Tag: business tips

Guest Blogger, Medical

Practical Tips For Entrepreneurs With Disabilities

Brandi C

Practical Tips For Upcoming Entrepreneurs With Disabilities

 

Today’s post is brought to you by Barefoot Faith Journey.

 

Practical Tips For Entrepreneurs With Disabilities. Disabilities come in many shapes and forms. However, these do not have to define your ability to earn an income to support your family. In fact, many of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs, including Richard Branson, who is dyslexic, live with some form of physical or learning difference.

 

As a parent or future parent with a disability, you may have resources available to you that can help you get started. A few of these include:

 

Free marketing tools.

 

Learning how to market your business may be a challenge, as it is for most. However, when you’re first starting out, you don’t have to sink all of your money into the marketing process. One example of a free marketing tool that you can use starting today is an online design service. Specifically, if you’re planning to make business cards, you can use a design template that lets you customize them with your own branding materials. If you’re not design-savvy, here’s a possible solution. Social media marketing is another low to no-cost avenue to get your message out. Sprout Social offers insight into how often you’ll have to post to get the most attention.

 

Online business formation services.

 

Business formation is available to everyone, but there are many advantages of using a digital service. First, you won’t have to leave your house. Perhaps most importantly, it’s an easy process that gives you and your small business a few tax perks, which, like rules and regulations, vary by state. Do your research ahead of time to ensure you know the steps you’ll need to take to get the job done.

 

Mentoring.

 

A business mentor is someone that has been in the shoes you’re trying to fill now. They have experience in your industry, and they often provide this service as a labor of love to ensure the next generation of leaders has a chance to enjoy success. You might also choose a business coach, which PushFar explains is slightly different than a mentor and that these are usually generalized coaches that may not have direct experience in your industry. Both have value, and they can help you start and grow your business.

 

Social Security benefits.

 

If you receive SSI, you may be eligible for the Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS) program. This plan is provided by the Social Security Administration. The plan allows you to set aside some of your income and resources to put toward your professional goals, even starting a business. You will have to submit an application, but it’s a fairly simple process that can help expedite entrepreneurship.

 

Disability-owned certification.

 

There are three types of disability certification. These are Disability-Owned Business Enterprise, Veteran Disability-Owned Business Enterprise, and Service-Disabled Veteran Disability-Owned Business Enterprise. Each of these comes with benefits, such as exclusive resources, networking opportunities, access to private-sector corporations, and industry recognition. Certifications such as these command respect and can help you grow your business by lending credibility to your efforts.

 

People with disabilities have more opportunities than ever before to earn and thrive. When you have children to care for, bills to pay, and a life to live, going into business for yourself may be the best option. Fortunately, there are plenty of resources to help you market your business, form your structure, and even get up and running. Whatever type of business you choose and however you choose to start, good luck with your future endeavors, and enjoy your success.

 

Barefoot Faith Journey is Brandi’s blog and a great place for a good read on topics ranging from adoption to suicide awareness.

Practical Tips For Entrepreneurs With Disabilities

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Guest Blogger

3 Reasons to Proceed with Your Startup Business

Brandi C

Barefoot Faith Journey is a faith-based blog by marriage and family counselor Brandi. Read more informative and entertaining articles today!

3 Reasons to Proceed with Your Startup Business

Image via Pexels

3 Reasons to Proceed With Your Startup Business Plans Amidst COVID-19

If you were going to start a business before COVID-19 hit, you may have chosen to put your startup plans on hold in hopes that the pandemic would be short-lived. But now that it’s been more than a year since COVID-19 became a reality, you may be thinking about whether you should finally proceed with your startup plans — or give up on your entrepreneurial dreams for the foreseeable future.

Below, Barefoot Faith Journey shares three reasons why you should move forward with your plans of starting a business during the pandemic, as well as some of the things you can do to turn your entrepreneurial dreams into a reality. Now, let’s dive in!

  1. Low-Cost Startup Loans

Starting a small business doesn’t come cheap, as standard startup costs include everything from web and marketing expenses to purchasing inventory, business equipment, licenses, and office space. You must factor in ongoing costs, including payroll, advertising, and insurance coverage. There’s also the cost of hiring specialists to oversee customer support, accounting, and human resources advisors you’ll need to consider. However, these professionals can be employed as freelancers rather than permanent employees to help you save on startup expenses.

But this is where grants and startup business loans come in. And thanks to the pandemic, many lenders are offering low-interest rates, making it the perfect time to finance a new business.

  1. Discounted Startup Equipment

According to USA Today, U.S. businesses, especially transportation, travel, bars, clothing retailers, spas, salons, and fitness studios, have taken a real hit since the pandemic began. And as unfortunate as this is, there are a few ways aspiring entrepreneurs can benefit from these business closures. For one, it provides new entrepreneurs access to discounted business equipment, office furniture, and other essential supplies.

When starting a small business during the pandemic, use websites like eBay to search for new, used, or refurbished inventory to find discounted equipment and supplies. You can also keep an eye out for businesses announcing their closure to purchase discounted equipment. Companies often advertise the sale of equipment to help recoup losses from closing down.

  1. Affordable Business Ownership Tools and Services

In addition to securing affordable startup business loans and purchasing discounted equipment and supplies from liquidating companies, an abundance of free or discounted business tools and services are available amidst COVID-19 — helping your startup capital to go even further.

A few of these affordable startup business tools and services include:

  • Communication and collaboration apps. Whether interviewing potential employees or collaborating with your staff online, free or low-cost communications tools can help you run your business remotely successfully. The team at Tameday recommends free apps like Slack, Troop Messenger, Microsoft Teams, and Flock.
  • Online business formation services. When it comes time to register a business name, you can choose to run your operation as a DBA (“doing business as”), which is beneficial as part of your marketing and branding strategy. A DBA name is a pseudonym for your registered, legal business name. Many business owners use it to avoid using their surname (if the business entity includes their name). An assumed name makes expansion easier for corporations, as creating an entirely new corporation is unnecessary. You can use ZenBusiness.com to simplify the registration process for a low cost.
  • Online marketing tools. You can use free digital tools to reach your target audience and boost your online visibility. This can be done without spending a fortune on professional marketing services. MobileMonkey recommends tools like Phantombuster, Zapier, HubSpot CRM, Ubersuggest, and Canva. But if you’d prefer to hire a professional to handle your marketing, you’ll save money if you look for a freelancer on Upwork, Fiverr, or Contently.

Don’t Wait to Start a Business.

If you’ve been waiting to launch your startup business, there’s no need to hold off any longer. With affordable interest rates on business loans, discounted startup equipment from liquidating companies, and free or low-cost business tools and services, the pandemic could be the perfect time to pursue your entrepreneurial goals!