Category Archives: Business Advice

How to Establish Business Credit for the First Time

Business Advice e-Brief Features News Comments

Access to cash and credit is a business’s lifeline. Business credit allows a company to borrow money for purchasing products or services. It is based on the trust that payment will be made in the future. Why establish business credit? For business owners, having a separate legal entity, such as a corporation or limited liability company, provides the unique ability to create a credit identity with business credit reporting agencies, also…

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Take Five for Creative Thinking

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creativity

Everyone and every organization needs a dose of creativity. We can’t survive without it. We face new challenges every day, and we have to find new ways to respond to them. Unfortunately, we don’t often look for truly creative ways to address these new challenges, but prisoners do. Prisoners spend quite a bit of time coming up with creative ways to get by, whether it’s how to smuggle in, hide…

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Kauffman Coming to SPI

Business Advice e-Brief Features Events News Comments

A limited amount of spots are open for the upcoming Kauffman FastTrac starting in January in South Padre Island. The NewVenture program provides tools to both develop business concepts and successfully launch a business. To be held at the Port Isabel Events and Cultural Center as well as the South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center, the seven sessions encompass facilitated instruction. Students in the program identify market needs, understand business…

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TWC Launches “Jobs Y’all” For Young Texans

Business Advice News Comments

The Texas Workforce Commission recently launched “Jobs Y’all: Your Career. Your Story.” The statewide career exploration campaign and website is made to inspire young Texans to discover and explore the state’s in-demand industries. At the same time, they will also learn about essential skills to enter the workforce. The Jobs Y’all campaign originated as a need to create greater awareness of the link between jobs and education. “We listened to employers who…

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RGV Celebrates Veterans Small Business Week

Business Advice e-Brief Features Events News Comments

This week is the U.S. Small Business Administration’s National Veterans Small Business Week, highlighting the different facets of the veteran business community. Locally, the Lower Rio Grande Valley office of SBA is in the middle of the celebration, offering events, many of which take place in the next days. This year’s theme, “Our #VetBiz Community,” showcases the various facets of the veteran business community, ranging from the prospective or existing veteran…

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Study the Best; Become Better

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Dr. Amanda Trosten-Bloom is a principal with the Corporation for Positive Change, a consulting agency specializing in organizational change and transformative leadership. She shares the story of a mid-sized American automotive repair company that sought to improve customer satisfaction, and the lessons it learned about the power of an appreciative inquiry. The story begins simply enough. Company managers examined data on customer satisfaction and agreed that customer satisfaction could be…

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Websites Still Critical Tools

Business Advice Events Technology Comments
Websites_Haight: Spectrum digital expert Ben Haight delivered a presentation on best practices for business websites at a seminar hosted by the McAllen Chamber of Commerce. (VBR)

Small business owners who think a good social media presence is all they need to promote their enterprises in the digital world are most likely mistaken. Digital marketing started with websites and they remain a critical component of branding a business. “A website is your digital storefront and it’s what sets you apart from similar businesses,” said Ben Haight, senior digital sales manager for Spectrum in Texas, during a seminar…

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Will This Be On the Test?

Business Advice News Comments

More than likely, you or one of your classmates asked this question in just about every class you took from middle school to high school to college to graduate school and beyond. You might have even asked the question during your company’s training sessions. I’ve used the question in many other situations. It is a great clarifying question. It is a way to get to what is essential in any…

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Marketing Mistakes That Can Come Back to Haunt You

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It may be the season for ghosts and goblins, but ghastly creatures aren’t the only things that can haunt a small business owner. Making any one of the seven common marketing mistakes below can have frightening consequences for your small business. Find out what you have to fear from these marketing mishaps and how to avoid them. Mistake 1. Not setting goals for your marketing efforts Whatever type of marketing…

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Three Things All Successful Franchisees Do

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franchisee

If you want to become a successful franchisee, there are certain things you need to do. Clearly, some of them need to be done before you sign your franchise agreement. They include choosing the right franchise, doing thorough research, and arranging the right type of financing. The other things you need to do should happen after you become a franchise owner. In this post, I’m going to share three things that all successful…

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