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Solo's blog provides the resources that microbusinesses, solopreneurs, freelancers, and other super-small businesses need to start, operate, and grow.

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In this article:\nBuilding your own website from scratch using Squarespace\nThings to consider before you get started\nTutorial: 11 steps to build your business site\nBuilding your own business website can seem like a daunting task, but there are several great website builders out there that allow you to seamlessly integrate your brand and business into a professional-looking website. \nIn this article, we’ll walk you through the steps to create your own website on \nSquarespace\n. \nOne thing to keep in mind as you start building your Squarespace website: this isn’t a free solution. Squarespace has several different subscription plans currently ranging from $14/month to $49/month. Each plan has varying features and levels of support. (We’ll provide more information on this later on, too.) \nNote: pricing and details are subject to change.\nBefore you get started building your small business website\nBefore you jump in and start putting together your website on any DIY platform, it’s important to first map out a plan for your website. \nThis includes:\nDetermine the main pages that you want on your site (home/landing page, about us, services, products, FAQ, contact, shopping cart, etc.)\nDetermine which pages you want to be in the main navigation of your site (this is the main menu along the top of your site to help visitors find the information they need)\nWrite (or hire out) any content that you want featured on your website (we strongly urge you to write your own content and not to copy and paste from another website, as this can hurt your online visibility and may be illegal in some cases)\nDecide what content you will want on your home page\nGather other assets that you’ll need on the site (logo, images, videos, graphics, etc.)\nHave a few ideas for your domain name (your exact choice may not be available)\nOnce you have your plan in place, then you can jump in and get started. \nStep-by-step tutorial: how to build a basic website for your business\nAs we mentioned, we’ll be walking you through how to build a website on Squarespace, but most of these steps will be similar to other DIY website builders (Wix, Weebly, etc.) And no matter which site you start from, you’ll need to create an account before you can move forward with launching your new site. \nWe’ll go over the following steps:\nGet started and pick a template\nCreate your account\nStart building your site\nEditing your pages\nEditing images\nAdding a new section\nCreating a new page\nEditing the main navigation\nEditing you header\nPublish your site\nRegister your domain\nStep 1: Get started and pick a template\nOn Squarespace you don’t have to have an account in place before you are able to look at the various templates they have available. \nSo if you prefer to check out your options before signing up, let’s start here. Click “Get Started”\n(Image)\n\nFrom the next page, you can describe your business or website with the buttons or text field provided. This will help Squarespace show you the templates that are a good fit for your industry. Alternatively, you can click “I’m just browsing” in the top right corner to look through all of their template options. \n(Image)\n\nNext, you get to pick your template. You’ll have tons of options to choose from, and if you need help narrowing it down, you can browse by category (see the left side of the screen). \n(Image)\n\nWhen you hover over one of the template options, you can choose to start building your website on that template, or you can preview it first. We suggest looking at the preview so you can get a feel for that template and all of its pages before you start. \n(Image)\n\nWhen you preview the site first, you can see what it looks like on desktop, tablets, and phones so you get an idea of how the experience may vary across different devices. Click through each of these options and the different pages on the site to make sure you like it. \n(Image)\n\nWhen you find the template you want, click “Start with this design” in the top right corner. \nStep 2: Create your account\nIf you haven’t created an account yet, this is where Squarespace will prompt you to do so. You can use a Google, Apple, or Facebook account or continue creating an account with your email. We recommend using the email or Google account that is associated with your business. \nOnce you’ve selected your option, click “Log in” in the top right corner to log in and get started. \n(Image)\n\nStep 3: Start building your site\nOn the next page, Squarespace will provide a mini-tutorial/welcome message to help you get started. You can choose to skip this if you want, but it’s helpful information. \nOn the first page of this tutorial, title your site. \n(Image)\n\nThe next couple of pages will just be brief tips on how to edit, create, and style pages. \nClick “Get Started” on the last page. \nAs you get started, your page will look similar to this:\n(Image)\n\nClick “Edit” at the top left of the website template to start putting your site together. \nStep 4: Editing your pages\nYou’ll notice that as you hover over different elements (Squarespace calls these “content blocks”) on any page of the website, you can edit the text and images. \n(Image)\n\nClick in the box to rewrite the text and style it how you want it:\n(Image)\n\nYou can also choose to remove any content block by hovering over it and clicking the little red trash can icon:\n(Image)\n\nIf you want to add additional content blocks, you can hover over the left above or below the current elements and you’ll see a gray teardrop that you can click on to add something in that spot. \n(Image)\n\nYou can scroll through the different options to see what kind of content you can add.\n\n\nAs you can see here, we chose to add a line to help separate the text. \n(Image)\n\nTo update the size, content block alignment, and colors of any section on the site, just hover over the larger section and click the edit icon.   \n(Image)\n\nUnder “Format,” you can adjust the height of that section, the content width (how wide it stretches across the screen), and the content alignment. \n\n\nYou can easily change the look and feel of the site with just the click of a few buttons. \n(Image)\n\nUnder “Background,” you can choose what you want the background to look like: if you want an image, video, solid color, overlay, or for the background to stretch across the screen or have some white space around it. \n\n\n \n(Image)\n\nUnder “Colors,” you can select a color theme that you want for each section. If you don’t love the color choices available, then you can click the edit icon on the theme that is closest to what you want and customize the colors yourself. \n\n\nYou’ll be able to look through every possible element and choose the color that it should be. There are a lot, so this can feel overwhelming. We recommend sticking to one or two main colors for headings, links, borders, and backgrounds, and using one or two neutral colors (black, white, gray, tan, brown) for the rest. Choose colors that coordinate with your brand’s aesthetic. \n\n\n \n(Image)\n\nIf you want to rearrange the sections on any page, you can hover over it and click the up and down arrows to move the entire section. \n(Image)\n\nIf you just want to rearrange the content blocks within a section you can drag and drop them. \nStep 5: Editing images\nSquarespace is helpful in that it has tons of free and premium stock photos for you to choose from, and it has an image editor built into the site so you can easily adjust colors and the cropping of the image within the engine.\nTo edit the image in any section you can hover over the image you want to change and click the edit icon. \n(Image)\n\nFrom the content tab in the new window that pops up, you can change the image that is being used. You just need to delete the current image and upload a new one or search through the images that Squarespace has available. (They pull their free images from Unsplash.com.) \n\n\n\n\nIf you click “image editor” below the picture you just uploaded, you can make the following edits to your image if you need to:\nBrightness\nContrast\nSaturation\nSharpness\nBlur\nHighlights\nShadows\nCrop\nRotate\nFlip\nAdd filters\n\n\n(Image)\n \n(Image)\n\n\n(Image)\nClick “Save” in the top left corner when you are finished editing your image. \nYou’ll then be redirected back to your website. In the image window, there are a couple other adjustments you can make to your image to help style it the way that you want. \nUnder the “Design” tab, you can choose where the text resides in relation to the image (if there is any) and you can add a link to your image if you need to. The link can be a button on or next to the image or it can be in the image itself. \n\n\n\n\n(Image)\nUnder the “Animations” tab, you can choose if you want the image to have an animation when it loads onto the page. Play with these and test them out to see if any fit the tone you are going for on your website. If you have multiple images on one page, we recommend using no animations or the same animation for all of them. Too many different animations can make the site feel overwhelming or busy. \n\nStep 6: Adding a new section\nSimilar to adding new content blocks, you can add new section to any page for different types of content that you have. Just click the plus icon above or below any section to add a new one. \n(Image)\n\nThen you’ll get a popup window with all of your options. Click through the menu on the left to see what each of these items looks like and scroll through the different configurations available. \nAnd remember, you can always adjust the colors, images, and layouts once the section is on your page. \n(Image)\n\n \n(Image)\n\n \nWe added a contact section with a form to our example home page. \n(Image)\n\n \nStep 7: Creating a new page\nNext let’s create your pages! When you’re ready to make a new page, you can click “Done” in the top right corner to return to the main menu. \n(Image)\n\nFrom there, you’ll click “Pages” to edit or delete the current pages and create new ones. \n(Image)\n\nThe next menu will look something like this. If you want your new page to be linked up in the main navigation, you can click the plus icon next to “main navigation” and create a new page from there. You can choose between a blank page and start from scratch, or you can choose a prebuilt page layout to start from. \n\n\n\n\nIf you choose a page layout, you’ll have several options to choose from, depending on the kind of content that will reside on that page. You can also select “Add Blank” from here if you choose not to use a page layout. \n(Image)\n\nOnce you pick which option you’ll use for your new page, you’ll need to title it. \n\n\nIf you click the little gear icon next to your new page, you’ll have several settings that you can adjust, including SEO options, the featured image for social media, and other advanced page settings. \n\n\n(Image)\n\nYou can also use the general settings on any page to duplicate that page if you want the same layout for other pages (for example on services or products pages).\n(Image)\n\nJust make sure that whatever changes you make, you click “Save” in the top left corner when you are done. \nIf you added the page into your main navigation, you’ll be able to see it linked up there once you’ve created it. \n(Image)\n\nFollow the instructions for editing a page and editing images above to design your new page. \nStep 8: Editing your main navigation\nEditing the main navigation is super quick and easy. \nWhen you are under the “Pages” menu from the last step, you can click and drag your pages to wherever you want them in your main navigation. If you created any pages in the “Not Linked” section, you can also drag those up to the main navigation. \nWe recommend not adding more than 5-6 items here because it can start to get busy and wrap weirdly if there are too many items. \n\n\n\n\nStep 9: Editing your header\nWhen you are editing your website, you can hover over the header (from any page) and click “Edit site header.”\n(Image)\n\nFrom here, you’ll have the option to change the layout of the header, update the site title and logo, add different elements to the header, change the colors, and adjust the style. \n\n\nAt the very least, we recommend adding your logo and scrolling through the header layouts to see if there’s another layout you might like beyond the default. \n\n\n(Image)\n\n\nStep 10: Publish your website\nWhen you are finished building your website, adding all of your pages and organizing it the way you want, then it’s time to publish!\nUnder “Done” in the top right corner, make sure you save your changes, and then click “Done.”\n\n\nWe recommend taking advantage of this “Assistant” that Squarespace provides. If you scroll down to the bottom of the window, you’ll see a “Launch Your Site” option with a checklist. \n\n\nClick “See the checklist” to review final recommendations for publishing a complete and professional-looking website. \n\n\nOnce you’ve reviewed the checklist and are satisfied with all of your final touches, go to your assistant or the bottom of the page and click “Subscribe.”\n(Image)\n\nFrom here, you can select the plan that you want from Squarespace. They lay out all of the different features that each plan comes with and you have the option to pay annually or monthly (there is a discount when you pay annually). \nOnce you select your plan you will need to enter your payment information. \n\n\nJust one more step. You’re almost there!\nStep 11: Register your domain\nWith all annual plans on Squarespace, you get one custom domain free for the first year. You can choose to purchase your domain through Squarespace, or if you already have your domain from a third-party domain registrar, you can follow \nthese instructions \nto get it registered with your Squarespace site. \nTo find a domain through Squarespace, go to \nsquarespace.com/domain-name-search\n. Type in your desired domain name right on this page to search for the right domain for your website. \n(Image)\n\n \n(Image)\n\nYou can find instructions \nhere for registering your free Squarespace domain\n. \nOnce your domain is registered and you’ve purchased your plan, you can launch your site and start sharing it on your social media accounts, business cards, and other marketing platforms. \nGet your site out there so that it can start working for you and bringing in new customers. 

How to build your own business website (step-by-step walkthrough)

Getting a bad review on Yelp can feel like a punch to the gut for small business owners, especially if it was unwarranted. It’s frustrating and sometimes it seems like there’s nothing you can do about it. But wait! There might might be. If you’re hoping to remove a Yelp review, you’ve come to the right place.\nBefore we explore how to remove a review from your Yelp page, let’s back up. How often do bad reviews happen and what does a bad review mean for your small business? \nHow often do bad reviews happen on Yelp?\nIf you’re distressed about getting a bad review on Yelp, don’t worry, it happens all the time. According to Yelp’s Factsheet, there are over 171 million reviews on the platform and given that 16% of those are 1 star reviews, that’s roughly 27,360,000 awful reviews on Yelp. So if you get a scorcher, it’s okay. It’s part of the program.\n(Image)\n\nBut what if it’s a completely groundless review? Let’s see what we can do about getting it removed.\nIs it possible to remove a Yelp review?\nYes, it is possible for a Yelp review to be removed. However, business owners cannot directly remove them (reviewers can delete their own reviews). \nOnly Yelp can eliminate reviews from its platform. Never work with an individual or a consultancy that claims they can bypass Yelp’s platform to remove a Yelp remove, or a reputation management company that purchases fake reviews to boost your star rating. Short of requesting the removal of a definitively bogus or defamatory reviews, legitimate reviews from actual customers should be your only recourse in improving your star rating on Yelp and other review sites. \nWhile Yelp takes a somewhat “laissez faire” approach—they keep discretion mostly in the hands of Yelpers— there are reasons the Yelp moderators or recommendation software may remove a review. Keep in mind that one or more of these reasons will have to be true for your case in order to get a review removed from your page. Otherwise, the review—good or bad—will remain.\nPlus, research shows that negative online business reviews aren’t necessarily as harmful as you might think. Businesses with between 10 and 25% negative reviews make the most money!\n5 instances that justify the removal of a Yelp Review \nYou can have a Yelp review removed if you can prove that an undesired review is “questionable” by demonstrating to the Yelp team one of the following things.\nThe review is fake. Similar to \nhow Google detects and removes reviews\n, Yelp will dismiss any spam reviews (content posted multiple times from different accounts or many reviews from one IP address), conflicts of interest (reviewing your own business), and impersonations (representing the views of someone other than yourself).\nThe review violates \nYelp’s content guidelines\n. Yelp prohibits inappropriate, promotional, irrelevant content, and violations of people’s privacy, intellectual property.\nThe review is “not recommended.”\n Yelp’s recommendation software automatically filters out reviews based on dozens of signals, including lack of quality, unreliability, and questionable user activity. According to Yelp, 25% of reviews are not recommended. They’re filtered out and not displayed (and don’t affect anything) on your business’s profile. \nThe author deletes the review. The only other party besides Yelp that has the power to remove a user’s review is the user himself/herself. To remove a Yelp review, a user simply navigates to their account, opens their Reviews, selects the review they’d like to remove, and taps “Remove” (the trash can icon).\nLegal process proves the review is defamatory. According to Yelp, if a questionable or fraudulent review is NOT removed by Yelp’s moderators or recommendation software,  \n“you or your lawyer can obtain a final adjudication from a court of competent jurisdiction indicating that the review is defamatory”\n and \ncontact Yelp’s Support team\n.\nHow to flag and remove Yelp reviews that violate the terms of service\nIf the Yelp review you’re hoping to remove falls under one of the above criteria, you may have a chance of having it taken down. Here’s how to flag and report a review (keep in mind that reporting doesn’t guarantee a review will be taken down).\nNote: Before reporting a Yelp review, read this helpful article from Yelp  first: \n“When should I report a review?”\nLog in to your Yelp account (the “Report review” button won’t show up if you’re not logged in).\nFind the review you’d like to report. \nOn desktop, select the “Report review” button that looks like a flag.\n\nNote: if you’re on mobile, the “Report review” function is located in the “three dot” menu.\n\nAfter you report the review, Yelp will assess and analyze the best decision based on its content guidelines, which may take several days. \nFortunately, Yelp will email you regardless of their decision to remove or keep the review. Either way, you’ll hear back. \nWhat if I can’t get a Yelp review removed? \nAlas, if you’ve exhausted all possible options and you’ve found the negative review cannot be justified for removal and it must remain, there are some things you can do that will lessen its pejorative impact.\nMessage the reviewer privately and try to work things out. Without being a jerk, see if you can make amends, solve the problem, or redress the situation. The best case scenario is they edit, update, or remove their own review.\nRespond publicly and diplomatically. If the reviewer still won’t take down their review, respond to the review with professionalism and objective problem solving. Keep in mind that hundreds or even thousands of potential customers may see your response, so use this as an opportunity to bring in more business, not to shoot your business in the foot with an overly-defensive or emotional retort.\n

How to remove Yelp reviews

In this article:\nWhat is Instagram Stories? \nHow can Instagram Stories help market your hair or nail salon?\nInstagram Story ideas for your or nail or hair salon\nHow to show ads in Instagram Stories\nWith more than 1 billion active monthly users, Instagram is one of the most widely used social media platforms. And more than 500 million people are using the Instagram Stories feature on a daily basis. \nFor hair and nail salons, you can get a lot of traction from Instagram Stories with the visual nature of your service. Catch your customers’ attention by sharing your own stories on a daily basis, and capture more new customers or followers with Instagram Stories advertising. \nWhat is Instagram Stories?\nInstagram Stories is a feature of Instagram where you can highlight specific moments of your day, business highlights, deals, points of interest, etc. within a slideshow that is only available for 24 hours. You can post short video clips and images within this platform. \nThis is a great way to share content that you don’t necessarily want to be posted permanently, but just want to share some extra tidbits about your day with your customers. \nAlso, not everyone wants to be bombarded with posts from you in their Instagram feed all day. Instead of sharing a bunch of Instagram posts (the daily recommendation is 1-2 posts), you can share a bunch of content via the “Stories” feature, so that only those who want to see that extra content will see it. \nGet started by \ncreating an Instagram account for your business\n if you don’t already have one.\nHow can Instagram Stories help you market your hair or nail salon?\nInstagram Stories is a powerful way to keep your customers and followers engaging with your brand. From quizzes and polls to the tagging capabilities within this platform, you can really get your customers involved with your account and business. \nA few ways that your salon can benefit from using Instagram Stories:\nWith location tags, hashtags, and mentioning influencers and other local businesses, you can grow your audience\nGet more customer engagement with polls, quizzes, AMA’s, and sharing visually appealing content\nDrive traffic to your website through deals and teasers for tutorials\nUse Instagram Stories ads to broaden your reach (see below)\nGo deeper: \nWhy Instagram Stories are the most underrated small business marketing tool\nUsing an Instagram Story for marketing your salon\nNow that you’ve got a good idea of how Instagram Stories can help your salon, let’s talk about a few specific ways you can use Instagram Stories to market your hair or nail salon.\nShare behind the scenes footage\nSalons are definitely a more personal business than most, so sharing some behind-the-scenes shots or video of your staff members and facilities can show how welcoming and fun the atmosphere of your salon is. \nShare short clips of your staff members in action with a client, cleaning their supplies, or even just having fun together outside of work. \nPromote deals\nGrab the attention of local Instagram users by offering some sweet deals in your Instagram Stories. \nWhen one of your staff members has a few openings left for the day or week, blast that on your stories and encourage customers to take action by linking it to your online booking on your website or tagging that stylist in your story. \nShare referral deals and other discounts within your story to entice customers during your less busy times. \nGo deeper: \nWhy your salon needs online scheduling\nPost some live tutorials\nPost live tutorials on your Instagram Stories. These will have to be brief tutorials or something that you can tease and share the rest on your website. \nFor nail techs, share a quick how-to for making a flower out of nail polish or the proper way to trim someone’s nails. \nFor hairstylists, share quick guides for a cute messy bun or how to make the perfect wave with a hair straightener. \nIf you have full tutorials on your website, share some short teasers and use the “swipe up” feature to include a link and drive more traffic to your website. \nInvite your customers to ask questions\nInvite your customers to ask you and your staff members questions. Host an “ask me anything” (AMA) session within your Instagram Stories. Share the questions that come in from your customers and record your answers via video. \nAdd this session to your \nInstagram Story Highlights\n so anyone who missed the AMA can view these later, because if one customer had a question about your services, it’s likely that others had that same question. \nShare advice\nInstagram Stories is the perfect place to share advice about what types of products to use, how often to trim your hair, and all other things hair and nail health. \nShare videos of your staff members offering advice or create some compelling visuals that share the message you want to convey. \nYou can even post blogs on your website about hair and nail health and then share little peeks from those in your stories to drive more traffic to your blogs. \nPartner with other brands\nIdentify other local businesses that you can collaborate with to either host events or offer your customers some great deals. \nFor example, you could partner with a bridal shop or wedding venue to offer savings on a bridal package when they purchase through you and your partner. \nWhoever you partner with, take advantage of both of your follower base by sharing on each of your Instagram Stories and promoting the deals like crazy. \nPro tip:\n If you don’t want your Instagram Stories to disappear forever after 24 hours, learn \nhow to use Instagram Stories highlights\n.\nHow to show ads in Instagram Stories\nYour entire target audience is not already following your Instagram account and therefore, won’t necessarily see your Instagram Stories unless you promote them through ads. \nInstagram is highly integrated with Facebook (Facebook owns Instagram), so in order to share an ad via Instagram Stories, simply log in to your Facebook Ads Manager and set up a new ad campaign. \nDon’t have a Facebook Ads Manager account? Set one up with our quick guide:  \nHow to set up Facebook Ads Manager for your small business\nWithin Facebook Ads Manager, you can select the type of placements that you want, and Instagram Stories is among those options. \nSome ideas for types of ads to share on Instagram Stories:\nLocal promotions and discounts\nUpcoming events that you are hosting or involved with\nBrand awareness ads\nSeasonal offerings around prom, winter formal, and homecoming
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How to market your hair or nail salon with Instagram Stories

Small Business Saturday 2022 is more vital than it has ever been for local businesses. Millions of American businesses permanently closed due to the pandemic, and Small Business Saturday is an annual event that intends to bolster support and sales for local retailers, so hopefully they can recover and thrive through this crazy time in history. \nLet’s go over some basics about Small Business Saturday, and then we’ll talk about three ways you can maximize the positive impact of this “Shop Small” holiday this year and throughout the year to come.\nWhat is Small Business Saturday?\nSmall Business Saturday is an annual event on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It was \nstarted by American Express in 2010\n, and has continued to grow in popularity and local support ever since.\nThe “Shop Small” movement is growing as local retailers, restaurants, shops, and even online-only businesses feel the pressure from big-box retailers and huge multi-billion-dollar corporations that are intent on carving out a space in local markets.\nAccording to American Express’s \nShop Small survey\n, 80% of consumers surveyed are likely to seek out small businesses rather than huge retailers for their holiday purchases. This is good news for small businesses still struggling to overcome the impacts of the pandemic. \nWhen is Small Business Saturday 2022?\nSmall Business Saturday 2022 is on November 26. It falls between Black Friday and Cyber Monday each year.\n3 ways you can maximize your Small Business Saturday success\n1. Extend your business’s hours\nWhen you have more people visiting your store, it makes sense to extend your regular operating hours to accommodate the additional traffic and maximize sales.\nBe sure to \nupdate your business’s website\n and other online resources like \nGoogle My Business\n and \nYelp\n with your correct holiday hours so people aren’t disappointed. Also remember to email your customer list (if you have one) and let them know, as well as posting on your social media platforms.\n2. Hire more help\nEven if you need to hire temporary workers just to cover this important weekend, it can be worth it. Studies show that Saturdays are the busiest days of the week for local retail anyway, and Small Business Saturday is significantly busier than that. \nHowever, hiring additional workers may be a tall order in today’s shaky retail environment, as nearly half of small businesses have job openings they can’t fill. Offering incentives and bonuses for full-time or temporary workers can pay off big, though, if you can leverage the additional help into exponentially greater sales.\nThe benefits of hiring more help include more effective inventory management, a faster and more satisfying shopping experience, and quicker checkout. These benefits (and more) can delight customers and increase your chances of getting positive reviews, earning repeat business (see below), and \nimproving local SEO\n results for your business.\n3. Focus on earning repeat customers\nOne great thing about Small Business Saturday is the increase in foot traffic for local businesses, which means you’re potentially selling to a lot more new customers. Be sure to gather all the information you can about these new and repeat customers so you can encourage them to return throughout the year for repeat sales.\nFor local businesses, setting up a complicated digital loyalty program may be a stretch, but even something as simple as having a stack of cards set up by the checkout register with a sign saying “provide your email and get 10% off your next purchase” can be effective at gathering customer email addresses.\nBe creative and proactive about asking (nicely) for customers’ contact information, and think of an incentive that can encourage them to provide it. We’ve prepared \n3 creative ways to build a customer loyalty program\n so you can market to your current customers, you can turn many of them into repeat customers that are worth up to 5X more than a new customer.\nGo deeper: \n6 elements of an effective loyalty program\nAlso, many modern \nsmall business payment solutions\n offer data resources that can gather customer info to help you build a loyal base of repeat customers. \nStay on top of your online reviews to encourage new and repeat business\nBeyond focusing on creating a memorable and satisfying customer experience on Small Business Saturday (and throughout the year), another vital aspect of local business success is getting reviews and recommendations on all your online business pages and review site profiles. This helps provide social proof that other people have used and enjoyed your products or services, and can bring more new customers to your business. \nYou may also like:\n\nStep-by-step small business marketing guide\n\n\n41 small-town business ideas that thrive\n\n

Small Business Saturday 2022: more important than ever

In this article:\nWhen should I get a loan for my small business?\nQuestions to ask before getting a business loan\nSmall business loan requirements\nTypes of small business loans available\nHow to get a small business loan\nGetting a business loan is a common process for many small businesses as they are starting up or looking to grow. Sometimes you just don’t have the capital to take your business to the next level, so you need a little help along the way. \nBefore getting a loan for your small business, make sure that your plan for return is solid and that you will be able to pay back the loan and keep your business going strong. \nWhen should I get a loan for my small business?\nTo determine when you should get a loan for your business, you need to understand the different types of loans that are available and have a purpose for your loan. \nGenerally, you want to acquire a business loan \nbefore\n you are in dire need of one, but close to the time that you are actually ready to spend the money. \nYou shouldn’t ever get a business loan as a last-ditch effort to save your company or on an impulse. It needs to be well-thought-out and serve a purpose to help grow your business. \nWe’ll guide you through some questions to ask before getting a loan, the basic loan requirements you’ll need, the types of loans available to you, and, when you’re ready, how to get your small business loan. \nQuestions to ask before applying for a business loan\nBefore you get a small business loan, there are several questions you should ask yourself to determine what your goals are for the loan and whether or not a loan is the best decision for your business right now. \nWhat do I need the money for?\nHow much money do I need?\nWhat does my credit history look like?\nHow soon do I need the funds?\nYou should also come up with a list of questions to ask the lender so that you know exactly what is required of you when it comes to acquiring the loan and paying it back. Some questions to get you started:\nWill you lend to businesses in my industry?\nWhat are the interest rates of the loan?\nAre there any other fees associated with the loan?\nHow long does the loan application process take?\nWhat will my payment schedule be?\nWhen is my first payment due?\nHow do I make payments for my loan?\nAre you rated well with the BBB? What is your rating?\nCan I speak to some of your past and current customers?\nDo you report payment history to the appropriate credit bureaus?\nAre there any penalties for early loan payoff?\nThese questions will get you started in determining whether or not you need a loan and will be able to qualify for one, as well as help you find the best possible lender for your situation.\n\nSmall business loan requirements\nIt will help you out immensely to know what the requirements of a business loan are before you apply for one. Set yourself up for success by making sure that you can qualify for a small business loan. \nHere are some of the basic requirements for business loans. Keep in mind that certain lenders may have different requirements and these are just a general guide. \nThe amount you want to borrow\nThe purpose of the loan\nPersonal credit score\nBusiness credit score\nHow long your business has been in operation\nA solid business plan\nYour industry\nType of business\nLicenses and permits that authenticate your business\nEmployer identification number\nCopy of your commercial license\nProof of collateral you wish to use\nAnnual revenue and profits for your business\nBank statements\nBalance sheet\nPersonal tax returns\nBusiness tax returns\nDisclosure of all debts\nAccounts payable and accounts receivable aging reports\nOwnership and affiliations of the business\nLegal contracts and agreements of the business\nNot all lenders will require every piece of information that we’ve listed here and some may have a few more items, but this will give you a good start to be prepared for the information that your lenders may ask for. \nBest types of small business loans: how to choose\nThere are several different types of small business loans. Carefully considering the questions we listed above and understanding the purpose of your loan will help you to determine the best type of loan for your business. \nHere are some of the most common types of loans that small businesses use. \nLines of credit\nBusiness lines of credits are very similar to credit cards in that they are open-ended and have specific limits. With a line of credit, you can withdraw funds, repay them, and then pull out more funds later as needed. \nCommon reasons for business lines of credit include managing cash flow gaps, increasing working capital, and purchasing inventory. \nThe best part about lines of credit is that you only pay interest on the money that you spend. Even if you are approved for a large amount, you only pay interest on the portion that you actually use. \nTerm loans\nTerm loans are the type of loan that most borrowers think of when they hear the term “business loan.” You are given a sum of money which you need to pay back, with interest, at regular intervals over a given period of time. \nThe thing to be aware of with term loans is that they need to be repaid promptly, so they aren’t a good choice if you need working capital. Term loans are best when you have a large purchase coming up (real estate or equipment) and you’re going to use all of the loaned funds towards that business expense right away. \nEquipment financing\nAs you can imagine, equipment financing is used to purchase business equipment like machinery or vehicles. The equipment you purchase with the loan is used to help secure the loan. \nsmall business owner with coffee roasting equipment\nEquipment loans generally have low interest rates and most allow you to finance between 80% and 100% of the cost. \nInvoice factoring\nInvoice factoring is the process by which businesses sell their unpaid invoices to “factoring” companies. These companies will give a cash advance that is generally between 70% and 100% of the invoice, and then will collect their payment when the customer pays the invoice. \nIf you have a lot of unpaid invoices that are hurting cash flow, this type of financing can be helpful. \nMerchant cash advance\nA merchant cash advance provides business owners with funds in exchange for a percentage of their income over a certain period of time. Payments are made daily as a percentage of the customer transactions that day. \nThese types of loans typically have high interest rates since they take a percentage of your sales, so we only recommend using these as a last resort. \nHow to get a small business loan\nNow that you’ve determined how much you need to borrow and learned what types of loan may be the most beneficial to your business, it’s time to put your plan into action. \nFollow these steps to acquire your small business loan. \nDetermine which type of loan you need\nBefore you can apply for a loan, you need to determine what type of loan your business needs. Do your research to figure out which types of loans suit the needs of your business best and then find a lender that can deliver. \nFind the best lender for your business\nThere are several different types of lenders out there who want to help your business succeed (and make some money in the process). Determine the type of loan you want will help you narrow down your list of lenders that you can choose from. \nCommon types of lenders that small businesses go to:\nCommercial banks\nLocal community banks\nDirect online lenders\nPeer-to-peer lending sites\nBank lenders with SBA guarantees\nafrican american couple meeting with banker for small business loan\nDetermine if you are eligible for a small business loan\nCarefully examine your personal and business credit history, revenue history, assets, and total debts. Lenders make judgments based on all of these things and how high of a risk it will be to give you a loan. \nAnswering some of these questions can help you to decide if a lender will make the judgment call that you want to hear:\nDo you make payments on loans on time?\nDo you have any outstanding debts that haven’t been paid?\nDo you have valuable assets that can stand as collateral?\nHow long have you been in business?\nDo you have any venture capital investors, strategic investors, or angel investors? (Having investors looks good to lenders)\nAre your financial statements in order?\nGet your financial statements together\nLeading on that last question, you should definitely get your financial statements in order before applying for a small business loan. Your lender will ask for these, so it’s vital to prepare yourself ahead of time and be well aware of how your finances look. \nLenders will carefully review your statements to analyze your cash flow, margins, accounts payable and receivable, and more. Be prepared for questions about your records, and keep your accountant involved in the process. \nGather detailed information and documentation for your loan application\nWe mentioned a list earlier of basic requirements that you should have prepared before applying for a business loan. Make sure you have all of those details together in order to make the application process go as smoothly as possible. \nResearch your lender and loan type beforehand as well to see if there are any additional, non-typical requirements by the lender. \nIt takes time to get statements and records together, so give yourself the time you need and don’t postpone the application process by delaying this key step. \nKnow how much you want to borrow\nYou can’t ask for a loan without knowing how much you need to borrow. The lender will want to know the amount you wish to borrow and how you plan to use the funds. \nIt can be good to ask for a little more than you initially planned for just in case you hit any hurdles while spending the funds.  \nDetermine the security options for the loan\nLenders just want to make sure they are going to get their money back (with interest), so they will have different security options to improve the odds of that happening. \nThis is often coined as “collateral” but may simply be a security interest to the lender on company assets. \nAnother thing that lenders will do to ensure this security on their funds is to get a personal guarantee from the business owner. It’s usually a good idea to avoid this when possible because this puts the owner’s \npersonal\n assets at risk as well as the business’s assets. \nmale hands signing personal guarantee for small business loan\nAnalyze the terms of the loan\nDon’t just blindly accept any loan because you need the money. You need to make sure the terms of the loan make sense for your business and that you can actually deliver on them.\nKey terms you should review with your lender and accountant:\nWhat is the interest rate on the loan and can it vary over time?\nHow often can you pay the interest?\nWhen is the principal interest due or is it spread over the lifetime of the loan?\nWhat’s the loan origination fee?\nAre there any other costs or fees associated with the loan?\nAre there limits on how the funds can be spent?\nAre there any security requirements?\nCan the loan be paid off early? Is there a penalty for that?\nReview your online presence\nLenders are going to perform their due diligence to ensure that your business is going to be a valuable investment for them. To ensure that your business is reputable and professional, they will likely check to see what your online presence is like. \nThis will include your website, social profiles, any online reviews your business has, and even the business owner’s personal accounts and social posts. \nIf there’s anything that you think might prevent you from getting a loan, make improvements and updates before you apply.\nApply for the loan\nOnce you are familiar with the process and know what type of loan you want, it’s time to put in your application. Depending on the type of loan you are getting, the waiting period for a business loan can be anywhere from 24 hours to 6 months (this time frame should be disclosed to you when you talk to the lender). 

Guide to small business loans: How to apply, best types, and tips

In this article:\nThe big three: Google, Facebook, and Yelp\nOther important review listing sites to focus on\nWhich online review platform is THE most important?\nCustomer review tips\nOnline review sites are crucial for developing a good online reputation for your small business. Research shows that claiming your profiles on 3 or more platforms correlates with a whopping \n78% increase in revenue\n compared to businesses who claim none.\nYou should strive to create as many profiles for your business as you can across several review platforms. \nHowever, there are a few important business profiles that you should spend a little extra time on to make sure you really round out your profile and provide customers with as much information as they need to choose you over your competitors. \nBest online review platforms for your business: the big three \nGoogle My Business, Facebook, and Yelp are the three review sites have the largest impact on consumers. People trust them and spend a lot of time on each of these platforms. They are important even to sole proprietorships, microbusinesses, contractors, freelancers, and more.\nGoogle My Business\nGoogle My Business is how you get your business to show up on Google. Google dominates more than 90% of the search engine market, so it goes without saying that people are definitely searching for new businesses here. \ncell phone with google business for best online review sites\n\nGoogle reviews have a large impact on how well you show up in the Google map packs and influence a customer’s decision to pick your business over a competitor’s. \nQuick guide: \nHow to claim your Google Business listing\nFacebook\nFacebook is huge for brand awareness. With more than 2 billion monthly active users, this social media giant reaches far and wide, even within your own community. \nWhile most users on Facebook aren’t shopping for new products or services, they are spending a lot of time on this channel. Take advantage of that by promoting your brand on Facebook with ads from your business page, and make sure to get good reviews from your customers on Facebook. \nThen, when people are in research mode, they’ve already seen your business in ads while scrolling through their feed. \nQuick guide: \nHow to create and claim your Facebook business page\nYelp\nYelp averages 37 million people on its mobile app alone each month, with a total of 100.5 million monthly unique web visitors. \nYelp started out intending to be used by consumers for finding the best local restaurants, but today multiple other industries get plenty of Yelp traffic as well. \nEvery small business should have a Yelp listing and encourage their customers to leave reviews there. Just be careful about how you get your reviews on Yelp because they do have strict policies about soliciting reviews. The best way is to follow Yelp’s guidelines and encourage customers by posting official “We’re on Yelp” signage throughout your business and on your website. \nQuick guide: \nHow to claim your Yelp business listing\nGo deeper: \nWhy bad yelp reviews might be a good thing\n\ncell phone with yelp for best online review platforms\n\nOther top review platforms you should add your business to\nWhile Google, Facebook, and Yelp are by far the largest online review platforms to focus on, there are several others that still pose valuable opportunities for your business. \nBing\nBing is the default search engine for Microsoft Edge, which is the default browser for Windows operating systems. What that means is that a lot of people are still using Bing when they do their online searching. \nBe sure that your business is available to those customers by claiming your business profile on Bing and keeping it updated and accurate. Keep current on your holiday hours, photos, and information like you would for your Google listing. \nQuick guide: \nHow to create and claim your Bing business listing\nOpenTable\nOpenTable is an absolute must if you run a restaurant, cafe, coffee shop, bar, lounge, sandwich shop, or anywhere else that serves food or drink. Follow our step-by-step guide to \nlist your business on OpenTable\n. \nBBB (Better Business Bureau)\nGetting your business listed with the BBB is important for your online reputation. When customers are getting serious about doing business with you, they’ll often research your company to make sure that they can trust you. \nThe BBB is one such site that consumers look to when trying to determine how well a business can be trusted, whether they have questionable business practices, or if they’re well-liked by customers. \nQuick guide: \nHow to get your business listed with the BBB\nTripAdvisor\nWhen people are traveling and looking for the best hotels, entertainment, and food options, they often look to TripAdvisor. So, if you fit into any of those categories (and more), this directory should definitely be on your list. Or more correctly, your business should definitely be on \ntheir\n list.\nQuick guide: \nHow to claim your business listing on TripAdvisor\nreview us on tripadvisor sign for online review sites\n\nManta\nManta is an important directory website to get your business listed on for two reasons:\nIt gets a lot of traffic from users who trust it\nManta provides a powerful and free tool to help you check the consistency of your citations across the web\nList your small business on Manta to take advantage of these features and improve your online presence even further. \nQuick guide: \nHow to create and claim your free business listing on Manta\nFoursquare\nFoursquare is a popular online directory where consumers share the things they love about their favorite businesses. Users provide tips about business they’ve been to and can get badges for engaging with businesses on this platform. \nFoursquare attempts to make the online review process a fun and interactive game for its users, which entices them to come back and rate other businesses—like yours!\nQuick guide: \nHow to list or claim your business profile on Foursquare\nSo which online review platform is \nthe\n most important?\nWhile you should definitely claim and optimize your business profiles on all of these sites (if relevant to your industry), starting with “the big three,” data shows that reviews on \nGoogle\n impact revenue far more than other review sites. If you had to pick only one review platform to focus on, it should be Google My Business.\nImportant customer review tips to remember\nBe sure to really round out each of the profiles that we’ve mentioned by including high-quality photos of your business and products (if applicable), updating your hours regularly, and engaging with your customers on these review platforms.\nOnce you have claimed each of your online business review profiles and start implementing your review strategy, here are a few important tips to keep in mind:\nDon’t stop reminding your customers that you appreciate online feedback/reviews. You can’t just ask a few customers one time to leave you a review online. You need some kind of system to continually grow your review count and build a steady supply of fresh reviews on your business profiles. \nRespond to every customer review. Engagement with your customer reviews is important. It shows them that you saw what they said and acknowledged it, whether the review was good or bad. This also shows potential customers that you are involved and want to provide a great experience. \nMake it easy for your customers to leave you a review. Asking a customer to leave you an online review is an awesome first step, but if you leave it at that, you won’t get many new reviews. You should find a way to guide your customers directly to your review platform so they don’t need to try to find it on their own. 
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