Start, Run, & Grow Your Business

Need Cash for a Small Business? Learn About Loans and Grants

Owning any type of small business requires a sufficient amount of financial capital to cover orders, payroll, and many other expenses. Unfortunately, many business owners are unsure about how they can get enough cash to make ends meet until the profits can pay for the debt and all those operating costs. That’s why some may turn to things such as small business loans or grants to help lighten the burden. But where do you even begin with all that? What options are out there? AND How do you know which option is best for you and your small business? Two of the most common solutions involve applying for either loans or grants. Of course, it can be difficult to navigate this process, especially for entrepreneurs who have not had a lot of experience with either. Deciding which is most appropriate for your situation involves developing a thorough understanding of …

CMS Requiring Medicare Agents to Record Calls in October

Working in any healthcare field, such as Medicare Advantage services, comes with its own separate challenges. These challenges won’t get any easier, it seems—new rules will now require agents making calls related to Medicare Advantage and Part D to record their calls starting on October 1st. The rules apply to calls with existing patients as well as prospective clients, which will require a pretty big shift for telecommunications centers. However, adjusting to these changes will be easy enough with the right tools, even for agents who rely on cellular phones to make these calls. But First.. Who Made This Rule and Why? This new rule came from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS. The new ruling comes after CMS reclassified Medicare Advantage agents and brokers as “third-party marketing organizations,” or TPMOs. This means that the agents are not directly affiliated with Medicare but engage in …

12 Tips From Experts on How to Grow Your Home Business

There will likely be plenty of people telling you what they think is the ultimate secret to grow your home business, making it tough to discern who you should listen to. So, instead of giving you our opinion of what we believe you should do, this post includes 12 pieces of valuable advice from veterans of business. When you want to give yourself an edge & improve your ability to operate in any area, you go to the ones who have come before you that learned how to solve some of the problems that you’re going to face. There are also some things that could trip you up as a business owner which you may have never even thought of. You can decide which of these tips you should keep, and which ones you should throw away. In any case, you’ll find some great wisdom among them that you …

Using CRM to Improve Customer Service for Your Business

In the modern business world, two factors drive success. One is customer service. The other is technology. CRM plays a huge role in both. Excellent customer service is paramount to growing a business of any size in any industry. According to Microsoft’s research, 96% of consumers name customer service as an important factor when determining their loyalty to a brand. People who leave business relationships usually do so because of poor customer service. As Gary V says, “The customer is always right as long as you expect and want their money.” Entrepreneurs and small business owners generally agree that customer service is a key building block of commerce. But more than a few might take issue with the idea that technology is the other major driver of success. After all, any great product sold by helpful people at an affordable price point should succeed whether technology is part of …

Recognizing the Warning Signs of Business Burnout

Business Burnout. This condition affects so many business owners that it almost goes without saying that you’ll experience it or be in danger of experiencing it when you run a business. Unfortunately, burnout is misunderstood by most people, whether you’re an entrepreneur or not, and it’s usually not taken very seriously. In this article, we’ll provide you with the real facts about burnout, as we dispel the myths that can be just as harmful as the condition, itself. At the same time, Respect for it is paramount because if you’re not careful, it’s something that has the potential to put you right out of commission before you even know what hit you. Today, we’re starting with some good advice for recognizing the symptoms of burnout, so that you’ll be able to address it before it starts to overwhelm you. Not to worry; there are effective measures that you can take if you already …

Business Owner’s Guide: Get Organic Traffic to Your Website

In today’s increasingly connected world, your online presence is more important than ever. Having a website & organic traffic flowing to it is key to attracting potential new customers and building a relationship with them—most American consumers are more likely to think that a business is trustworthy if it has a website than if it doesn’t. However, you probably already know that. You’re a savvy business owner ready to conquer the modern market, of course you have your own website! The problem is getting people to see it when they are flooded with billions of Internet pages. Even though paid advertising can get your website in front of more eyeballs, organic traffic is the best way to increase visits to your website without spending too much money. Optimizing your SEO results will help you rank higher on Google’s search engines, which in turn will help you get your website …

Why Entrepreneurs Have to Continually Improve Themselves

As an entrepreneur, most of us are aware that when we put in the effort to improve by forcing ourselves to grow and learn in new and different ways, you will certainly see the benefits. There’s actually nothing very mystical about it because the more you work to change & grow, the better equipped you will be to handle the various challenges presented in life and work. Therefore the more able you will be to have success in your pursuits. As an entrepreneur, self-improvement can benefit you even more than others because constantly learning new skills and innovating for your business is part of the job description. If you’re one who is somewhat resistant to change or who doesn’t have a particularly strong thirst for knowledge, then this article is for you, too. Consider these reasons why continually improving yourself gives you a unique advantage for building a better …

How to Make Sure Your Calls Don’t Get Flagged as “Potential Spam”

Whether you’re running a non-profit that’s looking to connect with potential donors, or you’re a small business owner who wants to let your customers know about a promotion, phone calls are still some of the best ways to get in touch with people. Emails and texts are easy to ignore and talking over the phone makes it easier to build a personal rapport. However, that can only happen if your potential connection picks up the phone in the first place. Since the dawn of mass-market telecommunications, people have been trying to avoid spam calls. The situation has gotten worse over the past few years, and some phone providers are trying to help customers by flagging potential spam calls. Unfortunately, many innocent businesses get caught up in the spam warning system. How can you avoid landing your calls in the dreaded “spam likely” box and actually ensure that your customers will …

8 Basic Reasons Your Small Business Isn’t Growing

Your small business got off the ground. Congratulations! For many people, launching their own business fulfills a long-time dream. Maybe you love the product you sell, or you enjoy building a team, or you just want the freedom to be your own boss. Maybe you plan to turn your enterprise into a family business and leave it as an inheritance for your son or daughter. Whatever your reasons for starting a small business, you deserve a pat on the back for getting yours up and running. Over the next few weeks and months, however, you may start to notice a problem. Your small business isn’t growing. In fact, more money is leaking out than rolling in. Maybe a lot more money. That’s a scary place to find yourself, especially if you owe for a loan or (worse) you’ve mortgaged your property to kick off your idea. Before you start …

How Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd Is Shaking up Gender Norms

You can add Whitney Wolfe Herd, CEO of Bumble to the list of successful entrepreneurs with popular social platforms. However, unlike most of the startup founders in Silicon Valley, Herd is a woman. People often associate tech startups with the male gender. Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), Jack Dorsey (Twitter), Joel Simkhai (Grindr), and Sean Rad (Tinder) launched some of the most popular social networks and dating apps. Whitney Wolfe Herd is giving these men a run for their money. Bumble’s initial public offering (IPO) was valued at more than $8 billion just last year. Wolfe Herd launched Bumble in December of 2014 with two former Tinder employees. Just eight years later, it’s the second-most popular dating app in the United States. Over 42 million people actively use Bumble each month to make connections, date, or find new friends. So, what led to the success of Bumble? How is it different …

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