Category: Advice
5 Questions with…Force Fin’s Susanne Chess and Bob Evans
Our blog series “5 Questions With…” takes a behind-the-scenes look into the daily lives of our small business customers. Our next installment is below! Name: Susanne Chess and Bob Evans Company: Force Fin Location: Santa Barbara, CA Products/Services: Underwater equipment Years in Business: 31 Years Facebook: ForceFin Twitter: @ForceFin 1) Tell us about a day…
Planning a Successful Succession for Your Business
Sometimes in business, you may come to a point where the best option is to shut down. Making the decision to close the doors of your company is difficult, but at times, the hardest choice to make is the right one. This does not mean you’re in dire straits. Perhaps you know the right path…
Three Things that Nobody Told You About Paying Overseas Suppliers
There are many small businesses that do business overseas either importing merchandise to sell in their local markets or exporting products to other countries. When James Cole, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Align Commerce, reached out to me about making a contribution to the OnDeck blog I thought it might be helpful for those in…
Start the Year Off Right: Six Things You Should Do This January
This time of year it’s natural to think about resolutions and how we want to make progress within our business and personal lives. These six things aren’t resolutions, but they’re things we can do right now to start the year off right and prepare your business for a healthy and prosperous year. Review your business…
Your New Year’s Resolution Should Be To Plan Strategically
At the beginning of the new year, business owners are often as eager to make resolutions for their companies as for their personal lives. There’s no better time to turn over a new leaf, to embark on previously neglected projects, or to commit to a change you may have been considering than the start of the New…
Feeling Flush: How to Optimize Extra Cash
You work hard, you put in the hours, and now you’re seeing the effort pay off. When your profits leave you with extra cash in hand, what’s the best way to spend it? Setting up a proactive savings plan can make extra cash a normal thing for your business. However your coffers fill up, here…
How To Get Happy Customers To Write You Online Reviews
In the age of the Internet, reviews of your business are easier than ever for customers to write, and for potential customers to access. Before checking out a new store or the latest restaurant, potential customers frequently whip out Yelp or the company’s Facebook page. Positive reviews boost your visibility, give you a good reputation,…
How to Nail These Four Business Public Speaking Occasions
There’s one thing that consistently tops the lists of people’s fears. It beats spiders, heights or plane crashes—even drowning. It’s public speaking. People would literally rather die than speak publically, according to this 2014 Washington Post poll. But as a business owner, you may be called upon to deliver a speech, with expectations that you’ll…
Open or Shut? How Small Businesses Owners Pick Business Hours
A sign with opening hours is one of the fixtures of a small business storefront. But “open” and “closed” are not quite as black and white as they appear at first, and there are a lot of decisions when it comes to the right times to operate as a small business. When should doors swing…
Building a Team to Defeat the Evil Empire
I was a junior in High School in 1977, when I waited in line for several hours to purchase two tickets to the premier of this new science fiction movie everyone was talking about. “The spaceships actually fly,” one of my friends had said. I wasn’t disappointed. Like most of my friends, I think I…
Turn off the Lights and Print Less: 25 Ideas for Cutting Your Overhead
The old saying is true: you do have to spend money to make money. But overhead—the cost of running your business—doesn’t have to be through the roof. There are tons of ways to cut down on spending and increase your cash flow. None of these solutions will make or break your bottom line, but little…
Four Growth Strategies To Build Your Business
Growth is important for any small business, but what’s the best way for your business to achieve growth? There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Instead, there are several strategies you can employ; the key to success lies in choosing the strategy that best fits your particular business. Focus on a Specific Market Segment If your business has…
How to Make the Most of Your Small Business Facebook Page
Whether you use Facebook as your exclusive digital outreach, or as one piece of your online efforts, a little bit of knowledge goes a long way. Random updates and haphazard sharing aren’t going to gain followers; but with these best practices in place, you can work to gain new customers and increase customer loyalty. Build…
What Small Businesses Can Do To Enhance Their Cybersecurity
Doing business in the digital age means that cybersecurity isn’t something you can ignore. Small businesses are just as vulnerable as large businesses to hackers, data loss, and security breaches. Here are three important ways you can protect your business from an all-too-common hack. Educate Your Employees Informed employees are your most powerful weapon in…
5 Ways To Turn Small Business Supporters into Bigger Sales this Holiday Season
The holidays are fast approaching. Black Friday is almost here, the day when millions of holiday shoppers will stand in line at 4am for deals on flat-screen televisions and the latest smartphone. It can seem intimidating for small businesses and local mom-and-pop shops to stand up to huge department chains with thousands to spend on…