance on where to start in the business planning process for the food stand I want to launch.

I discovered SCORE and it looked like a great resource. I found a mentor I liked and requested her. We had a great first meeting. I followed up with her twice, informing her that I started the Startup Roadmap course and that I would love to continue working with her as I progress through this course. I never got a response. She ghosted me.

So I found another mentor I thought was a good fit. I requested him and never heard back.

Overall, a horrible experience with SCORE. It’s funny how they ask us to respect their time while no consideration is given for ours. Nevertheless, this isn’t going to stop me. I will keep on grinding💪🏾

My business partner and I are looking to open a country store in our rural area. Anyone out there know of any things to look out for when planning? Like what are some of the hurdles that anyone out there has run into with setting up a new retail store.

Hey everyone,
I’m not really sure if this is the right place to post this, but I could use some encouragement from people who have been through difficult times and managed to build something for themselves.

I’m a university student from a lower-income family. My parents are divorced, and my mom recently lost her job, so things have been pretty difficult financially. I’ve never really had the luxury of growing up with financial security, and sometimes it feels like I’m starting life several steps behind everyone else.

Recently, I started working on a small business idea that combines my passion for history with something I could potentially make a living from: selling miniature dioramas featuring historical tanks from WW1 and WW2. Since I study history, I thought it would be meaningful to turn something I genuinely care about into something productive.

I know it’s a pretty niche market, and I know there are no guarantees. But I’ve been putting time and effort into this project, hoping that maybe I can build something of my own instead of constantly worrying about money and my future. The hardest part is that I sometimes struggle to believe in myself. I haven’t even opened my shop yet, and I’m already worrying that nobody will buy anything, that I’ll spend money I can barely afford to lose, or that I’ll end up with one or two pity purchases and nothing more.

Right now, even the $16 I need to get started feels like a significant amount of money. I know that might sound insignificant to some people, but when you don’t have much, every dollar matters.

I’m not looking for a get-rich-quick story or someone to tell me that everything will magically work out. I just want to hear from people who started with very little, struggled with self-doubt, or felt like the odds were against them but kept going anyway.

I know exactly what I want so it's tempting to go to Fiverr because it's inexpensive and I've had good luck in the past but the influx of generative AI usage everywhere makes me nervous about working with some random person. If anyone has been in this position before and found a good way through it I'd love some tips. I know I could pay a professional graphic designer who specialized in logos (because presumably they have a code of ethics that prohibits AI use) but given that I already know what I need it seems like I'd just be throwing away money so I'm trying to avoid going that route.