Forums Search

Creativity and innovation thrive in an early-stage startup environment. Communication is harmonious, decisions are made quickly as a team, and shared understanding trumps systems and processes as everyone shares the workload.

When I launched BounceFire, my first startup, I was juggling many tasks: selling our services, writing code, hiring employees, and drywalling the new office, not to mention cleaning the toilet. We did everything manually. It was only when we hired our first employee that I could start offloading certain tasks.

But as the company grew, it encountered a common problem for startups: How do you keep hold of that easy communication, creativity, and innovation as you scale?

The Challenge of Innovation
for startup businesses...

Business theory can be tricky to understand. Leave it to the power of one cow to help you grasp the workings of these popular business models.

The Direct Sales Model

A direct sales business operates through a network of salespeople. Typically there is no fixed retail location.

Examples: Avon, Mary Kay, Traveling Vineyard

The Freemium Model

A business under a freemium model gives away a service at no cost before offering advanced services as add-ons.

Examples: Dropbox, Hootsuite, MailChimp

The Subscription Model

The objective of a subscription business model is to retain customers under a long-term contract and secure recurring revenue.

Examples: Netflix, eHarmony

The Franchise Model

Under a franchise business model, business owners purc...

What are the best banks for business loans? When we think of startup funding, we usually think of venture capital — but that’s not the only option out there. Small business loans are a more traditional way of getting financing that are also open to startups. In addition to not requiring founders to give up any equity, they may even be easier for some startups to get than venture capital, which can be a long and arduous process.

Small business loans are a great option for startups that already have some momentum and — even better — some income coming in. That’s because while venture capitalists are all about taking big risks for the potential of big rewards, traditional banking institutions are more careful with their funds.

So, if you think...

What is a small business startup loan?

A startup business loan is any type of loan that helps businesses with little to no business history. It's one of many financing options for founders who are looking to either get started or improve their young companies.

Can Startups get a business loan?

Yes, it is possible for startups to get business loans.

However, startups may face more challenges in obtaining financing than established businesses because they often have limited credit history and may not have a track record of profitability.

Startups should carefully research and compare the various financing options available to them and choose the one that best meets their needs and goals.

It's also a good idea for startups to work with a financial a...

When you’re looking for grants to start a business, you’re looking in an area that’s crowded with a lot of competition. But, if there’s one thing startup entrepreneurs are known for, it’s tenacity.

The reason there’s so much competition is, a) there are a limited number of grants and, b) grants — unlike other forms of funding — don’t have to be paid back. You also don’t have to give up any equity in your company in order to win one. Sounds appealing, doesn’t it?

So while we don’t always recommend grants as the first place startups go looking for funding, they’re absolutely a great option for a certain subset of companies. Here’s an overview of how to secure grants to start to business, as well as a few types of grants for starting a busines...

A lot of people want to start a startup — but they don’t know where to start. And where there’s plenty you can do to get the ball rolling, there’s actually one place that everyone has to start: The idea.

But, what are the best startup ideas? What are the worst?

Before we dive into that big question — one disclaimer:

This is not a plug-and-play list of startup business ideas that you can cherry pick from in order to create the next unicorn startup. (That doesn’t exist. If it did, everyone would actually be killing it, all the time.)

Instead, we’re going to talk about some general categories of startups that are more or less difficult to start, help you figure out how to pick your best startup idea, and talk to some founders about their expe...

The quickest way to halt productivity is through ineffective business communication. For people to do their jobs properly, they need to know exactly what is expected of them. In small business setting, a specific set of guidelines should be followed.

How will your team members know how to effectively interact if you don’t know how to do that? As a leader, it is your duty to understand how effective business communication affects your bottom line. To optimize success, here are three lessons small businesses should learn.

COMMUNICATION Lesson #1: Ensure transparency

When teammates are on different pages, the stage is set for disaster. If Johnny didn’t tell Charlie the “whys” and “hows” of the new retail displays, Charlie might end up deliveri...

To maintain a competitive edge in today’s fast-paced and increasingly remote world, companies must find efficient ways to educate their extended networks. Keeping remote vendors, franchisees, investors, and sales representatives up-to-date on products and services is necessary to survive in our hypercompetitive global economy.

In decades past, keeping external partners in the loop required printed training materials, on-site presentations, and travel expenses. Today, an extended enterprise learning management system (LMS) enables companies to quickly and conveniently educate team members on products, services, compliance policies, and company standards.

A Gallup report found that 74 percent of employees don’t feel engaged or informed at wo...

Here at Startups, we hate the term “free money.” But, it’s one that people throw around a lot when they’re talking about grants. The reason we don’t call small business grants “free money” is because they take a lot of work to get. And there’s a lot of competition, so oftentimes that work doesn’t even result in a payday. Sure, you don’t have to pay back a small business grant the way you do a business loan — but it’s certainly not “free money.”

However, we also understand that small business grants can really boost a startup, if they qualify. And it’s not like other forms of startup funding — like venture capital, angel investment, and even crowdfunding — don’t also take a lot of time and effort. So we thought we’d throw together some reso...

When it comes to small business loans, you have two options: private and government loans. While private lenders may be reluctant to take a risk on a new business or startup, government business loans were created specifically to boost small business in the United States.

As a result, you might find that it’s easier to secure a small business loan from the government than it is to secure one from a private lender.

Most government business loans are managed through the Small Business Association (SBA), which partners with lending institutions that actually distribute the money.

Because the loan is backed by the government — meaning if you default, the government pays of the balance — banks and credit unions are more likely to take a risk ...