Articles
Open or Shut? How Small Businesses Owners Pick Business Hours
A sign with opening hours is one of the fixtures of a small business storefront. But “open” and “closed” are not quite as black and white as they appear at first, and there are a lot of decisions when it comes to the right times to operate as a small business. When should doors swing…
Building a Team to Defeat the Evil Empire
I was a junior in High School in 1977, when I waited in line for several hours to purchase two tickets to the premier of this new science fiction movie everyone was talking about. “The spaceships actually fly,” one of my friends had said. I wasn’t disappointed. Like most of my friends, I think I…
5 Clues to Help You Know if You May Qualify for an SBA Loan
Fiscal year 2015 was a good year for SBA lenders. While the SBA is not a direct lender, they guaranteed 63,000 loans totaling $23.6 billion—that’s 22 percent more loans and 23 percent more loan dollars than the previous year. The current SBA Administrator, Maria Contreras-Sweet is working hard to help as many small business owners…
Turn off the Lights and Print Less: 25 Ideas for Cutting Your Overhead
The old saying is true: you do have to spend money to make money. But overhead—the cost of running your business—doesn’t have to be through the roof. There are tons of ways to cut down on spending and increase your cash flow. None of these solutions will make or break your bottom line, but little…
5 Financing Tips for Women Business Owners
Women-owned businesses are the fastest growing segment of entrepreneurs in the United States and account for roughly 40 percent of the small businesses in our country. Unfortunately, “In 2014 the [House] Subcommittee on Small Business and Entrepreneurism published a report that said only 4% of the total dollar amount of business loans go to women-owned…
Four Growth Strategies To Build Your Business
Growth is important for any small business, but what’s the best way for your business to achieve growth? There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Instead, there are several strategies you can employ; the key to success lies in choosing the strategy that best fits your particular business. Focus on a Specific Market Segment If your business has…
How to Make the Most of Your Small Business Facebook Page
Whether you use Facebook as your exclusive digital outreach, or as one piece of your online efforts, a little bit of knowledge goes a long way. Random updates and haphazard sharing aren’t going to gain followers; but with these best practices in place, you can work to gain new customers and increase customer loyalty. Build…
Financing Options for a Startup
With no history, no track record, and no revenue, borrowing capital for a startup can sometimes feel like searching for the Holy Grail. Nevertheless, there are options, but they might not be where you expect—here are three of the most popular: Friends and Family Borrowing from friends or family continues to be a very successful…
What Small Businesses Can Do To Enhance Their Cybersecurity
Doing business in the digital age means that cybersecurity isn’t something you can ignore. Small businesses are just as vulnerable as large businesses to hackers, data loss, and security breaches. Here are three important ways you can protect your business from an all-too-common hack. Educate Your Employees Informed employees are your most powerful weapon in…
5 Ways To Turn Small Business Supporters into Bigger Sales this Holiday Season
The holidays are fast approaching. Black Friday is almost here, the day when millions of holiday shoppers will stand in line at 4am for deals on flat-screen televisions and the latest smartphone. It can seem intimidating for small businesses and local mom-and-pop shops to stand up to huge department chains with thousands to spend on…
Five Ways to Make the Most of the Holiday Shopping Season
The holidays are rapidly approaching, and as business owners know, that means holiday cheer—and the potential for increased revenues. Many retailers rake in a high proportion of their revenues during the holiday season. But how can you take an already good holiday cash flow to straight-up great? Have the right inventory. Make sure you’re following…
How to Use Financing for Your Medical Business
Like any small company, clinics and other medically oriented small businesses will encounter various times when funding is needed, to solve cash flow gaps or invest in equipment. Have you encountered any of the following scenarios in your business? Cash Flow Woes Keeping a positive cash flow is a challenge for most small business owners;…
Win $10,000 and a Meeting with Barbara Corcoran
Three lucky winners will each receive $10,000 and a one-on-one meeting with Shark Tank investor and real estate mogul Barbara Corcoran. Have you ever thought about what your small business would do with an extra $10,000—or a what it would be like to personally ask advice of one of the Sharks? To enter, tell us how you…
Want to Start a Franchise? Here’s What You Should Know.
Franchises are a tempting way to get into business ownership. Is this the right path for you? And if it is, how are you supposed to pick one out of the thousands of options? For those completely unfamiliar with the idea, franchises are businesses that trade their name and operating methods to people in exchange…
What is an Unsecured Small Business Loan?
An unsecured loan is a loan that requires no collateral and is based solely upon the creditworthiness of the borrower. In reality, very few unsecured true business loans exist today, especially those for larger loan amounts. While a bank may offer an unsecured consumer loan or line of credit to a particularly credit worthy borrower,…