How to Find an IT Provider for Your Small Business
by Jon Schram
Hiring an IT support provider often gives you an entire team of experts for less than it would cost to keep a single full-time IT employee on staff. Here's how to find an IT provider for your small business. Read more »
5 Reasons You Might Not Qualify for an SBA Loan
by Marc Prosser
Seeking an SBA loan? Unfortunately, many businesses that want SBA loans get turned away by banks. Here are the 5 main reasons that SBA loan applicants get rejected, and what your alternatives are. Read more »
How to Ask Family and Friends to Fund Your Business
by Lisa Furgison
Considering asking your friends and family to help fund a business? Many small businesses and startups turn to family and friends for funding. To do so successfully (and without damaging the relationship in the process), you'll want to follow these tips. Read more »
How to Start a Digital Marketing Agency Without Outside Funding
by Aaron Agius
It’s easier to start a digital marketing agency without funding than people might think. Here's how one entrepreneur did it—from bootstrapping, to useful tools, to how (and when) to hire employees. Read more »
Why SWOT Analysis Belongs in Your Business Plan
by Tim Berry
Why add SWOT analysis into your business plan and the strategic planning process? The SWOT phase was vital to the planning process for Palo Alto Software, and helped the company grow from zero to over $5 million in annual sales. Here's how SWOT analysis helped PAS scale, and how to add SWOT analysis to your planning process. Read more »
Valuation: Is Your Small Business as Priceless as You Think?
by Jim Moran
After spending years building your small business, it can be hard to put a price on it. Your company probably seems priceless to you, but there inevitably will come a time when you must calculate precisely how much your business is worth. Here's how to do it. Read more »
Planning Your Exit Strategy for Your Small Business or Startup
by Candice Landau
Start planning your business’s exit strategy now, whether you want to be acquired, go public with an IPO, or sell to your employees. Read more »
If Facebook Disappeared Tomorrow, Would You Lose All Your Customer Data?
by Tyler King
Most social platforms are optimized for engagement only within that platform. The problem? Social media success doesn't always translate into real value for your company. Here's how to use social media as part of your marketing strategy—without losing control of your customer data and wasting time and resources. Read more »
6 Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Your Restaurant Business Plan
by AJ Beltis
If it's your first time writing a formal restaurant business plan, it's easy to make mistakes. In the competitive restaurant industry, however, it's good to be as prepared as possible—so here are the pitfalls to avoid. Read more »
How the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Will Affect Your Small Business
by Eric Tyson
Now that tax season is just around the corner, you’re probably wondering (or outright worrying!) about how the recent Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which took effect in 2018, will affect your tax picture this year and beyond. Here's how your business could be impacted. Read more »
5 Mobile Payment Processing Trends: Increase Your Sales and Keep Customers
by Jasmine Glasheen
While mobile payment trends are generally great for customer convenience, there are also some potential wins as far as customer retention and even reduced costs for small businesses and startups. Let’s take a look at five payment trends that you can use to boost sales and encourage repeat business. Read more »
How WiFi Marketing Can Help Restaurants Boost Customer Loyalty
by Allen Graves
In today’s ultra-competitive marketplace, restaurants have the challenging and sometimes unenviable task of making their brand stand out from all the others. Here's how to use WiFi marketing to collect customer data and build real loyalty. Read more »
How to Build a Restaurant Sales Forecast
by Tim Berry
There is no single right way to do a restaurant sales forecast. The best sales forecast method will vary according to how you manage information, how much past data you have access to, and what special factors drive your business. We'll walk you through an example restaurant sales forecast to help you build your own. Read more »
How to Test and Optimize Your New Business’s Customer Journey
by Oren Greenberg
In order to optimize the customer journey, you must start by looking at every interaction your company has with your customers from start to finish. Here's how gathering user data can help you do just that, to create the best possible experience for your customers. Read more »
5 Things Startups Can Learn From Angel Investors
by Tim Berry
Angel investors can teach you a lot about what it takes to start a successful business. Whether you're seeking angel investment or just looking to grow a better, stronger business, they're people worth listening to—and here's their best advice for startups. Read more »
The 7 Key Components of a Perfect Elevator Pitch [With Video]
by Noah Parsons
A solid elevator pitch is an essential tool for achieving your goals—and it needs to cover these 7 things. If you're pitching investors or building a pitch deck, here's how to make sure you've covered the essentials. Read more »
How to Protect IP When Outsourcing Software Development
by Carly Klein
When starting a business, a lot of founders are turning to international outsourcing. While this may be an innovative solution to your immediate need for tech talent, the question of how to protect your intellectual property when outsourcing software development has probably crossed your mind. Read more »
Last-Minute (and Year-Round) Tax Tips for Small Businesses
by Steven Cohen
If you haven’t already filed your taxes, now is the time to get your information together to ensure that they’re filed on time and avoid costly penalties and unnecessary stress. It’s also the perfect opportunity to start organizing your taxes for the next filing season. Read more »
10 Things I Hated About Your Business Pitch
by Tim Berry
Business planning expert Tim Berry has over 20 years of hearing business pitches as a judge of business plan competitions and as an angel investor. Here are the things he hates to see in a business pitch, so you can avoid making these key mistakes. Read more »
How to Choose a Business Location
by Candice Landau
Choosing the right business location is more than just picking a nice spot. It's about weighing the competition, understanding local zoning and regulations, considering your target market—and staying within your budget. Here's what to keep in mind when you're considering where to start your business. Read more »
