Investing your Capital for Maximum Business Growth

Growth should be a core part of the business plan of any organization serious about success. Whatever its size, a business should always be thinking about the future in order to stay relevant and competitive, and the future should always include a vision of growth.

Small business investing

This is a particular challenge for small businesses, which always run the risk of not growing beyond the size they were when they started up, and stagnating as a result. There are many examples however, of small businesses that bucked this trend and achieved remarkable growth against the odds.

Investment is critical to growth and small business owners must understand how various aspects of investment work.…

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3 Tips for Marketing to Low-Income Audiences

Depending on the type of product or service you sell as a business, you likely have at least a small portion of your target audience that falls under the category of “low-income”, whether this is due to being unemployed, underemployed, or suffering an illness or injury that hinders work. However, just because your product or service is best suited for people in a lower income bracket doesn’t mean that you will have less success than those with products or services targeted at a higher income bracket.

Walmart Ad Match and Coupons at Checkout

It does mean, however, that you may have to market yourself differently in order to find the success you need with a low-income audience.…

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Choosing the Right Hosting for Your SME

Having an online presence is vital in the digital age, and with the advent of content management systems such as WordPress getting your company’s website up and running is easier than ever before. There is, however, one part of the process that can leave business owners frustrated and confused – hosting.

Web servers

So, what is hosting?

Hosting is the process needed to get your beautiful new website out to a wider audience. Without a hosting account your site simply would not have a place on the web. In theory you could host your website from your own computer, but in reality this isn’t at all practical.…

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5 Do’s and Don’ts of Professional Office Etiquette (Hopefully you’re Not a Number 5!)

Though most of us are adults, it’s sometimes easy to forget the basics of establishing and maintaining good relationships with the people we work with.

Annoying businessman

Following are 5 do’s and don’ts of inter-office etiquette that everyone should know already, but which are often neglected:

1. Do: Show appreciation to coworkers and management.

Naturally, when someone does something kind for you, you need to say thank you. Failure to do so will result in you looking unappreciative, arrogant, narcissistic, or all the above!

For instance, if someone drops some documents you printed off on their way by your desk, make sure to thank them.…

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Tips For a Productive Working Environment

Your workspace environment can have a major impact on your overall productivity and motivation. Let’s face it, a drab and cold feeling office isn’t going to fill you with joy is it? Just a few simple changes can give your office an overhaul and create a warm and welcoming environment.

Tidy and clean office

If you’re a small business, then you want to make a solid first impression on potential clients and visitors, your space can tell a thousand words! You don’t need a huge budget to create a pleasing environment, just check out these top tips as a starting point:

1. A fresh lick of paint

Whether you’re moving into new offices or trying to jazz up your existing workspace then a fresh coat of paint is always number one on the list.…

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Intelligent Insights to Ignite Positive Change for Your Business

Brought to you by Spark Business® from Capital One®

Whether you’re breaking into new industries, creating services within a community, or carving a niche out of an existing market, as a modern entrepreneur, you’re set on exceeding expectations on all fronts. Part of getting to that place is sourcing helpful insights that work to demystify small business, and in turn, lead to positive change.

Spark Business IQ by Spark Business® from Capital One® aims to keep business owners inspired and on the path towards growth and improved financial management through news, tips, tools, and business stories.

Visit Spark Business IQ to help ignite positive change for your business today.

For more information on the Spark Business credit cards, visit www.CapitalOne.com/smallbusiness.

Architect

This editorial is sponsored by Spark Business® from Capital One®

How MOOC s are Changing the Way we Do Corporate Education

Remember when everyone thought the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) would be the future of higher education as we know it? Yeah, that was only 2012. In recent years, the popularity of the MOOC has dramatically decreased. Yet inversely, the number of high profile research institutions that have presented these courses has steadily risen. As eighteen year olds continue to opt for more traditional means of education, there is room for the MOOC to make major waves in the world of corporate training and education.

Professor using MOOC

The Educational Landscape

Unless you live under a rock, you’ve realized that the cost of education has skyrocketed.…

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Increase Productivity with Flexible Working

Businesses can often be reluctant to engage a flexible working policy through fear that the system will become more of problem than a benefit. The correct structure has to be in place to support the system and maximise the benefits but can it increase job satisfaction? Should it and can it be made available to all employees or just a few? Certainly, some jobs would not fit the ‘work from home’ criteria but with planning, flexible working could be available for most roles providing the needs of the business are being met.

Office worker working at home

Attract and retain a skilled workforce

Essential for any business, attracting and retaining an appropriately skilled workforce will always be a priority.…

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5 Challenges Faced by Small Businesses in 2015

Companies face difficult challenges in today’s competitive business world. Some researchers estimate that about 50 percent of companies only last four or five years before going out of business. To avoid failure, entrepreneurs need to know how they can face these five common challenges in 2015.

Freerider

1. Keeping Up with Regulations

Large companies hire lawyers to make sure they follow the latest regulations for their industries. Small businesses rarely have enough money to keep lawyers on retainer. This can make it difficult for them to keep up with evolving regulations.

There are several ways to lower the costs of regulatory compliance.…

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Consulting Advice for your Startup

Startup companies typically have a high amount of energy, which they need to grow into something that is viable as a business. Taking it to the next level isn’t always easy, though. Read on for advice on how to organize leadership, manage projects, and develop tools that help startups succeed.

Organizational Management

Your startup’s leadership team is the strength that holds your entity together, so how you organize your leadership team is important. Building a leadership team involves inspiration, motivation, goal championing, and efficiency.

For a business to succeed, you typically need the right people to hold the right positions.…

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