Among all the many funding options for small business owners, some types of government and private programs tend to get lost in the mix. One opportunity that is sorely needed in today’s market, and that some eligible entrepreneurs might not know about, is an option for America’s many veterans and military staffers. The Patriot Express Loan Program was created to serve these individuals as they attempt to re-integrate into the economy and build their own contributions to the American small business landscape.

What Is the Patriot Express Loan Program?
The Patriot Express Loan Program is offered through the U.S. Small Business Administration [...]

Credit cards have become the top source of financing for small business owners in the United States. In fact, the percentage of small businesses that now use credit cards has nearly tripled since 1993. At just 16 percent in 1993, the number has now risen to 44 percent. Thus, nearly half of America’s small business owners have turned to credit cards for their financing needs.
If you are one of the many small business owners who uses credit cards, you may have a pile of debt that you would like to shrink. Obviously, you’ll have to make payments to get that [...]

Tax season has come and gone. Most small business owners have made their payments, even if it was done so reluctantly. Now, as a small business owner, you won’t have to think about the tax man until next year, right? Not so fast.
Now that your tax return is out of the way, there is a small chance that your business will be audited. As 4 percent of sole proprietors (which many small business owners are) face an IRS audit each year, your have roughly a 1 in 20 chance of being audited. Thus, the odds are in favor of a [...]

Regardless of if you have a large company listed in the Forbes Platinum 400 or a seasonal ice cream truck business, you will need financing to survive and prosper.
Whether you borrow $1000 from your parents to buy production components as Dell Computer founder Michael Dell did, or you need $1 million from a bank to expand your manufacturing firm, sooner or later you need to ask somebody else to loan you money now so you can make larger gains in the future.
Accepting the need for financing as a reality of the entrepreneurial life is a key step to setting up [...]

If you haven’t decided what kind of small business you want to open, you may want to read this to get an idea of which industries have a limited, if any, future. The economy may be improving, but a recent report by IBISWorld shows that many industries continue to decline into oblivion. Considered to be dying, these industries have a declining life cycle, where revenues and the number of companies have been in decline for the past decade, and have a forecast of continued decline in the next five years. Whether it be due to outsourcing, offshoring, or being rendered [...]

Entrepreneurs who are just getting their businesses going are often faced with a dilemma: On the one hand, they have too many things to do – many of which are outside of their personal skill sets. On the other hand, they cannot afford to hire full-time (or even part-time) employees to wear specific, specialized hats. If you are faced with this concern, what you may need to do is rely on freelancers to carry out specific skilled tasks. Such tasks may include Web design, programming, product design, advertising management, translation, social networking, or content writing, to name a few. To [...]

For most homeowners, a house is the largest investment that they’ll ever make. With this in mind, it can be a large source of financing for various ventures, including a small business. This can be done through either a home equity loan or a home equity line of credit (HELOC).
If you own a home and a business, borrowing against your home may seem like a viable option when money is tight. Hold your horses, though. This is a major decision that involves a bit of a gamble. Let’s see whether or not you should borrow against your home to finance [...]

Securing a reliable funding source for your business is easier if you can demonstrate that you have a realistic grasp of the costs of running your new business, plus a plausible plan for generating revenue.
The research involved in gathering data for your budget is one of the most difficult and time-consuming tasks of starting a business. It is also the most essential.
Before you do anything, resolve to save every single receipt and every single invoice involving your company. Even if your accounting system is just a shoebox to start with, take two of them, label one for receipts and one [...]

Fortune just released a list of the best workplaces in America and each company’s perks provides plenty of insight into what employees love.
If you ever worked in a place where you were under-appreciated or overworked, use the list as inspiration for creating a great workplace of your own. It seems that most employees want the feeling that their work is important and that they have some control over it.
1. Pay for healthcare – all of it. If you can afford it, try paying 100% of the health premium for employees and they’ll love you for it! Many companies like Zappos [...]

If you own a small business and are considering whether or not to accept credit cards, you may be unsure of what to do. Some believe that the fees and other hassles of doing so aren’t worthwhile while others want to cash in on this potentially lucrative form of payment acceptance. What is best for your business?
Below are some of the pros and cons of accepting credit card payments for your small business.
Pros
Access to More Customers
Seventy eight percent of Americans own at least 1 credit card. As most of these individuals likely prefer to use credit cards for at least [...]