The holiday season is approaching, and with it comes colder weather, hot cocoa … and additional holiday expenses. We aren’t talking about your gift budget, either. If you are a business owner, you know that while the holiday season brings more customers, this seasonal rush also leads to additional expenses.
Holiday and seasonal periods leave many business owners scrambling for cash. Whether you need to purchase additional inventory to keep up with the influx of orders or you need to hire more employees to keep your business running like a well-oiled machine, you can get the extra cash you need with a business loan.
Tips To Manage Your Cash Flow & Expenses During the Holiday Season
Getting a loan during the holiday season can get you out of a bind, but mismanaging your cash flow and expenses can lead to further financial issues. With a few simple steps, you can stay on top of your cash flow and expenses for a profitable holiday season.
One way to keep your business running smoothly is to invest in inventory management software. With these apps, you’ll be able to track inventory, sales, orders, and deliveries, which is especially helpful during the holiday rush.
To prepare in advance, you can create a cash flow forecast. This forecast will allow you to predict funds that will be coming in and going out of your business at a future time. By analyzing and calculating your cash flow, you can get an accurate picture of what to expect in the future.
Finally, know that unexpected emergencies pop up, usually when we least expect them. Be prepared for these emergencies by saving money in a special fund or applying for a credit card or line of credit before it’s needed.
The holidays can be extremely profitable for your business, but if you’re not prepared, this busy season can quickly turn into a nightmare. Be proactive in handling the holiday rush by preparing in advance and knowing what loan options are available to you when you need them the most. With planning and responsible borrowing, you’ll leave behind the stress of the holidays and be able to focus on your profits and further building your business.
Need Start-up or Small Business Loans to Survive the Holidays or Prepare for 2021?
Now is the time! With our society ready to get back in action (safely), new business concepts are quickly emerging with creative flows for serving the public without the high risk of spreading the virus. Put your innovative business concepts into play, and connect with us to get the funding you need to start your newest venture!
Financial restraints have been a complaint for many of the dreamers, limiting themselves to their immediate funds. There is an alternative. If you have the dreams and decent credit, Small Business Loans and No Doc Loans are available to you. Our goal is to provide you with the knowledge you need and the resources available to make your dream a reality. Give us a call – we have the education and the perspective to help you obtain the loans you need for your small business. Visit our website or give us a call to find out what financial backing is available to make your business soar!
Unsecured Finances has over 10 years in the consulting business! We specialized in educating and assisting clients on acquiring Unsecured Business Loans and Start-Up Business Specialty Loans including; Unsecured No Documentation (No-Doc Stated Income) Loans, Unsecured Business Loans, and Unsecured Start-Up Business Loans and Lines of Credit from $10,000 to $500,000 without Assets.
Apply on our website to find out if you qualify, or call today for a free consultation: 1-888-294-2584
It’s not too late to bulk up your business for the holidays with loans!
As a Small Business Owner – really as any Business Owner – you should have your holiday funding sorted out already. However, it’s not too late if you put it together now. Small-to-medium businesses often find themselves looking for last minute funding during the holiday season, and while last minute lending can provide a much needed cash infusion, they can be more expensive than financing that was initially planned and budgeted for. Still, it is a must-have for businesses needing to bulk up on products, supplies and marketing that is essential for the holidays.
Surprise! Additional Year-End Expenses for Small Businesses
Many of the loans taken out during the holiday season are taken out last minute because they were unexpected. There are many financial issues that can crop up during the holidays:
Payroll & Holiday Bonus Expenses
Many business owners enjoy giving gifts to their employees during the holidays, but this can take a financial toll, especially if the business hasn’t budgeted appropriately.
Year-End Expenses
The end of the year can bring many contracts to bear, some of which may need to be paid out immediately and finalized.
Reduced Income
For companies outside of the retail and entertainment industries, the holidays can be slow. Business owners may not anticipate making significantly less income through the holiday season.
Seasonal Business Trends
Even though some companies may be doing more business, they may be profiting less. This is because they may need to hire seasonal and temporary workers, invest in training, buy more supplies, and more.
Supplies & Equipment
Sometimes the expenses are temporary. Those within a retail or merchandising space may find that they sell more product than ever, but this comes at a temporary cost of supplies, product, and equipment. A business owner may need to leverage financing to fulfill these orders.
Business owners may also find themselves financially strapped (personally) during the holiday season, which can make it more difficult for them to lend money to their own business. Together with the factors above, it creates a perfect storm.
The end of the year can bring many contracts to bear, some of which may need to be paid out immediately and finalized. A small business loan might be necessary to cover these year-end expenses.
Surviving the Holiday Season
Rather than having to apply for last minute financing, business owners should plan ahead. Last minute financing options generally include merchant cash advances and personally guaranteed loans, both of which can be expensive and lead to significant fees over time. By calculating necessary working capital ahead of time, a business owner can procure the best financing option for them well in advance. However, if you waited until the last minute and it is still necessary to drive sales in the holidays, the profit you make will likely make up for the additional loan costs.
Business owners should take a look at their prior year expenses for the holiday season, in addition to anticipating how seasonal business trends may impact their sales and revenue picture. In terms of personal finances, business owners should also be prepared to devote additional working hours during the holiday season and should be aware that they may not be able to rely upon company draws.
Need Start-up or Small Business Loans to Survive the Holidays or Prepare for 2021?
Now is the time! With our society ready to get back in action (safely), new business concepts are quickly emerging with creative flows for serving the public without the high risk of spreading the virus. Put your innovative business concepts into play, and connect with us to get the funding you need to start your newest venture!
Financial restraints have been a complaint for many of the dreamers, limiting themselves to their immediate funds. There is an alternative. If you have the dreams and decent credit, Small Business Loans and No Doc Loans are available to you. Our goal is to provide you with the knowledge you need and the resources available to make your dream a reality. Give us a call – we have the education and the perspective to help you obtain the loans you need for your small business. Visit our website or give us a call to find out what financial backing is available to make your business soar!
Unsecured Finances has over 10 years in the consulting business! We specialized in educating and assisting clients on acquiring Unsecured Business Loans and Start-Up Business Specialty Loans including; Unsecured No Documentation (No-Doc Stated Income) Loans, Unsecured Business Loans, and Unsecured Start-Up Business Loans and Lines of Credit from $10,000 to $500,000 without Assets.
Apply on our website to find out if you qualify, or call today for a free consultation: 1-888-294-2584
You’ve probably heard the song, “It’s a man’s world.” In the business world, that is simply not true anymore.
Quietly women have moved up the ranks. Fast Company reports over the past two decades the volume of female-owned companies has grown 114 percent. Compare this to the average growth of any business during that time period, which was 44 percent, and you start to see that women are finally gaining ground. While women still have inequalities related to pay equity, their ability to secure small business lending, and other challenges, they are breaking the corporate glass ceilings, both by smashing through and sometimes working around them.
Here are some of the women who are getting it right and succeeding in their efforts to launch and sustain a business venture.
#1 Female Entrepreneur Association Empowers the Right Mindset
Carrie Green went the traditional route at first, studying at a major university and graduating with a law degree. She says, “I always thought I’d end up doing my own thing—as opposed to working for someone else.” Greene started her own thing online, building a successful venture but also realizing how incredibly isolating entrepreneurship can be.
Greene learned that the entrepreneurial journey is usually bumpy and uphill. Physically and mentally draining, starting a small business is both risk-filled and lonely, particularly for women who have fewer role models and mentors than men in the business world. Carrie decided to form an organization devoted to empowering women entrepreneurs with the tools and resources they need to go from startup to success.
In 2011, Ms. Greene founded the Female Entrepreneur Association, which grew to more than 650,000 women around the world. The platform serves as a hub for training, inspiring, networking, and advice. Carrie went on to write her first book She Means Business, which was an international bestseller. Her best advice for women entrepreneurs is that having the right mindset is the best tool for shaping a new business. The right mindset can help you have the perseverance to overcome any adversity, no matter how hard.
#2 Good Women Doing Social Good(r)
Jasmine Crowe is the founder and CEO of Goodr, a tech company that reduces food waste and combats hunger. The organization uses blockchain technology to solve three seemingly untenable problems:
There are 72 billion pounds of wasted food annually in the U.S.
Simultaneously, there are 42 million people experiencing food insecurity.
Corporations fail to leverage $40 billion in estimated tax benefits each year.
Goodr solves this frustrating tripod with technology. Social entrepreneur Jasmine Crowe took a look at these numbers and realized there was a crucial sustainability link missing between the food we have and the food that’s needed. Her team used blockchain to bridge that gap.
When Ms. Crowe started Goodr she was working on community events to alleviate hunger and poverty. She learned about how restaurants were throwing fully cooked, perfectly edible food away, and it motivated her to find out more. She found out many restaurants are worried about liabilities with donating their food, despite the Good Samaritan Act of 1996 that allowed these companies to donate their food. Most companies don’t know that the law lets them help the needy, so Jasmine set out to change this.
Goodr, based in Atlanta, is a mobile app designed on the Uber model to use the sharing economy to take leftover foods from companies to the needy. Goodr users can order a “rescue” driver on the app to pick up surplus food (the average pickup time is 15 minutes). The app then sends the driver to the nearest participating social service organization to share the donation with those that need it most. The app then aggregates the data for the donating company for use as an additional tax write-off. The company is currently on a sustainable growth path to launch in new markets. While the COVID-19 virus will likely slow down this charted roadmap, we expect good things out of Goodr in the near future.
Gabrielle Bernstein, like Oprah, is a motivational powerhouse. She created a spiritual guide called A Course in Miracles designed to teach self-love and forgiveness with a holistic approach to spirituality that has resonated with women and men around the world.
Bernstein has written seven books and created a social networking site for women, touring the country offering advice and spiritual support. Her self-help practices are all about how to “take inspired action now,” according to The New York Times. Her goal is to lead people to their version of spirituality and a healthier lifestyle. For Bernstein, her version of the wellness movement is about connecting with whatever empowers you in the universe to be a better, happier person.
This is good advice for women entrepreneurs, who often feel stuck or at the bottom before launching their own successful venture. Gabrielle suggests the best thing that every entrepreneur can do is to, “Take one little right action toward your dream today.” Fortunately, for the millions of people reading her suggestions every day, she’s obviously good at taking her own advice.
#4 Personalized Subscription Model for Health
Katie Echevarria Rosen Kitchens co-founded FabFitFun 10 years ago. Today the personalized subscription service inspires happiness and well-being in more than one million subscribers.
Like a lot of women entrepreneurs who gained success, Katie took a circuitous route to get there. She started her career in TV production but took a magazine journalism class and fell in love. She got her first taste of the gig economy when she sold a few articles. A few years later she met her soon-to-be partners, Michael and Daniel Broukhim, and launched FabFitFun as an online magazine for women.
As the site grew more successful, Ms. Kitchens realized they were reviewing and writing about all kinds of great products. Why not share them with their readers? A decade ago, the idea of a boxed subscription service was relatively new. The FabFitFun founders knew how exciting it was to get something in the mail other than a bill. FabFitFun thought sending samples to subscribers would brighten their day as well as introduce them to fitness, fashion, and beauty products.
Some of the biggest challenges in those early days came less from finding a women-owned business loan and more from transitioning a staff of writers into a product fulfillment team. Understanding how to curate the box content was just as hard as figuring out how to promote and sell the subscription idea to consumers who had really never seen anything like it before.
The irony is that the new subscription box forced Kitchens and her team out of their own boxes. In an interview with VoyageLA, she states:
“It’s a little funny that it took our FabFitFun box to break me out of my box, but it has been really fun to learn an entirely new set of skills in my thirties. And I ’ve learned that we are all so much more than the boxes we put ourselves in.”
#5 This Woman Has 17 Million Roommates
Angelica Nwandu founded the entertainment news site The Shade Room in 2014 and the growth of this media empire has been astonishing. Today, Nwandu is one of the biggest voices in new media. The Shade Room, which is an entertainment site focusing on Black celebrities, experienced financial growth of 50 percent each year with projections to continue this trend. From launching the site on Instagram with 10,000 followers in two weeks to having more than 17 million followers (Nwandu calls them her “roommates”) today, this media site has seen unprecedented growth and shows no signs of slowing. But the path to entrepreneurship was not easy.
Ms. Nwandu is a child of the foster care system and came from a broken and violent home. She fought her way back and received an accounting degree in 2012 but knew this wasn’t the life she wanted. Angelica was a poet and writer at heart, and in 2014, she won a $5,000 scholarship from the Sundance Institute. While she had a job as an accountant, she followed her passion and turned her passion for pop and celebrity culture into an entrepreneurial venture.
By 2016, the site moved away from pure popular culture to include politics and life-style issues relevant to Black culture. Capitalizing on her success, Nwandu also began to repay the community that supports her by developing stronger partnerships with Black entrepreneurs. She knew that small business loans were tougher to get in the Black community and that women-owned business loans were also harder to secure.
Fast Company reports that, to date, Angelia has helped launch or supported more than 400 entrepreneurs in the community she serves.
When asked about her phenomenal success in the admittedly fickle media industry, Ms. Nwandu says the best way to grow business for her has been through, “testing the waters, but you also have to trust that that’s the route that’s going to take you to success. It’s trusting in my instincts that these are the routes that will grow and expand.”
Thinking of Starting a New Business?
Now is the time! With our society ready to get back in action (safely), new business concepts are quickly emerging with creative flows for serving the public without the high risk of spreading the virus. Put your innovative business concepts into play, and connect with us to get the funding you need to start your newest venture!
Financial restraints have been a complaint for many of the dreamers, limiting themselves to their immediate funds. There is an alternative. If you have the dreams and decent credit, Small Business Loans and No Doc Loans are available to you. Our goal is to provide you with the knowledge you need and the resources available to make your dream a reality. Give us a call – we have the education and the perspective to help you obtain the loans you need for your small business. Visit our website or give us a call to find out what financial backing is available to make your business soar!
Unsecured Finances has over 10 years in the consulting business! We specialized in educating and assisting clients on acquiring Unsecured Business Loans and Start-Up Business Specialty Loans including; Unsecured No Documentation (No-Doc Stated Income) Loans, Unsecured Business Loans, and Unsecured Start-Up Business Loans and Lines of Credit from $10,000 to $500,000 without Assets.
Apply on our website to find out if you qualify, or call today for a free consultation: 1-888-294-2584
5 of the Best Business Podcasts to Inspire Your Business Growth
As business owners, we have many tasks, wear multiple hats and have a never-ending list of goals and dreams. So how does such a busy person handle growing as a business owner and in their industry knowledge? It’s all about podcasts – learning on-the-go. Entrepreneurs are used to their minds running a mile a minute and having an incredible urge to keep their brains consumed by information and learning. Podcasts allow for any existing or potential business owner to fill their in-between moments (walking, driving, pretending to pay attention to something else, etc) with knowledge.
As follow business owners and entrepreneurs, we have gone through lists of business podcasts to create this list of 5 of what we consider to be the best podcasts to start your journey into the world of business learning on-the-go. Give these a listen and let us know what you think!
1. ENTREPRENEURS ON FIRE
If you are a potential business owner or entrepreneur looking for a podcast that is high energy and filled with information to get you excited about starting a new business, this is a fantastic choice. It is inspirational and will help your mind get in gear about strategy.
WHO: John Lee Dumas created this award winning business podcast to help inspire and educate young entrepreneurs.
It has hosted over 2,600 interviews with industry experts such as Gary Vayerchuk, Tony Robbins, Seth Godin, and Tim Ferris.
It differs from other podcasts as it publishes new episodes every single day of the week.
WHAT: The goal of Entrepreneurs on Fire is to deliver the inspiration and strategies needed to fire up your entrepreneurial journey.
Host John Lee Dumas interviews inspiring entrepreneurs to bring his audience tips and advice for their own journeys.
2. STARTUP
Continuing that adventure for new business owners, “Startup” is the best place to go for a look into what creates and launches a startup business. Whether you are a first-time business owner, or you are an entrepreneur who is looking to start your next business, this podcast is full of little gems to move you forward.
WHO: The former NPR employee, Alex Blumberg created StartUp to follow him through the launch of his startup, Gimlet Media.
StartUp has been downloaded tens of millions of times since launching in 2014. It’s first season has been adapted into an ABC sitcom called Alex, Inc. starring Zach Braff.
This amazing business podcast has won a Gracie Award and the Gerald Loeb Award for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism.
WHAT: StartUp is exactly what it sounds like. A podcast about what it’s really like to start a business. It is presented in the form of a documentary series about entrepreneurial life.
The first two seasons follow stories of starting businesses – season 1 is about Gimlet Media and Season 2, a dating company called “Dating Ring”. The third season follows a new business each episode.
Check out StartUp for a different twist each season and to get insight into the mistakes and successes these entrepreneurs have made in the startup world.
3. MASTERS OF SCALE
Once you have started a business, what is the next step? Growth. You want to structure your business in a way that makes it easily scalable. “Masters of Scale” is an amazing podcast that is chock full of growth strategies.
WHO:Masters of Scale is an award-winning business podcast hosted by Reig Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn and investor at Greylock. He is known for his spot-on insights on how to scale an organization from zero to 100 million users or more.
He serves on the boards of Airbnb, Convoy, and Microsoft. They set out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs scale and grow their companies.
WHAT:This is one of the best business podcasts out there for startup founders, it’s perfect for anyone who is trying to succeed in building a high-growth business.
You’ll hear from guests such as iconic CEOs from Nike to Netflix, Starbucks to Slack. Each shares their stories on growing from startups to global brands.
Reid and his guests talk entrepreneurship, leadership, strategy, management, fundraising, and also about the human journey of failures and setbacks.
4. PROBLEM SOLVERS
Obstacles can occur for any business owner, no matter how experienced. Being able to identify the obstacles and create strategies for dealing with them or avoiding them altogether is the best way to ensure your road ahead is paved for success.
WHO:Problem Solvers is brought to you by Entrepreneur’s editor and Chief, Jason Feifer. It is part of the series of podcasts featured by Entrepreneur magazine which is known as the premier source for everything small business.
They provide advice, insight, profiles and guides for established and aspiring entrepreneurs world wide.
WHAT: Problem Solvers business podcast features a variety of business owners and CEOs who went through a crippling business problem and came out on the other side bigger and stronger.
They offer tips on how to solve and deal with issues that arise in the business industry. Problem solvers also offers insights and advice on leading a business during a pandemic.
5. SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
Every business needs marketing. It’s basically rolling out the red carpet for your products or services. Get actionable tips to grow your online presence with this dynamite podcast.
WHO:Social Media Examiner has helped millions of businesses discover how to best use social media to connect with customers, drive traffic, generate awareness, and increase sales.
Their Social Media Marketing podcast has been a top-10 marketing podcast for the last seven years.
This podcast will help you boost your marketing skills and keep you up-to-date with the ever-changing world of social media.
WHAT: This podcast features success stories and expert interviews from leading social media marketing pros weekly for 45 minutes.
They cover stories on how successful small businesses employ social media, learn new strategies and tactics, and gain actionable tips to improve your social media marketing.
Thinking of Starting a New Business?
Now is the time! With our society ready to get back in action (safely), new business concepts are quickly emerging with creative flows for serving the public without the high risk of spreading the virus. Put your innovative business concepts into play, and connect with us to get the funding you need to start your newest venture!
Financial restraints have been a complaint for many of the dreamers, limiting themselves to their immediate funds. There is an alternative. If you have the dreams and decent credit, Small Business Loans and No Doc Loans are available to you. Our goal is to provide you with the knowledge you need and the resources available to make your dream a reality. Give us a call – we have the education and the perspective to help you obtain the loans you need for your small business. Visit our website or give us a call to find out what financial backing is available to make your business soar!
Unsecured Finances has over 10 years in the consulting business! We specialized in educating and assisting clients on acquiring Unsecured Business Loans and Start-Up Business Specialty Loans including; Unsecured No Documentation (No-Doc Stated Income) Loans, Unsecured Business Loans, and Unsecured Start-Up Business Loans and Lines of Credit from $10,000 to $500,000 without Assets.
Apply on our website to find out if you qualify, or call today for a free consultation: 1-888-294-2584
