Business Guides

Ever mused that it would be wonderful to clone yourself in order to handle the number of demands that are part of your busy work day (and nights) as a business owner? Artificial intelligence isn't that sophisticated (yet) but there are plenty of technologies and apps you can leverage to reduce your entrepreneurial burden, so you can focus the bulk of your day on tasks that truly grow your business.Here are five affordable tech tools that make running your handmade business a little easier:

It all begins with a need or a problem: What to give your children’s teachers at the end of the school year? And what about the girlfriends who have everything; finding that perfect birthday gift is nearly impossible. The solution? To make them something with your own hands. It’s thoughtful and it’s affordable. Perfect!

In the business world, being decisive is a critical component of success. Sometimes you’ll get it right and sometimes you won’t, but not making a decision can be just as bad as making the wrong one. Here are a ffew methods for practical decision-making.

When it comes to starting your own business, the first psychological hurdle is the statistics.  According to the Small Business Administration, one-half of new businesses survive at least five years and one-third survive at least ten years. With that in mind, let’s look at the positive side of starting your own business.  Here are ten reasons to consider striking out on your own -- in no particular order.

Planning to hire additional help to support your business at summer festivals, farmer’s markets or during the holiday season? Consider hiring millennials (the portion of the population that’s currently between the ages of 18 to 34). Not only do they account for one out of every three workers in the United States, according to Pew Research Center, they’ve represented the largest segment of the working population since 2015. Here are a few ways to attract the cream of the millennial crop to your business and keep them inspired, productive and engaged employees.

You have a perception of what your business offers, what values it brings customers that competitors don’t, and what makes you unique. But adjust the lens through which you view your business—and all the other aspects of your business that relate to it (like your products, brand, pricing and messaging) will change too. That could reveal untapped opportunities, and blind spots you wouldn’t otherwise recognize. Here are a few ways to shift your perspective about your business.

You may be a great manager, marketer, and innovator— but have you realized your power as an influencer? For small business owners, learning the small habits that lead to greater influence may prove the “secret sauce” to taking growth and awareness of your business to new heights. Here's how to be a more influential business owner.

The National Retail Federation calls the back-to-school season the second-biggest consumer event behind the winter holidays. But how do you attract compete with the onset of advertising and price-related ploys the big retail brands unleash on consumers? By being prepared to present compelling messages that will capture the attention of your audience and make them want to spend with you—well before they make a purchase decision. Here are a few ways small businesses can capture a piece of the highly lucrative back to school business.

You’ve heard the saying “Good help is hard to find.” (Unfortunately, you also may have experienced its truth first-hand). Hiring can be a challenge for companies of all sizes, but when you own a small business finding employees who have the right skill set, values and attitude can be a deciding factor in whether your business thrives or struggles. 

Being organized is the key to operating efficiently, especially for a small business. Integrating time management skills into your daily routine is worth the effort when time is of the essence.

The Small Business Administration was established as an independent agency of the federal government that aids new business startups and then helps the business grow. Learn about their wide variety of assistance programs!

Want to grow your business? Expand your product offering? Perhaps you simply want to know you have access to financing to protect your cash flow in case of an emergency. A small business loan could be of value in any of these scenarios, but there are some important aspects of small business lending that are important to understand, whether you hope to borrow from a bank, credit union, the Small Business Administration (SBA) or an online lender.