Four years ago, I decided to take my marketing and diversity and inclusion consulting firm, Encounter Your Potential, full time. While I loved what I had created, I faced a challenge that many small business owners encounter: How do you generate a steady stream of customers and revenue?
Improve customer experiences with the right CRM software. Explore 4 powerful CRM tools and learn how customer relationship management can grow your business.
Your internet connection comes with two different types of speed: download and upload. Download speed is the rate at which data transfers from the internet to your devices. Upload speed is how fast data moves in the opposite direction - from your devices to the internet.
When I planted my first Christmas trees in 2004, I thought I had created the ideal seasonal business: a family-operated enterprise that would teach my kids a strong work ethic and, over time, make some money.
As a small business owner, disaster preparedness might not be top of mind, but a contingency plan in the event of an emergency could save your business.
Loyal customers are essential to the success of a small business. In fact, nearly all small business owners agree that keeping current customers happy is a top priority. In a recent American Express survey, 98% of small business owners reported that serving customers well is essential to their success.
A good dining experience goes beyond food and service. It’s about the atmosphere, pacing, and how guests feel while they’re in your space. Whether you’re managing a steady lunch crowd, hosting families on weekends, or keeping diners relaxed during long wait times, the right TV setup can help enhance comfort without disrupting the flow.
When communicating with your customers, there’s no shortage of options. You can give them a call, send an email or even text them on their mobile phone. (And don’t forget about video conferencing and online chat.)
Using a payroll provider to pay employees and file payroll taxes is a smart move for your business. Consider asking your peers, accountants and others for a recommendation or the payroll service provider they use. Then, answer the following questions to help ensure you choose the right payroll company for your business.
Need financing for your small business? Learn the requirements to be approved for a small business loan, from credit history to personal guarantees.
Every salesperson who wishes to stay in the profession must learn how to close sales effectively. Building a relationship with a prospect, and educating them about your products or services, is all for naught if you can’t convince them to buy what you’re selling.
Leaders spark ideas, managers make them happen. Discover why every small business needs both for long-term success and what to do if you don't have either.
Learn smart ways that small business owners can use social media platforms to improve customer service and foster lasting customer relationships.
Texting customers can boost engagement, but only when done right. Learn how to text message customers effectively without annoying them (or breaking the law!).
Social media doesn’t have to be intimidating. Learn 7 essential social media marketing tips for small businesses that will help you build your online presence.
Text messaging allows for instant communication with your customers. Learn smart, respectful ways to text customers and improve your text marketing efforts.
When you’re thinking about starting a business, one of the most valuable things you can do is create a plan. It doesn’t have to be 100 pages long, but research shows that having a formal business plan can double your chance of success.
When I started hand-painting holiday ornaments 30 years ago, it was just a fun side business that helped support my young, growing family. But when the radio station where I worked was sold and my job “downsized,” my husband encouraged me to turn my hobby into a full-time business.
Keep remote workers productive and engaged with a fully equipped remote workspace, a business phone plan, a reliable business Internet service, and more.
When it comes to football season, coverage matters. Your customers expect to see their team, no matter where they’re from. Whether it’s a packed Sunday afternoon or a special fan event, showing every game is no longer a luxury. It’s a requirement for sports bars, restaurants, and venues that want to be the go-to spot all season long.
A branded email address builds trust, keeps emails out of spam, and boosts email marketing results. Learn how you can create your own branded email address.
Learn how one business leader used AI to personalize customer experiences, boost engagement and drive growth with smarter, data-driven strategies.
Protect your business from cyber threats. Follow these 6 expert-recommended steps to secure your WiFi network and safeguard sensitive company data.
Cybercriminals target people, not just systems. Learn 5 ways your team can help defend against cyberattacks and improve your small business' cybersecurity.
Motivate happy customers to spread the word! Learn how to build a customer referral program that rewards loyalty, supercharges lead generation and boosts sales.
The process seems easy enough: find a domain name you like and buy it from a domain registrar. Buying a domain name is much more than just finding a name. Your domain name is your brand. The registrar you choose can affect control of the domain, because registrars can seize your domain or make it difficult to get it back if you forget to renew it. The good news is that domain names are generally cheap. However, choosing the wrong name can hinder your success. Here are some tips to help you buy a domain name for your small business.
First there was the swipe. Then came the dip. Now it’s all about the tap. No, these aren’t the latest dance moves. We’re talking about the evolution of credit card payments.
Search for a web hosting company online and you’ll find an array of options. There are large national hosting companies and small, specialized ones. Some offer a full array of extra services –such as website design and SEO help – and some offer few frills. And to make it all the more confusing, they come at a wide range of price points.
When it comes to managing contracts and other signed documents, more small businesses are moving to electronic signatures (“e-signatures”)—allowing people to sign digitally over a computer rather than printing out pages and signing with ink.
If you’re running a bar, you already know the power of a great atmosphere. But when your screens go blank, channels freeze or you’re missing the game everyone came to see, you risk losing more than your signal. You risk losing your reputation and your regulars. That’s where Spectrum Business can help.
Discover why your internet speed is crucial for business video conferencing and how to choose the right plan to support your growing bandwidth needs.
TV service isn’t just about turning on a screen anymore, it’s about choosing the right experience for your customers, your team and your space. Whether you’re aiming to boost dwell time, keep clients comfortable or bring in a game day crowd, Spectrum Business offers flexible, reliable business TV packages built for business environments.
Running a business means juggling a lot. Serving clients. Supporting your team. Staying a step ahead of the competition. But sometimes, keeping things running smoothly just comes down to keeping people engaged. That’s where streaming TV for business comes in. Whether you’re trying to boost dwell time, create a better guest experience or just keep your team in the loop, streaming business TV is a simple solution that can deliver big results.
Long hold times frustrate customers and ruin your customer experience. Learn 5 proven ways to reduce customer hold time and keep your customers happy.
When you run a sports bar, TV is more than background. It’s the main event. From football Sundays to March Madness to global soccer tournaments, your screens drive traffic, anchor guest experiences, and turn casual customers into regulars.
Whether you're outfitting a small office or planning a high-traffic customer zone, the right business TV service can do more than fill a wall. It can shape the way customers experience your brand and how smoothly your space runs. With Spectrum Business, you get reliable, flexible commercial TV solutions backed by a high-performance network and tailored to your specific environment.
Customers today expect businesses to offer them WiFi—and your business could benefit greatly by doing so. After all, surveys have shown that customers prefer, and will return to, businesses that offer them internet access. That said, it’s critical to separate your internal WiFi network that’s used by employees from the network you provide customers, as you don’t want to risk your business data being compromised by someone who simply stops by your business and accesses your WiFi. Even when you segregate your guest and business WiFi networks, it’s important to protect your customers and visitors from possible intrusions on your guest WiFi network. How do you secure your business WiFi for customers? Here are five key ways:
Gone are the days when proprietors could hang out a shingle and take an ad in the local paper to let folks know what goods and services they were offering. We communicate online today, and small businesses need an Internet service that offers high-speed and reliable connectivity to get their messaging before the public, operate efficiently, and drive profitability and growth.
Giving your customers a way to schedule appointments online will not only make their lives easier—it will make yours, too. You can reduce the number of phone calls, voicemails and emails that need to be fielded by making your availability easily viewed and booked online.
With so many messaging apps, email threads and video meetings, sometimes it’s easy to forget that a simple phone call still carries serious weight. For small businesses, a reliable small business phone system is more than a line of communication – it’s a lifeline. Whether you’re answering client inquiries, connecting with your team or closing deals, phone systems designed specifically for small business needs offer the clarity, control and connectivity that keep things running smoothly.
With so many messaging apps, email threads and video meetings, sometimes it’s easy to forget that a simple phone call still carries serious weight. For small businesses, a reliable small business phone system is more than a line of communication – it’s a lifeline. Whether you’re answering client inquiries, connecting with your team or closing deals, phone systems designed specifically for small business needs offer the clarity, control and connectivity that keep things running smoothly.
With so many messaging apps, email threads and video meetings, sometimes it’s easy to forget that a simple phone call still carries serious weight. For small businesses, a reliable small business phone system is more than a line of communication – it’s a lifeline. Whether you’re answering client inquiries, connecting with your team or closing deals, phone systems designed specifically for small business needs offer the clarity, control and connectivity that keep things running smoothly.
With so many people now working from home, internet speed and reliability have become more critical than ever. As a business owner, you may wonder whether it’s worth getting business internet at your home—and encouraging your home-based employees to do the same.
As a former preschool teacher and designer for a large arts and crafts company, my dream was always to build a creativity center for kids. That dream came true in 2013, when I opened Fabby-Do Creativity-Crafts Café after operating it as a mobile business for three years.
Four years ago, I decided to take my marketing and diversity and inclusion consulting firm, Encounter Your Potential, full time. While I loved what I had created, I faced a challenge that many small business owners encounter: How do you generate a steady stream of customers and revenue?
Managing the finances of your company is one of your most important and most time-consuming tasks. Using online and mobile cash management tools can help you do this part of your job more efficiently.
We started our test preparation and tutoring company more than a decade ago to provide teens with the academic help they needed. We were founded in the Los Angeles area, but today we also have tutors and offices in New York City and San Francisco, and provide online tutoring to people in about 10 foreign countries.
