Category: Advice
5 Success Stories that Prove Economic Crises Aren’t Always Bad for Business
With the ongoing turmoil in Greece, we’re reminded, yet again, that boom times don’t last forever. But In fact, economic recessions are not all bad news for businesses. Here’s why: Downtrodden economies can lead to great innovation. Existing companies must find new ways to survive and thrive, launching products that might not have fit in…
What is Operations? And Why Does My Business Need It?
So you want to extend your product line? Open a branch in an up-and-coming neighborhood? Resolve a purchasing inefficiency? Improve customer loyalty? If you answered yes to any of these, or have any specific goal in mind for your business, you should look to your company’s operations – the internal engine that powers your business.…
5 Effective Ways to Manage Your Summer Interns
The blessing and the burden of the summer intern: finally, you have someone to help with all those odds and ends, those administrative details, the daily never-ending tasks and projects sitting unfinished since last summer. But you also need to figure out exactly what this bonus set of hands should be prioritizing, without getting bogged…
4 Ideas to Tackle a Slow Summer Slump
Summer sales slump? No problem. This slow time can be valuable for your small businesses. Now’s your chance to do what you normally don’t have time to do: instead of working in your business, you can work on your business. These projects could benefit any small business; pick one or two and make the most…
7 Useful Ways to Train Small Business Employees
Even if they come with years of experience, every new employee you hire needs training. But all too often, small business owners are so overwhelmed with running the business to come up with anything better than a “follow me around for two weeks and learn the ropes” system. Unfortunately, that’s both inefficient and frustrating: owners…
How to Get a Top-Notch Marketing Strategy on a #SmallBiz Budget
A marketing strategy takes time, expertise, and research. Every business and market is unique, and so every strategy must be as well. Most small business owners have a lot on their plates, and little time to dedicate to creating a comprehensive marketing plan. As such, getting help is the key. It will help ensure that…
Motivate Your Sales Team With These 3 Steps
Day in and day out, sales pros face rejection in their work. The highs can be euphoric when you land a major sale, and the lows can be brutal when you don’t. Keeping your sales team excited about their jobs, and focused on achievement, can be challenging for this reason. But it’s worth doing —…
4 Team-Building Techniques That Work for Small Business
Having a cohesive team is crucial for any small business, but building one isn’t easy. Simply putting together a group of people is not “team building” — it takes specific actions and experiences to allow employees to come together into a unit. And as the person running the show, it’s up to you to know…
Why You Need a Marketing Strategy, and 3 Steps to Build One
Marketing your business is no easy task, especially with the countless number of marketing activities that exist today. So, how do you know which are the right ones for your business? It depends on your marketing strategy. What exactly is a marketing strategy? Simply put, it’s a marketing plan of action. A well thought-out marketing…
Webinar Recap: An Insider’s View to Securing Capital to Grow Your Business
Last week we teamed up with our small business education partner SCORE to provide an insider’s view into the new world of business lending in a live webinar. Ty Kiisel, contributing editor at OnDeck, spoke to nearly 300 live listeners to demystify the new landscape of small business lenders. He covered the five major types…
Want to Market Your Small Business Online? Start With These 3 Simple Things
Using the Internet to market your business doesn’t require expensive tools or a fleet of social media strategists. In fact, harnessing the power of the Internet for marketing your small business all starts with three crucial areas. Master them, and you’ve got a foundation to execute an online marketing strategy that brings results. 1. Web…
4 Rules for Handling Conflicts With Your Business Partner
The one certainty with a business partnership, as with any close relationship, is that conflicts will arise. But when you’re working very closely with another person or group, it can be easy to get emotional and lose sight of the larger picture, particularly when the stakes are high and money is on the line. A…
5 Rules for Conducting Killer Job Interviews
The interview is the meat in the sandwich of your hiring process. A huge amount rides on getting interviews right—you have maybe 30 minutes to determine whether someone is a fit to join your team, and to leave a good impression on them. But few small business owners are trained in how to ace interviews…
How to Hire the Best Person For Your Small Business
Hiring is one of the most critical, and difficult, tasks for many small business owners. You may wind up with an urgent need to fill a position, but you don’t want to just hire anyone — finding the best possible person is critical. Still, how do you find that person, and still have time to…
OnDeck Customer Success Story: CyberImaging Systems
Hal Wilson of CyberImaging Systems needed a short-term small business loan to help him over a cash flow crunch, to meet some marketing expenses, and ramp up for a new customer. After completing the application, he had the cash he needed in less than 24 hours. Check out what he calls the three benefits to…