Simple Randomness

Grow Your Business with a Cash Advance

Going back to the topic of owning an online business, or really any business for that matter, there usually comes a time when it’s a good idea to get a loan in order to grow your business.  This is usually a much better idea than just using a credit card since your rates will be a lot lower.

So let’s say you go in to get a loan, and the bank or lending institution turns you down.  Do you have any other options?  Well, one option you could look at is a business cash advance.

A business cash advance is a loan against a business’s future credit card sales. If a company accepts credit cards, there are merchant account companies that will give them money, and take a little out of each of their following credit card transaction for the next several months till it’s paid up.

Online Checks is one merchant account companie that offers these merchant cash advance programs.  With them there is no credit check, and the funds are available within 72 hours.  This is a great option for businesses that can’t get a traditional loan.

Of course make sure you don’t get an advance for more than you can realistically project paying back.  The last thing you want to do is get an advance and then really dip into your profit more than you should.

Help For Your eCommerce Business

If you’re running an ecommerce business that involves selling physical products from your site, whether you are doing wholesaling or dropshipping, you should know by now that you need to have a merchant account.  The crazy thing is that there are a lot of merchant accounts to choose from out there, so what do you do?

There are a lot of things to consider when comparing different merchant accounts. Look at their fees, both the per transaction fees and also the monthly fees. You could be paying way more than you need to.

In fact, even if you already have a merchant account you might want to look around and see what else you can find out there. For example, there is a company I came across recently called OnlineChecks. They offer some things that are not very common in the industry such as no fees, no contracts, and a free credit card machine. Not a bad deal!

So when it comes to credit card processing and merchant services, these guys look like a pretty good one to check out.  And as you know, you really should be doing everything you can to keep those costs down, so why spend extra on a merchant account if you don’t have to?

Everyone’s Starting a Blog

So in the last few weeks I’ve learned about a bunch of different friends that have blogs up and running.  It seems like everyone these days is starting a blog!  Well, it’s probably a good thing.  I’ve actually found that it can be very therapeutic at times…

One thing I always wonder is if people know about all the different options for setting up their blog.  I know that a lot of them will just do a blog hosted by the blogging company, but even better in my opinion is to host it separately so you can do more with your blog.  But then I guess that depends on what you’re after.

Well, if you’re thinking of starting a new blog and want the most felxibility out of it, you really should go with hosting it somewhere else.  It’s a good idea to check out some web host rating websites to see which ones are currently the best to work with.  This way you can be sure to get the best deal and also know what you should be getting in the first place.

Getting the Best in Online Marketing Services

If you have a website you know that marketing online can be a tricky business.  There are so many different aspects of it all, from web design, search engine marketing, PPC, SEO, SMO, etc.  Sometimes it can all seem a little overwhelming!

That’s why a lot of companies will prefer to hire it out and get help from professional companies rather than doing it all themselves.  But if you’re going to do that, you need to make sure that you do it with a good company.

I came across a company that looks pretty good for this type of thing.  Their name is BeyondROI. One of the things about this company that really grabbed my attention is that they were recently named a Top 10 Most Dependable Search Marketing Firm in the US from Inc. Magazine.

These guys do it all.  Their services include help with web design, doing paid inclusion, help with analyzing your web traffic, Web 2.0 marketing (SMO), email marketing campaigns, and more.

Basically, their name let’s you know what they will help you do: go beyond just getting a good ROI!  So seriously, if you have a website and are looking for a company to help you with your online advertising, this is one that you might want to check out.

Freelance - Got Skills?

If you have a good set of skills, one great way to make some extra money is to do some freelance work or pick up some freelance jobs.  And the great thing is that there are plenty of websites out there that can help connect you as a freelancer to different businesses and individuals that might be looking for your services.

So how does freelancing help businesses?  Well, let’s say you’re a manager and you have a small project that you need to get done, but it isn’t long enough to really hire a new employee for.  Or maybe it’s beyond what your current team has time to handle.  Well, that’s where the freelancer comes in.  You hire someone for that job and that’s it!

So how does it help the individual freelancer?  Well, maybe you have some extra time in your schedule and would like to pick up some extra money.  You look at some jobs that are available on a site like TheFreelanceNation.com, find one you like and get hired for it.  Now you have an extra job you can do to make that extra cash!

As you can see, freelancing sites are good for both parties.  The other cool thing about sites like TheFreelanceNation.com is that they have forums and other tools to help you.  So if you’re looking for some temporary employment or other freelance opportunity, check these guys out!

All About Network Solutions

I’m sure that a lot of you are relatively new to the internet, blogging, hosting, and all the other strange words that you’ve probably heard since you got involved in this crazy thing called the world wide web.  Did you ever wish there was a resource that could help clear up some of your confusion?

Well, Network Solutions has put together a page to explain everything about themselves, and by finding out about a company like Network Solutions and their many products you can honestly find out the answers to a lot of your questions like “What is hosting?” and others.

Pretty cool site.  It looks like they just barely did a redesign on it and I have to say that they’ve done a very good job with it.  you can find out more about their products and services, Network Solutions jobs, and anything else you need or want to know.

Network Solutions is one of those hosting and domain name registration companies that has been around for a long time.  So if you’re looking for a reliable company to get a domain name, hosting, email, or other online service though, you can trust someone like Network Solutions to treat you right.  Check them out!

Coupons for T-Shirt Printing

T-shirts are a great way to get the word out about your business.  It’s easy advertising, and people tend to notice it.

Well, if you have a business and you’re looking to get some good, inexpensive t-shirts printed, VistaPrint is running a discount right now on their t-shirt printing services.  If you use coupon code TShirts25 you can get 25% off your next order of custom printed t-shirts!

Just about 2 weeks ago I printed a handful of t-shirts for another website that I run, but now that I see the prices over on VistaPrint, I’m wondering if I should have gone with them over the company that I used.  Well, you know what they say about hindsight.

So don’t make the same possible mistake that I just made!  Check out what VistaPrint has to offer.  They have a lot of templates you can choose from, and you can just upload your own images to create a t-shirt to your liking.  Maybe you just want to design one for fun, even if you don’t run a business.  Well, you can do that, too!

Check them out.  VistaPrint is great for all sorts of things, and they’re running sales on a bunch of their other products as well.

Finding a Good Web Host

For those of you that have your own blog or website, which I know is a lot of you, have you ever done any real web hosting comparisons?  Or did you just sign up with the first one you found or the first one that was recommended to you?

Hosting can be a really big issue.  If you have a bad host, you’re going to be screaming profanities for some time until you or they get it fixed.  So make you make the right choice at the beginning.

The good thing is that there are sites out there that can help you find the best web hosting. One of these is WebHostingGeeks.com where they have broken down the different into different criteria like best mail servers, forum hosting, etc.

So if you’re looking for a host, check ‘em out!

Labels For a Business

A few years ago I worked as a bookkeeper for a food manufacturer. Until I had this job I never really realized what all goes into the production of food items that you get in the freezer section of the grocery store. There is the product itself, then the protective wrappers, the boxes that you see on the shelf, and the boxes that those boxes go into for shipment to the store. It was quite the process! And it seemed like most of these parts of the process had its own label that had to be used.

Well, if you run a business that needs a lot of labels (such as wine bottle labels), you should check out the labels done by Label World. Note that these guys are here to do large orders, not just 20-30 labels at a time. But if that’s the kind of printing power you need, check them out!

For All Your Printing Needs…

I know that I’ve talked about these guys before, but hey, they say that repetition is the best way to learn, so why not?!

What I’m talking about is VistaPrint, the website that you can go to to take care of all of your printing needs. I’ve talked in the past about things they do like postcards, business cards, and car magnets. Well, today let’s talk about personalized return address labels.

As with everything on VistaPrint, you can use some of their free templates or upload your own design to have your return address labels designed. I was just browsing through some of their templates they offer and they’re actually pretty good. They can work well for either business or personal return labels, just take your pick!

I’ve always thought that one of the best things about VistaPrint is that you can upload your own custom design as well. They have some really good easy to use tools to help you get it just the way you want it.

So anyway, if you’re an individual or a business that needs some new return address labels, VistaPrint is a great way to go. Good pricing, good selection, and very easy to use.