FastUpFront Small Business Blog

Remember the good old days when credit lines flowed like water and all you needed to do was call the bank to get set up with short-term financing when you needed it? Those days are long gone and small business owners are being forced to find other ways to free up much-needed capital.   Here [...]

The cost of business travel can really add up, especially when travel is a frequent part of doing business, and it can put a great deal of strain on tight budgets. Here are a few simple ways your small business can save money on business travel expenses without cutting back on trips: Renting Cars (Image [...]

Yes, there are small businesses out there that are considering growth opportunities even as our current recession keeps a tight hold on our economy. But for those small businesses that are in this situation, any steps that they take to expand operations should be carefully implemented. Here are a few tips on how to responsibly [...]

Having a good business credit rating is a golden key that can help open the doors of financing- whether from the bank, vendors and suppliers, or potential investors. And with the current economic environment making it harder for small businesses to get the financing they need, this key is all the more vital to the [...]

Do you know that you may be paying too much for many of your overhead expenses? Here are 12 simple ways that small businesses can save a significant amount of money on some of the most common operating costs: 1. Cell phones and business credit cards Cell phone plans and credit card options can vary [...]

As I scan the media these days, I often come across the personal accounts of people who were drowning in debt yet were able to pull themselves out and make their way towards financial stability. Since these people tend to be representative of the “average Joe,” the display of resilience and discipline is particularly inspiring. [...]

Existing businesses seeking business financing have a harder time than start-ups, in securing a business loan. Entrepreneurs in search of start-up capital for their businesses can invent favourable figures in their projections used in convincing the bank to provide financing. A business owner looking for additional financing for his already established business does not have [...]

Today, I ran across a series of free business finance workshops that seem very helpful. They take a while to load, but they are very well done. There is a PowerPoint style presentation with a voiceover (not just reading what is on the screen.) Each workshop covers a different “How to” – I’ve annotated the [...]

After writing a post on making the decision to pursue the Government Grant path, I decided to put together some links for grant seekers. · Here is a list of Federal Government Resources, including Grants, Contracts, and Auctions that provides a list of links to government grants. · For information on finding and applying for government grants, [...]

One of the most important steps in attempting to calculate cash flow is breaking your business down into cycles.  Some examples of business cycles are:  inventory cycle, accounts payable cycle, sales cycle, and accounts receivable cycle.  The key to smooth cash flow is to coordinate these cycles as much as possible with one another. Unfortunately for [...]