If you asked them, most small business owners would say that they’re focused on the “lifetime value” of their customers—but that’s probably because they think they’re supposed to. Despite claiming to keep this metric top-of-mind, many owners don’t position their business to focus on how to keep their existing customers. According to Invesp, it costs […]
Meredith Wood
13 Entrepreneurs on Their Biggest Business Mistakes
If entrepreneurship was easy, everyone would do it. Unfortunately, the reality is that half of all startups close within five years, which means you’re just as likely to fail as succeed. Sometimes failure is out of your control—disaster strikes, or a competitor gets an unexpected boost. But often, the reason is a little more depressing: […]
Anatomy of the Perfect Instagram Small Business Profile
If you’re a small business that hasn’t considered social media strategy as a crucial part of marketing your brand, it’s time to get on board. There are now almost 3 billion social media users around the world, so connecting with your customers in the digital space is absolutely necessary to tell your brand’s story and […]
10 Biggest Holiday Office Party Mistakes Your Business Should Avoid
As we approach this holiday season, business owners, human resources teams, and anyone brave enough to join a party-planning committee are hard at work organizing yet another office holiday party. Throwing a good holiday party means walking a fine line between letting people have fun and keeping things professional. It’s not an easy task—there are […]
How to Keep a Good BBB Rating (and Why It Matters)
The Better Business Bureau is the go-to resource for verifying a business’s credibility. They receive complaints about accredited businesses from consumers, and a business’s ability and willingness to respond to those complaints is factored greatly an accompanying score. That’s called a BBB Rating. Therefore, just joining the BBB’s roster of recognized businesses isn’t enough to […]
Starting a Business? Here are the First 3 Steps You Need to Take
The beauty of becoming an entrepreneur is that no matter what your interests are, there’s probably a way you can turn that passion into a business. And chasing your entrepreneurial dreams can be a truly rewarding experience. But ideas are one thing—executing that idea and making it a reality is something else entirely. If you’re […]
Prepayment Penalties: When the Early Bird Doesn’t Get the Worm
It’s every small business owner’s dream: you took out a business loan to start or expand your small business, and it really paid off. Business is booming, cash is flowing, and you suddenly find yourself in the coveted position of being able to pay off your loan far before you anticipated. While you’ve always wanted […]
What is a Credit Inquiry and Why is it Important?
There are a lot of factors that go into determining your credit score. While you’re likely aware that being tardy in repayments or declaring bankruptcy are the kinds of things that can damage your credit score, are you aware of the impact that a credit inquiry can have on your score? Below we’ll take a […]
9 Reasons You Were Denied a Small Business Loan
If you’ve just been denied a small business loan and find yourself asking why, the answer might lie in one of the nine reasons below. We can’t supply a cure-all for fixing your loan application so that it has an approval guarantee, but we can help you identify weaknesses in your application and help prepare […]
Is Your Brilliant Idea a Viable Business? 6 Ways to Find Out
Every great business started out as a great business idea. Maybe you have a thought or two about the kind of company you’d like to start but you’re not sure if your idea has the strength to go from concept to reality. Read on as we take a look at the steps any budding entrepreneur […]
