How to Finance Your Franchise
Congratulations! You’ve given it tremendous thought and made the life-changing decision to buy a franchise. You’re excited, but now you need to figure out how you’re going to pay the franchise fees and initial start-up costs. Although you might have some idea in mind for how you’ll cover the expenses, you might still be wondering…
Read MoreHow to Protect Your Small Business Using Insurance
The world of insurance can be a huge headache for small business owners. Since getting your business off the ground is your number one priority, it may seem unimportant to get the proper coverage in the early days of your business. However, it is imperative to remember that even in the early days of operation,…
Read More3 Key Lessons to Improve B2B Customer Experience
Delivering great customer experience nowadays matters as much to B2B companies as it does to their B2C counterparts. The statement should not come as a surprise, really, considering how much the B2B world has evolved within the last decade, owing to the rapid advances of digital technology. There are now for instance, more potential touchpoints…
Read MoreSavings in the Fast Lane: Tax Tips for Uber Drivers
Are you one of the millions of Americans using a personal vehicle to make money as an Uber driver? It has become easy to earn some extra cash on the side—or even with full-time hours—working for car sharing services like Uber and Lyft. While seeing dollar signs in your eyes can be a reality, you…
Read More10 Things Angel Investors Ask About Startups
Recently the angel investment group I’m a member of (Willamette Angel Conference) finished our eighth year of choosing a startup to invest in. Our investment runs $100K to $500K, roughly. It’s announced every year on the second Thursday in May. Our annual angel investors process Every year we review 40 or so submissions from startups. We…
Read MoreThe Top States for Low and No Corporate Income Tax
There are a number of considerations that a business owner may take into account when deciding upon the best state in which to incorporate. One factor that is often important to business owners is the taxes that will be imposed on the newly formed corporation. Both the type of taxes for which a business is…
Read MoreThe 3 Most Powerful Words for Startups
If you understand them, you can help any size company succeed. In my last article, I spoke about a growing and costly language gap between big businesses and startups and why bridging it is critical. The reason is simple. Large and small businesses need each other. Startups need large businesses because they have the systems, brand awareness, distribution and expertise…
Read MoreHow One Mompreneur Used Creativity to Fuel Success
People often ask me what it’s like to run a business while being a mom to two young children. I started my company, The Jones Market, as a new mom, and the company has grown as my family has. People are often surprised when I tell them that there is a single principle that guides…
Read MoreIs Your Facebook Page Dead in the Water?
The organic (natural, without paying any money) reach of your Facebook page has never been something to write home about (you’d be lucky with 13-18%) but now it’s even less. The simplest explanation is that as more content is created (by both our friends and the brands we’ve liked) there simply isn’t enough real estate. Facebook cannot…
Read MoreWord of Mouth Works: A Different Perspective
Everybody knows that word-of-mouth is a major component of customer satisfaction. Most everybody thinks that most word-of-mouth is negative. There has been some interesting research done lately that gives a different perspective of word-of-mouth. A shopper survey performed by Brick Meets Click suggests that positive experiences may occur more frequently than negative experiences. They asked…
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