4 Things to Know About Grants
Although they can be difficult to find, small business grants are out there. They are frequently harder to track down than other financing options because grants offer free money, often without strings attached. Unlike loans which have to be repaid over time, grants are effectively gifts, as long as you agree to use the money […]
Creating a Profitable Black Friday Sales Offer
Whether you are a fan of Black Friday shopping or not, billions of dollars in sales are transacted on the Friday after Thanksgiving each year. In 2022, between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, $20.4 billion was spent. Part of the reason for the huge spike is that some buyers hold off on purchases until Black […]
How to Better Secure Your Business from Theft
News that Target, Whole Foods, and Nordstrom are closing some stores in 2023 due to increasing incidents of theft underscores how expensive crime can be. The cost to companies is in the billions of dollars collectively, the U.S. Department of Commerce says. But if major corporations are retreating due to the negative impact theft is […]
Maximize Your Business Deductions Before Year-End
As we head into the busiest and most profitable time of year for retailers, restaurants, and holiday-related companies, businesses of all types should start to assess where they are financially. That is, how is your business performing revenue-wise? Are you ahead of projections or behind? How about expenses? Has your cash outflow for costs tracked […]
Improving Your Circle of Friends
Motivational speaker Jim Rohn famously said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Which means that the results you’ve been achieving individually and as a business owner have been impacted by the people in your inner circle. They are your role models, your counselors, and your confidants, and they influence […]
Planning for the Most Productive Q4 You’ve Ever Had in Business
You’ve probably heard that there are two times of the year when people typically stop to plan out the next few months. The most common time for reflection and planning is at New Year’s, because you have the whole year looming large in front of you. The second most popular time is around Labor Day. […]
5 Easy Ways to Become a More Sustainable Small Business
Concerns about our planet continue to increase, pushing companies of all sizes to explore how they can reduce their impact on the environment. Although smaller companies have a smaller footprint, because there are so many, even minor efforts to minimize the business’s impact on the environment can reap big rewards. In fact, according to the […]
Where to Find Free Business Training
Success in business often comes down to what you know. You need to know enough to come up with ideas that can be turned into a profitable business, of course. That’s the basis of entrepreneurship. But if you have no business experience, or lack expertise in a particular type of venture and want to quickly […]
How Small Businesses Can Sell on Amazon
Amazon dominates the online retail industry, owning 37.8% of the US market. It generated $356 billion in sales in the US alone in 2022. However, Amazon doesn’t just sell its own products. In fact, it started by selling products manufactured by other companies and has only recently started branding its own offerings. This offers a […]
Build Your Business by Starting an Online Community
Our reliance on the internet for information has dramatically changed how we buy products and services. Easy access to friends, family, colleagues, neighbors, classmates, vendors, and potential customers has increased the time we spend online. And because we collectively spend more time online, more business than ever is being done online. However, deciding to sell […]
4 Steps to Attracting More Referral Business
Despite all the money businesses spend to attract new business, one of the best ways to gain new customers and clients is through referrals, or having others recommend your product, service, or company to someone else. Used synonymously with “word of mouth marketing,” referrals and recommendations actually generate $6 trillion in consumer spending each year. […]
Choosing the Best Location for Your Business
Any company that serves customers face-to-face should take extra care when selecting a location for its operations. This is especially critical for newer businesses that don’t already have a large customer base. To find a great location based on what your business is like today, versus where you hope to be five years from now, […]
Leverage the Power of Scent in Your Business
Scents and odors can have a significant impact on our perception of companies and brands. In fact, research has shown that scent marketing can be used to increase brand loyalty and sales. Meaning, adding a pleasing smell can help create a positive customer experience that leads to higher sales. This realization was driven home last […]
Payroll Options for Small Businesses
Confused about how to pay your employees? You’re not alone. Calculating federal and state tax withholding amounts, along with other potential types of withholdings, such as retirement or health insurance, for example, which need to be deducted from an employee’s paycheck, can be confusing. Yet despite the complexity of payroll calculations, 58% of small business […]
5 Steps to Building a Personal Brand
Your personal brand is how your potential market perceives you. It’s important because your brand impacts their willingness to buy from you. Your personal brand can enhance, or detract from, your ability to sell your products and services. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to try to shape your personal brand to be an […]
Should Your Business Hire Family Members?
When you’re in the early stages of starting or running a business, it can be comforting to know that you have family members who support you. Some may even tell you they’re happy to help out here and there. As a startup, this may sound like music to your ears! But before you start taking […]
What’s so Great about Being a Thought Leader?
For the last few years, we’ve heard the term “thought leader” and “thought leadership” thrown around as something to which we should aspire. But what’s so great about being a thought leader? Why should you want to be perceived as a thought leader in your industry? New Opportunities Because with this perception comes respect, influence, […]
To Win, Be Easy to Work With
“Be easy to work with. It matters,” Wen-Szu Lin, author of Deliver, shared in a recent guest lecture at Johns Hopkins University. Whether you’re working to attract clients, hold onto clients, recruit employees, or negotiate with a potential vendor or partner, being easy to work with can make or break you. It can even be […]
Saying “No” is Good for Business
Given that growing a business requires customers and clients willing to pay you money, you may assume that saying “yes” regularly is essential for success. “Yes” can mean more customers, more sales, and more business opportunities. The Downsides of “Yes” As women, many of us have been taught that saying “yes” is the right thing […]
How Small Businesses Can Conserve Cash During a Downturn
Ask a group of small business owners whether we’re in a recession and you’re likely to get a variety of answers. Although we’ve been hearing about an impending recession for months, it’s unclear if it’s on the horizon, already here, or if the chances of it occurring have receded. If you’re nervous that a business […]
Charge More, Earn More by Reducing Customer Price Sensitivity
With the word recession being thrown about as a warning for months, many business owners are bracing for a downturn in sales. Some have already witnessed a slowdown, while others are seeing sales rise. The discrepancy is likely due to how price sensitive your customers are. That is, can they afford to continue buying what […]
Want to Go Paperless in 2023? Here’s How
Gartner Inc. estimated that buying, using, and storing paper documents costs an average business 3% of its revenue—and that was 10 years ago. The cost today is likely even higher. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that the average office worker goes through 10,000 sheets of paper a year and that the cost of […]
Planning for a Profitable 2023
Have you started planning out your next 12 months yet? With the start of the New Year next week, now is the perfect time to think through how you want 2023 to go. Look Back First Before looking ahead, take some time to reflect on what went well in 2022 and what did not. For […]
How to Generate More Sales Leads
Most business owners know that marketing is critical to success. Marketing is essential because it connects your company with potential customers and helps persuade them to spend money on your products or services. Marketing is what leads to sales, which is every company’s life blood. There are two basic types of marketing methods—outbound and inbound. […]
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