Category: Advice
7 Steps for Creating a Strong Company Culture at Your Business
When employees come in for their first day of training at Amazon, they are given laminated cards printed with 14 principles to help guide their work. This fact was recently detailed in a New York Times piece about Amazon’s “bruising workplace” ethos, bringing to the forefront a conversation about the value of company culture of…
What To Do Before Closing Your Seasonal Business for the Year
For small businesses that rely on a summer crowd for the majority of their annual profits, the end of the season can induce some anxiety. That’s it? small business owners might be thinking to themselves as they rehash the summer crowds or review their books. But even without patrons clamoring in from the boardwalk for…
Soccer and Business: How Your Small Business Can Play Profitably with Major League Soccer
It’s been twenty years since Major League Soccer came to the United States to play. But it wasn’t until recently that Americans joined up with the world’s fans in adoring the sport—and funneling their money into soccer-related expenditures. Can small business turn this fervor into profits? Why Small Business Should Love Soccer There are a…
Small Business Health Insurance Tax Guide: Subsidies vs. Credits vs. Deductions
Health insurance spend can be a sizable portion of many small businesses expenditures. Many businesses want to provide this employee benefit and view it as a means of attracting and keeping employees. At the same time, decreasing spend in this area and freeing up cash flow for other businesses expenses gives your small business more…
Budgeting and Forecasting – What’s the Difference?
When you plan for the future of your small business, you assign yourself two important tasks: budgeting your dollars and forecasting how your business will behave in the year ahead. Preparing a complicated annual budget seems challenging until you realize that forecasting is even more complicated, because you have to account for the unknown. Both…
Back-to-School Shopping: Should Your Small Business Get Involved?
The back-to-school season is a big one: according to the National Retail Federation, it will reach around $68 billion this year. Even if you don’t sell pencils, it’s tempting to want to grab a piece of the pie. But is it worth your small business marketing dollars to try to win some of these back-to-school…
Protect Your Business Against Identity Theft
Identity theft is a hot topic and a big concern for many people these days. It seems like we regularly hear about personal data being stolen from one company or another. Have you ever considered the likelihood that your business might be vulnerable to the same type of identity theft? A business’ credit profile is…
Have Negative Yelp Reviews? Here’s How to Deal with Them.
Getting great online reviews can boost your business-owner confidence and, perhaps, bring new customers to your door. But what do you do when a negative Yelp review pops up? Start out by not worrying too much–this is fixable!–and then follow these guidelines to handle the unfavorable review. Don’t Panic One bad review (or even a…
6 Outstanding Online Invoicing Tools for Your Business
Invoicing is an essential part of business operations. Whether you run a one-person shop, a brick-and-mortar operation, or a growing business with multiple locations, you need to be able to quickly and easily create, send, and track invoices. A good online invoicing tool can provide both accessibility and security, and make it easier to keep…
The Business Books That Small Bookstore Owners Want You To Read This Summer
If you’re looking for some good business-building books to read this summer, who better to ask than bookstore owners? Successful independent bookstore owners are simultaneously devoted readers and the proprietors of small businesses. Here, they share the titles that helped propel their stores to the top of the heap. So put down the murder mystery…
4 Things You Can Learn from Online Lenders… Even if You Don’t Need a Loan
Online lenders are expanding access to capital for small business owners across the country. In fact, in a world dominated by traditional lenders, these new players are changing the way small business owners look for a business loan. How they’re doing it might even help your business. Here are four things you can learn from…
Top Small Business Marketing Ideas for a Small Business Budget
A small marketing budget doesn’t mean you shouldn’t market at all, or that you need to settle for mediocre efforts and disappointing results. Some marketing techniques—think television ads or promotions at a major national event—come with a high price tag. Other, more affordable marketing techniques also work: they might reach a smaller audience, but they…
5 Questions with Olive My Pickle’s Charlotte Tzabari
We’re thrilled to start sharing a new series called “5 Questions With…,” which takes a behind-the-scenes look into the daily lives of our small business customers. Name: Charlotte and Shai Tzabari Company: Olive My Pickle Location: Jacksonville, Fl. Products/Services: Lacto-fermented pickles, hummus, and olives Years in Business: 5 Years Facebook: olivemypickles Twitter: @olivemypickle Instagram: olivemypickle…
Content Marketing Essentials for Small Business Owners
Content marketing isn’t a new idea; businesses of all sizes have long used the power of education and entertainment to increase brand loyalty and create familiarity among buyers. What’s new is consumers’ constant use of online media and the infiltration of digital apps and devices into all areas of life. Content marketing, in other words,…
5 Success Stories that Prove Economic Crises Aren’t Always Bad for Business
With the ongoing turmoil in Greece, we’re reminded, yet again, that boom times don’t last forever. But In fact, economic recessions are not all bad news for businesses. Here’s why: Downtrodden economies can lead to great innovation. Existing companies must find new ways to survive and thrive, launching products that might not have fit in…