What does “marketing” mean to your small business? For you, it may include a website, Facebook, or electronic newsletters. For another small business, it may mean something different, such as events, trade shows or advertising. Regardless, MetroAction understands that marketing is vital to your success. (more…)
Will you be offering a new product line? Or maybe a new service?
Whether you’re launching a new business or rethinking an existing one, MetroAction has the resources available to get your business moving in the right direction during 2011. We provide loans to help businesses start and grown and we provide seminars and webinars to help you make the right choices in your business.
Visit our website to learn about all of our products and services!
Do you know a small business owner that needs financing? Did you know that MetroAction can provide loans from $250 to $200,000 to small businesses that do not qualify for bank financing?
MetroAction’s Step Loan Program helps low income people improve their lives by providing access to small business loans and counseling. And, MetroAcion is an area loan organization for the Small Business First Loan Program — a state program designed to stimulate the expansion and assist in the retention of small business for the purpose of creating new jobs and retaining existing jobs in Pennsylvania.
Learn more about these, and our other loan programs, at www.MetroAction.org. You can even make a referral right from our website!
Did you know that MetroAction is here to help you to obtain the cash you need to keep your business growing until you can cover all of your operating expenses out of revenue? Whether it’s for marketing, staffing or other operational expenses, MetroAction can help! (more…)
If energy efficiency is a top priority for your business, MetroAction can help! Energy prices are about skyrocket. It is predicted that energy costs will increase by 30% over the next few weeks!
Paying for an energy-efficiency upgrade doesn’t have to be an issue. While some upgrades require little or no funding, some do require a financial investment. Why should you invest in making upgrades? The savings from a well-planned efficiency upgrade can have a positive impact on your business’ cash flow and, even, pay for itself in the long run. (more…)
SBA
Did you know that the SBA is launching a new program to help existing small businesses through this difficult economic time? In a few weeks, eligible businesses will be able to apply for deferred-payment loans up to $35,000 through the America’s Recovery Capital (ARC) program. Read more about the program and eligibilty below. (more…)
When it comes to growing a business, whether you are a new business owner or you have been in the game for some time, there are many models and strategies that can be used to help you expand your business. But which one is the right one? After all, there are many different types of businesses and many unique entrepreneurial styles.
Before fabricating or adopting a growth strategy, there are a few steps that should be taken that will yield valuable insights about you and the future of your business: where you are and where you want to go.
The I.D.E.A. (identify, develop, evaluate, and act) method is a great way to help you plan the growth of your business. With the completion of each step a clearer picture will begin to form that will help you create and execute a plan of attack.
Identify – Before anything else, you must identify exactly what type of business growth you wish to achieve. This could be anything: the desire for more clients, higher sales, expansion projects, a more diverse product line etc. The sky is the limit. Write down what type of growth you want to obtain.
Develop – In order to arrive at the desired destination there must be signs along the way that will continually point you in the right direction. This is the development stage: constructing milestones or a series of objectives that will help you reach your ultimate goal. These objectives must be specific and they must all successively lead to a higher level of achievement until you reach your final terminus.
Evaluate – In order to stay on the right path you must evaluate your every move. This will help ensure that you are where you need to be and that you are going where you need to go. Without employing this step it is very easy to veer off the correct path. However, the proper use of this step will help you understand exactly what needs to be done and what adjustments need to be made in order to keep your plans on target.
Act – This final step is simply making the necessary adjustments that the 3 previous steps have directed you to make. But keep in mind that you should not become over zealous when it comes to adjusting your plans. Make sure that you leave enough time between the adjustments to see the results. This will help you determine what is and isn’t working.
This exercise is a great starting point for any entrepreneur who is looking to grow their business. Hopefully these steps will help you come up with a plan to get your business where you want it to be.
So, you’ve done it. You’ve finally made the commitment and decided to go into business for yourself. But have you stopped to think about how you’re going to let people know about your new company or the products and services that it offers?
If this is you, then now is probably the time to begin thinking seriously about a marketing strategy. To some this may be an intimidating thought. After all, there are many different types of marketing and finding a mix that fits your business may seem like a daunting task. Fortunately, marketing is not as hard as it sometimes appears and there are many different avenues that can be taken in order to achieve marketing success.
So what is marketing? Even if you don’t know the dictionary’s definition you probably have an idea of what it is and if you have been in business for any amount of time you’re probably already engaged in some form of marketing, whether you realize it or not.
Many business owners (novice and veteran alike) think that marketing is an extravagant and expensive campaign that is comprised of billboards, television spots, mass emails, and countless phone calls (to name a few). It is true that marketing involves these things, but it is so much more than that. Simply put, marketing is everything that goes into selling a product or service. Everything in between the transfer of a good or service from the seller to the buyer is marketing.
What makes a marketing project work is how a business arranges all of the different types of marketing to form a unique message that captures the attention of the consumer.
In order to do this, there are a few things to keep in mind.
Simplicity is the key to a good marketing strategy – Everything, from a slogan to a logo, should be kept simple. The simpler it is the more likely people are to remember it.
Don’t think that one form of marketing is enough – Do everything you are capable of doing to get the word out about your business. This means go beyond stuffing mail boxes with brochures and start incorporating some different things. Build relationships with people, set up a website, advertise etc.
Don’t think that marketing is a quick fix – Creating and implementing a good marketing strategy is one of the best things you can do for your business. But it will not solve all of your problems. Just keep in mind that marketing is not an end, but a means to an end.
Don’t wait – The sooner you begin marketing your business the sooner you will be established in the minds of your target market as someone who provides what they want.
There you have it: a few basic steps to better your business and improve your chances of success.
What is the key to a successful business? Many would argue that there is not a definitive answer to this question. They say the answer depends on the circumstances and situations of a given venture. Some businesses come and stay while others come and go. But there is no formula, no unquestionable set of rules that, if followed, will yield a winning enterprise.
So why is it that some businesses succeed while others fail? It would be fair to say that this question does not have multiple answers, but one answer which is made up of multiple components, all of which are vital to the success of any business. Keep in mind, however, that some of these components are more sensitive than others (i.e. there is a big difference between a good business idea and having readily available business capital).
So here it is, a few highlighted components that, when fused, make for a great business foundation:
That’s it. Those are the basic components that answer the question “what is the key to a successful business”. Of course, there is more to it than that, but these steps will help build a solid core for a winning business.
A new small business loan program is available for military service members and veterans! Eligible individuals can apply for up to $50,000 in small business financing to start or grow a business in Carbon, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, Susquehanna, Wayne or Wyoming counties. Funding can be used for start-up capital, to purchase equipment or machinery, make building improvements or for working capital.
To be eligible, at least 51% of the business must be owned by a member of the military community, including veterans, service-disabled veterans, active-duty service members eligible for the military’s Transition Assistance Program, reservists and National Guard members. Spouses of service members and widows of service members or veterans who died during service or of a service-connected disability are also eligible to apply under this program.
If you are interested in applying for this program, you can submit your pre-qualification application online or download a paper copy.
