r/creativesmallbusiness

I’m 25 and currently studying nursing full time, but one of my goals is to eventually build a business that I can run from home or online (or even a physical business if the right idea came along).

The problem is… I genuinely have no idea what kind of business I should start. I’ve tried a couple of things in the past (affiliate marketing and an Etsy store), but neither went anywhere. I don’t necessarily see them as failures—they just made me realize I still haven’t found something I genuinely want to build long term. I’d love to hear from people around my age who own a business.

What business do you own? Is it online, home-based, or a physical business? How did you come up with the idea?
Did you build it around something you were passionate about, or did you just spot a good opportunity?

I’m not looking for a “get rich quick” idea. I’m just genuinely curious how people figured out what business was right for them because I feel completely stuck. I’d love to hear your stories.

Getting a lot of great feedback about staring a shop here! I appreciate it. For all the folks that do custom design work what tools and programs do you use? Most people suggest adobe for initial design. What other ways do people get good quality custom plates?

Hi, my name is jahnavi

I'm currently in my 3rd year, and planned to run a business where we will be providing editing, social media management, performance marketing, website and app designing, logo designing, and digital help. Up-till now we have closed 6 clients and every next client has paid us double of the last amount. Recently we hit a lakh. But we are still learning, and slowly we are loosing the spark, I'm unable to manage my 8 to 6 classes with research,and the business work as it includes... website designing, editing...social media management...and a lot... We do have a team, but I'm not able to expand this. So think it as a freelancing for now. I have around 10 people to work with me, but they can't keep up with my changing ideas, but it's only me who can execute if you talk about the ground reality. Because of the clients I can't promote my own company aur brand. And as a brand myself if Im unable to create my image, I can't come up with the statement that we can build your brand image. And I can't even hire people, because we are at the very start of this and I'm currently unable to pay as per the expectation. Or even if I'm able to pay, the employee are unable to meet the desired outcome.

I can't quit this business, as it's my only source for my college fees. I want to be financially independent. I can't give up on my research as this what I have always dreamt of. I can't miss my classes because I'm also preparing for government exams like GATE, ISRO, BARC as Being a ISRO scientist is my childhood dream.

Neend guidance plz help.

For all my vintage pressmen and small time shop keeps. What were your first jobs? I don’t plan to do this full time but a cash to get hobby’s moving faster is nice. My local contact said he has work from ages ago and all he does is die cut door hangers and sequences on sheets. I doubt that market is competitive. What are some small jobs you used to get the press paid off?

Hi, I’m looking for practical advice on marketing and customer acquisition.
(hoping an outside view can help me solve my problems)

background: I started as a small ecommerce fulfillment operator handling FBA products for others. Over time, that work pulled me into product handling, packaging, logistics, and the operational side of ecommerce.

From there, I gradually moved into my own FBA products and then skincare/cosmetics: formulation, small-batch production, and small-batch white labeling/private label cosmetics. (I was creating the products for other brands and now I want to create my own!) To turn the capability into a real customer base!

I recently created my own manufacturer-direct skincare brand and I need a plan for finding customers or having them find me!
I have operational/formulation/manufacturing capability locked down, built the sales channels myself, and now i'm struggling making the transition.

I want to focus on my owned D2C skincare brand.
No outsourcing everything under 1 roof.
Single product (for now) and super transparent about everything.

For those of you who have built service businesses, ecommerce brands, or physical product companies:

• What would you do first to get the first 100 customers or 10 clients?
• Would you lead with the DTC brand or the B2B manufacturing service?
• How would you make a small operator/manufacturer feel credible without sounding like just another skincare brand?
• What marketing channel would you test first with limited budget.
• is there something im totally missing?

Open to blunt feedback. I’m trying to narrow the offer and stop thinking like an operator only.

I get bombarded with videos on “buy my pdf and I’ll help you do this and that and make your small business thrive”. It seems like the only ones making money are people selling “courses” or offering “workbooks.” Late stage capitalism is so disheartening.

I work a day job as a designer, have experience in website designing, social media marketing content, branding, and also I have good writing skills.

I go to office at 8 am and return home mostly by 9 pm. Currently the job market is so uncertain I'm scared of layoffs. So I want to build a safety net for myself.

Also, recently spending long time in the same industry doesn't excite me anymore.

I'm currently looking for side hustle or business ideas I can do in my leisure time and on weekends. I don't wanna waste time anymore.

So if you're crossed this path somehow and something worked for you, please let me know how you did it. I would love to listen to everything now.

I've been trying to build something outside of work, and honestly, consistency has been much harder than I expected.

It's not a lack of ideas.

It's finding the energy, knowing what to prioritize, and not feeling like I'm doing it completely alone.

For those of you who've successfully built a side business while working full-time:

• What actually worked?
• What didn't?
• If you could go back, what support would've made the biggest difference?

Curious to hear real experiences.

Not selling anything, just curious what indie folks are building. Pick the main buyer if it's more than one.

Examples:

1 = fitness, filling out your own immigration forms, fighting your HOA.

2 = a landlord checking tenant history, invoicing, an agency's tool.

3 = an API, a PDF or transcription tool for your stack.

View Poll

I’ve noticed a lot of founders in this space come from a CD background. From a purely creative standpoint, do you find that mixing animation and live footage creates a more striking result than sticking to one medium?

I’m in animation production, and I’m trying to gauge if video production houses actually enjoy these collaborations.

1. Does it help you solve visual problems that live-action alone can't?
2. Is the collaboration between two separate houses usually seamless, or does the pipeline usually break down?
3. From a business perspective, does offering mixed-media make your agency look more premium?

I came across a Reddit thread where a merchant asked a simple question:

“Is anyone else seeing sales slow down?”

What followed was 50+ replies from ecommerce founders sharing what they’re seeing in real time.

The answers were surprisingly divided.

Some businesses are having their best year ever. Others are wondering how they’ll make payroll.

A few examples:

A luxury limo company serving wealthy clients said revenue is up over 60% compared to last year.

A finance business targeting high-net-worth customers reported its best year in eight years.

Meanwhile, apparel sellers described sales as “tanking.”
Health and wellness brands said demand has softened across multiple channels.

One merchant nearly doubled their product catalog but is generating only half the sales they had a year ago.

The most interesting pattern wasn’t that sales are down.
It was who is still spending.

Many merchants pointed out that customers haven’t completely disappeared.

They’re just taking much longer to buy.

At the same time, businesses with referral-driven growth, loyal repeat customers, or affluent audiences seem to be holding up much better than brands relying heavily on paid acquisition.

It almost feels like there are two completely different ecommerce economies operating at the same time.

Another point that came up repeatedly was traffic.

Several merchants argued that brands with strong SEO are weathering the slowdown better because they aren’t as dependent on increasingly expensive paid ads.

Others pushed back and said this happens every summer, and that Reddit naturally attracts merchants looking for answers when business is slow.

That’s probably true too.

But the number of similar conversations popping up lately makes me wonder whether something larger is happening.

So I’m curious… Are your ecommerce sales up or down compared to this time last year?

I have a complete business plan with unique products, branding, and a clear vision for my women's-oriented aesthetic products business. I know what I want to sell and who my target audience is. However, I'm struggling with one thing: execution.

I don't know where to start or how to turn my ideas into a real business. There are so many moving parts—manufacturing, marketing, sales, branding, and operations—that I feel stuck despite having everything planned.

If you've built a business before or have experience launching a brand, I'd really appreciate your suggestions. What were your first steps? What mistakes should I avoid? Any practical advice on executing a business plan successfully would mean a lot.

Thank you!

Hi everyone,
I have made a reddit account to learn more from people who are/have been event planners. I am looking at starting my own business in this field and just wanted to see what the best way to go about this is. I have done research and I know that I will need to build up my portfolio and cliental but just wanted to see if other people can give me tips and advice!

Thank you 😄

I’m seeing more ecommerce brands use AI to transform simple product photos into lifestyle shots for ads, social media, emails, and landing pages.

The appeal is obvious. Instead of organizing an expensive photoshoot every time you need new creative, you can upload a clean product image and generate multiple realistic scenes in minutes.

Some of the tools that seem to come up the most are:
- ChatGPT Image Tools
- Photoroom
- Pebblely
- Dreamina
- Canva
- Google Product Studio
- Shopify Magic
- Amazon Ads Image Generator

That said, I’ve noticed the biggest challenge isn’t generating a beautiful image, but keeping the product accurate.

Some tools slightly change:
- Labels or text
- Colors
- Packaging
- Logos
- Product proportions

That might not matter for social content, but it can become a problem if customers receive something that doesn’t quite match what they saw.

It also seems like AI images work best as secondary marketing assets, while real product photography is still the safer choice for primary product listings.

I’m curious what everyone’s experience has been.

Which AI image generator has given you the most realistic results? Have you found one that consistently preserves product details?

Would love to hear what tools people are actually relying on in production.