Open Problems Real small-business pain worth building on.
Submitted by working owners and operators. These are the dull, recurring, expensive problems small and mid-sized businesses deal with every week. No app wish lists — just pain that someone would pay to make go away.
From Pain to Packaged Business
Claim a problem. Talk to ten customers. Build a company.
1. Pick a Problem
Browse problems reported by real operators. Look for the ones that repeat, hurt and cost money.
2. Talk to Ten Customers
Confirm the pain. Learn who has it, where, how often, what they do today and what that costs in hours and dollars.
3. Build the Business
Design a repeatable service with outcomes you can measure. Not an app — a company that delivers results.
Business Opportunity Bank
When several operators report the same pain, we package it into a company someone could start. A few examples:
Receivables Desk for the Trades
Structured follow-up on unpaid invoices for contractors and service firms that recovers stuck cash without souring the relationship.
Drawn from 16+ operator reportsLead Follow-Through
Clean CRM, response within the hour and a follow-up cadence that never stops — so leads that already cost money don't go cold.
Drawn from 13+ operator reportsField Dispatch Desk
One schedule, one route plan and live job tracking for crews that currently run off a whiteboard and group texts.
Drawn from 12+ operator reportsRenewal Concierge
Licenses, permits, insurance certificates and vendor packets tracked and renewed before they lapse.
Drawn from 10+ operator reportsShift-Worker Onboarding Kit
A standard first two weeks for hourly staff that cuts the time before a new hire is genuinely useful.
Drawn from 9+ operator reportsStorm Claim Navigator
Photo logs, documentation and adjuster follow-up for property owners after a Florida storm season.
Drawn from 7+ operator reportsRecurring Billing Cleanup
Membership and maintenance-plan billing audited and fixed so failed cards and missed renewals stop leaking revenue.
Drawn from 6+ operator reportsReview & Reputation Desk
Every finished job gets a review request, every review gets a reply, every complaint gets a callback.
Drawn from 6+ operator reportsSales-Tax Filing Desk
Multi-county sales-tax filings for small retailers and caterers who sell at markets and events.
Drawn from 5+ operator reportsA small sample. Every problem in the bank is a company waiting for someone to build it.
What Makes the List
Not every submission gets posted. We curate hard.
Got a Problem?
Send us a real operational problem small businesses face. If it's approved, we'll post it here.
Thanks — it's in the queue.
We review every submission by hand. Approved problems appear in the bank within two weeks.