Business Resources
4 Reasons To Start a Business in Retirement
Retirement doesn’t have to be the end of your career. You can still run your own business during this time, and if you’re past the age for full retirement, you can still receive all your social security benefits while running the business. If that’s not enough to inspire you to do this, then this list…
Read MoreThe Ultimate Guide: How to Apply and Qualify for an SBA
Small businesses open every day. But starting a venture isn’t cheap. The acts of securing a physical storefront, getting your management structure in order, hiring the necessary employees, purchasing or leasing equipment, and marketing all demand money. Most people starting businesses don’t pay for everything out of their own pockets upfront; it costs far too…
Read More4 Factors That Affect Financing Your Start-Up
Financing your business requires a lot of determination, effort, and adaptability. It’s unreasonable to expect individuals to finance the entire endeavor with their own capital; start-ups simply require too much money for most people to do so alone. During this process, you should know four factors that affect financing your start-up—the variables that could be…
Read MoreInsights for long-term entrepreneurial success
Entrepreneurial thinking has been around since the development of money. And it has grown exponentially since the pandemic forced people to re-think and adapt their own prospects. That leaves the small business community with an outsized contingent of new business owners. While many of those new companies are owned by seasoned business professionals, many are…
Read MoreUse social media to maximize response
Social media—such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and others—serve businesses best in two broad areas: in public relations (PR) (by building and reinforcing awareness) and in advertising (by showcasing targeted paid ads). And the platforms have carved out a comfortable niche for small businesses looking for either service. Or both. If you use social media mainly…
Read MorePublic speaking skills
If you’re like a lot of people, you’d sooner endure a root canal than speak to an audience. That’s understandable—and common; the aversion to public speaking even has a clinical name: Glossophobia. As a small business owner, you can avoid performing this particular job requirement (and for many, it is a requirement) for only so…
Read MoreBasics of blogging
If your business relies on a web presence, you may be considering a blog to build traffic to your site. Like other communication channels, blogging has its own rules, protocols and best practices. Businesses, especially small ones, use blogs to build awareness and excitement, attract an audience of followers, leverage their expertise, boost engagement, communicate…
Read More5 tips to make your new business marketing plan work
Many small business owners start off making decisions, even consequential ones, while multitasking on the fly. In the early going, you might be doing more doing than planning: developing your product or service, raising capital, and other concrete first steps. That’s understandable; those issues are all critical. Eventually though you’ll need to shift some of…
Read MoreTips for using freelance talent
Freelancing has expanded rapidly throughout the economy, especially during the 2020 downturn related to the pandemic. And from all indications, it’s poised to keep growing; even as the economy rebuilds, there’s a trend away from full-time employment. In some sectors, like ride sharing, workers who freelance function largely on a plug-and-play basis. But for many…
Read MoreOnly 6 weeks left for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP 2.0)! Apply Today!
The federal Paycheck Protection Program has been re-authorized (PPP 2.0), allowing eligible businesses to receive either a second loan—or a first loan if they didn’t get one initially. So if you want in, you’ll need to act now. When the funding runs out, no more applications will be accepted. Good to know The race is…
Read MoreAvoid startup blunders by focusing on revenue
When you’re just starting a business, there are so many imperatives to focus on that it’s hard to prioritize. Raising capital. Marketing. Operations. Staffing. Product development. How do you allocate your limited resources and bandwidth? As you triage the mission-critical details demanding your attention, you might be tempted to move one of those details, your…
Read MoreAttributes of standout entrepreneurs
Outwardly, you have all the elements in place to launch a successful startup: the capital, the product, the team, the location and the market. But what about inwardly? Do you have what it takes to alchemize all those elements into a business to be reckoned with? For many small business owners, the secret sauce is…
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