Guidant Financial Group Blog

Finding the Best Vendors

Friday

For many start-ups, finding the right vendors for your business can make all the difference. Sarah Needleman, in an article for The Wall Street Journal, suggests several considerations for small business owners about their prospective vendors.

The article encourages owners to "do their homework" before choosing a vendor. "Good places to search for vendors are trade shows and magazines, as well as industry-association websites."

Another important lesson is to "stand your ground. Don't settle for a lesser product or one you don't need just because a supplier doesn't have the merchandise you're seeking."

Needleman also says that "When striking deals with vendors, keep in mind that it may take several months to secure the kind of rates and terms you'd like."

Read the full article here.

Check out the profile of Guidant Financial on the inc500 list.

The Top 5 Reasons to Buy a Business Right Now

Monday

In today's economic climate, some may be afraid to open a business, but really now is the perfect time!

Guidant CEO and Co-founder David Nilssen has published an article noting the Top 5 Reasons to Buy a Business Right Now.

Read it here.

Follow Guidant on Twitter at @guidant.

Labels: 2012 , business , David Nilssen , economy , Franchise , IFA , Lori Kiser-Block , Rapid Refill , Small Business , Steve Calderia

Making the Jump Nominated for Business Book Award

Wednesday

Congratulations to authors David Nilssen and Jeff Levy! Their business book, Making the Jump Into Small Business Ownership was recently nominated for the Best Small Business Book Award in the Startup category on SmallBizTrends.com.

Voting will begin on Feb. 1 via the SmallBizTrends website and ends on Feb. 16. We'll post a link to vote once that becomes available.

Labels: 401(k) Small Business , awards , book , business book , David Nilssen , Jeff Levy , Making the Jump Into Small Business Ownership

US Property Market Recovery

Friday

Although many people are optimistic about the property market in 2012, some economists say that the road to recovery may still be a few years away.

In an article from PropertyWire, Zillow chief economist Stan Humphries reports that "Overall, we are seeing encouraging signs in housing data such as sequential months of slowing depreciation rates, stabilizing markets and organic improvement in value trends, largely in the absence of government policy intervention."

Humphries continues, "However, we're not out of the woods yet. Supply and demand are still not in balance in many markets and we do expect higher foreclosure liquidation rates near term, which will put additional downward pressure on home values."

"Even with the anticipated increase in foreclosures, look for 2012 to be a transitional year in which home values fall modestly followed by a prolonged period of flat home values. We're still three to five years away from normal housing market conditions."

Read the full article here.

Check out the profile of Guidant Financial on the inc500 list.

Labels: economy , foreclosures , Guidant Financial , housing market , Invest in Real Property , Real Estate

Franchisors Benefit from Veteran Tax Credits

A report in the IFA FranBlog this week indicates that the Vow to Hire Heroes Act is helping ignite new hiring strategies in the franchising world.

Because the tax credits associated with this Act expire in December of 2012, the time to act is now.

Learn ways to recruit veterans and visit the first-ever VetFran Pavilion at the IFA Convention in Orlando, Feb. 11 - 14.

Labels: 2012 , David Nilssen , FranBLog , Franchise , Guidant , Guidant Financial , IFA , International Franchise Association , tax credit , veterans , VOW to Hire Veterans Bill

New Year's Resolutions for Entrepreneurs

It is the start of a new year, a fresh start for many business owners. In an article for The Street, Laurie Kulikowski suggests some resolutions that entrepreneurs can make this year.

"Some can be quite simple, such as improving time management skills, whereas others can take a bit more strategy, such as finally getting on the social media bandwagon. Small-business owners should also use these early days to refresh their business plans and make an effort to, finally, implement some of those ideas you had but never quite put to use."

She suggests and explains ten resolutions such as "Stand out in a crowded social media space" and to "Create an effective brand" that entrepreneurs should consider. Read the full article here.

Check out the profile of Guidant Financial on the inc500 list.

Labels: 2012 , 401(k) Small Business , business owner , entrepreneur , goals , Guidant Financial , resolutions , social media

Guidant Financial Featured in Entrepreneur

Tuesday

The projected top sources of small business financing for 2012 appear today in Entrepreneur, and Guidant Financial, along with client Linda Jamerson of Chicago, are featured prominently.

Read the full article here.

Labels: 2012 , 401(k) Small Business Financing , entrepreneur , Entrepreneur Magazine , Guidant , guidant clients , retirement funds , Small Business , startup

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