How to Market on r/sweatystartup
A community focused on boring, service-based businesses that require actual work. Anti-passive-income. Pro-hustle. Cleaning companies, landscaping, home services, and other unglamorous money-makers.
r/sweatystartup Rules & Self-Promotion Policy
Understanding the rules is critical for successful marketing. Here's what you need to know about r/sweatystartup.
Moderate Self-Promotion Policy
Self-promotion is allowed in context. Lead with value, not your product. Promotional posts may be removed.
Community Rules
- 1Focus on service businesses and trades
- 2No passive income schemes
- 3Share real operational details
- 4No dropshipping or affiliate marketing
- 5Respect the community philosophy
How to Write for r/sweatystartup
Direct and no-nonsense. Skip the motivational fluff. Share real operational challenges and solutions. Numbers matter. The unglamorous details (equipment costs, insurance, employee issues) are the content people want.
Best Practices for r/sweatystartup
Maximize your impact by understanding when, what, and how to post.
Best Times to Post
- Weekday Early Morning Est
- Saturday Morning Est
- Sunday Afternoon Est
Posts stay relevant for about 12-24 hours
Content That Works
- Operational breakdowns of service businesses
- Acquisition stories for existing businesses
- Pricing and margin discussions
- Hiring and scaling challenges
Common Flairs
Who's Here
Service business owners, aspiring blue-collar entrepreneurs, and people burned out on passive income hype. Practical mindset. Value operational details over theoretical frameworks. Many run or want to run local service businesses.
Common Mistakes on r/sweatystartup
Avoid these pitfalls that get marketers banned or ignored.
Posting about SaaS, dropshipping, or online businesses
This community is specifically anti-tech-startup culture. They focus on service businesses that require physical work.
Instead
Focus on service business operations: cleaning, lawn care, moving, painting, HVAC, etc. Or how your tool specifically helps these business owners.
Using passive income or lifestyle business framing
The founding philosophy of r/sweatystartup is that easy money doesn't exist. Passive income framing gets immediately rejected.
Instead
Frame everything in terms of work and operations. "Here's how I run a $300k cleaning business" not "passive income from cleaning."
Skipping the operational details
This community wants to know how businesses actually work: equipment, employees, pricing, insurance, routes, etc.
Instead
Include specifics: "I charge $150/lawn, do 8 per day, have 2 employees at $18/hour, net about $400 daily."
Promoting software tools as silver bullets
The community is skeptical of tech solutions. They've seen too many tools promised as game-changers.
Instead
If mentioning tools, frame them as part of a larger operational strategy, not as solutions by themselves.
Dismissing the difficulty of service businesses
Members know these businesses are hard work. Downplaying the challenges loses credibility fast.
Instead
Be honest about the grind: long hours, employee problems, seasonality, customer complaints. The reality resonates.
Post Formats That Work on r/sweatystartup
These content formats consistently perform well in this community.
Operational Breakdown
Example Format
""Here's how my [service type] business actually works. Equipment: $X. Insurance: $Y/month. Pricing: $Z per job. Net margin: W%.""
Why It Works
Pure operational signal. Real numbers. People can actually learn how to run this business from the post.
Acquisition Story
Example Format
""Bought a [service] business for $X. Here's what I found, what I changed, and current revenue vs. when I bought it.""
Why It Works
Business acquisition content is popular in this community. Real purchase price and improvements provide value.
Challenge Post
Example Format
""Running a [service] business. Struggling with [specific problem: employee reliability, pricing, seasonality]. What's worked for you?""
Why It Works
Operational problems spark practical discussion. Specific challenges get specific solutions.
Related Communities & Use Cases
Expand your reach with similar subreddits and see who uses r/sweatystartup for marketing.
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Who Should Target r/sweatystartup
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about marketing on r/sweatystartup
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