Guides
Guides for running a small business.
Plain answers to the questions small business owners search for: customers, bookings, getting paid, receipts, email lists, reviews and posts, and the rules behind them. Every rule and date names its source.
Updated 16 October 2026
Every guide.
Each one says where its rules and dates come from, with the day they were read. They are general information, not legal or tax advice.
GuideFind customers on RedditWhere people ask for what you sell, the rules to read first, how to say who you are, and how to answer so the community thanks you instead of banning you.
GuideChoosing an AI assistantTen questions to ask before an AI answers your customers, books appointments or posts in your name, and what a good answer sounds like.
GuideWhat is an AI agent?Chatbot, automation or AI agent? What agents do well in a small business, where they go wrong, and eight rules that keep one under control.
GuideE-invoicing in GermanySince 2025 every German business must accept e-invoices; sending them is required from 2027 or 2028. The dates, the formats, the exceptions, a checklist.
GuideSupplier bank detail fraudHow mandate fraud works, the warning signs, the routine that stops it, and what to do at once if you have already paid into the wrong account.
GuideResponding to reviewsWhat Google asks of a reply, four replies written out, how to report a fake review, and how to ask for reviews without breaking the rules.
GuideGDPR and AI customer serviceUsing AI to answer customers in the EU: the GDPR and AI Act duties in twelve plain points, and the questions to ask an AI provider before you start.
GuideHow long to keep receiptsHow long a small business keeps receipts and invoices in the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, Germany and the Netherlands, and when the clock starts.
GuidePayment reminder emailsThree payment reminders written out, when to send each, and the late interest and fees the law allows in the EU, Germany, the UK and the Netherlands.
GuideReducing no-showsWhy customers miss appointments, and ten habits that bring fewer empty slots: confirmations, reminders, easy cancelling, a waiting list and deposits.
GuidePhotos of people in postsWhen a business may post photos of customers, staff and children on social media, in the EU, Germany, the UK and the US, and what a consent that holds says.
GuideHoliday hours on GoogleSet special hours for holidays and closed days on your Google Business Profile, step by step, when to use Temporarily closed, and the other places to update.
GuideDouble opt-in email listsConsent for marketing email in the EU, Germany and the US, double opt-in step by step, existing customers, and unsubscribing as Gmail and Yahoo expect.
GuideBlack Friday price rulesHow to announce a price reduction lawfully: the EU's 30-day lowest price, a worked example, and the rules in Germany, the Netherlands and the US.
GuideSocial media calendar 2027Every holiday, shopping day and day of mourning in 2027 for the US, Germany, the Netherlands and Turkey, with a note on how to post on each.
Read next
GuideHow long to keep receipts and invoices, country by country.How long a small business keeps receipts and invoices in the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, Germany and the Netherlands, and when the clock starts.
GuideHow to write a payment reminder, and what the law lets you charge.Three payment reminders written out, when to send each, and the late interest and fees the law allows in the EU, Germany, the UK and the Netherlands.
GuideHow to reduce no-shows, without losing goodwill.Why customers miss appointments, and ten habits that bring fewer empty slots: confirmations, reminders, easy cancelling, a waiting list and deposits.
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