Article URL: https://sweeps.ai/senior-software-engineer.pdf Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25071823 Points: 1 # Comments: 0
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Day: November 16, 2020
Grants for Small Business Startup: Will It Be Enough?
Do you know how to find grants for small business startup? There are a number of grant programs out there for those wanting to start a business. Even those already operating but still in the startup phase can benefit. However, grants for small business startup are highly competitive. Funds are often limited. It’s rare to get enough from a grant to fund an entire startup without needing other options.
There are Grants for Small Business Startup, But You Need More
What are options other than grants that offer free money? I mean, that’s the best thing about a grant. You do not have to pay the money back. Also, bad credit doesn’t matter when it comes to grants. There are not a lot of other options that great. However, there are a few.
Why Use Grants for Small Business Startup
The truth is, grants for small business startup are rarely enough. You are going to need more funding. That said, you definitely should apply for any grants you might qualify to get. Just be careful. Be sure you meet the eligibility requirements before you begin the application process.
The process of applying for grants can be tedious and lengthy. That isn’t always the case, of course, but you don’t want to spend a lot of time on something you have no chance of getting. By being intentional and finding the opportunities you can actually take advantage of, you increase your chances of approval and decrease your chances of wasting time.
Any amount you receive, even if it is a few hundred dollars, can help reduce the amount of debt you have to take on. Also, winning a grant can help your business look more viable to lenders.
So, which grants do you qualify for? It depends. Many grants are designed specifically for a certain type of business or business owner. Some are not. Here are a few possibilities to help get you started, along with some resources to do your own research.
Credit Line Hybrid Financing: Get up to $150,000 in financing so your business can thrive.
Grants for Small Business Startup: Available for All
There are grants options that can work well for anyone.
FedEx Small Business Grant
This grant is the company’s way of working to strengthen small business innovation. There are 10 grants the company awards each year. They range from $15,000 to $50,000, and if you’re a minority owned business with a cutting-edge product, this could be the grant for you.
A business must use the FedEx website to submit entries. There are a few questions to answer about your business. In addition, there is a requirement for an elevator pitch about what makes your business special. Also, you have to explain how you would use the grant funds. A 90 second video submission is optional.
NASE Growth Grants
The National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) has small business Growth Grants of up to $4,000. They are for micro-businesses, and proceeds can be used for a number of things. They can be utilized for marketing, advertising, expansion, and even to hire employees. These grants are open to everyone. However, you do have to be an NASE member to apply. Membership fees vary based on the membership level chosen.
USDA Value Added Producer Grant
The USDA’s Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program offers grants for small businesses. It includes minority owned business. Grants range up to $250,000. They are specifically to help agricultural producers with activities that add value to their products. As a result, grants are open to those in rural areas. They must be operating as one of the following:
- Cooperative
- Farmer
- Rancher
- an independent agricultural producer
- or an agricultural producer group
Grants for Small Business Startup: Minority Business Owners
Here are some minority grant options to consider. There are certainly others out there. However, they are not always well advertised. This means you need to be sure to do your own research.
First Nations Development Institute Grants
The mission of this group is to offer grants that help Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Native Americans. They offer assistance in the application process in addition to funds.
Not only that, but there are a wide range of opportunities from the First Nations Development Institute. New ones initiate as old ones retire. There is a mailing list you can join to receive information about new opportunities as they become available.
National Black MBA Association Scale-Up Pitch Challenge
Also known as NBMBAA, the Scale-Up Pitch Challenge has cash prizes ranging from $1,000 to $50,000. The associate states its purpose is to help newer businesses that have an African founder that maintains equal ownership.
A business must be a member of the NBMBAA to compete. There is a $10 monthly membership fee. After that, there is an online application. If chosen, you must submit a three-minute pitch. Then, finalists go on to compete at the NBMBAA annual conference.
Grants for Women Business Owners
For female business owners, there are several grant opportunities. These are just a few.
Eileen Fisher Women Owned Business Grants
The clothing brand Eileen Fisher awards $100,000 per year to 10 women-owned businesses. To qualify, a woman must have at least 51% ownership, and the business must be in operation for at least three years. Also, it must bring in less than $1 million per year in revenue and have a focus on environmental or social change.
Amber Grant
The Amber Grant awards $500 to $1,000 per month to a woman-owned business. One of the recipients also receives an additional $10,000 grant at the end of the year. Applicants only need to tell their story and turn it in with a $15 application fee.
#GIRLBOSS Foundation Grant
Specifically for woman-owned businesses in fashion, music, and art, the #GIRLBOSS small business grant awards $15,000. They also offer exposure via the Girlboss website and social media platforms. Judges rate those applying on creativity, business savvy, planning, innovation in the field, need, and where they plan to work.
Credit Line Hybrid Financing: Get up to $150,000 in financing so your business can thrive.
Cartier Women’s Initiative Award
The Cartier Women’s Initiative Award is $100,000 for first place and $30,000 for second place. They award the grant to 18 female business owners from around the world each year. Women business owners who are just getting started may qualify. Look over the complete application for more information.
All of the finalists get to attend the INSEAD Social Entrepreneurship 6-Day Executive Program (ISEP). They will also have the opportunity to participate in workshops on entrepreneurship and business coaching seminars, as well as be exposed to networking opportunities.
Grants for Small Business Startup: Other Grant Resources
Of course, new grant opportunities open all the time. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many local agencies have stepped up to help small businesses, including offering grant opportunities. Sometimes, more funding becomes available allowing for new grants to open. Here are some resources to help you find more grants for small business startup.
- Local Small Business Development Centers
- Grant.gov
- GrantWatch.com
Other Debt Free Options
Of course, debt free is best, so you are probably wondering if there are other options, besides grants for small business startup, that will help you fund your business debt-free. Yes, there are. However, much like grants, they are a long shot and do not always fund your business completely.
The two main options you have are crowdfunding for startups and angel investors. Crowdfunding basically involves convincing several micro-investors to fund your business a few dollars at the time. If you have a successful crowdfunding campaign it can be very effective. Also, it’s not as easy as it sounds.
Angel investors are not a new idea. If you can find one, you are golden. These are just one or two, or a small group, of investors that invest large sums. They usually do so in return for equity in your business, meaning they want some of the future profits. That means it’s not totally free money, but it is money for your business that you can get without being tied down by debt. Anyone can be an angel investor, even your mom!
An Awesome Non-Grant Option
Now, the truth is, it is virtually impossible to start a business debt-free. Financing in some form is almost always necessary. What you need is the most effective and flexible option for financing with the lowest interest rates.
If you have top notch personal credit, that is probably going to be a traditional business loan. However, many capable business owners do not have the personal credit score necessary. Not only that, but you don’t want your personal credit to bear the brunt of your business debt. You need business credit as well. There is a debt option that you can access with a lower personal credit score than what is required by traditional lenders. Furthermore, it will help you build business credit at the same time.
Credit Line Hybrid
A credit line hybrid is essentially an unsecured line of credit. It allows you to fund your business without putting up collateral, and you only pay back what you use. The funds can be used for many things, including startup costs.
It’s super easy to qualify. You need a personal credit score of at least 680, which is lower than what is required by many banks. Additionally, you can’t have any liens, judgments, bankruptcies or late payments. Also, in the past 6 months you should have less than 4 credit inquiries. You should have less than a 45% balance on all business and personal credit cards as well. It’s also preferred that you have established business credit in addition to personal credit.
Here is the beauty of it. If you do not meet all of the requirements, it’s okay. You can take on a credit partner that meets each of these requirements. Many business owners work with a friend or relative to fund their business. If a relative or a friend meets all of these requirements, they can partner with you to allow you to tap into their credit to access funding.
Benefits to Using a Credit Line Hybrid with Grants for Small Business Startup
There are many benefits to using a credit line hybrid. First, it is unsecured, meaning you do not have to have any collateral to put up. Next, this is no-doc funding. That means you do not have to provide any bank statements or financials.
In addition, typical approval is up to 5x that of the highest credit limit on the personal credit report. Often, you can get interest rates as low as 0% for the first few months. This allows you to put that savings back into your business.
With the approval for multiple credit cards, competition is created. This makes it easier to get interest rates lowered and limits raised every few months. The process is generally quick, especially with a qualified expert to walk you through it. Also, you can build fast business credit because some of the accounts involved report to the business credit reporting agencies.
SBA Loans
While federal grant money is preferred, other types of federal funding are available. This is another option for startup funding when grants for small business startup are not enough. The Small Business Administration offers federally guaranteed loan programs that can help fund a business at any stage. The applications are processed and funds disbursed through traditional lenders. However, the requirements are easier for many businesses to meet. This is because of the government guarantee that they have.
You can find a lender that offers SBA loan programs using the lender match tool. Here are just a few of the programs they offer. Which one may be right for your business will depend on a number of variables.
7(a) Loans
The minimum credit score to qualify for this one is 680, just like the credit line hybrid. There is a down payment requirement of at least 10% if you are using the funds for the purchase of a business, commercial real estate, or equipment. The minimum time in business is 2 years, but if you are a startup, business experience equivalent to two years will fill the requirement.
504 Loans
Funds from 504 loans can buy machinery, facilities, or land. Generally, these are used for expansion. They work especially well for commercial real estate purchases.
They require a minimum credit score of 680 as well, and they are collateralized by the asset being financed. There is also a down payment requirement of 10%, which can increase to 15% for a new business.
There is also a requirement you be in business at least 2 years, or that management has equivalent experience if the business is a startup.
Credit Line Hybrid Financing: Get up to $150,000 in financing so your business can thrive.
Microloans
These loans work well for starting a business, purchasing equipment, buying inventory, or for working capital. Community based non-profits administer microloan programs as intermediaries, with financing coming directly from the Small Business Administration.
The minimum credit score is 640, and the collateral and down payment requirements vary by lender.
The thing to remember about all loans and lenders, including those related to the Small Business Administration, is that details such as interest rates, terms, and eligibility requirements can change frequently. Be sure to check with individual lenders for the more up-to-date information.
Grants for Small Business Startup: Are They Worth the Time and Energy?
If you find one for which you meet all the eligibility requirements, yes, absolutely it is worth it. Any amount you get that reduces the amount of debt you need to fund your business is worth it. That said, remember it is unlikely you will get out of having to use financing at all. So, be sure to find the type of financing that will work best for you. The credit line hybrid will work for almost anyone, and has many benefits, including helping to build business credit!
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The Muse (YC W12) Is Hiring a Director of Analytics and BI
Article URL: https://www.themuse.com/jobs/themuse/director-of-analytics-business-intelligence Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25095586 Points: 1 # Comments: 0 The post The Muse (YC W12) Is Hiring a Director of Analytics and BI appeared first on ROI Credit Builders.
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What Are Meta Tags?
Let’s talk about meta tags — what they are, why they matter, and how to do them better.
First things first — what made you click on this article to read it?
Maybe the title caught your eye, or perhaps it was the short blurb you saw.
You might have clicked simply because this article comes from a source you trust.
If you found this article via a search engine, though, there’s a good chance you found and clicked this article because of meta tags.
Meta tags are the foundation of SEO, and the first thing you’ll find yourself setting up when building a web page.
Without meta tags, you can’t reach readers organically.
It doesn’t take much time to generate meta tags, but it’s more important than you might think.
That’s because 93% of all online experiences begin with a search engine.
This is why so many online marketers are so focused on getting SEO right.
Organic search traffic is the holy grail of SEO, so it can’t be ignored.
Your content needs to be readable and appealing to users on search engines.
There’s a very specific syntax needed.
It’s similar to how bookstores and libraries organize their archives of books — and that’s what meta tags are, essentially.
What are Meta Tags?
Meta tags are a type of HTML tag that provides search engines with information about a website page.
Let’s take a look at the basic elements.
The title and description tags make up almost the entire entry.
If not for these meta tags, all you’d see in Google SERPs would be my URL.
Title and description tags are the two most-used tags for SEO purposes, but SEO isn’t the only part of digital marketing.
Advanced digital marketing requires the use of even more tags that improve page rank and overall user experience.
Just like this search result, you’ll soon find out that these tags control how your entire digital presence is viewed and navigated.
Machines can read URLs just fine. If I wrote for machines, my website would look like this:
Google prioritizes certain tags because they provide context for people.
I built my website for people as well, so it looks like this:
This polish is what marketing is all about.
In this blog post, we will explore meta tags and see how they affect your overall digital marketing efforts.
While simple, the devil is in the details, and every detail counts.
How Meta Tags Affect Brand Image and Click-Through Rates
You absolutely can judge a book by its cover. It’s what covers are designed for.
Your title and meta description tag create the cover for your web page. They’re your first impression on most visitors.
It’s not just about search engines, but how we view the Internet.
Reddit is a basic link-aggregation site that takes away all the bells and whistles.
Reddit depends on the title and image to entice conversations and clicks.
Using meta tags correctly is like using the correct format for a business email.
Sure, you can put whatever you like out there, but there’s a level of professionalism that’s expected at some point.
Even Amazon will only give you a picture, title, and short description to make your point.
Think of these tags as your elevator pitch.
You’re given about as much space as a Tweet to sell your entire brand and product.
Which means you need to nail it.
You can’t just call in this detail and polish everything else. If you do, nobody will ever see the rest of what you polished.
We already know how meta tags affect SEO, but that’s not the only element.
Meta tags will make your email marketing and marketing automation efforts easier by providing information for emailed links.
Tags are a crucial element that determines what my automated social media posts look like.
When other bloggers, YouTubers, and social media influencers (and micro-influencers) share your content, tags make it easier.
Think of meta tags as the packaging for your product.
If your packaging isn’t spot-on, nobody will ever buy your product, no matter how great it is!
So what are some best practices to implement for tags?
Meta Tag Best Practices
There are a TON of different HTML tags that can be used on a web page. We’re only going to focus on a handful of significant tags.
We’ll start with the one that might have brought you here today.
1. Title Tags
It’s not technically a meta tag, but it shows up in the header and is used as one.
As of July 2017, the character limits for title tags in Google search results are 78 on mobile devices and 70 on a desktop.
However, that doesn’t necessarily mean you should use all those characters, and 60 is the generally recommended limit.
Long-tail keywords make a difference.
Here are the top meta titles in the SERPs for “How to make content marketing effective.”
By adding the year, we get an entirely new set of results for “how to make content marketing effective 2017.”
Some users will want basic information, while others will want the most current.
By adjusting our title tag, we can affect which of these searches we rank for.
Ultimately, the goal is to hit both, but that’s not always feasible.
Make sure your keyword is in your title, or you’ll find your articles buried in search results.
For example, when I search for the “best tacos in Tucson,” some restaurants are on page 10 below, even Del Taco.
That’s a wasted opportunity for that taco capital of the country!
These small businesses could greatly improve their search results, sales, and ROI by simply adding “best tacos in Tucson” to their title tags.
Here’s a sample of the HTML required for a title tag located in your header.
<head>
<title>The Best Title Example I Could Come Up With</title>
</head>
In WordPress, it’s as easy as giving your page a title.
You really can’t miss it.
That’s all there is to it!
2. Image Tags
Like title tags, Image tags aren’t labeled “meta.”
But they’re clearly used by search engines, link aggregators, and other sites to identify your site.
There are two image descriptions actually crammed into one tag.
Here’s what the HTML code looks like.
<img src=“image.jpg” alt=“image description” title=“image tooltip”>
Both the alt and title tags should be defined for the best experience.
The title displays on your screen when you hover your cursor over it.
The alt text displays when the image can’t be rendered (or is spoken to the blind and visually impaired).
When uploading an image to WordPress, you’ll be prompted to enter the title, caption, alt text, and description.
The more fields you fill out (even if you use the same information), the more searchable your images become.
Anywhere from 20-60% of all Google traffic goes to sites with well-optimized graphics.
Why wouldn’t you want to be included?
It’s also a matter of ADA website compliance.
There are approximately 58,200 people with some level of visual impairment per million in the U.S. alone.
That’s a huge segment of the population that wouldn’t have a great user experience without alt image tags.
Optimize your images for search engines and users.
3. Description Meta Tags
A meta description tag gives you a chance to provide an overview of the page’s content.
They’re limited to around 160 characters and aren’t directly tied to Google’s search algorithms at all!
Once again, the reason you need description tags is to improve the user experience.
Description tags encourage click-throughs.
Here’s what the HTML looks like:
<head>
<meta name=”description” content=”This is an example of the text that will show up in search results. Read on to learn more about description tags.”>
</head>
Without a meta description, Google will default to whatever preview sentence it feels best encompasses the content.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
This post doesn’t have a meta description (I rarely use them), and it ranks well.
Of course, my blogs are filled with relevant content in short, sweet sentences. Most of them would work as descriptions on their own.
Still, there’s no harm in adding additional information to make your content more searchable.
4. Robots Noindex and Nofollow Meta Tags
Robot meta tags aren’t always necessary.
By default, all of the pages and links you create on your website are indexed as ‘follow’ by search bots and web crawlers.
Whenever you want to redirect them, you’ll need a robot meta tag.
Here’s the noindex HTML code:
<html><head>
<meta name=”robots” content=”noindex” />
(…)
</head>
This would be within the header and indicate this page doesn’t need to be indexed.
It’s useful for syndicated and duplicate content that your customers/readers could use, but you don’t want credit in search indexes.
Here’s the HTML for a robot nofollow.
<meta name=”robots” content=”nofollow”>
This is used for links you don’t necessarily want to endorse.
For example, readers leaving links in my comments aren’t exactly endorsed by me, so a nofollow tag above the comments section keeps my site clean for bots.
Here’s a great infographic on when and how to use nofollow tags.
Now we get to one of the most controversial meta tags.
5. Keyword Meta Tags
Keyword tags aren’t used by search algorithms to determine search ranking.
Here’s what the HTML looks like:
<meta name=”keywords” content=”HTML, CSS, XML, JavaScript”>
I coach my SEO clients to ignore keyword tags because they don’t affect SEO.
That doesn’t necessarily make them useless, however. They’re especially useful in WordPress.
Keyword tags and categories can help Google determine which page on your site should rank for a search.
They also create a page in WordPress that provides one more indexed page.
This means that, while your blog posts are focused on long-tail keywords, your tag and category pages have feeds covering the shorter keywords.
Categories can be used for the URL format, providing one more keyword to the page address.
This is accomplished under Settings – Permalinks in WordPress.
Adding this format provides context to your content.
Google loves context for search results!
Keywords also provide a big-picture overview of how many pages you have for each keyword.
You can use them to help plan your editorial calendar.
6. Viewport tags
You don’t spend much time thinking about viewports, but they’re especially important in today’s mobile-first world of search.
On mobile devices, pages are shown in a popup window called a viewport that extends past the device’s border.
Here’s an illustration of what I’m talking about.
Developers can set the viewport size to increase mobile usability.
WordPress users can check this tag to learn this information for their templates.
But you probably didn’t know that unless you’re already a web developer.
Since Google increasingly focuses on mobile-friendly websites, this meta tag could mean the difference between success and mobile failure.
Now that you have a basic understanding of meta tags and why they’re important, I’ll show you some of my favorite tools for manipulating them.
Free Tools to Add and Check Your Meta Tags
Don’t worry if this all sounds overwhelming — there are tons of tools to make it easy to get meta tags right. Here are two of my favorites.
Yoast SEO Plugin for WordPress
Yoast is a powerful SEO plugin for WordPress and one of the most-downloaded SEO and meta tags tools.
With Yoast, all of the pages and posts you publish have back-end options to increase social sharing, optimize SEO, update tags, and other metadata.
With Yoast installed on your WordPress site, a few clicks and a few seconds of your time are all it takes to add meta-tagging to your process.
Yoast also allows you to enter a focus keyword that doesn’t get added to the meta tags, allowing the back-end program to analyze your post.
BuzzStream Meta Tag Extractor
If you need a quick chart of the metadata that’s being used by your competition, BuzzStream’s Meta Tag Extractor is a sleek and simple solution.
Copy and paste a list of URLs, and you’ll be presented with the meta tag information.
There’s even an option to download as a CSV file so that you can scrape large lists quickly.
It’s a quick and easy way to organize this data when you need it.
This free online tool does its job without all the bells and whistles.
Less Popular (But Still Useful!) Meta Tags
So to be fully transparent, here’s a chart of HTML meta tags.
An author meta tag can be used to tell search engines who wrote a piece of content.
Authors have been used in the past for search results, but it’s not a factor anymore. However, you might use author tags if you run a multi-author blog.
WordPress does add this information to blogs when multiple users are contributing content.
It’s more a badge of honor for bloggers than anything else.
Most of the rest define parameters that should already be controlled on a server level.
While I ignored these meta tags, it doesn’t mean you have to. Feel free to add whatever information you’d like.
It doesn’t help search rankings, but it doesn’t hurt them, either.
Conclusion
Meta tags are a basic part of HTML — and can impact SEO.
Back in the early days of the internet, they were a signaling factor for search engines to understand what content is on a page.
The internet (and our relationship with it) has evolved exponentially since then.
Contextual search, AI digital assistants, and mobile devices are changing the way we view content.
Search engines are incentivized to provide the best search results possible, so meta tags are less important.
However, some, such as the titles and meta descriptions, are more important than ever before.
While less metadata is used, it’s still the first impression you’ll make on both robots and people.
What do your website’s meta tags say about you?
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