Fundera

MARCH 9, 2017

Do you think financing a small business’s startup and expansion is as easy as obtaining a free grant from the government? You might (almost) be excused for believing that Uncle Sam is handing out bags of free money to anyone with two X chromosomes. In addition to late-night infomercials about government grants, dozens of articles full of misinformation about small business grants for women can be found online, full of vague terms and hazy promises like “The government offers a wide range of gran

Small Businesses 107

Small Businesses Nonprofit Organizations 107

Abrigo

MARCH 9, 2017

Guest Post By Paige Chapel, President & CEO, Aeris Most banks recognize that their enterprises can only thrive if their customers also do. And to thrive, those customers need economically diverse and healthy communities in which to live and work. Partnering with local organizations to promote the health of those communities is often a top priority for banks.

Transactions 98

Transactions Small Businesses 98

GoCardless

MARCH 27, 2017

The apprenticeship levy will dramatically boost work trainee numbers when it becomes law in April. Education providers can attract more employers by offering the best courses – and making paying for training both simple and painless.

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52

Fundera

MARCH 14, 2017

If you’re trying to bring your business’s marketing plan to 2017, you should be looping in some way to build a following on the many social media sites available. With 1.65 billion social media users worldwide, these sites are bustling with new potential customers for your business. But if you’ve never dabbled in a Facebook business account , Instagram account, or a Pinterest for business account , social media for business might seem like a new, scary world to you.

Small Businesses 97

Small Businesses 97

Fundera

MARCH 28, 2017

When you’re a small business owner looking for the best time tracking apps, you want to make sure you choose the right one out of the gate. As your employees will also be interacting with the time tracking app, the process of implementation will be a bit more extensive than some of the other apps or software your business uses. That being said, there are a lot of great options for time tracking apps.

Dashboards 97

Dashboards Small Businesses Transactions 97

Fundera

MARCH 29, 2017

As a small business owner, you manage and dictate all the moving parts that make up a viable, successful business. Running a smooth operation requires that you have all your small business licenses and permits in place, a steady inflow of customers, happy employees to serve those customers, stable cash flow to keep those wheels turning, inventory stocked on the shelf….

Small Businesses 89

Small Businesses 89

Fundera

MARCH 7, 2017

The demand for high-quality talent in industries like technology, healthcare, finance, and more is more competitive than ever—and as the employee recruitment process becomes fully digitized and even goes mobile, recruiters increasingly need all the same skill sets as content marketers to catch the attention of the right potential hires. If your job descriptions aren’t bringing in the quality candidates you’re looking for, follow these guidelines to better communicate your company’s job openings

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89

Fundera

MARCH 7, 2017

When you’re shopping for an expense management app, you’re going to stumble on a ton of choices. It can be difficult to understand how these apps differ and which ones are best for your business. I’ve seen and worked with a number of these apps and can honestly say three really stand out and are the only expense management apps to consider. Two of them you’ve seen when we published “ 5 Bookkeeping Apps That Will Actually Change the Way You Do Business , ” and one is new.

Dashboards 85

Dashboards Small Businesses 85

Fundera

MARCH 2, 2017

What does it mean to be in “good standing?” That’s compliance-speak for state-level small business regulations, and it’s more important than you might think. A “Certificate of Good Standing” indicates that your business has filed all reports and paid all the necessary taxes and fees with your state’s secretary of state office. Incorporate.com says to think of your good standing certificate “as a kind of ‘snapshot’ of your business’s compliance status.”.

Transactions 85

Transactions Small Businesses 85

Fundera

MARCH 14, 2017

Every business owner I’ve talked to who needs to hire a bookkeeper starts by asking me what, in fact, they should be asking potential candidates. What are the best bookkeeper interview questions? I love this question. If you ask the right things, you’ll be able to make the right hiring decision for your business. So, let’s assume we can move right past the obvious stuff—like “What is your experience?

Transactions 85

Transactions 85

Fundera

MARCH 30, 2017

America is home to 11.3 million female-owned businesses that employ more than 9 million workers and generate over $1.6 trillion in revenue for the economy. Women are now the majority owners of 38% of the country’s businesses—up from 29% in 2007. While these statistics show that great strides have been made for women entrepreneurs, there’s still plenty of work to be done.

Small Businesses 81

Small Businesses 81

Fundera

MARCH 2, 2017

Firing an employee is one of the difficult tasks a small business owner will eventually have to deal with. Not only does a termination affect the employee’s career, self-esteem, and livelihood, losing an employee also affects other workers, their assignments, and the overall morale of your team. In effect, letting an employee go is a sensitive issue, and a situation that entrepreneurs should handle with absolute care.

Small Businesses 81

Small Businesses 81

Fundera

MARCH 16, 2017

In many ways, a business loan can be a savior for an entrepreneur who needs financing. Small business loans can help you get out of a cash crunch, purchase game-changing (but expensive) equipment for your business, or help you seize an opportunity that will move the needle for your business. While debt financing is an important resource for small business owners, small business loans need to be handled with the utmost care—they can have a huge positive or negative impact on your business’s finan

Credit and Collections 81

Credit and Collections Default Credit Scoring Small Businesses 81

Fundera

MARCH 31, 2017

The IRS tax code is complicated—many small businesses struggle to understand how their tax liability is determined. While understanding how the small business tax rate is calculated and applied can seem overwhelming to any business owner, getting some basics down can help you while making decisions and working with your tax professional. This guide breaks down the types of federal taxes your business may be subject to, how these taxes are applied to different types of business types, and the dif

Small Businesses 75

Small Businesses Deductions Transactions 75

Fundera

MARCH 28, 2017

Starting a business? Time to get cozy with government regulations! One of the first things you need to do is get the proper licenses or permits from the appropriate agencies to operate your business legally. Business licenses and permits are intended to keep consumers safe and operations transparent. The U.S. Small Business Administration says that virtually every business needs some sort of license or permit from state officials, but requirements vary based on the type of business, where it’s l

Credit and Collections 75

Credit and Collections Small Businesses 75

Fundera

MARCH 17, 2017

It’s almost April 18th. Have you filed your small business taxes yet? The Small Business Administration reports that there are 28 million small businesses in the U.S. , 22 million of which are “nonemployer” businesses made up of a solo entrepreneur. These small businesses run the gamut from indie retailers to consultants, from local restaurants to auto shops, and more.

Small Businesses 75

Small Businesses Deductions 75

Abrigo

MARCH 31, 2017

Commercial real estate lending continues to receive regulatory scrutiny and reminders for financial institutions to practice solid risk management. FDIC officials in March outlined several types of weaknesses in loan underwriting, administration and oversight practices that are emerging at some banks with CRE portfolios. In its latest “Supervisory Insights” publication, the FDIC reiterated the importance of sound credit risk management practices in light of rapid growth in CRE portfolios at some

Credit Risk 74

Credit Risk Credit Management 74

Abrigo

MARCH 22, 2017

The 2017 Risk Management Summit presented by Sageworks is set for September 25-27th in Denver, CO. The Summit is the industry’s leading life-of-loan conference, spanning business development through portfolio risk management in a CECL - current expected credit loss - world. In September 2016, more than 240 bankers and industry experts from both community banks and credit unions attended the Risk Management Summit in Austin, Texas.

CECL 74

CECL Credit Unions Small Businesses 74

Fundera

MARCH 3, 2017

You have a stable business growing at a moderate pace. Suddenly, there’s an opportunity that could propel it to the next level. Maybe it’s a huge order from a retail giant or a lucrative contract with a major manufacturer. You jump at the chance, but then you face a dilemma: It usually takes 60 days for this new customer to pay its vendors, sometimes longer.

Small Businesses 72

Small Businesses 72

Fundera

MARCH 27, 2017

You might have a handle on how your personal credit card works… But do you know the ins-and-outs of business credit cards ? Take this quiz to see how your business credit card knowledge stacks up. See Your Business Credit Card Options. The post Are You a Business Credit Card Pro? Take This Quiz to Find Out appeared first on Fundera Ledger.

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Fundera

MARCH 1, 2017

Let’s take the banks out of it—which Visa business credit cards top the list? Whether you’re looking for travel perks, excellent rewards on everyday office purchases, 0% intro APR, or a way to build credit, Visa’s got you covered. We’re breaking down the many benefits Visa offers and reviewing the best Visa business credit cards of 2017. Best for travel rewards: Ink Business Preferred SM.

Credit Scoring 70

Credit Scoring Transactions Small Businesses 70

Fundera

MARCH 1, 2017

As a small business bookkeeper, I can’t think of an industry that would need to install QuickBooks Desktop anymore. In 2017, unless your small business resides in a part of the world without internet access, regardless of your niche, QuickBooks Online is the solution to go with out of the two choices. The biggest plus is the QuickBooks Online ecosystem, with QuickBooks Online as the hub.

Small Businesses 69

Small Businesses Transactions 69

Fundera

MARCH 10, 2017

Today, with smartphones in hand, shoppers are highly research-oriented when making a purchase. Data shows mobile research influences 36% (about $1.1 trillion) of in-store retail sales, and around 48% of online shoppers begin a product search on marketplace sites. To accommodate these research-savvy shoppers, retailers are striving to promote their products across multiple platforms as well as in physical retail spaces in hopes of connecting with their target customers.

Dashboards 68

Dashboards 68

Fundera

MARCH 20, 2017

For nearly as long as there’s been people, there’s been trade. In the long history of humanity, when we aren’t at war, we’ve been interested in buying and selling various goods from each other. Imports and exports are how the potato came to Ireland, and in a more modern sense it’s how we’re able to buy food, drinks, furniture, clothes, and nearly everything else, from all around the world today.

Transactions 67

Transactions 67

Fundera

MARCH 16, 2017

For every state or commonwealth within the United States, the state’s office of the secretary of state is responsible for maintaining the database of all business entities registered in that state. Basic information from this database is a matter of public record, which can prove very useful for citizens, business owners, and aspiring entrepreneurs looking for information about a particular business.

Small Businesses 66

Small Businesses 66

Fundera

MARCH 22, 2017

Profit maximization might be the most misunderstood concept in business. After all, doesn’t it make sense to increase sales as much as you possibly can? Won’t profitability automatically come with those increased sales? It seems counterintuitive, but the answer to that is actually no. So, how do you attain profit maximization ? While it’s not as easy as simply increasing sales, it’s not as hard as you might think.

Small Businesses 63

Small Businesses 63

Fundera

MARCH 23, 2017

Dawn Stratton has been in optometry for just about 23 years now. And when you ask her what those 23 years were like, she’ll say: “A journey.”. A journey that, like for all optometrists, started with long, grueling years of optometry school. But Dr. Stratton wanted to be different than most optometrists. And in those 23 years, here’s how she set her own practice, Stratton Eyes , apart from the rest.

Small Businesses 62

Small Businesses 62

Fundera

MARCH 21, 2017

Getting out of business debt may feel like trying to outrun rapid lava flow. If most of your monthly business budget is dedicated to paying off loans, it can also feel like your growth prospects are severely limited. You want to be selective with what you can do with your profits. But unless you want to have significant debts for the lifespan of your small business, you don’t have many options.

Credit Scoring 61

Credit Scoring Bankruptcy Small Businesses 61

Abrigo

MARCH 30, 2017

Sageworks User Groups provide an increasingly rare opportunity to be in a room full of peers, industry experts and staff from a critical vendor. The intersection of these groups allows for three distinct and valuable learning experiences. The quality of these face-to-face interactions at User Groups is impossible to replicate with a video or phone conference; specifically, these interactions consist of interactive industry discussions, learning from peer experiences and gaining actionable.

CECL 60

CECL 60

Abrigo

MARCH 29, 2017

Jackie McLaughlin, CPA, started her career in a Big 4 public accounting firm. Since leaving public accounting, she has been an internal auditor, a tax preparer and a controller. She's also done forensic accounting and has written extensively on the accounting field. Currently, in addition to serving as the controller for a large heavy equipment company, she instructs all four parts of the Becker CPA Exam Review and serves as a course reviewer for The National Association of State Boards of Accou

Accounting Firms 60

Accounting Firms 60