Being a small business owner has its perks and draw backs. As long as you plan things out, look for alternatives and get creative you can make it work. Here are some little tips on how to make your business work for you.
Need Cash? Ask the Crowd!
Small businesses are turning to a new source for small business loans. Banks are out…crowd funding is in.
Crowd funding, a new type of entrepreneurial social networking, uses individuals as lenders. A person creates a pitch and explains how the money will be used. The benefactors choose which pitches to support and how much to invest. The premise is similar to foreign microloans and the TV show Shark Tank, but funds are available to everyone.
The crowd-funding application process is generally easier than a bank’s, and the interest rates are usually lower, too. The risk to any individual lender is less, so it can be easier to get a loan.
Entrepreneur magazine recommends several crowd-funding sites, including ProFounder.com, MicroVentures.com, and PeerBackers.com.
Turn an Op-Ed into a Business Opportunity
Want to get noticed in your community? Need to get your name out? Make your opinion known! Publishing an op-ed in a newspaper, journal, or industry-related website is a great PR strategy. A well-written op-ed piece can bring in new customers and establish you as an industry expert with peers or at the local level. Of course, getting published can be competitive, but there are ways to increase your chances.
Be Timely: Relate your article to local events or important technology releases. Use today’s headlines to talk about your product or service.
Clarity: Follow journalistic standards by stating important point first. Use subsequent paragraphs to elaborate or support your main ideas, and write for the layperson.
Style: Pay attention to style and content guidelines. Printed publications care about things like limits on length.
Tone: Keep your tone as upbeat and positive as the topic merits. If you’re addressing a serious problem or controversial issue, approach it from a solution-driven perspective, rather than only saying something is wrong.
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