Category: Advice
5 Must Ask Questions Before You Apply for a Business Loan
There are a lot of decisions to make when you’re considering applying for a business loan. It can get confusing, overwhelming, and if you’re not careful, harmful to your personal credit. So, before you submit any applications with potential small business lenders, I want to share with you these 5 essential questions to ask yourself and/or any lender before you even…
Is a Franchise Right For You?
The answer could be yes—but there are some things you’ll need to do before you sign on the dotted line. It probably goes without saying, but picking the right franchise for you and your interests along with evaluating whether or not you have the skills to run the franchise, are critically important factors that will…
7 Ways Your Small Business Can Get More Customer Calls
Nowadays, it’s tempting to think that everything can be done online. After all, if you can tweet the pizza emoji at Domino’s and expect a piping hot pie to arrive within 30 minutes, how much more digital can things get?! To this I say hold on! Don’t assume that all customers adopt these channels –…
Worthwhile Small Business Advice
OnDeck has been a national sponsor of SCORE for the last few years and one of my favorite responsibilities here at OnDeck is to work with SCORES’s national leadership group and the many local volunteers throughout the country to help them educate and inform their clients about the new landscape of small business lending. I’ve…
OnDeck’s Top 10 FAQs: Answered
We want to make getting business financing from OnDeck as easy as possible. And we often get asked the same questions by small business owners looking to take financing for their business. So, we want to share the top 10 questions we get asked and answer them for you. 1. What products do you offer?…
Applying with OnDeck? What You Need to Know
Traditionally, applying for business financing can be difficult for small business owners. It takes time you don’t have and loads of paperwork you struggle to find. It leaves you thinking that there must be a better way. Well, you’ve come to the right place! At OnDeck, we made the application experience as stress-free and as painless…
Small Business Saturday Was a Big Success—Let’s Keep the Momentum Going
When American Express launched Small Business Saturday in 2010 I thought it was a great idea to encourage shoppers to patronize the small, locally owned, businesses in their area. With all the national chains and online merchants offering big discounts to consumers, it serves as a reminder that these small, local, businesses carry a lot…
Insurance 101: Insurance Your Business Needs Now
Starting a new business isn’t easy. Many first-time business owners do not realize how much goes into starting a new venture. Branding, logo-creation, finding office space, making sure you’ve got a viable product and hiring employees are likely among the first things you’ve thought about, but what about insurance? Researching, getting a quote and buying…
Podcast Interview: Use Small Business Credit to Fuel Your Growth
Obtaining a small-business loan or establishing a credit line is not always easy these days. In the podcast series – “Been There, Done That, with Dennis Zink” – Dennis interviewed Ty Kiisel, Small Business Educator, at OnDeck. This interview discusses some challenges that an owner might confront when trying to use debt financing as an…
OnDeck Seal of Approval Winners
We are so excited to share the winners for the OnDeck Seal of Approval Contest. For the second year in a row, OnDeck worked with Barbara Corcoran to give three entrepreneurs a $10,000 prize, courtesy of OnDeck, and a one-on-one coaching session with Barbara, to take their businesses to the next level.
We know how…
12 Free Online SMB Management Resources You Can’t Afford to Ignore
Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) know how to stretch a dollar to make it go as far as possible. Whether you’re bootstrapping your business on your own or gearing up to seek venture capital backing, it’s important to strategically maximize your budget without sacrificing the quality of your goods or services. Tight cash flow management…
6 Tips to an Outstanding Holiday Season
The holiday season is upon us, but as a business owner, you already know that. For many businesses, this is the most profitable time of year. For some it’s exciting, and for others, it’s a little nerve-wracking. Here are 6 ideas for you to prepare and grow your small business during the Holiday Season: 1)…
7 Better Ways to Train Small Business Employees
Even if they come with years of experience, every new employee you hire needs training. But all too often, small business owners are so overwhelmed with running the business to come up with anything better than a “follow me around for two weeks and learn the ropes” system. Unfortunately, that’s both inefficient and frustrating: owners…
5 Crucial Elements of the Perfect Elevator Pitch
It’s tempting to prioritize your startup’s elevator pitch somewhere between watering the office ficus and ordering extra paper towels for the break room. After all, they can be hard to develop and even harder to deliver. However, it’s important that business owners not underestimate the power of a solid elevator pitch and the impact it…
3 New Ways Technology Is Benefiting Brick & Mortar Businesses
These days, nearly every brick and mortar business is looking for the perfect way to meld online shopping and in-store experiences. While it’s easy to be an e-commerce-only business, shoppers and retailers alike consistently find that a personalized relationship with a store or brand, along with an in-person experience, will breed customer loyalty, and encourage…