The Hub

Over the past few weeks we have covered WordPress topics, including our own newly released plugins. This week we wanted to close out our series on WordPress by discussing three of the most common issues people run into on the platform and how to fix them. WordPress is a great…

Last week we discussed what WordPress is and how it can be a great way to build a website for your business. It gives people the chance to customize the website and create a space that will attract the customers that are most desirable. Everything can be done in a…

It is almost impossible for a business to be successful these days without a website. Small businesses rely on a web presence to bring them new clients, create a hub for current clients, and create networking opportunities. One of the most popular platforms for creating a website is WordPress. It…

You are an entrepreneur. Maybe you are a one person business. Or maybe there are just a few of you. Now business is growing steadily, and there is more work than you can do alone. It’s time to hire someone. Knowing when to hire someone can be very tricky. It…

Technology moves and changes so rapidly, and it is important for small businesses to know what this means for them. Sometimes it can be better efficiency which can lead to more clients. Other times it means simplifying something like timekeeping or scheduling. Both are important to the success of businesses…

2018 is almost done, and it is time to think ahead to the next year. Every year brings up and downs, but the important thing is that business owners keep their goals in front of them. Take the time to review and contemplate the 2018 goals you set for your…

It is that time of year. The one where you know your employees are wondering what, if anything, will be done for an end of year bonus. Employees try not to get their hopes up, but in the back of their minds they are hoping for a bonus. Whether it…

Even if you check and double check that employees mesh with your company culture you are sure to encounter employee conflict. It is an inevitable consequence of putting people together in the same environment on a regular basis. Sometimes the conflicts are minor like someone always leaving their papers on…

As times change and in most families both parents have to work, families are looking at new jobs through a fresh lens. They want to be able to have fulfilling jobs as well as volunteer at their children’s schools, attend their sporting events, and catch their plays. It has become…

In 2017, according to Gallup, 40% of American workers were working from home at least part of the time. The number at the end of 2018 is certain to be higher. As people shift their focus to work-life balance, this is going to become an even more common request of…

Imagine the lunch rush at a busy casual restaurant. The line is moving slowly while employees manage taking counter orders, making food, and answering questions. As a customer, you are getting frustrated. As an employee, you are flustered and wondering why you do this to yourself everyday. Everyone, both employees…

One of the hardest parts of running a small business is balancing all of the needs and skills with a limited employee base. It is a product of a smaller budget, the importance of marketing, and less collective work hours. Thankfully, technology has made marketing more accessible for businesses of…

Now that we have explained how to hire interns and a basic outline of what an intern can and can’t do, it is time to get into some of the ways to maximize interns’ time and experience while making them an asset to your business. Start Small While it seems…

As college is back in session, it is time for students to start looking for work to boost both their experience and education. Small businesses have the unique opportunity to create an entrepreneurial space where students can be exposed to a wide variety of tasks and responsibilities while learning alongside…

The economy can often be unpredictable, and while economists can tell when things are going to slow down it isn’t always possible to predict a downturn. When the market crashed in 2009, many small business owners were caught unawares, and they lost their businesses. While the economy is strong now,…

Even though it is 2018 there are still many entrepreneurs and employees who are not sold on the idea of using technology to manage and organize their business. Instead of using automated invoicing, as an example, they insist on handwriting receipts and only accepting payment via checks. This lack of…

Summer is traditionally a downtime for most businesses, but it doesn’t have to be. With your regular customers out of town throughout the summer months, there are many new people in town with whom you can do business. The task at hand is getting them in there and turning visitors…

One of the inevitable parts of being a business owner is coming back from errors, both big and small. Sometimes these are things like a forgotten bill that needs to be paid or an email response sent too late, but other times they can be huge: making a large mistake…

So many businesses are the result of personal experiences. A woman has a hard time finding clothes she loves. A dad is upset his son with a physical disability doesn’t have the tool necessary to learn to walk. An employee is frustrated by how his boss treats him and decides…

Many small business owners have huge hearts for their communities and local causes. They feel immense loyalty to those have supported them and want to keep tight bonds with those around them. The other side of that is many small businesses have smaller budgets and less room to make significant…

According to the Small Business Administration 99.7% of US employer firms are small businesses. Inc Magazine said in 2014 that 49.2% of America’s workforce is employed by these small businesses.Small business owners often feel immense loyalty and thankfulness to their employees. Many entrepreneurs worry that implementing new technology will hurt…

Much like in our personal lives there is a fine line between sharing success and coming across as bragging when we discuss our businesses. Our customers want to hear about how well things are going, and new potential customers need to see successes in order to feel confidence towards our…

Imagine you are a restaurant owner. Last night didn’t go great. One of the stoves wasn’t working. Two people called out sick. You ran out of chicken. It was the worst night you have had since you opened. You know it. Unfortunately, so do your customers. You wake up the…

You can read parts 1, 2, and 3 of our series on e-commerce. Making the decision to move to an e-commerce platform is not necessarily an easy one, but it is very important. It means a business can reach a whole new national or international customer base or expand the…

Catch the first two parts of the e-commerce series here and here. Now that we have talked the hows and whys we need to discuss the cost of managing and running an on online business. E-commerce costs vary wildly due to factors such as size of business, products, design, needs,…

Catch the first post on e-commerce here. Moving to an e-commerce platform is an exciting change for any business. It brings around more customers, a chance to create and sell more products and services, and a new way to bring those two things together. When making the move to e-commerce…

In a recent Pew Research study, they identified 8 out of 10 shoppers in the United States shop online. 28% of those shop online at least twice per month, 15% buy something online on a weekly basis, and 51% are shopping from their cell phones. That’s up from just 22%…

As you write down your list of personal resolutions this New Year, take a minute to think about your role as a business owner. That’s right. New Year’s Resolutions aren’t just an excuse to keep writing lose five pounds every single year. It is a great time to stop and…

Running a small business is hard, very hard. It seems that oftentimes one success brings twenty new obstacles and decisions. Mostly these are the challenges that come with growth and improvement, but sometimes they are hard things that can make or break a business. These moments define a business even…

HTML is the language of the internet. To many it is just an abstract concept that they know of but don’t know how to do. The concept of HTML seems intimidating to most people, but in reality it isn’t quite as scary as people think. It is the basis of…

Imagine an architect building a delicate and intricate building that anyone can visit. It will have 24/7 access with a flashy sign and gorgeous, comfortable interior. This architect needs to make sure that the purpose of the building is obvious to a passerby and attractive enough to attract people who…

Last week on the Hub we shared a post on the basics of SEO. Over the next few weeks we will go in depth more on each topic. This week we are covering how to build quality content. Content is used to define the actual words and images on a…

Businesses love acronyms, and social media and the internet are no exception. In fact, there are even more acronyms to be found. The largest of which is SEO. So what is SEO? SEO stands for search engine optimization. This is the process of building web and social media traffic through…

As technology and times change so must businesses. There is a quick shift from old school cash registers to mobile technology that gives businesses more options. With the change comes new and exciting options for businesses to manage their point of sale transactions as well as any online transactions. The…

The beginning of a small business often comes at the most random times. It can happen in line at Starbucks, on a run, or in the middle of the night. Many people have these moments where they have a great business idea, but it never becomes anything more. It remains…

Now that severe weather season is underway for large portions of the United States, small businesses need to evaluate, and in some instances create, an emergency preparedness plan. This type of plan puts actionable items that can protect your business and make the process from operating business to emergency status…

Think about the first person who supported your decision to start a business. Or maybe it was someone who encouraged you to step outside your comfort zone and apply for a leadership position. These people gave you the knowledge and support necessary to find business success. Maybe they were a…

If you are a child of the 80s or 90s, it is impossible to forget the resounding “Norm!” from the bar in Cheers. The greeting is ingrained in those memories connected to our childhoods as “Did I do that?” or the Full House theme song. That one line teaches us…

It is almost impossible to function as a successful business in 2017 without a website, and it has been that way for more than a decade. Everyone from attorneys to restaurants to babysitters has a website that serves as platform to create connection, a customer base, and provide information. However,…

Technology can be our friend or our foe, sometimes both depending on the very moment we are trying to use it. We become reluctant to the changes and resist new things, convinced that the technology our company is using is sufficient. “It gets the job done!” we say, but really…