With holidays approaching, the days to get the shopping done are slimming, inboxes full of holiday sales are growing, and your small business is just trying to be visible amongst all the chaos that is holiday advertising. But the fact remains that you’re a small business and your budget is indicative of that fact. With the fight for exposure strong in your veins, and the ability to pay for it not quite equal to the fight, it’s time to get creative. [Read more…]
Happy National Write A Business Plan Month!
December is National Write a Business Plan month. Business plans are popular discussion topics when it comes to starting a business or doing something entrepreneurial. If a prospective business owner is serious about taking a risk and making the leap into an entrepreneurial endeavor, he or she should take time and focus on producing a solid, well-written, and well thought-out business plan. What should be in the business plan? Here’s what Forbes Magazine suggests: [Read more…]
Small Business Saturday
Created by American Express as a contrasting counterpart to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Small Business Saturday encourages holiday shoppers to buy from small and local businesses. A nationwide radio, television, and social media campaign was launched by American Express announcing the creation of the first Small Business Saturday on November 27, 2010. The UK followed suit 3 years later after witnessing the success for small businesses and traction the campaign achieved. [Read more…]
3 Reasons Entrepreneurs Exist
There are a ton of motivations behind why people do what they do. That’s the top reason why psychologists exist. But after much scientific research (coffee with some local entrepreneurs), we’ve discovered the motivation behind why people branch out of the employee route – besides wanting to change the world – to choose one of the hardest career fields out there: entrepreneurship. [Read more…]
Top 3 Ways to Capture Holiday Shoppers
Black Fridays. Christmas Eve last minute one-day shipping sales. Cyber Mondays. Plenty of opportunities for holiday shoppers to buy online without having to encounter the packed stores, the out-of-stock shelves, the stressed parents, and hauling bags up stairs. With the ease of smartphone, tablet, and desktop shopping, why continue to market behind a store front? With 2 billion dollars worth of sales on Cyber Monday alone in 2013, it’s time to join the 21st century and hop on the online selling bandwagon if you haven’t already. Here’s some tips to capture those holiday shoppers. [Read more…]
Best Work-Life Balance Jobs
With companies staying conscious about keeping costs low in the recent economy, employees are finding their job descriptions grow. Competition for jobs is at an all-time high for college graduates and those looking to relocate or find a different career path. Every employee must go above and beyond expectations to keep their jobs and eventually grow within the company. Because of this, the work-life balance is often thrown out of whack tipping the scales heavily in the direction of work. So what jobs according to glassdoor.com are boasting the best balance between work and personal life? Did you make the list and if so, do you agree? [Read more…]
A 20 Year Celebration of Al Hodge
There’s a long list of academic and professional accomplishments that are impressive enough by themselves: a bachelor’s degree from University of Southwestern Louisiana (currently the University of Louisiana at Lafayette), a graduate of the Economic Development Institute of the University of Oklahoma, an Economic Development Finance Professional certification, SBA’s Louisiana Financial Services Advocate of the Year in 1993, Arkansas’s Financial Services Advocate of the Year in 2000, and one of AY’s Most Powerful Men of 2015. [Read more…]
How to Stay Motivated Part II: Entrepreneur Edition
To recap, in the 1st part of this series, which you can find here, we discussed the top 5 ways to stay motivated as you continue pursuing your dream as a business owner. They are to take a breather, remember to whom you’re benefitting, gather together a community of like-minded souls, and make lists to stay organized. Let’s continue. [Read more…]
How to Stay Motivated Part I: Entrepreneur Edition
Most people claim taking the first step is the hardest. Is it any different when starting your own business? Maybe it’s step 2 or 3 in your journey as an entrepreneur that really bogged you down. Maybe it was the 5th rejection or the 17th obstacle. Wherever you are in the American dream, it’s essential to stay motivated to achieve your goal, and then wave good-bye at it as you exceed your own expectations and those of naysayers. Here’s what can help. [Read more…]
Stars and Stripes Manufacturing
How often do you see that proudly displayed on the products, gadgets, and other favorite things collected or used in your home or business? It’s more often you see that something may have been invented in the states, but produced in China, Taiwan, and other countries. We know that’s the case because of the cost difference. Producing in America can sometimes be double or even triple the cost of having something made and shipped from another country. It shouldn’t be a decision between buying American to boost our economy and buying outside the states to cut costs. So what’s being done to change this? SBA.gov is excited to give us the answer to that very question. “… today we applaud new legislation in the Senate that would help novel manufacturing startups open their first factories in the USA by creating a public-private Manufacturing Scale Up Investment Fund. The Scale-Up Manufacturing Investment Company (SUMIC) Act of 2015 would establish a fund, administered by the Small Business Administration, to offer federal loan guarantees to investors looking to invest in novel manufacturing startups looking to make their products in the United States.” Read more here.
The Social Mafia
It seems as if a new social media site pops up as often as a new celebrity you’ve never heard of or a weed in your yard that you swore you just pulled up. So which ones have staying power and which ones are right for your particular type of business? We think all three below have potential to boost company awareness if handled correctly.
If social media sites were part of a mafia, Facebook is the Godfather. It was first and it makes the rules. There are more than a million small to mid sized businesses using this medium for advertising. Large companies are estimated to spend up to a hundred million annually advertising through Facebook.
Continuing with the mafia analogy, Twitter is the clever one with a slight attention deficit disorder. One minute something is trending and the next it disappears in the oblivion when something shinier pops up. It’s a tricky deal but if you know how to play the game, it can pay off in big ways.
LinkedIn is the charmer. It’s the site you never would’ve expected to be part of the mafia because it’s so sweet. It introduces you to friends of friends of friends and connects you to people in a professional web networking setting.
Top 10 Best Paying Jobs of 2015
We’ve got our mind on the money, and our money on the mind. Whether we are trying to save it, spend it, or want more of it, money is a part of life that drives a lot of decisions we make – or don’t make. Take a look of the top 10 best paying jobs. If you made the list, just remember, we’re always available for a vacation!
- Surgeon
- Psychiatrist
- General Practice Physician
- Senior Level Corporate Executive
- Dentist
- Petroleum Engineer
- Orthodontist
- Data Scientist
- Air Traffic Controller
- Pharmacist
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