Author: mccbloom@gmail.com
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…
Looking for a Small Business Loan? Loan Purpose Matters
It’s true, there are more options available today than ever before for business owners looking for a small business loan, but there isn’t really a one-size-fits-all solution. Understanding the relationship between why you need the loan and where you should be looking will help you find the right loan. Should your first stop be the…
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…
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…
PayPal Is Free: How the Split from eBay Affects You
Did you know that digital payments company PayPal recently split from e-commerce giant eBay? The separation was announced last September, and this July, PayPal officially became an independent, publicly-traded company once again. Since more than 169 million users have active accounts on PayPal, according to the company, all small business owners should be aware of the…
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…
Boost Your Personal Credit Score: Take These Four Steps
For most small business owners, a personal credit score is still an important metric lenders may consider to measure your creditworthiness when evaluating your application for a small business loan. While different lenders weight the score differently, the benefits of building and maintaining a good personal credit score will likely never go away. With that…
What Do Business Owners Think About OnDeck?
We love hearing from our customers. Here are just a few of the comments we’ve received over the last 30 days: “OnDeck proved to be an excellent source for short-term financing that enabled us to manage cash flow. The process was straightforward and remarkably fast. I would not hesitate to recommend OnDeck to other companies.”…
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…
21 Terms You Need to Know Before You Apply for a Business Loan
It is very important that a business owner understand key commercial lending terms when he or she decides which loan or even which lender is the right fit. With that in mind, here are 21 terms that we’ve tried to make easy-to-understand and that every borrower should be familiar with before they sit down with…
Got Student Loans? You Can Still Own a Small Business
Student debt can create a daunting financial maze for would-be small business owners. Recent research shows that regions where the population carries student debt boast significantly fewer small businesses. Does that mean that owning a small business is not an option for those with student loans to repay? Absolutely not. With careful planning, you can…
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,…
3 Types of Financing that Make Sense for Funding Inventory
Keeping the shelves stocked with what customers want to buy is sometimes a challenge for a small business owner trying to manage his or her other cash flow needs too. Fortunately there are inventory-financing options that can help you keep inventory on the shelves and your cash flow under control. What Type of Inventory Financing…