The term Point of Sale (POS) describes the place where retail transactions are made. Think of it as the equivalent of a cash register. POS includes the hardware and software related to transactions, such as the cash drawer, credit card swipe bar, barcode scanners, receipt printers, and more. POS is an important feature for all businesses that sell products, whether it’s in a store or online. But a good POS…
There are certain pages every website can’t be without. A small business’s site needs to give visitors what they are most likely to be looking for. If you’re getting a website together for your small business or reinventing an existing site, take a look at the five essential pages every small business website needs. We include three other recommended pages as well. Homepage Your homepage is the virtual lobby of…
Success in social media may not be nearly as complicated as you think. In fact, here’s a simple formula any small business owner or entrepreneur can follow to become a social media superstar. These seven steps will get you started. Define your marketing goals Start with a plan. Define a small set of marketing goals. (But not too many!) For example, perhaps you want to: Develop better brand loyalty in…
It costs money to run or start a business. Funding a business is one of the first and most important financial choices most business owners make. The U.S. Small Business Administration has launched Lender Match, an online referral tool connecting small business borrowers with participating SBA lenders. Lender Match is an upgrade to Leveraging Information and Networks to Access Capital, introduced as a pilot in 2015. Lender Match brings together…
January is National Mentor Month, a perfect time to connect with a counselor/mentor at the U.S. Small Business Administration. Lower Rio Grande Valley District partners provided counseling and training to 9,094 small businesses in 2017, and helped create or retain about 481 jobs. These partners also helped start 111 new businesses. Mentors can be invaluable to small businesses. After all, it can be overwhelming to juggle dozens of responsibilities and…
The Small Business Administration’s Lower Rio Grande Valley District saw an increase in the amount of money loaned to businesses in fiscal year 2017, even though there was a slight decrease in the number of loans approved. The LRGV district guaranteed 191 loans in the 7(a) and 504 loan programs. These programs combined provided more than $71 million to small businesses that created 633 jobs and retained 984. The loans…
As a veteran, the celebration of Veteran’s Day is near and dear to my heart. Veteran’s Day also reminds me of the many veterans using their military and leadership skills to serve their communities through entrepreneurship and job creation. We just celebrated National Veterans Small Business Week, a reminder that veteran entrepreneurs are a driving force in our economy. Nearly one in every 10 American businesses today is owned by…
Guess what people are doing right now? They’re starting their holiday shopping. They may not be decking the halls yet, but 17 percent of shoppers surveyed by the National Retail Federation said they start researching holiday purchases before September, while eight percent reported making purchases before the start of autumn. That holiday mentality holds steady in September before rocketing up in October and November. Customers are looking ahead, and your small business needs to…
Federal programs and contracts pay off Brothers Samuel and Saul Maldonado founded SAM Engineering & Surveying Inc. in June 2008 with only three employees and yearly sales of $400,000. Today, the firm has grown to 55 employees with sales in excess of $4 million. The brothers attribute part of their success with assistance provided by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Starting initially as an engineering and surveying firm, SAMES added…
What Your Small Business Needs to Know Ever wish your small business could do more for the community? Maybe you volunteer as a group or have a favorite cause, but you want to take that work a step further. A corporate social responsibility (CSR) program could be what your company needs to work toward a community mission alongside your business mission. These programs are increasingly becoming a staple of business transparency efforts; many…