Small businesses (generally defined as companies with fewer than 500 employees and less than $2 million in average revenue) are the driving force behind employment growth. In fact, small businesses provide jobs for over half of the nation’s private workforce and have generated nearly two-thirds of the new jobs over the past 15 years. Small […]
Be Lean and Mean as Long as You Don’t Lose Your Creativity
Small businesses have learned to run “lean and mean,” and according to the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), almost 80 percent of small businesses did little to no hiring during the summer. Refraining from hiring means a lower cost structure, but when is the belt too tight? “No new employees, no new ideas, no […]
Opening a Restaurant? Know Your Business Financing Options
The restaurant and foodservice industries can be called completely unique without exaggeration. People who haven’t had experience working in a restaurant have a hard time seeing how difficult it can be to find a concept that works while juggling tight profit margins and bruising hours along the way. Things don’t get much easier when people […]
How to Use a Small Business Line of Credit
A business line of credit can be a powerful asset, especially if business owners learn how to use them efficiently. So what is a business line of credit? And, how does it differ from a conventional loan? Funding options for small businesses can get very specialized. Learning how to use a business line of credit can be […]
Small Business Funding Options: A Comprehensive Overview
Like loans to individuals, small business loans are designed to provide needed capital to companies. However, with loans to small businesses, there are many more options and loan types. At a high level, business loans are generally categorized by the length or duration of the loan repayment period, long-term loan versus short-term funding. Small business […]
The Best Short-Term Loan Options for Quick Approval
Sometimes you need money, and you need it fast. This is true in life and in running a business. If you need small business financing quickly, there are a few different options. You should know what those options are, and the cost vs. the benefit of each. Traditional Loans A traditional short-term loan with fast […]
5 Tips for Writing a Business Plan
Writing a business plan is the first step in starting a business after you decide you are going to do it. It is tedious, not really the fun part, but it is one of the most important steps. It can be so tempting to just jump in and do the business plan later, or to […]
4 Hiring Tips for Small Business: Stop Losing the Best Candidates
Hiring a new person is stressful in the best of times. There is so much to think about. Are they right for the job? Will they fit in with the company? Will they work hard or never show up? There is no way to know the answer to these questions on the front end. All […]
Best Credit Card Processing for Your Small Business in 2017
Businesses that only accept cash tend to miss out on many sales opportunities. Choosing to accept credit cards at your small business is an important decision you should make, as it will help you bring in more revenue in the long run. As for finding the right credit card processer, that tends to be the […]
Smaller Teams are More Productive Than Larger Ones
Back in 2013, Gallup released a report titled “The State of the American Workplace,” which stated that smaller companies tend to have more active, engaged employees than larger companies do. This seems to be a sentiment echoed by many leaders in the business world. Jeff Bezos of Amazon has a rule that a team which […]