Category: Growing a Business

Top Business Loans and Grants for Native American Entrepreneurs in 2024-2025

There are about 49,000 American Indian and Alaska Native-owned small businesses in the US, according to US Census Bureau research. Indigenous entrepreneurs in the USA often face significant financial challenges, however: 56% of Native and Indigenous entrepreneurs cite financial issues such as raising capital or budgeting as their biggest challenge, according to a Breaking the Blueprint HubSpot blog survey. 16.3% of Native households don't use banks, due to high poverty rates, systemic racism, and lack of brick-and-mortar institutions on reservations,… Read More

D-U-N-S Number Lookup

If you run a small business, you’ve no doubt heard the expression: “Know your numbers”. While that advice often refers to numbers like sales or profit margins, there are other numbers you’ll need to know.  One is your company’s D-U-N-S® Number. Here’s what that number means, why it’s important, and how you can leverage it to help grow your business. What Is a D-U-N-S Number? A D-U-N-S Number is a unique nine-digit identifier for businesses, created by Dun & Bradstreet… Read More

Business Broker Fees: A Complete Guide for Small Business Owners

Several years ago, my business partner and I decided it was time to sell a website we had worked on for a number of years. This was the first time either of us had sold a business, and weren’t sure where to start. Tapping our professional networks, I connected with J. Money, who had sold his own website and now helps other business owners do the same.  His fee—a 10% success fee of the sales price—was well worth it to… Read More

Get Your Business Ready for Black Friday 2024

Black Friday is a big deal for small businesses, says Brittany Long, an email and marketing systems expert who is known as “The Queen of Evergreen”.  Last year, Black Friday promotions brought in more than six figures in revenue for her own business. And as someone who also teaches other business owners how to create effective email promotions (including Black Friday promotions) using AI tools, she’s seen her students get excellent results, too.  “Black Friday is a huge opportunity,” she… Read More

Do You Need a Business Coach or Mentor To Get to the Next Level?

“Initially I never thought I wanted or needed a business coach,” says Barbie Clemons, a licensed massage therapist and Gentle Scar Therapy Specialist, who owns Calming Waters Massage in Yarmouth, MA. “My business was going ok, no issues or problems and I seemed happy with the way things were.”  But a chance email led her to eventually work with three business coaches, who have helped her breathe new life into her business. “My income from teaching clients has increased 40%”… Read More

California Secretary of State Business Search

Many businesses call California home: including more than 1.7 million private-sector businesses and more than 3 million sole proprietorships, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.  If you plan to start a business in California, or if you want to do business with companies operating in the state of California, you can use the California Secretary of State's business search tools to access official information about your own business and other businesses registered in the state. Nav Technologies, Inc.… Read More