Author: Small Business Desk
How to Get People to Remember Your Business Name
Everyone wants to be remembered. When someone says your name, it’s a magic that can solidify any business relationship. Here’s how to get people to remember your name successfully. 1. Repeat Their Name When you are introduced to someone, repeat their name back to them. This will prevent you from forgetting their name as soon as they say it. For example, when the other person says “Hi, I’m Mary”, repeat “It’s nice to meet you,Read More
Funding Circle Raises $65 Million for Peer-to-Peer Small Business Loan
Venture capital firms have come to see small business lending as an industry ripe for a shakeup, given the slow pace of lending since the financial crisis and unmet demand for credit, which is estimated at billions of dollars a year. Funding Circle, a British peer-to-peer lender, is the latest to benefit: The company announced on Wednesday a new $65 million dose of capital from Index Ventures and other firms. Funding Circle’s online platform lets individual or institutional investors fund loans thatRead More
Moms Build a Small Business on Better Tissues
In 2007, Julie Pickens and Mindee Doney found a $16 million business hiding in their children’s stuffy noses. The Oregon moms were trying to figure out the best way to get their children’s nostrils clean when they got congested. Their pediatricians advised using saline drops, but getting toddlers to stand still while they administered the treatment was next to impossible, says Ms. Pickens. So, they started putting the drops on regular tissues and wiping theRead More
Small Business Loan: Why the Government’s ‘Record’ Isn’t a Record
Small Business Administration boss Maria Contreras-Sweet was in New York City on Thursday to visit Bayside Milk Farm, a local business that isn’t really a dairy (it’s a food market), and to announce a small business lending record that isn’t really a record (more on that below). The agency guaranteed $19.2 billion under its working-capital loan program in the 12 months ended Sept. 30 (PDF). To celebrate, it fired off a press release today with theRead More
Ten ways small business owners can improve their financial literacy
As a small business owner, a deep understanding of your company’s financial situation drastically improves your chance of long-term success. When you know exactly where you stand in terms of your financials, you can plan for the future and avoid common financial management pitfalls. Unfortunately, the fact remains, entrepreneurs struggle to get a grasp on their finances. In a recent Intuit study, 46 per cent of Canada’s owners rated their knowledge of financial management asRead More
THE CHALLENGE: ‘Two guys with no revenue’ learn a venture-capital lesson
Customers carry a card or keytag and scan it to earn rewards. The company also offers a quick-pay component with auto-reloading capabilities. Business owners receive detailed information to track usage among customers. Mr. Bailey says the business is doing well, drawing “millions” in revenue. What he isn’t so certain about, however, is when a young business like his should seek outside funding. To date, Spoonity has raised about $500,000 through self-financing and government grants, includingRead More
WHO OWNS THAT? Butcher’s son carries on family legacy
1. Let’s start with the basics. Can you briefly describe your business, including when it was founded, what it does, and where you operate? Created to bring gourmet prepared meats to your table in minutes, by Amos is a line of cooked and seasoned, naturally raised meats. Our selection of chicken breasts and steaks provide quick and easy meal solutions using sous-vide cooking. Since our meats are all pre-cooked and pre-seasoned, all you have toRead More
You’ll never hear successful people say these 15 small business phrases
If you want to become more successful as an entrepreneur or in your career, you can start by making a habit of talking and thinking more like the people you know or read about who are already successful. Here are some phrases you’ll never hear a successful person say: 1. We can’t do that. One thing that makes people and companies successful is the ability to make solving their customers’ problems and demands their mainRead More
Dare to be different: six ways to fund your small business without heading to the bank
Looking for alternative ways to fund your business can be very worthwhile. Going to the bank for funding is not a necessity, and is certainly not the only avenue to buying and running your own business. Here are six alternative ways to fund your enterprise: Financial DIY Do it yourself: invest in you from the start. When the business you want to buy is just an idea, save up through your current job and work hard to work for yourself.Read More
Local Search Popularity Means Small Businesses Still Need SEO
More and more consumers are turning to their smartphones and mobile devices to help them find nearby businesses and make purchases. In fact, 50% of people who make local searches on a smartphone visit a store within a day, according to a report from Google. The report, which broke down consumers’ local search behavior, also found that 34% of tablet and desktop searchers will visit a business within a day of searching, and 18% ofRead More