November 18th, 2018 by Admin

We got the chance to speak with Jan Aragon from Roadway Motors; they want to provide you with the best automotive experience possible and we wanted to learn how their company has grown to be the great one it is. Let’s learn more about them, shall we?

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview, it is an honor. We know you are taking time away from your busy schedule let’s get started. Tell us about yourself and your business.
We are a Car Dealership that sells Pre-Owned and New Cars

Picture available at Roadway Motors LLC’s Facebook.

Thank you so much for sharing. Tell us, has the journey been smooth or have there been some bumps along the way?
Everything was perfect from start to finish.

Please tell us more about Roadway Motors LLC: We are a Car Dealership that sells Pre-Owned & New Cars

Thank you so much for answering all of our questions, before we let you go, is there any tips of advice you would give to other entrepreneurs like yourself?
Start small and grow big and strong.

Thank you and finally, share with us how customers can find you.
www.roadwaymotorsllc.com

 

I was such a pleasure to get the opportunity to speak with Roadway Motors. If you are looking for your next set of wheels, they are happy to help from researching the vehicle you want to test drive the ones you like. Roadway Motors is there to help you with a selection of cars, trucks, and SUVs.

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November 11th, 2018 by Admin

In honor of Veteran’s day, we wanted to say more than thank you. We want to provide you with some value and hope this article is of help. Here are resources for veterans opening a business.

 

During the making of this post, we found that one of the best places to start was the US Department of Veteran Affairs. They provide quite a well thought-out a page of resources for veterans. But we wanted to dig in more and post the ones we saw that could serve our readers best.

If you are still in the idea phase and are not sure if entrepreneurship would be the best thing for you and your idea, we invite you to check out the US Small Business Administration website. Here you will be able to see and learn how to prepare a business plan and even how to figure out how much money you need to get your dream started. The SBA is a useful (and free) tool to get started and to keep handy as your business grows.

VBOC: The Veterans Business Outreach Center is a program dedicated to helping transitioning service members, veterans and military spouses looking to start, purchase, or grow a business. The program is located nationwide, and you can find your nearest VBOC center here.

OSDBU’s Vets First Verification Program: Once your business is set up, you can apply for the Vet’s First Verification Program. This program will verify your business and will give you priority in competing for federal government contracts

Once your business is up and running and you get your business verification, you can attend events like the NVSBE to bring approved businesses in touch with federal government contracts.

VA SBA Loans: For many businesses, the only way to start or grow is to get a business loan. Luckily, the SBA offers loan options that can help Veterans. The SBA also offers competitive rates and a plethora of resources to ensure your business succeeds, so we recommend you taking the time to check it out.

There are many resources out there for veterans and business owners alike, but we think this can be a great start to help you look into options as a Veteran and business owner.

We want to take this time to thank you for your service.

Posted in Small Business Improvement Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , ,

November 4th, 2018 by Admin

The season is upon us. Many take the opportunity to grow or start a business, so here are 51 quotes that can inspire entrepreneurs now.

1. “Stop telling yourself you don’t know what to do. Yes, you do. Listen to your intuition and trust yourself.”

2. “Don’t find customers for your products, find products for your customers.” ~Seth Godin

3. “Stay Positive. Work Hard. Make it Happen”

4. “Discipline is doing what needs to be done even when you don’t want to do it.”

5. “Focus on making yourself better, not on thinking that you are better.”

6. “Entrepreneurs must be willing to be misunderstood for long periods of time.”

7. “Success is when opportunity meets preparation”

8. “Sell the problem you solve, not the product.”

9. “If size mattered, the elephant would be king of the jungle.”


10. “You attract what you are, if you want great, the be great.”

11. “A setback is a setup for a comeback”

12. “When you support a small business, you’re supporting a dream.”

13. “Big things often have small beginnings.”

14. “Look back at where you came from and let yourself feel proud about your progress.”

15. “It always seems impossible until is done.” ~Nelson Mandela

16. “Collaborate with people you can learn from” ~Pharrell

17. “Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.” ~Warren Buffett

18. “The road to success is always under construction” ~Lily Tomlin

19. “See the possibility, not the problem.


20. “Don’t be busy, be productive”

21. “The key to success is to start before you’re ready”

22. “Always keep your focus on success”

23. “Create a vision that makes you wanna jump out of bed in the morning.”

24. “If the plan doesn’t work change the plan, not the goal.”

25. “Fail often so you can succeed sooner.” ~Tom Kelley

26. “Be the game changer.”

27. “Quality is the best business plan”

28. “Coca-Cola sold 25 bottles in their first year- so whatever you’re going through, it’ll be ok.”

29. “If you can’t stop thinking about it, don’t stop working for it.”


30. “Don’t deliver a product, deliver an experience.”

31. “Do something today that your future self will thank you for.”

32. “Set goals. Reach. Repeat.”

33. “Your success can inspire us all. Risk it.”

34. “What you imagine, you create”

35. “New day. New goals. More accomplishments.

36. “Dreams and dedication are a powerful combination.”

37. “If you can learn self-control, you can master anything.”

38. “Excuses will turn your dreams into dust.”

39. “Giving up is the only sure way to fail.”


40. “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.”

41. “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”

42. “The Distance between your dream and reality is called action.”

43. “Make it happen, shock everyone.”

44. “When you know clearly what you want, you’ll wake up every morning excited about life.”

45. “It all starts with a dream.”

46. “Today they call you crazy; tomorrow they will be calling you boss.”

47. “Life to your legend. Death to your fears.”

48. “Business is more exciting than any game.”

49. “Successful people rarely had an easy past.”

50. “Expect nothing but be prepared for everything.”

51. “Don’t be afraid of making big moves.”

Posted in Daily Inspiration Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

September 26th, 2018 by Admin

 

Start-ups, online business and just about any business starts somewhere right? Not every business starts with a hefty amount of money and not all can afford it all. Let’s be honest, even if you did, it wouldn’t hurt getting a few things for free at the beginning.

Here are some incredibly easy (and cheap) tools to get you started:

1. SCORE: The plethora of training and resources on this website is just what any entrepreneur needs. You can also get paired up with an experienced business owner to be your mentor. Best of all it is a free service.

2. Grammarly: Writing the perfect e-mail or proposal can be a lot of pressure. Grammarly makes it simple to ensure you sound like you and your grammar is simply perfect!

3. Pixabay: If you need good quality pictures and graphics and your budget are not existent, Pixabay is the way to go. The pictures are completely free to use at any time. But if you want to help the cause, you can donate or as they say: “buy a cup of coffee” for them.

4. NTCePay.com: Take the hassle out of invoicing and getting paid. Simply sign up for NTC ePay and voila! The fees are low in comparison to other payment processing companies and the services are always personable.

5. Google Drive: If you are an Android user, Google can definitely be your friend. Not only to store documents and pictures but to write up all those important conversations. Goodbye Microsoft, hello Google.

6. TopTracker: Do you work with freelancers or are you one yourself? TopTracker can help you track the time spent on projects and can be an easy tool to help invoice your hours. Best of all, it’s free!

7. Asana: Another great tool to have whether you are a solopreneur or have a team. Asana can help you coordinate all of the work your team does and manage it well. Plus you can keep communication specifically with each project, making it easy for everyone on the team.

8. Canva: An user-friendly tool to help you create graphics and content for your social media and print work. There is no need to learn new software and this can be accessed on your computer and phone. The free version has plenty of tools to get you started.

 

As you grow your business, some of these tools do have paid versions which will allow you to grow with them without worrying about moving to a new tool.

Posted in Small Business Improvement Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

October 9th, 2014 by Elma Jane

Coin

This 300-year-old coin around my neck. It was off of a Spanish Shipwreck known as the Shipwreck of 1715. When I first saw it, I noticed a little hole with a speck of a diamond. I questioned the jeweler about it, why would you drill a hole in a 300-year-old coin and damage this 300-year-old treasure? The jeweler preceded to tell me that it was a 300-year-old hole.

Think about how we used currency 300 years ago. There were no banks, no financial institutions to hold merchants money. So if I had a bunch of money, I had it on a wire or had it in a box. I may have kept my money in my mattress. People would keep their money on a wire, punch holes in the coins, string the money through the wire and then go back to business on their horse and buggy, or however they got from point-to-point 300 years ago. If you have ever heard a phrase that the business owner started his business on a shoe string, you now know where the phrase originated.

What I found amazing in this one coin that I wear is that, It has thousands of transactions in its history. Who knows what was bought and sold with this very coin? Whether it was goats or chickens, a piece of property somewhere, or a boat ride to the states, or whatever it might be. There is no documented history behind each one of those transactions.

Today, when National Transaction processes a transaction for a merchant, we know the date and time. We know the amount of sale, we probably know the email address and the owner zip code, we actually know quite about the information around that transaction.

Many articles are written that answer the who, what, when, where and why questions with today’s electronic transactions. We have four of the five answers. We know who, what, when and where. The only thing that we don’t know is why the customer bought the item.

If this coin had today’s technologies there would have been thousands of transactions that this coin could have shared. The story of those purchases would be fascinating.

All business owners wants to make a sale. Each time they do make a sale, we recommend capturing any and all contact information. This customer is a buyer! Today, most people have an email address or cell phone number. If we don’t capture the customer’s information we have just ignored the single most important thing in any business’s life cycle: the customer.

 

Posted in Best Practices for Merchants Tagged with: , , , , , , ,