FastUpFront Blog:

According to the Small Business Association, the majority of newly established small businesses will not survive past five years. Such statistics may not sound encouraging if you have recently started your own small business, but with a little bit of planning you can easily buck this trend.
The following are a few key factors that, if [...]

Many small business owners are unknowingly paying more than they have to towards their federal taxes!  Much of this has to do with either ignorance or confusion regarding what can and cannot be deducted. If you are looking the maximize your tax deductions this year, then consider the following recommendations. Please note, however, that the [...]

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 [...]