5 Major Mistakes to Avoid Sinking Your Franchise Before You Even Open for Business
If you are thinking about buying a franchise, the decisions you make now could have significant consequences for the success or failure of your business down the road. From choosing the best franchise opportunity for your personal traits to negotiating critical protections into your franchise agreement, the more effort you put into making a smart…
Read MoreThe Death of Net Neutrality: What Does It Mean for Small Businesses?
Net neutrality is dead. The Obama administration’s 2015 net neutrality rules have been disputed for the past year or two but have finally been repealed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). These rules used to require internet service providers (ISP) offer equal access to all content on the web and meant that they weren’t able…
Read More10 Digital Marketing Assets You Need to Invest in Today
Saving for most of us was encouraged from an early age. The piggybank was placed somewhere safe. The shiny coins clunked and clinked into the slot that locked away the pennies until that visit to the bank. The coins of various shapes and sizes were added up by the man behind the counter. They smiled at…
Read MoreGive Your Customers the 5-Diamond Treatment
Retail sales are moving from brick-and-mortar stores to online, but doesn’t mean you can slack on your in-store service. In fact, customers rank in-store experience lower than digital and mobile experiences across all retailers. More than half of customers are prepared to leave a brand they love after a few bad experiences, so maintain high-quality…
Read More8 Best Practices Every Text Marketer Should Follow
Do you wonder how often you should send a marketing text messenger or what to say? Read here to learn 8 of the best practices every text marketer should follow. Gone are the days of TV and print ads being the best forms of advertising. We’ve entered a new era. Marketing is going mobile. And what…
Read MoreRecruiting the Best Candidates from Your Internal Talent Pool
One of the hardest tasks of a business owner is hiring the right people. Top performers must have the right work ethic to fulfill expectations, but also be a good fit within the company. A bad hire could result in serious repercussions, as the business’s reputation could be tarnished by their actions. Having built three…
Read MoreIn-House vs. Agency: Where to Keep Your Marketing Tasks
Wouldn’t it be great if there were definitive guidance on whether you should keep marketing in-house or use an agency? In many cases, people take an all-or-nothing approach to debating in-house vs. agency marketing. But the reality is that context is everything—some tasks are candidates for outsourcing and some belong in-house. It all depends on…
Read MoreWordPress SEO Mistakes That Can Hurt Your Traffic
If you are a business or individual with a website, chances are that you’ve opted for WordPress as your platform. After all, according to w3techs.com, 31% of all websites use some version of WordPress. WordPress makes SEO mistakes avoidable through both the platform itself and the many free plugins that are available for SEO purposes. You…
Read MoreThe Best Franchise Opportunities for Veterans
You devoted several years of your life to serving your country. Now, you’re transitioning back to civilian life wondering where your next “mission” will take your career. Many military veterans consider entrepreneurial endeavors like small business ownership or franchising. And since you found yourself on the America’s Best Franchises website, you’re probably leaning more to…
Read More6 Common Misconceptions About Angel Investors
The question on Quora was “What do investors ‘get’ that other people don’t?” I answered that question from the point of view of angel investors, specifically … not just investors. 1. Some of the healthiest businesses are not good investments Many people think that a good business makes a good investment. The truth is not…
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