Author: mccbloom@gmail.com
Business Credit Cards: Why Your Small Business Should Have One
If you’ve been using your personal credit card for business use, it’s time to take a look at how a business credit card can benefit your small business, and make your life easier. Don’t think of adding a business credit card as one more task on your list; think of it as opening up a…
ACH Payments and Small Business Loans
I vividly remember the last time I wrote a check. It was yesterday. What I can’t remember is the time before that. In fact, it had been so long that I had to search through my desk to even find a check. If you’re like me, and many others, you seldom use checks anymore. In…
Is Your Small Business Prepared for Disaster? How to Make Sure You’re Ready for Anything
Small business owners can control what they sell, whom they hire, and how they do business. Having the power to make decisions is one of the reasons many business owners like running the show, rather than working for someone else. All that still doesn’t give owners power over outside events. Natural disasters, financial crises, and…
3 Small Business Payroll Mistakes to Avoid
Handling payroll can be one of the most stress-inducing responsibilities of a small business owner. However, neglecting payroll–or doing a poor job of it–can bring your business down, and fast. Here are some of the most common payroll mistakes, and how you can overcome them. Mistake #1: Doing Payroll on the Fly As a small…
The Art and Science of Building a Successful Business: An Interview with Paul Butler
Building a successful business is the goal of every entrepreneur. Paul Butler, one of the authors of the book Think to Win: Unleashing the Power of Strategic Thinking, recently suggested that business success is really a combination of art, science, and the ability to think strategically. He and his co-authors, John Manfredi and Peter Klein,…
Should I Apply for a Business Credit Card, Line of Credit, or a Business Loan?
Deciding which type of credit is right for your business or your business purpose can sometimes be a challenge. And, in some cases there might be more than one way for a small business owner to access the credit he or she might need. A business credit card, a line of credit, and a small…
Does a Small Business Loan Make Sense for My Business?
Finding access to capital is a challenge for many business owners. It takes money to fuel growth—borrowed money for many small businesses. As online small business lending becomes more mainstream, and many business owners enjoy increased access, it becomes important to ask, “Does a business loan really make sense for my business?” I started working…
Are You Familiar with the Mandela Effect? It Can Hurt Your Business
How often have you followed up with an employee about an assignment or project only to find out that he or she completed it differently from the way you’d expected? You were sure you had explained the task just so, and your employee seemed to understand. However, somewhere between your explanation and the completed task,…
Cash Flow Problems? Here’s What You Need to Know
We all know how important cash flow is. A steady stream of income that’s more than enough to cover expenses is what helps us stay in business–it’s what makes our businesses function to begin with. When cash is flowing in, all is well. Clients are paying on time, there are no unexpected expenses, and stress…
Driverless Cars: A New Opportunity for Small Business
Driverless cars seem like the kind of sophisticated, auto-pilot technology that sci-fi readers have been dreaming about for decades. But this is no futuristic novel anymore; this is reality now. And some small businesses are finding ways to make the technology work for them. Big Developments for Driverless Cars This summer’s big news on driverless…
Independent Contractors or Employees? When Contractors Make Sense for Your Small Business
Are Uber’s drivers contractors or employees? The question has been in the news in California, where a judge is willing to hear a class action suit that asks if the cabbies are truly employees but treated as contractors. This matters because companies—both large and small—seek out contractors in order to access a level of expertise…
5 Ways to Improve Your Business Credit Profile
No question, a good personal credit score is something every small business owner should build and maintain. Did you know your business credit profile may be even more important to some lenders for your business’ long-term ability to secure a small business loan? We recently shared some suggestions to boost your personal credit score, today…
Back To School? Small Companies Can Support Student-Employees
Word that Starbucks was offering its employees the opportunity to earn a degree at no cost spread like wildfire when its partnership with Arizona State University (ASU) was announced in early 2015. Starbucks employees can now take courses toward a degree online through ASU. As a small business, should you follow suit and help your…
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…