FastUpFront Blog:

Did you know that you can use social networking sites to promote your business?  This is true whether you have a hair salon, a restaurant, a bar or an auto shop.  Social Networking sites (like MySpace ) are free and are a great way to advertise, build, and maintain your customer base.
A quick search on myspace [...]

You’ll find a lot of articles with the top seven, but most ignore alternative financing options like number 8.
Commercial bank loans. – Key to remember:  Because one bank says no, doesn’t mean others won’t say yes.  If you are looking into this option, be prepared to apply at multiple banks.
SBA loans. – With a 7(a) [...]

From the New Yorker: 
“When I mortgaged my soul, you didn’t tell me it had an adjustable rate.” (Man talking to devil in office.)
As the old adage goes:  The large print giveth, the small print taketh away. 
More and more individuals and small businesses are learning this the hard way now that interest rates are shooting [...]

I had an inspirational thought today as I was looking through the business headlines. 
All those businesses out there buying other businesses for millions of dollars: they all started as small businesses. 
Pretty much every business in existence started as a small business.  Whatever your field, there are large businesses in your field which started just as [...]

Do you ever get really excited, because you come across a program which adresses a pet issue – a pet issue which is rarely adressed?  Well that’s how I feel right now.  I came across a great program yesterday which addresses a pet issue of mine, and could help your business, and your city in [...]

One thing that I consider fun (we all have to have hobbies) is taking something that appears on the surface to be a niche and only specific to a small group of people, and extracting essential principles which are Truths.  I then apply those Truths to completely different situations.  This is, in itself, is a type of [...]

Okay, I admit it.  If you can’t tell already from my more recent posts, I am a bit of a cynic when it comes to the ease and even the possibility of most small businesses qualifying for a traditional bank loan.  However, I came across a more optimistic writer, and decided to share this CNN [...]

 In the following transcript from the podcast of The Great Big Small Business Show, we see that business cash advance through credit card factoring is gaining in popularity and reputability.   
A simple “swipe” of a customer’s credit card keeps your working capital advance up to date. Since the rate at which they collect the money is determined by a [...]

 Article Name: Show Me The Money: Funding Your Small Business
 In an article I read from MShale (The African Community Newspaper), Ongeri does a case study on a minority-owned small business in seek of financing.  He lays down two options: debt or equity. Equity is partnership, debt is a loan.
It is a good article, and has some good [...]

“O.K., folks, let’s move along. I’m sure you’ve all seen someone qualify for a loan before.” (Policeman talking to a crowd peering through a bank window.)
I think many of us can appreciate this cartoon, especially now that getting a loan is so difficult.
If your business doesn’t qualify for a bank loan, or you don’t have the [...]