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Helpful Small Business Coronavirus Articles
Here are articles with COVID-19 (coronavirus) facts and resources for small businesses.
CARES Act – Payroll Protection Program Details from the SBA
Details from the SBA about the Paycheck Protection Program and the public-private partnership with banks aimed at speeding money to small businesses.
Coronavirus Financial Resources and Facts for Small Businesses
Public and private resources to help small businesses manage during the crisis.
How to Apply for an SBA Coronavirus Economic Injury Disaster Loan and Where to Get Help
How to apply for the SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL)
Small Business Survival Strategies and Recovery Tips
Practical tips to help small businesses survive and recover
Other helpful articles:
To find additional help and ideas for marketing, managing and financing your business (or starting one), click on any of the menu items or use the search function on the page. If you are on a mobile device, the search function is listed when you click the word “Menu.” If you’re on a desktop computer, it’s in the green bar on the top of the site.
COVID-19 Small Business Survey
How is your business being affected by the Coronavirus? Please take our survey and let us know what resources and information you need at this time.
How to Create a Business Page on LinkedIn
A LinkedIn business page (called a Company Page) allows you to engage your customers and build awareness for your brand. Use it to describe your business, post product information, and more. Here’s how to set up a business page on LinkedIn.
How to Write an Elevator Pitch
An elevator pitch (elevator speech) is a short, powerful description of what you do and why it’s important to customers or investors. Here’s how to write an elevator pitch that gets attention.
How Big is a Business Card? Understanding the Standard Business Card Size
How big should your business card be? Business cards are an important part of your marketing and they can come in a variety of shapes and sizes. What sizes are standard? And what size card should you use? Find out here.
How to Change a Business Name on Facebook
On occasion, a business might need to change its name on Facebook. Facebook does allow you to do this, but approval is required. Here are the steps you should take to change your Facebook business name.
How to Use LinkedIn for Your Small Business – A Beginner’s Guide
You’ve probably heard of LinkedIn, but do you know what it really is and how to use LinkedIn for your business? How can it help with marketing? Get answers to your questions about using LinkedIn for business here.
How to Use Pinterest for Business
If you’re not using Pinterest for business, you’re missing out on a proven and reliable social media marketing platform. Here are seven tips for attracting prospects using Pinterest.
Promotional Folder Advertising Scam
The FTC is warning small businesses about a new scam involving advertising on promotional folders. Get the details and learn how to protect your business from such scams in the future.
6 Tips for Marketing Your Business on Instagram
Instagram is one of the largest and most popular social media platforms, making it a powerful marketing tool for your small business. Follow these six Instagram business tips to improve your Instagram marketing.
8 Things Leaders Can Do to Cut Out “Noise” at Work
Information overload and endless digital disruptions are crippling your employees and harming your business. Use these strategies to help employees manage the “noise” so they can stay focused and give you their best.
The SECURE Act is Changing Retirement Saving Plans for Business Owners and Employees
The SECURE Act, which was passed in December of 2019, enacted new tax laws that affect both employer-sponsored retirement plans and individual retirement plans. Find out how these changes may impact you and your business.
Pricing Services – Guide for Small Businesses
How should you price your business services? Here are costs you have to factor into your hourly rates to run a profitable service or consulting business.
How the Qualified Business Income Deduction Could Cut Your Tax Bill by 20 Percent
The qualified business income (QBI) deduction could save you as much as 20% on your taxes if you meet the qualifications. Find out how this new pass-through deduction works here.
Five Reasons to Cancel That Meeting
Author Michael K. Levine reveals the secret to knowing when to hold and when to cancel a meeting, based on the principles of Leadership for Agility — rigor, alignment, and efficiency. He shares the five key factors that determine if a meeting is worth it, or a waste of everyone’s time and energy.
The 5 Questions Every Brand Leader Should Be Able to Answer About Amazon
If your company’s products are being sold in Amazon’s marketplace by unauthorized sellers, how is that affecting your brand? Here are five key questions you need to be able to answer.
Small Business Insurance: Benefits of a Business Owner Policy
A business owner policy is a small business insurance policy that combines insurance coverage for property damage and common liability risks into a single package. Here’s how it may benefit your business.
7 Keys to Making Freelancing Profitable
Whether you’re new to freelancing or have been doing it for years, your number one concern is staying profitable. These seven tips can help you run a profitable freelancing business.
Best Businesses for Retirees to Start
Many retirees are turning to business ownership as a way to stay busy and active as well as supplement their retirement income. Here are several ideas for good businesses to start in retirement.
Customer Retention Strategies to Help Small Businesses Succeed
Customer retention is important to the success of your small business. Apply these customer retention strategies in your business to build loyalty and keep customers coming back.
How to Use the Standard Mileage Deduction to Deduct Business Driving Expenses
Taking the mileage deduction when you use your vehicle for business can yield big savings on your taxes. Find out what this year’s mileage rate is and what the IRS’s rules are for taking this deduction.
Small Business Growth
How are small businesses in the US doing? Here are the small business growth trends outlined in a report from online lender Kabbage.
How to Start a Virtual Assistant Business
Want to start a virtual assistant business? Here’s what you need to know to get started as a virtual assistant and find customers for your VA business.
8 Ways to Improve and Grow Your Business in 2020
Looking to grow your business in the coming year? These eight business improvement ideas will help you get more customers, be more productive, and increase your profits.
7 Things to Do Now to Get Your Business Ready for the New Year
Business planning is a great way to spend the downtime many businesses have at the end of the year. Use these seven tips to get your business ready to start next year off on the right foot.
How to Buy a Business to Expand Your Current Business
When you buy a business that’s related to your own, it can fast-track your business expansion. But buying a business doesn’t come without risks and challenges.
Effective Facebook Ads on a Budget
Facebook Advertising can be much more cost-effective than traditional advertising. Learn how to create effective ads that bring results, even if you can only afford the advertising equivalent of a cup of coffee.
Email Marketing Best Practices
Putting these email marketing best practices to use in your business will help your email campaigns produce more sales and customers.
9 Ways to Advertise Your Website for Free
Looking for ways to promote your website on a budget? How about for free? Website advertising doesn’t have to break your budget. Here are 9 ways to advertise your website and get more traffic for free.
9 Email Marketing Mistakes to Avoid
Email marketing is one of the most effective ways to reach new and existing customers, but it only works well when you use it right. Be sure you aren’t making any of these nine common email marketing mistakes.
5 Tips to Win at Working from Home
Working from home seems like a dream come true to many, but it’s not without problems. Here are five tips to help you win at working from home.
11 Tips for Successful Business Networking
Want to make your business networking more effective? Use these eleven networking tips to build relationships that help bring in business.
How to Prevent Cybercrime – A Guide for Small Businesses
Cybercrime is a real threat for small and medium businesses and it can cost your business hundreds of thousands of dollars if it happens to you. Here’s what you need to know to recognize and prevent cybercrime.
Best Business Ideas for Helping Seniors
The aging boomer population has opened up many opportunities for entreprenurs to help support their changing needs. Here are several business ideas and side hustle ideas for helping seniors during their retirement years.
4 Reasons You Are in Sales and it’s a Good Thing!
No matter what your job title is, you’re in sales. And even though nobody likes the idea of being “sold,” everyone does it. Here are four tips to help you embrace your inner salesperson.
3 Tips for Persuading Decision Makers
When you need to get a message across or persuade someone of your point of view, it’s important to remember who you are communicating with. These tips will help you customize your persuasive approach to your audience.
How a Simple “Thank You” Can Make You a Better Leader
Saying “thank you” can go a long way towards garnering respect from coworkers, loyalty from employees, and repeat business from customers.
Website Writing Guidelines for Small Businesses
The words on your website are the key to turning visitors into leads and customers. The web writing guidelines below will help you determine what content should be on your web pages.
5 Simple Steps to Sell Your Requests More Successfully
You use sales skills every single day – not just to sell your business’s products or services, but whenever you ask people to do something. You use them to get your employees to work harder, to get buy-in on your latest initiative, and even to get your kids to do their homework. Here are five steps to selling your everyday requests more successfully.
Managing Organizational Change: Miracles Can Happen. Here’s How
Why is managing change in an organization so difficult and slow? More importantly, what can you do to get your employees onboard and solve the problem and achieve sustainable change? Read this eye-opening book excerpt from Miracle Minded Manager: A Modern Day Parable about How to Apply A Course in Miracles in Business by leadership expert John J. Murphy.
How IoT Is Reinventing Businesses Today
Our world is becoming more and more computerized, and this has led to some surprising advances for businesses. Find out how IoT – the Internet of Things – is helping businesses be more productive and responsive to customers.
Gig Workers Wanted by the Census Bureau
If you’re looking for a gig job, look no further than the US Census Bureau. They’ll soon be hiring census workers in temporary and part-time positions in preparation for the 2020 Census.
6 Reasons Your Next Meeting Should Be Optional
Everyone knows how much of a time-waster meetings can be, but what would happen if you made your meetings optional? You might be surprised by the results.
What’s Really Killing Traditional Retailers?
What’s killing business for traditional retailers? Consumers are skipping them and finding better ways to satisfy their needs. The retailers who are winning are those who improve the experience of acquiring goods and services for the customer. Here’s what you need to know.
Effective Steps to Reduce Shrinkage in Your Business
Inventory shrinkage costs retailers billions of dollars each year. Learn about the four main causes of inventory shrinkage and find out what you can do to prevent them.
3 Ways to Manage Business Risk So Your Business Doesn’t Suffer
How you manage business risk determines just how much your business will suffer. Here are three ways you can manage risks and even put procedures in place to avoid some risks entirely.
Tough Questions to Ask Before Starting Your Own Business
Want to start your own business? Before you take the plunge, consider these questions to see if you’re cut out to be a business owner.
How to Keep Online Shoppers from Abandoning Their Carts
Are your online customers abandoning their online shopping cart before they complete their purchase? If so, you’re not alone. Here are several things you can do to reduce lost sales.
Networking Ethnic Style
To grow a successful career or business, you need a good network. These four tips can help minorities build that network.
Home Care Business Idea – 5 Steps to Success
Starting a home care business may be the right business idea for you if you are compassionate and enjoy caring for others. Home care is a steadily-growing industry, but there are some things you need to know before you start.
Three Types of Stories Every Leader Should Master
People tend to respond to stories more strongly than other ways of conveying information. Here are three different types of stories that every leader should master.
How to Succeed as a Consultant
Consulting is a popular option for experts who want to start their own business. Here’s what experienced consultants say it takes to succeed.
How to Increase Employee Productivity
Are your employees not getting as much done as you think they should? Here are ten simple things you can do to help them want to work harder and be more productive.
Writing Tips: How to Write Blog and Web Content
Coming up with ideas for what to write about on your blog or website is only half the problem. The other half is actually getting those ideas out of your head. These six writing tips can help.
Competitor Analysis Tips for Small Business
Competitive analysis is as important for a small business as it is for big businesses, and it’s easy to do. You can keep tabs on your competitors by using these 15 tactics to gather and analyze information about them.
What to Know Before You Buy a Franchise
Buying a franchise can be a good way to start a business if you don’t want to start from scratch. But it isn’t always. Here’s information you need to know to decide if buying a franchise is the right choice for you.
How to Use Lead Magnets for Attracting More Email Subscribers
Lead magnets let you build your email marketing list more quickly and with more targeted prospects. Learn what lead magnets are and how to use them in your small business.
Challenges and Solutions for the Self-Employed
As the number of self-employed increases, so, too, does the competition for work. Here’s a look at today’s challenges for people who work for themselves along with some solutions for overcoming the problems.
5 Tips for Introverts to Network Successfully
Just because you’re an introvert doesn’t mean you can’t be successful at networking. The trick for anyone, whether introverted or not, is to find your natural and preferred style of networking.
5 Key Ways Tax Reform May Affect Your Small Business Taxes This Year
The new tax laws resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act could affect your 2018 business taxes. Here are five areas you need to know about before filing your taxes this year.
How Much Money Do Small Business Owners Need to Retire?
How much money do you need to retire as a business owner? You may think the sale of your business will fund your retirement, but will that be enough? Here’s what you need to know.
Online Payment Solutions for Small Businesses
Accepting online payments from your customers is a necessity for most businesses. Here are the most common online payment solutions available to small businesses.
How to Measure Social Media Effectiveness
Is your social media marketing working? You can judge your effectiveness by measuring key performance indicators. Here’s how to do it.
The Pros & Cons of Accepting Bitcoin for Small Business Payments
Should you accept Bitcoin payments in your business? What are the benefits and what are the risks? Here are pros and cons of Bitcoin payments to consider.
Digital Marketing Tactics that Work for Small Businesses
Which digital marketing tactics are working for small businesses today? Read what experts say to help you decide which onine marketing options to use in your business.
39 Low-Cost Ways to Promote Your Business
Starting a business on a shoestring? Looking for ways to stretch your small business marketing budget? Marketing a business doesn’t have to cost a lot. Here are 39 low-cost, high-impact methods to advertise and promote your business.
5 Keys to Turning Your Side Hustle into a Successful Business
You probably enjoy your side hustle more than your main career. What if you could turn that side hustle into a successful business? Here are five strategies to make that happen.
The Self-Employed – Who They Are, and Why They Work for Themselves
Self-employment is a source of income for more than 24 million workers in the US. Some are full-time self-employed, others are gig workers, work for themselves part-time or freelance occasionally. Here are traits they share.
Do PPC Ads Work for Small Business?
Do PPC ads work? Is the cost of advertising on Google and other pay-per-click networks too high for your small business? Maybe not. Here are factors that will help you determine if advertising on search engines could be cost-effective for your company.
