Blog

If you’ve got the entrepreneurial spirit but aren’t ready to start up your own business, you might want to consider a franchise. A franchised business can offer the best of all worlds: the opportunity to work for yourself, earn a profit quickly, and enjoy a high long term success rate. Read on for five more reasons a franchise may be right for you. Cost Savings It’s expensive to start up…  Read more

Preparing for tax season is really a year-round endeavor. Tip number one for SMB owners is to update financials on a monthly basis, using a streamlined software or cloud-based system. This way, come tax time, everything you need is all in one place. And well organized SMBs are better positioned to minimize their tax bill while avoiding penalties associated with missing or inaccurate information. Here are four more ways to…  Read more

Perhaps you’d always planned to build a thriving business to eventually sell for a tidy sum – or maybe for unexpected personal reasons it’s best to let your company go sooner rather than later. No matter what the reason for selling your business, experts agree: it’s best to be prepared well in advance as it can take years to complete a successful sale. These four tips will help you get…  Read more

If you’re like most small business owners, you spend the majority of your time managing daily operations, keeping customers happy, and looking for new ways to grow. Spreadsheets, cash flow analysis, and financial projections are probably not your first passion. However, measuring profitability, creating realistic budgets, and planning ahead for the future are crucial to your professional success. Follow these four tips to get a handle on the numbers, and…  Read more

If you need a car to operate your business, you may wonder whether it makes more sense to purchase or lease. On the one hand, if your business owns the car you’ll have a long-term asset and may qualify for more tax deductions. On the other hand, buying a car is a huge expense and monthly lease payments tend to be lower than car loan payments; they may also be…  Read more

Keeping track of sales, earnings, expenses, and purchases is fundamental to the overall health and sustainability of your business. Effective bookkeeping produces the data you need to evaluate your current practices, anticipate challenges, and set attainable future goals. But despite their proven importance, many business owners dread and avoid accounting tasks. In fact, 40% of surveyed entrepreneurs claim that bookkeeping is one the worst parts of running a business! Wondering…  Read more

Every business can benefit from dedicated financial management expertise, but very few small businesses have the means to hire someone full time—particularly in the lean early years. Unfortunately, it’s those first few years when a company is just starting up that establishing good habits with managing financial resources is so important, and, over time can even make or break a business. Hiring a virtual CFO is an affordable option for…  Read more

The rise of the global workforce has opened up exciting possibilities for small business owners whose growing companies could use an extra set of hands. If you’re wondering whether it’s worthwhile to hire overseas workers for virtual admin support or other business services, cost considerations alone can make the prospect quite attractive. Before you decide to hire an overseas worker for your next project, keep these important considerations in mind.…  Read more

Whether you’re an entrepreneur seeking lucrative new partnerships or a skilled worker in search of the perfect job placement, LinkedIn is the social network you need to be using. As the world’s premier social network geared towards professionals from all walks of life, LinkedIn is effectively your online portfolio and résumé. Companies all over the world use it daily to seek out valuable new connections, but with some 350 million…  Read more

Many of us think of the MS Office Suite as the only option for word processing, spreadsheets and presentations. However, open source software is changing that assumption for a growing number of small business owners. Some are looking for a free alternative to paid software products, and some prefer the idea that code should be shared, adapted and improved freely by everyone. Read on to learn more about 3 free…  Read more

When your email list is small or you’d just like to add more people and get higher open rates, it’s smart to grow your list through personal contacts. Begin with the obvious: ask friends, family and business contacts to sign up. Everyone has a pool of people who might be happy to hear about your business via email. All you have to do is remember to ask. Put a note…  Read more

If you haven’t been in business long, it can be tough to qualify for a loan. Lenders want to see a detailed business plan, backed by income and cash flow statements, that prove you’re a good risk. Often strict lending requirements can freeze out new businesses when they need funding the most. Crowdfunding offers an exciting funding alternative for businesses. Originally the domain of filmmakers, musicians and artists, crowdfunding is…  Read more

Businesses of all sizes are under constant threat from cybercriminals and malicious software, with even some of the world’s largest and apparently impenetrable organizations making headlines in recent years after falling victims to cyberattacks. Although the risk is generally lower for smaller companies, since they don’t tend to be primary targets for hackers, it is still essential to take every precaution to make sure that you, your employees and your…  Read more

Looking for simple ways to cut costs? These tips will help you make a noticeable difference to your bottom line. Reduce Staff Costs Without a doubt, having someone to help deal with routine tasks can greatly improve productivity. The rub is that hired help is often too expensive for small business owners. Internships can be a real win-win: a student gets hands-on experience assisting you with marketing, accounting or administrative…  Read more

It’s no secret that data loss can be a costly nightmare for a small business, with recent estimates citing the total cost of data breaches exceeding $2.1 trillion by 2019. Unfortunately, cyber attackers increasingly target small businesses because they are less likely to have security protection in place. Accidental loss or loss due to a natural disaster can be just as harmful to a business, with recovery efforts and delays…  Read more

Being an entrepreneur is often about getting the most value out of your resources. That means spending only on the necessities, and nothing more. Unfortunately, things you consider to be a waste of your capital may actually be what your start-up needs to survive. Some of them are expensive, especially for a new company, but they’re worthwhile. Data Analysis Successful entrepreneurs are usually well informed. They don’t make decisions solely…  Read more

Research suggests that as much as 93% of communication is non-verbal, so it’s not surprising that the tone and meaning of emails are misinterpreted as much as half the time. For small businesses, email is frequently the preferred way to communicate with new leads, customers and employees – but if haven’t mastered your tone, the meaning of your message may be lost. In the worst case scenario, you may even…  Read more

Every website should have an About page. It exists to capture the very essence of your business by reeling in your target audience and inspiring them with your story. The About page is more than just a brief biography or a list of achievements; it should be something that forges a connection with your readers and gives them a reason why they should choose your business. Crafting an unforgettable About…  Read more

Wondering if you’re doing everything you can to boost revenue and cut costs? Or if your business is actually more profitable this year than it was last? The best way to answer these questions is with a thorough assessment of profitability. That’s where gross and net profit calculations come in. These are two of the most important metrics for measuring your capacity to generate earnings relative to costs and expenses.…  Read more

Facebook ads are a great way for small business owners to get involved in online advertising. Compared to competitors like Google AdWords, they are easier for beginners. Here are five reasons to consider using Facebook ads. Targeting Facebook ads allow you to target specific demographics. You can target campaigns based on age, sex and location to place your ads before the right audience. Facebook uses members’ interests, the pages they…  Read more