Category: Small Business Advice

Think Like a Brand Marketer to Grow Your Small Business

Growing a business is tough, (when your business depends on you “sticking out” in a crowded marketplace (think fashion and retail, consumer technology) finding the key to the success of more-established peers can seem indefinable. They have great products, you have great products (maybe even better), but most will find that defining your business’ personality … Continued

Small Business Resource Center – How to Increase Your Success When Applying for Small Business Loans

Applying for small business loans and financing is a stressful and demanding process. This lengthy exercise that features hours of paperwork can lead to frustration with sometimes higher interest rates that can cost your business, and oftentimes, rejection.  We have previously discussed what factors to consider when choosing the right lender for your small business. … Continued

How To Use Gift Cards to Grow Your Small Business

Do you need to reinvigorate your online marketing or maximize brand growth in a few months? It might sound counterintuitive, but offering gift cards to current and potential customers could help you grow your business. Why Use Gift Cards? Whether you only have a digital e-commerce store or your business is both online and retail, … Continued

6 Ways to Build an Online Community for your Small Business

E-commerce brands are constantly competing with one another, and it can be tough to come up with new strategies to make sure your brand acquires and retains customers over the long term. Rather than ramping up your traditional marketing, you should build an e-commerce community for your current customers to rally around. Let’s break down … Continued

Small Businesses Strike: It’s Getting More Expensive for Sellers on Etsy.

For Etsy’s bottom line, 2021 was a good year, and 2022 sees additional changes to redouble the e-commerce giant’s success – but it’s not good news for its 2+ million sellers. Etsy announced in February it would be making changes to its fees and payments policy with far-reaching implications for its sellers. Etsy’s transaction fee … Continued

Cross-Posting: Boost your business’s online presence

It’s no secret social media has had an enormous impact on businesses for the last few decades. We’ve gone from sharing simple life updates to being able to connect directly with customers to promote and sell products and services. The social media strategy every business should try Cross-posting is one of the most efficient ways … Continued

Getting the Best Out of Your Merchant Services: Top 5 Things to Look Out For

When it comes to Merchant Services (credit card processing), we know that it’s not the top of everyone’s bucket list to negotiate a new deal with providers. Processing is notoriously difficult to understand (get a handle on the basics here). In addition, the endless array of pricing, promotions and hardware options are enough to leave … Continued

Want to run a small business in the Northwest?
This non-profit can help!

Remarkably, even the greater Seattle area has unmet demand in the coffee market.  When local entrepreneur Efrem Fesaha realized that the city’s East African community was having a hard time finding unroasted green coffee, a cultural staple, he opened Boon Boona Coffee in the Seattle suburb of Renton. And when he needed business guidance, he … Continued