Can I mention my business at all?
Yes, but only if you add value and start a discussion. “No blatant self plugging” is not tolerated even when the thing you are plugging is free, so lead with useful experience, not your offer.
Subreddit guides
r/sweatystartup rules, stats, and what to post
A source-backed Rankhog guide to r/sweatystartup: public rules, community context, posting fit, and startup-promotion risk before you publish.
By Anthony Riera, founder and operator of Rankhog.
Subreddit guides combine public Reddit source URLs, captured rules, visible verification dates, and Rankhog's account-safety workflow.
Current public stats
- Members
- 211,717
- Verified
- September 29, 2026
- Category
- Entrepreneur advice and questions
Rules can change, so Rankhog keeps verification dates and the original public Reddit sources visible.
Rule summary
- Be ready to answer follow up questions.: Ask us a question in this sub and you'll get great advice. But don't ask and then disappear. Be ready for follow up questions as we try to help!
- Stay on topic.: Entrepreneurship of all kinds with a skew towards service based entrepreneurship.
- No blatant self plugging.: Add value and start a discussion, blatant self plugging is not tolerated. Don't care if it's "free". If you have a course or ebook for sale, you're in the wrong place.
- The business must be sweaty: Pressure washing and pool cleaning: Sweaty iPhone games, clothing brands and crypto: Not sweaty
- Bragging/clickbait: No bragging posts. Sure it's great that you hit $XYZ in revenue in ZYX months. Don't lead off with clickbait.
- No software or websites posts or comments: Any talk of software or websites is no longer allowed on /r/sweatystartup. There are better places on Reddit or the internet for such discussions.
- No politics: No politics
Works well
- A detailed question about pricing, quoting, or winning customers for a physical service like pressure washing or pool cleaning, with numbers and context from your own work.
- A lessons learned write up about running a service business that focuses on what you would do differently, without leading with a revenue figure.
- A discussion starter about a real operational problem, like hiring your first employee or dealing with no show clients, that invites others to share how they handle it.
- An honest ask for help on a specific decision, posted by someone who stays in the thread and answers every follow up question.
- A comparison or debate post about two approaches to a service business problem, framed as a genuine question rather than a pitch.
Avoid
- Mentioning your software product, SaaS tool, or website in a post or even a comment, because “No software or websites posts or comments” bans the whole topic.
- Linking your course or ebook or offering anything free, because “No blatant self plugging” says free does not make it okay.
- Leading with a revenue milestone like hitting a big number in a short time, because “Bragging/clickbait” removes bragging posts.
- Writing a clickbait headline to get attention, because “Bragging/clickbait” calls it out directly.
- Posting about a clothing brand, an iPhone game, or crypto, because “The business must be sweaty” names those as not sweaty.
- Asking a question and then never coming back to reply, because “Be ready to answer follow up questions.” expects you to engage with the advice you get.
What r/sweatystartup Is For
This sub describes itself as a hub for entrepreneurs of regular old fashioned businesses. That means physical, service based work where you actually break a sweat, like pressure washing and pool cleaning. The people here run or want to run those kinds of businesses, and the rules say the skew is toward service based entrepreneurship. It is a place to ask questions and get advice, and the community expects you to stick around and answer follow up questions when people try to help you. If your business is an app, a website, a clothing brand, or crypto, this is not your room.
Rules That Matter Before Posting
The rule that decides almost everything here is “No software or websites posts or comments”, because it bans any talk of software or websites in posts and comments alike. “No blatant self plugging” is the second gate, since self promotion is not tolerated even when it is free, and courses or ebooks for sale put you in the wrong place. “The business must be sweaty” decides whether your topic belongs at all, with pressure washing and pool cleaning as sweaty examples and iPhone games, clothing brands, and crypto as not sweaty. “Bragging/clickbait” removes posts that lead with revenue milestones or clickbait headlines. “Be ready to answer follow up questions.” matters for how you behave after posting, because asking and then disappearing is against the spirit of the sub. “Stay on topic” keeps things on entrepreneurship with a skew toward service based businesses.
What To Post
A good post here is a real question or a genuine discussion starter about running a physical service business. Ask about pricing a pressure washing job, hiring your first crew, or handling a difficult customer, and then stay in the thread to answer the follow up questions people ask you. If you have experience, share the lessons and the details without leading with a revenue number. Write like a person who works in the trade, not a marketer. If your business is not physical and service based, post somewhere else.
What To Avoid
Do not post or comment about software or websites at all, the rule covers comments too. Do not plug your own thing, even for free, and do not mention a course or ebook you sell. Do not lead with a revenue milestone or a clickbait headline. Do not post about businesses that are not sweaty, like clothing brands or crypto. Do not ask a question and then vanish, because people here give advice and expect you to engage with it. Do not drift into politics.
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Common questions about r/sweatystartup
Can I post about my SaaS or app here?
No. “No software or websites posts or comments” bans any talk of software or websites, and the rule applies to comments too, not just posts.
Can I share that my business hit a revenue milestone?
No. “Bragging/clickbait” says not to lead off with revenue milestones, so share the lessons without the headline number.
I run an online store, is that okay?
Only if it is a physical, service-based business. “The business must be sweaty” gives pressure washing and pool cleaning as examples and names clothing brands and crypto as not sweaty.
Can I ask for advice on starting a cleaning business?
Yes, that is exactly what the sub is for. Just follow “Be ready to answer follow up questions.” and stay in the thread to answer the people trying to help you.
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