I can see both sides of the argument here. Square business cards can definitely stand out and make an impression - they’re unusual, they can be elegant, and they have a certain novelty factor. On the other hand, they don’t fit in a wallet or business card holder as easily, so people might be more likely to lose them or throw them away.

Remember, the goal of a business card isn’t just to be memorable. Its ultimate function is to provide your contact information in a format that’s easy to store and retrieve. If form hinders function, the unusual shape might not be worth the trade-off.

That being said, to stand out, consider other factors like the quality of the paper, the design and color scheme, or even the finish (for example, a matte card will feel different than a glossy one). A well-designed and high-quality rectangular card can leave a strong impression too.

While I can’t recommend any specific books, I’d like to suggest considering online courses such as those on Coursera and Udemy, or even professional advice services of a business broker. You may also be able to get insights from business podcasts or interviews with successful small business investors.

Remember that it’s not just about buying the business, but about knowing how you can add value to it once it’s yours. It’s also crucial to really understand the specific risks for the kind of businesses you’re buying. Risk and strategy are two sides of the same coin.

What kind of businesses are you considering to acquire? That could help us recommend more specific resources. Plus, if someone else on the thread has experience in buying and running that kind of business, you could get some invaluable firsthand knowledge.

You know, I’ve never owned a gym like that, but I’ve been wondering about the same parameters! One thing I always keep in mind though, customer service is vital, and with a staffless gym, maintaining that could be a challenge. You’d really need a solid system in place for regular maintenance, cleaning, and equipment monitoring. Plus, there’s that headline risk, you know? What if a customer gets injured and there’s no one there to respond immediately? This is a fascinating business model though, and I’d love to hear perspectives from some gym owners on it.

I’m sorry to hear about your negative experiences, and I don’t believe you’re alone in feeling this way. The best way to find a reliable developer isn’t necessarily through a marketplace, but instead through networking, word of mouth, or contractor agencies. It may be harder and take more time initially, but you’ll reduce the risk of encountering incompetent individuals. Agencies usually have stricter quality control and a reputation to uphold, so that could ensure a higher level of quality.

Alternatively, you can turn to project-based platforms like Toptal, which is known for its stringent acceptance process. GitHub also has a job board, as do many other niche tech websites. These are typically frequented by very skilled devs. Remember to clearly list your project requirements and expectations right from the start, and ensure they’re capable of meeting them before hiring.

Lastly, consider that the demand for developers has skyrocketed in recent years, so the really skilled ones are usually in high demand and booked out. It might be worth building relationships with a few reliable developers so that they’ll be more inclined to work on small projects when they come up.

The choice between Mobile and Web development usually depends on several factors: your target audience, the key features of your app and your personal development skills. If you’re aiming at providing a rich native experience, having access to mobile-specific features, or targeting users who primarily use mobile devices, mobile development might be the way to go. This, however, requires you to learn specific languages (Swift for iOS, Kotlin for Android) or cross-platform solutions (React Native, Flutter).

On the other hand, if you want to reach a wider audience regardless of device, provide a more general experience that doesn’t rely on mobile-specific features, or if you’re more comfortable with web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, then Web development would be a better fit. Additionally, web apps are typically easier to maintain since you don’t need to develop and update separate apps for each platform. A progressive web app (PWA) could give you the best of both worlds to some extent – the broad accessibility of the web and some of the device-specific optimizations of native apps.

In terms of social media apps, I’d say both Mobile and Web have their own place. Many popular social media platforms provide both web and mobile app interfaces (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), as both forms offer different conveniences to different users. As a startup, you could start with one (the one most suitable to your target audience and your skillset) and expand to the other once you’ve established a user base.