When Looking for Investors, Tread Carefully Around Angels

There are plenty of studies floating around the Internet that suggest that banks are hesitant to loan money to entrepreneurs. That is unless they don’t really need it. No surprise there.

Angel investor

One of the studies, conducted by Florida Atlantic University College of Business, noted “bank lending to small businesses … is still depressed several years after the end of the U.S. financial crisis that started in 2008.”

So what should an entrepreneur do? Definitely explore alternative sources of debt financing. More on that later.

What should an entrepreneur not do? Sell a piece of their company to an angel investor to finance their business.…

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Preparing to Go into Business with Someone: What To Consider

Entering into a business partnership can be life-changing in a positive way, but also a negative way. Too often, there are big problems that arise down the road because business partners don’t do their due diligence on one another, or they ignore red flags.

Choosing business partners

A strong business partnership can mean that the two of you bring together complementary skills and backgrounds to improve the success of your business. A business partner may also bring financial benefits to the situation. However, a business partnership can quickly turn sour without the necessary steps being taken upfront.

The following are things to know and do before you go into business with someone.…

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3 Ways To Make Your Business More Environmentally Friendly

In today’s world, it’s of the utmost importance that everyone concern themselves with what impact they’re having on the world around them. Ideally, people would have a positive impact on the people they come in contact with and no impact at all on the environment they’re surrounded with. However, this simply isn’t the case in most situations.

Eco-friendly business practices

Especially for businesses, your impact on the environment can be even more pronounced than that of individual people. So to help you turn your impact into something that’s less noticeable and more positive, here are three ways you can make your business more environmentally friendly.…

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7 Tips to Master Your Next Performance Review

Performance reviews are an extremely useful technique for employers and employees. Employers use them as a basis for raises and to address any ongoing challenges. Meanwhile, employees can use a performance review as a guide for enhancing their career potential and productivity.

Conducting performance reviews.

For both parties, a performance review can be an awkward, nerve-wracking experience. By using these tips, you can master your next review and make the most of the experience.

Know What to Expect

When it comes to being nervous, one of the best ways you can relax is by knowing what will actually happen. Read through the steps involved in giving a performance review.…

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Creative Ideas to Improve Your Employees’ Wellness

When you run a business, one major goal is to retain your best workers in the long run. Employee wellness programs help you do this by rewarding and taking care of your employees. In addition to improving your compensation package, wellness programs can help reduce absenteeism and encourage productivity.

Company fitness program

These kinds of programs are in high demand among today’s job seekers, so it is extremely important to put them in place. If you are struggling to think of the right ideas for your company, the following wellness ideas can help.

Healthy Cooking Classes

Whether you are trying to appeal to full or part-time employees, classes are an excellent way to reward them.…

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Here’s Why Employee Engagement Should Be a Priority

Companies that want to be more effective and productive need to place a higher priority on employee engagement. Failure to do so typically results in a combination of poor performance and high turnover rates.

Business leader fostering employee engagement

There are many benefits to focusing on employee engagement. Here are six of them:

1. It Retains Your Talent

One of the primary benefits of high employee engagement is the retention of valuable talent. When employees feel a strong bond with their employer and identify with the employer’s purpose and mission, they are more likely to remain in the company’s employ.

Additionally, satisfying work and a clear development plan will produce a sense of loyalty that a pay raise will never be able to achieve.…

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Why Pitney Bowes’ SendPro Online Service Makes Sense to Business Owners

Small to medium-sized business owners face a plethora of unique challenges that usually involve obstacles including cost and time. When it comes to shipping, small business owners are definitely caught at a crossroads between needing a reliable shipping solution and needing a budget friendly option. Many small businesses have shipping needs that send them on a quest to find the cheapest shipping carrier, whether it be USPS, UPS, or Fedex. This is a burden that costs business owners crucial time and money.

SendPro Online by Pitney Bowes

Many current shipping solutions seem to cater to larger companies only. While there are some shipping savings that can come into play, most business owners would be shocked to see that they can’t just do everything within the fee they pay.…

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Why Online Reviews are Important for Businesses

The online world has brought so much to our fingertips, from our weekly food shop to researching into our next holiday destination. One area in which it’s having an increasingly pronounced effect is the public perception of businesses, turning the internet into a forum that enables consumers to base their purchasing decisions on the opinions of like-minded individuals. Although word of mouth has always been essential to a business’s fortunes, it’s now easier than ever for companies to be made or broken by the wisdom of crowds.

Online reviews are important

Yet, some small businesses—particularly offline ones—still place little importance on online reviews, despite the impact they can have, let alone worry about whether these reviews are positive.…

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5 Ways to Get Free Business Advertising

The question has been asked by many people and businesses – How to get free advertising for your business?

Luckily, there are a lot of free ways you can advertise your business. Please note that it’s recommended you do this even if you’re already doing paid advertising. Free advertising can still be good advertising if you’re doing it properly.

Free business advertising

Here are 5 ways to get free business advertising.

1. Utilize Social Media

You probably already use social media for your personal needs and you know it’s free. It’s also free to create an account for your business, a page, a group, and more.…

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What to Look for in a Digital Marketing Partner

Many business owners spend less time investigating their digital marketing consultants than they do equipment and furnishings. In fact, one OutboundEngine survey revealed 58% of teams spend less than five hours a week on their general marketing strategy, a sign that many companies don’t adequately vet their digital consultants.

Digital marketing partner meeting

I’ve seen countless instances of businesses missing clear signs that their consultant wasn’t as reliable or brilliant as promised. Rather than trusting any digital agency unquestioningly, executives should learn the ins and outs of the digital ecosystem themselves to lessen their risk.

It takes time for leaders to build digital marketing knowledge, but it’s an investment that can save organizations millions and help foster future growth.…

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