Take a look at the sidebar on the right side of this page (or scroll down on your phone). Look for NEWS BY CATEGORY. You can select a category in the pull down menu or in the category cloud. If you’re looking for something more specific, there’s a search box above the cloud. If you still can’t find what you need, scroll up in the sidebar and CONTACT US by phone or email. Of course, you can always request a face-to-face meeting with a mentor. We’re here to help.
by Kelly Deis of SoundPoint Consulting
It can be a very chaotic time when a company is in transition or in need of a turnaround. Management is (or should be) fretting over revenue, placating lenders and/or investors, managing suppliers, and reducing costs all while keeping employees motivated. There is an inordinate amount of things that need to get done. How do you know what to prioritize?
A disciplined process can help bring order out of chaos and lead to a successful transition. Of course, solid management, great employees, and accommodating suppliers and creditors also helps. Continue reading
|
How can a small business get more visibility online? Look no further than the local search pack, which is made up of Google My Business (GMB) profiles featuring prominent local businesses within close proximity of a searcher.
Local search results level the playing field for small and local businesses. Ranking for competitive keywords can be a tough task for a small business going head to head against a large enterprise.
So if local search is a way to get more visibility, where should a small business start? To help answer this question, we asked for local SEO tips from eight search engine optimization experts and small business owners.
by Kelly Deis of SoundPoint Consulting
On December 1st the Small Business Administration (SBA) was ordered by a Federal Judge to release data on all SBA PPP borrowers.
The timing of the release of this information by the government is awful because it is the beginning of the forgiveness application window. The SBA complied with this order. The information released by the SBA includes:
There are already confirmed efforts by fraudsters and scammers to approach the borrowers impersonating the Financial Institution listed as the Lender in an effort to get information they can use to take advantage of the borrower.
PPP borrowers shouldnot divulge any details in calls or emails from unknown numbers or email domains and contact their financial institution directly if they receive any contact from an unknown person or source.
Thank you Port Orchard Chamber of Commerce for sharing this information.
The application for the new round of Working Washington business grants is now open. Businesses can apply for up to $20,000 to offset costs or expenses due to COVID-19. The grants are targeted primarily for small businesses with $5 million or less in annual revenue that have had to close or significantly curtail operations as a result of current or ongoing public health measures. Examples include full-service restaurants, fitness centers, bowling alleys, or music and event venues.
Priority will be given to applications received by Dec. 11. Some businesses have heard this grant is being processed on a first-come-first-served basis and that is causing many business owners tremendous anxiety. Don’t worry – that’s not the case! If it takes you a few days to complete the application, that’s ok. Applications received until Dec. 11 will all be considered together. If Commerce is able to fund all the eligible applicants who submit by that time, the department may be able to consider eligible applicants who submit after Dec. 11.
The Washington Small Business Development Council, which has generously been partnering with us to provide support and help to businesses applying for these grants, hosted an informational webinar earlier today and answered a lot of the most common questions and problems business owners are asking about. If you missed it, you can watch it here.
by Valarie Harris, Varris Marketing
Social media is the fastest way to cast a wide net to catch the attention of potential customers and create a community. There are more social media platforms than any one entrepreneur can tackle effectively – even if they had all day to devote to being social.
When you began your business, you likely got great advice to narrow your niche and focus on a target audience. These are the ideal clients and customers who want what you have to offer. Furthermore, you should have been told to market to this ideal audience and focus on their needs, their wants, and solving their problems. If you agreed and followed that advice, then you have a pretty good idea of who you want to engage and where they hang out.
This is an important step as it relates to social media. Knowing where your audience hangs out is the key to building a social media presence that maximizes your time and marketing budget. Once you know where your customers naturally hang out, you can simply master those specific platforms and dominate the market.
The philosophies surrounding business leadership practices have changed dramatically over the past several decades. Years ago, it was common for a single owner to call the shots and dictate orders to his or her employees. Today, the research is undeniable, showing that the most successful companies are the ones with leaders who focus on taking care of the team so the team can take care of the business.
One of today’s most respected business leadership approaches comes from a landmark study on leadership strengths that sought to better understand how successful business leaders lead. Tom Rath and Barry Conchie’s international bestseller StrengthsFinder 2.0 distills 30-years of their research on strengths-based leadership into one of the most thorough accounts of what it takes to successfully lead an organization.
StrengthsFinder 2.0 reveals the study’s discovery of three keys to effective leadership: knowing your strengths and investing in others’ strengths, getting people with the right strengths on your team, and understanding and meeting a set of basic needs of those who look to you for leadership. Continue reading
A website is a critical sales and marketing tool for just about every business. It’s a hub for product information, a conversion point for capturing leads, the holding place for marketing materials and company news, and many times serves as your potential customer’s first impression of your business.
However, before any prospect can interact with your website, they first have to find your website. This discoverability is the culmination of a strong SEO, or search engine optimization, strategy and an SEO expert behind the scenes.
If you’re like most business owners, you understand the role of an SEO expert from a high level but aren’t as familiar with the full scope of what’s involved or the time required. This makes it a lot harder to confidently hire the right SEO expert and forces owners to take these professionals at their word. Continue reading
