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: b2b business, boss, bossbabe, business, business owner, e-commerce, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, holidays, inspiration, inspire, quote of the day, quotes
November 1st, 2018 by Admin
We are officially 55 days until Christmas, time to take all of the tricks out of your hat to promote your business. Since we know you will be using social media, here are 30 random holidays you can use to promote your business with their Hashtag.
November 1st:
#ExtraMileDay: Show your customers how you will go the extra mile for them.
November 2nd
#LoveYourLawyerDay: Need we say more? This one is perfect for lawyers or anyone working with them.
#FountainPenDay: If you sell promotional items, this one is for you. It can also work if you want to post the latest contract signed.
#SandwichDay: Even if you don’t own a sandwich shop, Sandwich day can be used to share a more laid back look of your company. Maybe sharing a picture of your last company picnic or lunch will do. Remember to have a good looking picture!
First Sunday of November
#ZeroTaskingDay If you work for a spa or anything that promotes relaxation, this one would be a good one for you!
November 5th
#LoveYourRedHairDay Hairdressers, time to get those finished looks and share them on social media!
#NachosDay Any day is a good day for Nachos, but on Nachos day you can show some humor as a way to connect to your customers. This one is great for restaurants.
November 8th
Guinness World Record Day: #GWRDay: Sharing a fun fact comes a long way in Social Media. Sharing a Guinness World Record that might relate to your industry can attract a new crowd online.
#CappuccinoDay: People love coffee, (search #CoffeeLover, and you’ll see) so why not share Cappuccino Day with your coffee loving crowd. Perfect for the coffee shop owner to the savvy consultant on the go.
November 10th
#SesameStreetDay: If you are in an industry that deals with children, this one is for you. Make the posts funny or just cute but remember you are targeting the parents at the end. Nostalgic posts work well too with this.
#VanillaCupcakeDay: Cupcake lovers beware, this hashtag might be for you. Perfect for the bakery owner and the all-time cupcake lover, there is no need to be a pastry chef to use this one.
November 11th
#origamiday This one might require some skill and imagination, but it can delight your online community and attract them more to what you do. If you use this one, be sure to send us a picture.
#SundaeDay Who doesn’t love Ice Cream Sundaes!
November 12th
#HappyHourDay Geared more for restaurants and bars, but with a bit of creativity, many can use this hashtag.
November 13th
#KindnessDay Show your kindness to others.
November 15th
#AmericaRecyclesDay We all need to take care for our planet. Show your support by sharing this with some facts and information about recycling.
November 18th
#PrincessDay: Pamper the princesses in your business or show appreciation of your customer.
#MickeyMouseDay Need we say more?
November 19th
International Men’s Day #MensDay: Men’s day is great to share information about current men’s health issues. Perfect for those in the healthcare industry
#PlayMonopolyDay: This one we feel is perfect for finance. “Don’t get caught in monopoly games and get your money safe” what do you think?
November 20th
#EntrepreneursDay Completely self-explanatory.
#NameYourPCDay Give some love to those PC users in your industry and have fun too.
November 21st
#HelloDay A great hashtag to introduce yourself and the team.
November 22nd
#GoForARideDay Whether it is a ride on a car or bike ride, many can use this hashtag if you are creative enough.
November 23rd
#FlossingDay perfect for those in the dental industry.
#EspressoDay Just like #CapuccinoDay, this hashtag can help greatly any account.
November 25th
#ShoppingReminderDay If you sell goods, this one is for you.
November 30th
#ComputerSecurityDay Technology always changes, this one can be an excellent reminder to keep online info safe.
All Month Long:
#PeanutButterLoversMonth When you ran out of ideas or inspiration this month, this hashtag can be a lifesaver. Remember that social media should entertain or educate and this one can help with that.
Bonus Holidays:
These might not be random but are always useful to add.
#Movember
#ThanksGiving
#CyberMonday
We hope these hashtags can help boost your business online presence and bring a little more creativity to your social media game. As always, have fun and use your to see if any of these can help your business.
Posted in Small Business Improvement Tagged with: account, business, capuccino, christmass, coffee, consumers, credit card, customer, customers, data, disney, e-commerce, Facebook, finance, fun, hairdressers, hashtags, holidays, Instagram, lawyers, merchants, payments, photography, restautrant, retail, Security, social media, transactions, twiter
October 18th, 2018 by Admin
As your business grows, your time seems to shrink. Here are some tips that can help you manage your time better.
Create a Plan
Creating a plan will always lead to a successful day. Organization will allow you to have a much more balanced day and better quality of life while running your business. Be sure to write down all the tasks you need to get done. Having them written down will give you a better idea of how much you have to do and what needs to get done.
Have a Calendar
Along with a list of all of your tasks, a calendar will help you figure out what else is happening throughout the day. Do you have meetings to go to, people to talk? A calendar will be your best friend for better time management. It will also help you block out time to get your to-do list done.
Prioritize
Now that you have your list and your list, it is time you prioritize and figure out what needs to get done first. A common mistake is to go down your to-do list as you wrote it and that is not efficient. Figure out your “Must’s”; “Should’s” and “can wait’s” so you can get the best out of your day. You will realize that many tasks are not as important for your productivity as you might think.
Delegate
Now that you see what you must do first, do you need to do it yourself? Perhaps some tasks do not require all of your attention. That is when delegating will be your greatest ally for time management. That run to the store for supplies can be done by your employee or family (if you run your business from home).
Learn to say no
Along with running and managing a business, there will be things that, while you would love to do, are not necessary for you to do. Learn to say no in a polite way and you will find yourself more organized and meeting deadlines faster. Sure, you might have a few disappointed people at first, but they will realize that you are working on being efficient for them and you and it will add value to your service.
Track your time spent
Do you feel you are spending way too much time on a task or job? Perhaps it is time you start tracking your time. This is an excellent tool for freelancers who find themselves working day and night. Tools like TopTracker can keep you accountable and give you perspective on how much time you are truly working. It will help you learn and adjust if necessary.
Eliminate Time Wasters
There are plenty of time wasters at the office! That e-mail didn’t need to be checked so many times, and that note could have waited for later. No, you do not need to check Facebook before work. Setting boundaries will allow you to become much more productive and have more time to do tasks like this after you have completed your list.
Always plan to be early
When it comes to meetings, calls or events, always plan to arrive early, this will help you prepare for unseen events like traffic jams or car problems. Practicing this habit will help you be on time and have less stress.
Take Small Breaks
To get all of your tasks done, you must take breaks. Taking breaks will allow your mind to rest for a few minutes and can help you become a lot more productive. Be sure to use your calendar so you can schedule some break time every day.
Focus
Lastly, focus. Know that the tasks needed need to get done in a timely matter. Be sure you focus and avoid any distractions while getting it all done. Focusing will help you be done with all tasks sooner than you think.
We hope these steps can help you get more out of your day and you can be in control of your time better.
Posted in Small Business Improvement Tagged with: business, business goals, calendar, data, delegate, efficiency, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, freelancer, leaderhip, manage, plan, planner, planning, professionalism, smartphone, technique, time management, tools, track time
October 10th, 2018 by Admin
Life has its ups and downs, and we all know of those times where you feel like giving up. These quotes will you motivated and ready for round two!
When you reminisce the past because it was “easier.”
1. Be loyal to your future, not to your past.
When people say you are not ready to start a business:
2. You are never too old to start an empire, or too old to chase a dream.
When you feel you are not moving in the right direction:
3. The difference between who you are and who want to be is what you do.
When the nay-sayers say you are spending too much time on your “little dream”:
4. I would much rather work 16hrs a day for myself, than 8 hours a day working for someone else.
When you need to get started:
5. If you want to achieve greatness stop asking for permission.
When you are not sure how to stay motivated:
6. Create a vision that makes you wanna jump out of bed in the morning.
When you are too scared of trying:
7. You have no idea what you are capable of until you try.
When you need to remember why you are doing it:
8. The goal isn’t more money. The goal is living life on your own terms.
When you are not sure if you are ready:
9. If you wait until you’re ready, you’ll be waiting for the rest of your life.
When you are ready to make a change:
10. You’re only one decision away from a totally different life.
Posted in Daily Inspiration Tagged with: boss, bossbabe, business, customer, e-commerce, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, ideas, inspiration, inspire, motivation, quote, quote of the day, quotes, transaction
October 7th, 2018 by Admin
National Transaction is celebrating 21 years in the business today. Founded in 1997 National Transaction (NTC) purpose is to serve businesses of all sizes with their cash flow with the highest levels of professionalism and care.
This 21 year anniversary would not be possible without our leader, Mark Fravel and we want to take you back to his why and the reason we are still here today.
The beginnings:
Mark, a single parent of 3 beautiful daughters, wanted to provide for their kids without being on the road all the time. And so, with this passion in mind, a desire to serve and commitment to his family, National Transaction was born.
NTC began like many business and passions, with no customers and only one employee but quickly grew and Mark knew that leading with confidence and excellence will drive this business somewhere.
The Present:
Now, NTC often ranks in the top 10 of many data and technology awards. This Excellence has also earned us an A+ rating in the Better Business Bureau.
This 21 years would not be possible without our desire to help a business grow and give them the right tools for their transactions. We love being on the phone with our customers, we love getting to know them and how we can provide our best service.
The Future
Mark started this with a desire to be a family man, and so, this family feeling has stayed with our company. We treat our team like family, and we are excited about what our future holds the next 21 years.
Thank you for celebrating 21 years of customer service, passion, connection and above all, quality. We will continue to provide you with the best service we know how to give, and we will uphold our promise and mission to make digital transactions reliable and simple to the merchant and familiar to the consumer, reducing the complexity and expense to both.
Thank you for being part of the National Transaction Corporation‘s family.
Posted in nationaltransaction.com Tagged with: Anniversary, ASTA, Better Business Bureau, business, card, consumers, credit card, credit cards, credit-card, customer, customers, data, e-commerce, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, MasterCard, merchant, merchant account, merchants, Mobile Payments, National Transaction, payments, point of sale, Security, transaction, visa
October 3rd, 2018 by Admin
October comes and so does breast cancer awareness month. As a company supporting entrepreneurs in their dreams, we want to take this opportunity to highlight famous and strong entrepreneurs that are also breast cancer survivors.
Being an entrepreneur is a journey like no other and we applaud and admire those amazing warriors who took another journey alongside them. Here is a humble list of the ladies who are Breast Cancer Survivors and have left their mark in the business world.
1. Jaclyn Smith: Jaclyn is best known for her role as Kelly Garrett in the TV Show Charlie’s Angels. In addition to this role and other films, she develops and markets her own brands of clothing and perfumes; introducing her first collection of women’s apparel for Kmart.
2. Suzanne Somers: Best known for her roles in Three’s Company and Step by Step, Sommers is also an author, singer, and health spokesperson.
3. Georgia Frontiere: A businesswoman and entertainer, she was the majority owner and chairperson of the Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams football team. It is interesting to note that the Rams made the playoffs 14 seasons, reached the Super Bowl three times and won the championship game once in 2000 while Frontiere was in charge.
4. Naomi Sims: She was the first African American model to appear on the cover of Ladies’ Home Journal in 1968. In 1973 she retired from modeling and started her own business which eventually expanded into a multimillion-dollar empire.
5. Evelyn Lauder: She was the Senior Corporate Vice President of the Estee Lauder Companies. She also created the Clinique brand name and developed its product line.
6. Carly Fiorina: The first women to lead a Top-20 company, Fiorina was the CEO for Hewlett-Packard (HP) from 1999-2005. She’s also served as Fund Chair for One Woman Initiative (OWI) and is Chair and CEO of the Fiorina Foundation.
7. Teresa Heinz: She serves as the Chair of the Heinz Endowments and the Heinz Family Philanthropies and has received honorary doctoral degrees in 12 institutions.
While there are many more successful and amazing entrepreneurs, we want to pay respect to these strong ladies in their journeys and all entrepreneurs whose have gone through breast cancer. National Transaction always supports all who want to pursue their dreams.
Posted in Daily Inspiration Tagged with: actress, african american, bossbabe, business, business woman, business women, corporate, estee lauder, Football, Heinz, Hewlett-Packard, inspiration, list, model, ntc, october breast cancer awareness, pink ribbon, Rams, step by step, Super Bowl, three's company, TV
September 18th, 2018 by Admin
Starting a business can be tough. It requires time, effort and passion like no other. It requires you to have tough skin and not allow the small things to bother you.
Although all of these qualities can be good, you still need to start and you need money, right? Not necessarily. Starting a business doesn’t always require you have a big amount of money or a business loan. There is some business that requires little to absolutely no money to start. And to be honest, with a little of resourcefulness, you can make your business big while spending less.
Here are 3 simple businesses to start with no money:
- Start an online business: With the age of social media and the internet, starting a business online it can be as simple as 123. You can sell T-shirts on places like Zazzle or Cafepress (to name a few) and get your own designs going. If you have a passion for graphic design or just have really cool sayings and ideas, this is a sure way to get started and only requires you to open up an account, upload designs, and spread the word.
- Sell your things: Making money doesn’t have to be complicated. You might have things laying around that you no longer need or you know you will never use. You can simply turn to places like Facebook Marketplace, eBay or any online marketplace platform to sell up your used or gently used goods. Want to make it a bigger business? Check out garage sales, pick up free stuff (also being offered online) and get going. No money required.
- Sell up your skills: Blogging, writing, or just really good computer skills? Become a professional writer or Virtual Assistant and get paid to use up those skills! You can promote yourself online in places like Fiverr, UpWork, Craigslist and even Facebook Groups (Just be sure to follow the group’s guidelines on this!) Some of this are 100% free to promote and get work while others charge you a minimal fee after you get your first gig.
Remember that being an entrepreneur is already making you be part of the different, the risk takers and the creative. So don’t play down your skills. You can start for free and grow from there. Even migrate to other passions of yours that can be turned to business.
Posted in Small Business Improvement Tagged with: blog, blogging, business, business tips, cafe press, craigslist, ebay, entrepreneur, Facebook, fiverr, freelancer, online business, social media, start a business, start-up, t-shirt, t-shirt printing, tips, upwork, virtual assistant, work from home, writing, zazzle
July 11th, 2016 by Elma Jane
Facebook announcement of News Feed algorithm shift will affect how businesses use this platform. Content posted by brands and publishers will show up less prominent in News Feeds.
This Facebook update may cause reach and referral traffic to decline for many Pages who’s traffic comes directly through Page posts. To limit the impact of this change Boost Engagement is the key, individual users commenting, liking and sharing on business posts will help circumnavigate the new algorithm. Diversify your referral traffic sources. Look for alternative social media platforms, pay per click ads or blogs to make up for the loss in referrals and increase your reach.
To limit the impact of this change, Boost Engagement is the key. Individual users commenting, liking and sharing on business posts will help circumnavigate the new algorithm. Diversify your referral traffic sources. Look for alternative social media platforms, pay per click ads or blogs to make up for the loss in referrals and increase your reach.
Diversify your referral traffic sources. Look for alternative social media platforms, pay per click ads or blogs to make up for the loss in referrals and increase your reach.
While this change will have an impact on big businesses that rely on Facebook for their referral traffic and content sharing, small businesses will still feel the change. By boosting your engagement and diversifying your referral traffic sources, you can lessen the impact to your business.
Posted in Best Practices for Merchants Tagged with: business, pay, platform, referral, social media, traffic
June 14th, 2016 by Elma Jane
Getting a merchant account is an important step for any business that sells services. Helping merchant to understand the underwriting process and some of the key things that are reviewed, in order to get approved.
Billing policy – Does the business bill in advance or after products or services are rendered? Businesses that bill too far in advance are at greater risk for a chargeback.
Example: A travel agency who sold travel destination packages six months in advance and cancel the trip, you’ll need to reimburse your customers.
Business type – Some business types are riskier. Industries with vague products or services are more highly to be examined in detail than those with concrete offerings.
Chargeback history – A business with a lot of chargebacks tied to their old merchant account will have a hard time with underwriting. A chargeback might be issued by the cardholder when they feel that the merchant does not fulfil the product or service being rendered as agreed.
Owner / signer credit score – Credit score plays a big role during merchant account underwriting. However, some processors will review financial statements instead in the case of poor credit. if the original signer’s credit score is insufficient, businesses with multiple partners can also try the application with a different signer.
Requested volumes – Are weighed against the processing volumes requested on the application. New businesses usually start with smaller volumes to build a trustworthy relationship before increasing their processing volumes.
Years in business – Long terms in business go a long way in merchant account underwriting, it speaks for their legitimacy. They are more prepared to respond to something like a chargeback and often have a more stable cash flow.
Posted in Best Practices for Merchants Tagged with: business, cardholder, chargeback, customers, financial, Industries, merchant account, products, services, travel, travel agency
February 11th, 2016 by Elma Jane
E-commerce is a virtual platform, where we can get products and services and make payments through the internet.
E-commerce trend is constantly changing, it is necessary for a merchant to watch out for the upcoming Trends in this industry for a business to success.
To help boost your conversion rates here are the trends to be followed:
Contextual Commerce – The next big thing in payments and e-commerce. Providing complete description with images and videos to help your customer decide to purchase a product. Customization is an important factor as well to convince about the products or services.
Fast Delivery Shipping – Customer wants to receive the products after purchasing as soon as possible. So Reliable, Timely shipping means a lot.
Mobile Shopping – getting your online store ready for mobile shoppers is not an optional feature, it’s a mandatory part of a strategy.
Multiple Channels For Shopping – optimization is a great experience for shoppers. Having online store presence in different technology gadgets is a must.
Real Time Analytics – analyzing consumer behavior based on data entered into a system less than one minute before the actual time of use. Finds out why a customer leaves the store and prevents customer loss.
Virtual Sales Force – Hiring virtual salesforce, utilizing pop-ups and live chat who will help customers which are similar in a physical store.
Step ahead out of the conventional methods and adapt prevailing trends by embracing innovation so you can offer something new to your customer.
Posted in Best Practices for Merchants, e-commerce & m-commerce Tagged with: business, consumer, customer, data, e-commerce, internet, merchant, mobile, online, payments
