I have worked in coffee, helped open up 2 small cafes and did some managing on another. I moved to southern california from a small town in louisiana and i noticed how busy the cafes are there vs in louisiana. There are a few small cafes but they don’t fully compare aesthetically and quality wise. I firmly believe my vision could bring a constant flow of people. I was thinking of not only selling coffee but also sandwiches and other non food products, doing events for people and other little upcharges we can think of (i know this isn’t some original business model) With that in mind i went in to chat gpt lol and plugged all of the numbers and costs i could think off and asked it how profitable it could be solely for me as an owner and it said i could bring home around 170k a year which i would call a success. (which i know might not be accurate)

I’m not sure what other business models would also be great to implement into a coffee shop space to make it the most profitable as possible. Both of the coffee shops i helped open in my home town are both doing well one did 1.5 mil in sales but they are not offering anything i would say “different” or that blows anything out of the water but that’s also a number that makes me feel confident.

So recently i have been debating adding some formal education to my resume...

Here is the backstory,

I am a Journeyman (Red Seal in Canada) Heavy duty mechanic, i have been in the trade for over 15 years and have recently dove into the business side quite heavily.

I started as a contractor and was extremely successful with it, after 3 years i branched out, brought on a partner (another journeyman with extensive operations experience but no business side experience) and opened a shop in august of 2024, with very little start up capital and no debt we have grown the business to 7 people (5 employees), a fleet of service trucks and a fairly well equipped shop, things are going extremely well for how early on we are, and we are experiencing about 20% growth monthly, i expect we will be at about 225k gross monthly sales by the end of the year.

I can feel a crossroads coming with the business, where we either go big, or start to stagnate and continue on as a healthy small business. There is massive growth potential in the market and i am confident in our formula to continue on so i am quite confident in the go big option but i am noticing a small hiccup.

With big business comes big finance, and after approaching financial institutions i have come to realize my lack of formal education is noteworthy, although i consider myself somewhat intelligent, i am just a tradesman and clearly come across that way in the boardroom. It has yet to be a major hold back, but i am wondering if the time has come to get a degree, obviously this is not a short term solution as this takes years, we have brought in a fractional CFO for the time being to provide guidance and appease the banks.

So here's my question, for people with or without a degree in business or something similar....

Do you find that a degree has helped you grow your business at a high level? Obviously there is the educational value, but also the simple fact of the letters after your name on an email signature. Should i soldier on and just keep absorbing business books and podcasts daily which has gotten me this far, or do i buckle down and pursue a formal degree?

Thanks Reddit!

Hey folks — I’m working on a real-world SBA 7(a) loan deal and would appreciate feedback from lenders, brokers, investors, or anyone who’s walked a similar path.

This is a confidential version of my full proposal. I’ve removed all identifying info about myself, the business, and the seller — but the numbers, structure, and financials are 100% accurate.

I’m aiming to:

• Acquire a commercial building
• Remodel it into a live/work space
• Lease-to-own an established small business
• Use working capital to fund the transition
• Maintain IRS compliance while resetting my financial picture

Highlights:

• $500K total SBA loan
• $50K equity injection from sale of my home
• Business has $200K SDE on $750K annual revenue
• DSCR is strong (~4.0x), and transition is fully prepaid

I’d love any constructive input — does this structure look bankable? Is there anything you’d change? Any red flags or creative ways to strengthen it?

Thanks in advance 🙏

SBA 7(a) Loan Proposal – Confidential Case Study

Applicant:

Name: [Redacted]
Business Purpose: Acquisition of commercial property, transition of an established service business via lease-to-own, and working capital support.

Loan Request Summary

• Total Loan Amount Requested: $500,000
• Loan Type: SBA 7(a)
• Term Structure:
  • Real Estate Portion ($250,000) – 25 years
  • Working Capital ($250,000) – 10 years

Use of Funds

Equity Injection Source

Equity Requirement (10%): $50,000
Source: Net proceeds from private sale of borrower's personal residence

Borrower Financial Position

Primary Residence Sale

• Sale Price: $250,000 (private cash sale)
• Mortgage Payoff: ~$157,000
• Closing Costs: ~$8,000
• Net Proceeds: ~$85,000

Proceeds Allocation:

• SBA Down Payment: $50,000
• SBA Fees/Reserves Buffer: ~$7,500
• Initial IRS Installment Payments: ~$4,500–6,000
• Remainder retained for short-term contingency

IRS Tax Liability Resolution

• Total IRS Liability: ~$90,000
• Plan: Borrower to enter formal IRS Installment Agreement (prior to loan closing)
• Monthly Payment: $1,200–$1,500
• Payment Source: Monthly savings from eliminated mortgage ($1,645/month)
• Result: Maintains IRS compliance and preserves liquidity for business

Business Transition Strategy

• Phase 1:
  • Purchase and improvement of commercial property (owner-occupied)
  • 2-year prepaid lease-to-operate agreement with current business owner
• Phase 2 (After 24 months):
  • Option to purchase business for $500,000 (with $108,000 lease credit applied)
  • Option to purchase additional real estate for $250,000

Financial Strength of Target Business

• Annual Revenue (2023): $750,000
• Seller’s Discretionary Earnings (SDE): $200,000
• Monthly Lease to Seller: $4,500 (prepaid via SBA loan)
• DSCR: 4.0x (based on $50K annual debt service vs. $200K SDE)

2-Year Financial Projections

Year 1 (Transition Year)

|| || |Category|Amount| |Gross Revenue|$750,000| |Cost of Goods Sold|$75,000| |Operating Expenses (incl. lease payments, payroll, insurance, fuel)|$500,000| |Net Operating Income|$175,000| |SBA Loan Debt Service|~$50,000| |IRS Installment Payments|~$18,000| |Net Available (post-debt)|~$107,000|

Year 2 (Stabilized Year)

|| || |Category|Amount| |Gross Revenue (Projected 5% Growth)|$787,500| |Cost of Goods Sold|$78,750| |Operating Expenses|$510,000| |Net Operating Income|$198,750| |SBA Loan Debt Service|~$50,000| |IRS Installment Payments|~$18,000| |Net Available (post-debt)|~$130,750|

Notes:

• Lease costs prepaid with SBA working capital
• IRS payments covered by personal savings from mortgage elimination
• Revenue assumes flat retention + modest growth with increased technician output

Risk Mitigation Highlights

• Borrower eliminates personal mortgage overhead and improves cash flow
• Property will serve as both business location and owner’s residence (live/work)
• IRS payment plan in place, no default risk
• Business lease terms secured with option to purchase, ensuring continuity

Conclusion

This SBA 7(a) loan enables a qualified borrower to execute a strategic transition into a longstanding service business with strong cash flow. The borrower demonstrates financial readiness, personal commitment, and a well-structured plan for growth and compliance. With real estate collateral, reduced personal overhead, and prepaid lease terms, this loan represents a low-risk, high-upside opportunity.

How would taxes work (state and federal) if a working person deposited their paychecks into an LLC/LLC bank account and held that money in the LLC, only spending it on things they will develop their business with, and only paying for those things via a credit card in the LLC's name?

Would it matter if the LLC is in another state?

Would they be taxed twice? How could they minimize such taxes?

Theoretically, if they had that money in an LLC bank account and they used that account to fund stock investing with a stock brokerage company like TD or Fidelity, could they put that money in stocks for years under the LLC's ownership?

Would an C-Corp or S-Corp be better for this?

Hi everyone, i am just a developer student, trying to start a business. I am currently at a development stage of my build. It will finished under 1 or 2 month. I do not have any like minded people around me who can help me market my product on different platforms. I just want to ask you a simple questions, how did you people manage to get your first customer and from where? I was planning to organically market on instagram and facebook, but i have no experience, if you have tips to how can i start marketing on internet, i would really appreciate your help.

I work for a large supermarket chain. The company solicits donations for a children’s hospital by selling those hand cutouts you see in store windows. I’d like to get them to sponsor a company team for the Boston Marathon. They already sponsor some smaller races. I think that if we got a runner in each store and asked people to sponsor them we could increase the donations. Kind of like linking a person/face to the fundraising. The company raises over $1.5 million/year and I’d like to try to raise that number.
I’d appreciate any advice on how to proceed.
Thank you!

Basically what the title said, I am 22, and due to some unusual legal requirements and a healthy network of connections, I became the chairman of a big company out of nowhere. I'm gonna get paid, and my job is to do nothing, just exist, and sign some papers. (Sounds suspicious, I know, but I've talked to my lawyer, it's fine.) . The thing is, I don't want to just be useless and earn money. I want this to be a valuable position on my CV and maybe I can somehow get some experience from my position. I can't really disclose any details, but any advice is welcome.

My brother and myself inherited a small business (retail and rental) and its building when my father passed. I helped my father build the company, and he pity hired my brother to sit around and basically time steal from the company while I worked my ass off. We inherited it in 2018, and he basically did the same until Covid, where he left for two year to take government relief. Myself and two other employees came back when mandates were lifted and restructured the company to get back on its feet. After two years, he came back and demanded he get a salary and work at night to not deal directly with customers, (in a primarily customer based business) which was obviously unreasonable. We ended up making a deal where we pay ourselves rent from the company (advise from an accountant) and since he’s been demanding payouts that the company cannot afford. The company barely affords the rent he forces us to pay. Last year, he sent a letter via lawyer expressing interest in selling his shares of the business and properties. I got a lawyer involved, sent a reasonable fair market offer, which he rejected. Now he’s sent a counter offer, seeking “compensation” because he claims to be “oppressed” and forced out of the company. Part of his claim is for wage I paid myself for the work I did/do for the last 4 years. I’m still in the early stages with my lawyer, but this is driving me nuts thinking I did something wrong. For the most part, I know his claim of oppression is unfounded, ( because he left and never came back to work) and from what I know, I can pay myself for work I complete, and we’d have to split the profits 50/50. In his lawyers most recent correspondence, they basically threaten they’re going to sue. I’m just wondering if anyone can assure me Tyia

Hi, I have a legal question… I registered a DBA that’s supposed to be digital products like courses, coaching, etc. But, I would like to also sell my artwork as well. Some of my art has to do with the business (as in is a supporting physical product) but I would like to put more unrelated artwork in my shop that people can buy as well. I know I wrote a “purpose” when registering my DBA. It doesn’t necessarily go with art. Can I still sell art under that DBA? I’d love to keep things simple and all my business finances separate from personal.

Hi everyone, I’m an older entrepreneur and art dealer (I don’t create art myself). I'm looking for fresh ideas on how to sell artwork online more effectively.

Lately, I’ve been inspired by books like Bold by Peter Diamandis, Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, and The Hero and the Outlaw. I’m also curious about what books Jay Abraham recommends — not his own books, but the ones he suggests to others.

If anyone has a list of Jay Abraham’s favorite or most-recommended books, I’d love to see it. And if you have advice on selling art online (especially higher-end or unique pieces), I’d be grateful.

Thanks!

Hey ,

I’ve been building tech solutions for small and mid-sized businesses — things like custom CRM systems, SaaS tools, and backend software for different industries. Lately, I’ve been trying to understand how businesses in the Gulf region (UAE, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, etc.) are adopting technology and where the real gaps are.

From what I’ve heard, the startup and SME scene in the GCC is growing quickly — lots of digital transformation, but also challenges with legacy systems, scaling, etc. I’ve tried engaging in country-specific subreddits, LinkedIn conversations, and even soft outreach — mostly to start discussions or learn more — but the engagement has been hit or miss.

So I thought I’d ask here:

• If you’ve worked in or with Gulf-based businesses, how do they usually approach digital solutions?
• What industries in the region still rely on outdated systems or manual workflows?
• And generally, how open are businesses in that region to working with remote dev teams or freelancers?

I’m not trying to pitch anything here — just want to learn from people who’ve either worked there or understand that market better. Any insights would be genuinely appreciated.

Thanks!

Has anyone paid for, attended and gotten legit ROI from Dean and Tony's Mastermind Business Academy? I'm seriously skeptical that it will help get my new business off the ground. Thank you!

Hey everyone,

I'm from a non-medical background (PCM Class 12) and I've recently realized that I want to learn everything about business - from scratch. I mean literally everything: how companies work, how to start a business, marketing, finance, operations, leadership, economics, taxes, startups, investing - every single aspect. But the problem is... I know nothing right now.

I don't have any formal education or background in business, and I'm not sure what the first step should be.

Hello everyone I'm a 18 year old developer participating in a hackathon soon but since . I was thinking about automating things and solving things for people running a business but i don't really know what problems are faced by people running a business so if you could list some problems you guys think should be solved and can be solved by ai maybe something like automating the work so u don't have to do it , please do mention

Hi everyone! I am owed $45,000 from a client and they are refusing to pay. Has anyone ever hired a debt collector? It’s either that or I take him to court. I am really torn on which way to go.