Category: Growing a Business

How a Mom of 3 Grew a Successful Cake Business on Instagram

How a Mom of 3 Grew a Successful Cake Business on Instagram

Rachel Dunston of Rachel Makes It is having a good year. In just under 12 short months, this full-time mother of three has built a thriving cake business solely through Instagram, where she’s followed by nearly 6,000 loyal fans and frequently shuts down orders a month in advance. She told us how she did it. Let Them Eat Cake “When I started building Instagram a year ago, I didn’t exactly know what I was going to use it for,” Dunston… Read More
This Week’s Happenings: Food Trucks, Revitalizing Your Mornings, and Maintaining a Customer-First Business

This Week’s Happenings: Food Trucks, Revitalizing Your Mornings, and Maintaining a Customer-First Business

Maintaining Your Focus on the Front Lines as Your Company Grows No company will reach its full growth potential by focusing on the red tape associated with an expanding organization and letting the focus on customers fall to the wayside. Here are four practices great leaders employ to keep company managers focused on the front line of their business. My favorite: a company that went from near-bankruptcy to one of the best-performing stocks for over a decade after their leadership… Read More
How to Find the Right Business Mentor

How to Find the Right Business Mentor

Whether you’re a new small business owner, an experienced entrepreneur at an important crossroads, or a CEO looking to take your company to the next level, finding the right mentor can mean the difference between failure and success. “Mentors played a crucial role in every stage of my development as an entrepreneur,” says Nav CEO Levi King. “I opened my first business thanks to the encouragement and support of a boss who saw my potential and urged me to take… Read More
This Week’s Happenings: How Small Businesses Can Use Pokemon Go to Grow Sales

This Week’s Happenings: How Small Businesses Can Use Pokemon Go to Grow Sales

Each week, Nav brings you relevant small business news from across the web that we hope you find interesting! Pokemon Go Is Driving Insane Amounts of Sales at Small Local Businesses. Here's How It Works [4 min] One good thing about Nintendo’s new game for your phone, Pokemon Go, is that it combines the thrill of gaming with the fun of being outdoors. And it can be a GREAT opportunity for small businesses, because Pokemon Go has its users roaming… Read More
The Free Resource That’s Helping This Business Grow to $1 Million In Sales

The Free Resource That’s Helping This Business Grow to $1 Million In Sales

Shane and Melissa Nichols’ five-year-old business, Arkansas-based Medex Waste, is on track to bring in $1 million in revenue, thanks in large part to the free help they received from the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center. “I don’t think we could have made it without them,” says Shane. “Without them there to answer questions and to lead us in the right direction, it would have taken us a lot longer and cost us a lot more money.” The idea… Read More
How a Spy Business Started Small and Grew to $3M a Year

How a Spy Business Started Small and Grew to $3M a Year

Allen Walton is the founder of SpyGuy Security, an online store that sells security and surveillance products—like hidden cameras, GPS trackers, covert audio recorders, and bug detectors. A completely self-taught entrepreneur, Walton attributes his business’ success to the quality of its website and his accessibility to customers. Walton wrote down his plan for this business on a manila pad. “I wanted to make a minimum of $30,000, so I could pay my rent and have enough money to eat. If… Read More