A Win for Small Business, $100 to a $1M, and Artificial Intelligence
Updating the Outdated Small Business Act
It has been nearly two decades since the Small Business Act, or SBA, has been comprehensively updated and, in order for the United States to remain competitive, it’s time for it to change. Designed to “aid, counsel, assist and protect” the interests of small business, leaving it unchanged is hurting many small businesses that are in need of funding. If given the advantage of federal funding, many small businesses across the country would be able to advance their research and development efforts, giving them the opportunity to infuse the American market with innovation and capital.
To learn more about the current funding available for small businesses, visit www.sba.gov.
How to Take a $100 Business Investment and Turn it into Millions with the Help of “Gigs”
If you could put $1 into a vending machine and get $100 back, how many times would you do it? For most people, especially entrepreneurs, the answer is, “As many times as possible!” And while no vending machine like this actually exists, one of the next best things for business owners might be “gig” websites. These websites, like the popular Fiverr, allow savvy entrepreneurs to invest minimal amount of money to grow their businesses, resulting in unprecedented opportunity, especially in the online world.
If you’re unfamiliar with Fiverr or other “gig-based” websites, the basic concept is that they are a community of experts and professionals who are looking for work and, because they are for the most part on their own, who are willing to do it for much less than you would find if you chose to work with an agency. More proficient and efficient than you trying to do the work for yourself, these freelancing pros are happy to help you grow your business, giving you the services and guidance you need to get from A to B more quickly and with less money.
Have $100 to invest?
Here are the five best ways to use it in order to help your business maximize its potential…
Market Research. If your business is new, then learning about the market can help you gain a competitive edge. Hire a professional to help you track trends and segment customers for better targeting.
Business Plans. Want to know what the next step is? Hiring a professional to help you create a business plan can give you a vision for where you’re going - and help you attract investors, too.
Logos. No need to spend thousands, or even hundreds, on a professional-looking logo. Using a website like Fiverr can get you a personalized logo for less than a dinner date. Use your logo everywhere - from your business cards to your website.
Web Content. You can’t survive without a website, but just throwing one up online will rarely get the job done today. In order to compete, you need content - and good content at that. Find a professional to help you write about your business or services, as well as maintain a regular blog.
VAs. Virtual assistants, or VAs, can help you get the day-to-day tasks done painlessly, which gives you more time to focus on the higher-level growth of your business. If you have a list of tedious tasks you put off, or that take up all of your time, hire a VA to help you get them done - and for less than you imagine.
3 Ways Your Small Business Can Benefit from AI Right Now
Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is interesting to consider, especially when you start imagining what the next five or ten years might look like. But, ask yourself to start using AI right now in your business, and suddenly those interesting thoughts become intimidating. Unfortunately, if you’re staying on the sidelines of AI when it comes to your business, you’re not leveraging this technology and, as a result, your business is under-performing.
To stay competitive, your business absolutely needs to be embracing AI, and it’s not as scary or as expensive as you might imagine. Even small businesses can get started right now by using these three AI-rich tactics.
Search Marketing. Every small business owner wants their business to perform better in searches - and AI can help. By using AI in your search marketing, you can optimize campaign keywords and improves site performance with relevant tags. And, because of the efficiency of AI, you can actually get pretty incredible results at a cost that before would have been unimaginable.
Targeted Displays. When it comes to marketing, ads are important. Of course, affording an ad that is effective isn’t always possible for small businesses. Or, at least, it wasn’t. Now thanks to AI, small businesses can create ads that are sophisticatedly targeted, getting in front of the right people, no matter how small that audience might be.
Social Advertising. Facebook has changed the way small businesses advertise - and AI is helping it evolve even further. Today, AI is allowing businesses to become highly effective when targeting micro-audiences online, giving them better results for less money.