Chris Barnes

Chris Barnes is the Director of Business Development at Tarkenton Companies, with a sales and marketing background in a wide range of industries, from sports information to insurance marketing. A jack-of-all-trades, Chris has experience in many aspects of daily and strategic operations for small business.

Latest

8 Creative Ways to Thank Your Clients this Holiday Season

| Chris Barnes

With the holidays fast approaching, we wanted to reshare this holiday post from holidays past. Make sure to implement proper safety and social distancing measures, but you can still do many of these things! It…

5 Tips for Dealing with Lenders

| Chris Barnes
Whether money is needed to fund a new project or to expand on an existing one, the same rules apply with respect to gaining the attention and generosity of lenders.

Essential Steps to Launch a Startup, Part 3

| Chris Barnes
When you have the startup capital you need to get down to business and you’ve acquired the resources you need to begin making money, you’re almost ready to open up your doors. First, though, you have to make sure you are doing all everything required to operate within the bounds of the law.

Essential Steps to Launch a Startup, Part 2

| Chris Barnes
Once you’ve identified your product and your market, you can begin building your official business plan. Your business plan is where you outline all of the specific steps you will take as you launch a startup business.

Essential Steps to Launch a Startup, Part 1

| Chris Barnes
Launching a new start-up business is difficult and nerve-wracking even for those who know exactly what they’re getting into. For those who have never gone into business for themselves, the entire start-up process can be overwhelming.

5 Questions to Ask When Choosing a Location for Your Business

| Chris Barnes
When deciding where to locate your startup, there are a number of factors to consider. With no clear right or wrong answer, I’ve put together a list of questions to ask yourself when choosing a location for your startup.

Building the Right Team

| Chris Barnes
Hiring the right employees does not only help mitigate the risk of having to replace them down the road. It fosters a culture of high-level thinking and productivity and serves as the cornerstone of a strong office environment.

What’s the best way to generate residential and commercial leads for my business?

| Chris Barnes

Customer and professional referrals are generally very effective for building contractors; however, the basic tool to maintain a steady flow of work and build a customer base is a comprehensive marketing plan.

How to Negotiate a Personal Guarantee

| Chris Barnes

Personal Guarantees are a part of doing business. You need a loan, you seek a loan, and the lender requires a guarantor to sign the loan agreement. There are no ways around this. However, there are ways to negotiate a deal so that your personal assets are not entirely at risk of being liquidated given the case that the loan is not repaid on time.

What Is LetsLunch?

| Chris Barnes

While striving to grow your small business, particularly in the startup phase, you cannot ignore the value of your network. LetsLunch is an online tool that helps you to meet professionals in your area, and it’s very easy to use.