Month: December 2020

How to Get Startup Funding

Building a business is thankless, difficult work. Sometimes, you just wish you had a little breathing room.

Usually, business owners have an idea of how they’d like to scale and grow their business. The only problem? Capital. There’s just not enough money to drive the growth they’d like to see.

It’s around this time that some businesses start to consider startup funding. Access to more capital means implementing better growth tools, expanding the team, and generally making the journey to profitability much smoother.

All of this sounds great, but it brings up important questions: How on earth are you supposed to get startup funding? What kind of funding should you consider? Does your business need startup funding?

I’m going to demystify the topic of startup funding and help you understand your options when it comes to raising money for your business.

How Do I Get Startup Funding for My Business?

Right off the bat, we need to establish a few ground rules.

It’s important that you understand what “raising money” actually does to your business. You’re essentially doing one of two things.

When it comes to startup funding, you’re either trading money for equity or trading it for debt.

When the average business owner pictures startup funding, they’re usually thinking about equity. To put it simply, equity is when you trade a percentage of your business in exchange for capital.

That equity is based on the perceived value of your company, which means it’s vital that you have some established value before you walk into an investor meeting. Ideas are great, but trust me when I say that these venture capitalists and angel investors have heard it all before. You’re going to need solid numbers and data if you want a chance at their money.

Of course, if you don’t have the data to secure startup funding from an investor, you could always rely on debt.

I’m just going to come out and say it: Going into debt as a startup is almost always the wrong approach. Whether it’s bank loans or credit cards, those terrible interest rates will eat your business alive. As “Shark Tank” investor Mark Cuban himself says,

If you’re starting a business and you take out a loan, you’re a moron. There are so many uncertainties involved with starting a business yet the one certainty that you’ll have to have is paying back your loan.

All of this is vital to understand because it highlights the reality of startup funding. What you’re really doing is giving pieces of your business away in exchange for some cash. Think of it like you’re borrowing from your future self.

I bring this up because I’ve seen plenty of startups ask if they can raise money. Do you know what I don’t see? Startups asking if they even need to raise money.

Don’t get me wrong, if your startup ends up being as big as Facebook or Slack, you can probably afford to trade some equity to increase cash. But trading away pieces of your profits just to keep your business afloat won’t be the right path for everyone.

Before you continue down this path, you and your team need to sit down and establish your needs, as well as the potential risks and rewards associated with each form of startup funding.

Remember, every single startup is going to have different needs, different risk tolerances, and different definitions of success. Consider each of these startup funding options carefully and make informed decisions for your business. Your future self will thank you.

How Much Startup Funding Do I Need?

Before you start asking for investor money, it’s essential that you establish your startup costs and how much you’ll need to continue building your business.

Assuming your business already exists, you should have a clear idea of your current expenses. As your startup continues to grow, it’s vital that you consider how much money your expansion is going to cost.

How much will you need for your new offices? How many employees will you be hiring, and what will their salaries be? What’s your projected ad spend? These are just some of the questions that you’ll need to have answers before you receive a dime from investors.

If you’re struggling, the SBA has a great startup costs calculator you can use to simplify this process.

When we think of startup funding, we tend to think of massive sums of money with startups raising millions of dollars. A study by Babson College found that the average business was able to start up with just $15,000 of funding.

When it comes to startup funding, it’s not about raising as much money as humanly possible. The goal is to raise the money you need without giving away too much of your startup in the process. Here are some options to do that, starting with the most common when we think of “startup funding.”

Check Out Startup Series Funding

The concept of Series funding can get rather complex, so for now, we’re going to address the basics.

This type of funding is typically thought of in terms of rounds. Series A round, Series B round, and so on.

But before any of that, there are a few other rounds that take place. Startups don’t usually just go straight into Series A, although it is possible.

First, there’s the pre-seed funding. This is friends, family, and other people in your support network. Seed stage funding is next, and this is typically where equity funding official starts. Venture capitalists and angel investors are usually found here, and these rounds will raise anywhere from $10,000 to $2 million.

Next, we have Series A funding. As the potential for greater funding increases, so does the level of scrutiny your business gets put under. Monetization is key here. These rounds typically run from $2 million to $15 million.

The rounds can continue from here, with each letter representing both an expectation of growth, as well as a potential increase in access to capital for your business.

Find Investors for Your Startup

Let’s assume that you didn’t make it to “Shark Tank.” How are you supposed to find investors?

There are typically five ways to find investors. The first, which I’ve already covered, is friends and family.

From there, you can look at loans and grants, but those aren’t realistic for every business. The more common option explored by startups is private investors. If you’re looking for angel investors, the Angel Capital Association is worth checking out.

While angel investors are typically individuals with a high net worth looking to invest, venture capitalists are using investor money to fund your business. It seems like a slight difference, but the approach to funding is actually very different.

Angel investors are interested in working with you to maximize the potential of the business. Venture capitalists are usually looking to fund a business that’s already well-established. Choosing the right investor can and will have a massive impact on the future development of your business.

Bootstrap Your Own Startup

Funding your startup through personal savings is far from glamorous, but it’s still your smartest move.

Why? The less of your company you have to give away, the better. But there’s something else at work when you’re bootstrapping your startup.

You’re creating tangible data that’s going to make raising money significantly easier.

Think about it. Most startups walk into investor meetings with a poorly designed MVP, a flimsy proof of concept, and a massive ask. More importantly, none of them address the elephant in the room.

Investors don’t care about good ideas. Investors want something tangible. They’re not looking to gamble away their money. They want the best possible chance of maximizing their returns.

Now, imagine you walk in with a fully formed business. Suddenly, the conversations are different. You don’t have an underwhelming MVP, you have a product that converts.

You don’t have a weak proof of concept, you’ve already established real product/market fit. As far as funding goes, you’re able to bring more to the table because your business is already off the ground.

When you bootstrap successfully, you’re able to present a much more compelling investment opportunity, while putting yourself in a strong negotiating position. This means better deals for you and peace of mind for investors, who know that your business is likely to be a winner.

Take the time to bootstrap your business, for as long as you can. It might not be as exciting as getting millions of dollars, but a bootstrapped business is 100% yours, and that’s pretty exciting to me.

Look for Business Startup Loans

While I don’t think that business startup loans are the right option for most founders, there is a right way to handle them.

Let’s start with what you need to know. A startup loan can be as low as $500 or as high as $750,000. The higher your loan, the more heavily your business plan will be scrutinized.

As a bare minimum, you should expect to explain both how and when you plan to make money. From there, you’ll likely be asked to explain why you’re better than your competition, how much potential your market has, etc. With some lenders, you’ll be required to present collateral, in the event that you can no longer pay back the loan.

Repayment of these loans can range anywhere from one to five years. You can expect to pay between 8% and 17%, even if your credit is solid. It’s worth mentioning that while you’re repaying this loan, it will be significantly harder for your business to secure another type of funding. After all, investors don’t want to be involved with a business that’s still paying their way out of debt.

Really, there’s only one reason you’d ever take out a startup loan. In a perfect world, you’re doing this because your business is already successful, you don’t want to give up equity, and you have a clear repayment plan that doesn’t create an excessive burden on your business.

Get Startup Funding From Family and Friends

This one is a bit tricky. On the surface, it sounds fantastic. It has the perks of a startup loan, without any of the drawbacks. Your friends and family can offer you capital for a low, or sometimes nonexistent interest rate. They’re also significantly more flexible when it comes to equity distribution, so what’s the problem?

Well, it’s family. Your support network might be rooting for you, but taking their money means they’re suddenly involved in the process. Suddenly, your decisions aren’t your own. Even when you own the majority of the company, family members might have their own ideas about how things should be done.

While there are plenty of entrepreneurs that raise money from friends and family, it’s a delicate decision to make. There are plenty of personal relationships that never recover after going into business together.

Still, it’s definitely an option to consider. Your wealthy aunt may not invite you to Thanksgiving this year if you lost all her money, but at least she won’t kick you out of your house.

Listen, if you have a rich uncle that was going to spend $25,000 on an addition to his house this year anyway, go ahead and see if he’s open to funding your business. Just understand that you’re not just dealing with your uncle anymore. You’re dealing with his money, too.

Raise Startup Money Through Crowdfunding

The average startup tends to ignore the possibility of crowdfunding for a few reasons.

Over the years, crowdfunding has developed a reputation as something of an incomplete funding strategy based more on wishful thinking than sound business sense.

Horror stories of products like the OUYA still haunt startup teams who are considering raising capital this way.

startup funding ouya

The second and more common reason is that they simply don’t know how to get started. It feels a bit more like putting on a performance than it does a round of investing.

The reality is that getting started is actually pretty straightforward. Start with a financial goal in mind. A common concept implemented within crowdfunding platforms is the concept of a stretch goal. The more money you raise, the more you’re able to deliver at launch.

Of course, you aren’t just getting money for free. Your new army of investors expects something valuable in exchange for their money. But with a bit of creativity and a strong understanding of what you can afford to offer financially, you should be able to make this work.

Once you have your goal and stretch goals established, start to build out the marketing materials. Make a video on who you are, and why they should invest in your business.

Crowdfunding is a highly competitive space, so don’t expect this to be easy. But if you’re willing to work for it, crowdfunding might just be the right approach for your business.

Apply for Small Business Grants

For whatever reason, small business grants aren’t looked into by most startup founders I talk to. I just figured they’d never heard of the concept, but now I’m starting to think it’s because they don’t think they’d qualify.

For example, the U.S. government is offering low-interest loans and even grants to small business leaders. Economically, the government supporting entrepreneurs makes financial sense. After all, competing internationally is much easier when your economy is boosted by five or six massively successful companies.

What does that mean for you? If you’re building a new tech or science business, you actually have a strong chance of securing some of that free government money. Plus, you typically qualify for state and federal grants.  

Conclusion

Money being tight as an entrepreneur is nothing new. It’s natural to consider the option of startup funding. What’s important for you to keep in mind is that finding the right funding can make or break your business.

Take the time to consider your options carefully. If you can afford to bootstrap, do it for as long as you can. No matter what, protect yourself and your business so that it can develop properly over time.

Which kind of funding seems most interesting to you? Let me know in the comments below!

The post How to Get Startup Funding appeared first on Neil Patel.

Why You Should Consider Selling Customized Products

In today’s global marketplace, it’s a great time to be a consumer. The rise of e-commerce means more and more businesses are striving to get the consumer’s attention, offering better prices and services just to keep them interested. With online sales representing 16 percent of total retail ad spend, business owners don’t want to leave money on the table.

The smartest business owners know that the only way to consistently beat the competition is by offering more value to customers.

However, if everyone in my industry is selling the same products, at the same price, how can I stay competitive? The answer: Create memorable experiences.

If you’re looking for a unique way to offer value to consumers, customized products can be a powerful, engaging tool that improves customer satisfaction and drives up conversions in the process.

What Are Customized Products?

Customized products exist as a way for consumers to customize their purchases and walk away with a unique brand experience.

Examples include:

These examples showcase the importance of offering customization and customization.

It’s not just a theory. Epsilon’s research found that 80% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase when brands offer customized experiences.

The concept of customization was designed just a few decades ago to promote exclusivity. Customized products were a status symbol, a vehicle to make consumers with massive budgets feel special.

Although that’s still the case with certain products (exotic cars and designer handbags, for example), rapid advances in technology have made mass-customization a possibility for everyone.

Still, despite the lowered barrier to entry, product customization maintains a certain allure to consumers. This begs the question: If the key component of customized products is no longer there (the exclusive status symbol), then why are consumers still so interested?

The answer is actually pretty straightforward: Businesses were operating with a fundamental misunderstanding of what made customization so appealing in the first place.

Reasons Your Company Should Offer Customized Products

What massive brands around the world have figured out, and what e-commerce business owners need to understand, is that exclusivity was only a small piece of the puzzle.

Product customization can have a massive impact on customer satisfaction, and by extension, your e-commerce business’s success. Why? Because not all of your customers want to experience your product in the same way.

Think about it. When it comes to something like marketing, we understand that different customers have different needs. The first-time visitor to your site needs a different call-to-action than the customer with the abandoned shopping cart. Customized customer experiences are nothing new, it’s just time that e-commerce businesses started to expand their customization horizons.

Where things get really interesting for me is when you start considering the potential financial value this brings to companies all over the world. Let’s not ignore the fact that 91% of consumers are more likely to shop with brands that provide relevant offers and recommendations. More specifically, it puts business owners in a win-win scenario.

When you offer dozens of different variants and options to users, you’re creating a more inclusive marketplace, and different consumers with unique priorities can still walk away with something they like.

Even more interesting is the capacity for testing. You don’t need to make everything in your store customizable. Instead, you can test for specific features and determine the ones that people love.

Over time, business owners can collect data and use this information to build product offerings that their customers are statistically more interested in. More value for consumers, more value for the business. Win-win.

Understand What’s Driving the Popularity of Customized Products

The benefits of customized products are pretty easy to measure. When a consumer can personalize a purchase, it gives them a chance to “stand out” and be distinctive.

Let’s use the example of a custom T-shirt. On the surface, it seems like customers are simply modifying something to maximize the value of that product. In reality, the experience is a bit more layered.

For the sake of analysis, let’s break down a study conducted by the Journal of Information Technology Management.

We’ve established that customizing products brings consumers a certain level of enjoyment. We can view “Enjoyment” as the umbrella category.

Within that category, there are two subcategories of enjoyment. On one hand, there’s “Use Enjoyment” and “Design Enjoyment.” Certain customers will fall into certain categories, depending on what they value in particular.

Each of those subcategories had its own subdivisions.

Consumers who fell in the “Use Enjoyment” category either enjoyed the unique appearance of the item or enjoyed the functionalities of the item that fulfilled their unique needs. Consumers in the “Design Enjoyment” category either enjoyed innovating or enjoyed participating in the design process.

You can use this framework as a way to test what your consumers expect from your business, but the key lesson to keep in mind here is that product customization should be an engaging, exciting process for customers.

Examples of Customized Products

All of this can get a bit abstract, so let’s take a look at a tangible example. Here’s how Dollar Shave Club handles customization.

They start with some strong and clear copy, and with a single click, you’re building your custom Dollar Shave Club box.

customized products quiz

From there, you’ll complete a quiz and come out on the other end with a straightforward recommendation and a strong call-to-action. Of course, you can further customize your options by scrolling down the page.

On the surface, this might look like just another way to sell their products. In reality, that’s only half the story. Every aspect of this quiz is designed to ensure that consumers are presented with a solution that accurately addresses their pain points.

Lenovo, on the other hand, actually lets you build out your dream laptop.

It’s important to keep the limitations in mind, of course. While the laptop would be customized, the capacity of the laptop is limited.

When creating your customized product offerings, remember that removing concerns about compatibility can make life much simpler for your consumer. Unless they’re particularly tech-savvy, they probably wouldn’t understand why certain components just don’t work together.

customized products kit example

Alleviating friction before it becomes an issue is one of the many benefits that come from creating a rich customization experience.

Tips for Creating Customized Products

All of that looks and sounds great, but how on earth are you supposed to create customized products for your consumers? After all, offering 100+ options isn’t exactly budget-friendly.

Well, remember that consumers aren’t just interested in custom products. They want customized experiences. Most business owners already know this. It’s the reason so much time and money goes into marketing campaigns.

Focusing on customized experiences helps you develop a deeper relationship with your consumers. They can buy products anywhere, but your business is the only one that helps them customize their experience. Those better experiences lead to customer satisfaction, brand loyalty, and hopefully, repeat customers!

So, with that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the tools you can use to build tailor-made products and experiences.

Custom Fit

Whether you sell swimsuits, winter jackets, or everything in between, you understand that selling clothes online can be a customer satisfaction nightmare.

The biggest problem? Fit.

Everyone seems to have different definitions of small, medium, and large. While this can usually be fixed with a quick return and exchange, it tends to leave a bad taste in your customer’s mouth.

So rather than focusing on fixing the problem, let’s find a way to make sure it never happens again. Making it an engaging sales tool is just a bonus!

A Custom Fit quiz might seem simple but make no mistake: Making your customers feel more secure about their sizing choices means they’re more likely to purchase as possible sizing issues are avoided.

Customized Product Bundling

One of the most undervalued aspects of product customization is its potential for reducing friction.

When you offer to bundle an accessory with a particular product, you’re not just upselling to make some extra money on the sale. You’re addressing two possible customer pain points before they even arise.

Right off the bat, you’re making customers aware of the fact that a particular accessory is necessary to ensure they maximize their purchase. As a bonus, you’re able to confirm compatibility by clearly showing consumers which items they should pair together.

It’s a way to ensure that consumers walk away with everything they need after a single transaction. Further, it’s more than just a good sales tactic. It’s an effective, thorough customer satisfaction tactic.

Tips for Selling Customized Products

Maximizing your sales and profit margins is always going to be a priority, and every tactic here is designed to support that goal.

That being said, selling a consumer on the concept of customized products is less about actively selling and more about creating experiences that guide customers down the sales funnel with valuable information.

As far as I’m concerned, the best-customized experiences sell themselves. Of course, it helps if you’re building experiences that are so compelling and engaging that consumers can’t help but click the “Buy” button.

Use these tactics to drive conversions while still keeping the shopping experience engaging and personal.

Don’t Overcommit (Test the Waters)

All this talk of customized products might have you worried that you’ll need to spend tons of money on new inventory and be stocked up for potential buyers.

In reality, the process should start small. Unless you have a massive budget, your best bet is to test the waters and figure out what versions of products consumers are actively seeking.

If you’re experimenting with customizable T-shirt colors, you don’t need 50 new colors. Start with a few set colors, and give yourself plenty of lead time so you don’t have to rush production.

People aren’t interested in new colors? You can phase them out without worrying that you’ve let hundreds of dollars go to waste.

Customized Product Recommendations

We already discussed this a bit earlier, but the value of the customer quiz shouldn’t be understated.

Let’s say you frequently have website visitors that don’t have a well-defined shopping list yet. These are people who are just browsing and seeing what catches their eye.

Well, what if you could guide that person towards a sale, while also providing them with value in an engaging way? Sounds like a great way to kick-start your relationship, if you ask me. Keep in mind that 90% of consumers are willing to share their behavioral data if it’ll make their shopping easier.

By creating a simple quiz and offering customized product recommendations, you can accomplish so much.

For starters, customers will walk away with a much clearer understanding of their needs. They’ll also associate you with industry authority since your business showcased your know-how and expertise.

Beyond that, your consumers are one step closer to making a purchase through your site. All thanks to a simple, two-minute quiz.

Conclusion

Customized products are often seen as some sort of gimmick, a cheap way to offer variety instead of value.

Interestingly enough, I’ve found that well-designed customized products offer an impressive amount of value to consumers.

Consumers can be empowered by a process that simplifies their shopping experience. Or they can walk away with a deeper understanding of what they need from your business.

As long as your customized e-commerce experience is compelling, engaging, and generally value-driven, you can be optimistic that you’re enhancing your customer’s shopping experience and by extension, increasing your chances of making a sale.

What kind of customized products do you think offer the most value? Let me know in the comments below!

The post Why You Should Consider Selling Customized Products appeared first on Neil Patel.

Top 5 Cookie Forums, Discussions, and Message Boards You Must Follow in 2020

Top 5 Cookie Forums Contents [show] ⋅About this list & ranking Cookie Forums Cookie Connection Baking Forum » Cookies Discuss Cooking » Cookies Submit Blog Do you want more traffic, leads, and sales? Submit your blog below if you want to grow your traffic and revenue. Submit Your Blog Cookie Forums View Latest Posts ⋅Get Bloggers Contacts […]

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Top 5 Cookie Forums, Discussions, and Message Boards You Must Follow in 2020

Top 5 Cookie Forums Contents [show] ⋅About this list & ranking Cookie Forums Cookie Connection Baking Forum » Cookies Discuss Cooking » Cookies Submit Blog Do you want more traffic, leads, and sales? Submit your blog below if you want to grow your traffic and revenue. Submit Your Blog Cookie Forums View Latest Posts ⋅Get Bloggers Contacts […]

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Best Data Visualization Tools

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The right image convinces a conference room instantly. 

Sell that new client, get your boss’s approval, and rally the team behind you. Data visualization tools turn a whole mess of numbers into a crisp image that says it all.

With the right product, you can take command of overwhelming amounts of data to tell a clear and compelling story, while leaving your audience with a visual that resonates long after your presentation concludes. 

In this post, I’ll give a complete overview of the best data visualization tools, and what to look for as you make your decision. 

The Top 5 Options for Data Visualization

  1. Tableau – Best for Enterprise
  2. Infogram – Best For Collaboration
  3. Plecto – Best for Sales Teams
  4. Datawrapper – Best DIY Visualization Tool
  5. Highcharts – Best for Interactive Visualizations

How to Choose the Best Data Visualization Tool for You

I get it. There are a million tools to help you visualize your data. 

Then, when you start digging, it’s like, “Wait, do I have to know several programming languages to use this really cool product?”

Slow down. Don’t worry. You’re not going to have to go back to school to get amazing data visualizations.

Some of the high-end tools will require a little IT know-how to get off the ground, but those are really aimed at companies who can factor that into their budgets.

If that’s not what you’re looking for, no worries. There are really great data visualization tools a non-specialist can have up and running before lunch.

The key is knowing what you want your data visualization tool to do.

By understanding your local requirements, you can whittle down your options quickly by going through each of the major elements of data visualization products.

Visualization Capabilities

Are you looking for a nice tool that creates sleek reports, or a platform that lets you publish interactive dashboards?

Every vendor showcases data visualization examples on their site. Check these over and really reflect on your gut reaction. 

If you are in search of the “wow” factor, don’t settle until you find something that will give your presentations that aesthetic edge.

Connectivity

This is perhaps the biggest make-it-or-break-it factor on the list: What data types and sources are supported by the data visualization tool?

No data visualization tool is good enough to justify a massive migration. You need to find something that connects with your data, wherever it lives. 

Ideally, connecting data is an easy, secure, and highly-visible process. 

Look for products that clearly explain how to manage and connect data sources. Official partnerships with the database products you use is a big plus. 

Cruise a few reviews to see if people are finding that the connectivity is as good as advertised. Also, be sure to walk your sales team through your desired deployment to make sure it’s going to work as planned.

Skill Requirements

Not so long ago, complex data visualization required familiarity with structured query language (SQL), Python, or another language.

Today, great data visualization products like Tableau allow users to search vast databases using natural language. They provide drag-and-drop functionality that lets non-specialists drill down into the most complex questions.

That said, if you have complex data flows coming into real-time dashboards, it’s a good idea to have someone in-house who can ensure that everything is running smoothly. 

Mobile Compatibility

Look for something that will appeal to your clients and customers, however they browse. 

Does your data visualization tool support touch and multi-touch? 

Good interactive visualizations take a lot of effort, and the last thing you want is for users on iOS or Android to be barred from the experience because of incompatibility. 

Quality data visualization software delivers a final project that looks good on desktop, tablet, or smartphone. You can’t really budge on this unless you are committed to developing visual content for internal use. 

Another thing to think about is collaboration. Will your remote and on-the-go employees be able to stay current with their team projects?

The Different Types of Data Visualization Tools

This product category is highly diversified, ranging from modest software that turns a spreadsheet column into a pie chart to interactive dashboards that interpret data flows from multiple sources in real time.

Although data visualization tools don’t break down into completely neat tiers, there are definitely recognizable categories.

I’ll start out with the lightweight tools and work up to the best business intelligence software, capable of handling the most complicated data analysis.

Simple Charts and Graphs

Simple chart tools have limited connectivity and few data visualization options. The draw is that they are often free and easy for anyone to use. Here’s an example from Google Charts, which is free forever:

For teams in constant communication, these lightweight data visualization solutions can come in handy. 

If you are presenting to clients or company leadership, however, the reports generated by a simple chart might not cut it.

Infographics

Infographics are really great for making compelling visual statements. 

I like them because you can tie multiple charts, images, and streams of information into a cohesive presentation that can be shared on a billboard or a smartphone screen.

Plus, these are great for your content. Adding original infographics increases shares and retweets because they make your posts stand out.

Infogram is a really popular infographic tool, and looking at the examples above, you can see why I chose to review it. Your teams get a whole new dimension of artistic and creative freedom to present data in an eye-catching way. 

Using Publisher or Google Docs to achieve an end result that looks this good would be tedious, if possible at all. 

Generally, infographic tools come with many options for visualization out of the box. 

They don’t tend to have the connectivity or analytic capabilities that come with business intelligence software, though they are far more robust than a simple chart tool.

Interactive Visualizations

Want people spending time on your site? 

Interactive visualizations let customers and visitors play with your data in a controlled way. 

Below, in the data visualization example from Datawrapper, the chart displays information based on the county the user hovers over. The county itself is also highlighted, and the average income is adjusted on a sliding scale:

Consider these products a blend or midway point between infographics much more powerful business intelligence tools. 

There is nothing complex about interactive visualizations for end-users to understand, yet they allow users some degree of control over the data, which an infographic can’t support.

Business Intelligence Tools

Business intelligence (BI) tools comb through massive amounts of raw data and turn it into actionable insights. As part of their reporting features, many BI tools come with data visualization tools designed to support the most complex analysis.

BI tools connect to a large number of disparate data sources, and usually require a higher-degree of technical skill to deploy and manage. Most often, however, end users like executives and sales managers can easily manipulate data within a dashboard once it is set up.

Customizable dashboards and robust reporting features allow different people within a company to pay attention to relevant KPIs in real time, picking up on trends and patterns that would otherwise be hidden.

Deploying and maintaining a BI tool represents a significant investment, whereas tools from the previous product categories tend to be a lot less work. 

That said, there are BI options for small and mid-sized businesses that provide cross-organization connectivity and data visualization at an affordable price.

#1 – Tableau — Best for Enterprise

Tableau is a best-in-breed BI tool with phenomenal data visualization capabilities. It’s not the cheapest option on the market, but you get both an intuitive UI and the ability to drill down into virtually any data source.

In other words, you don’t have to make the typical sacrifices. Tableau is ultra-powerful in terms of supported visualizations, but it’s really user-friendly once you get it set up.

Many companies elect to use Tableau in order to encourage a data-driven, transparent, collaborative culture. It’s also one of the most secure products on the market, with enterprise-grade governance tools and the option for on-premises deployment.

For the most part, Tableau can do everything that any other data visualization tool can, but better. Some of the standout capabilities include:

  • Combine different data sources without writing code
  • Drag-and-drop statistical analysis, forecasts, and trendlines
  • Optimize dashboards for all screen sizes
  • Natural language queries of any published data source
  • AI-powered data analysis 
  • Publish data sources as encrypted extracts on Tableau Server
  • Robust data management tools
  • Support and solutions from an active community of over 1 million users

Team pricing for Tableau is role-based, which lets large organizations economize their subscription. The roles are:

  • Creator: $70 user/month
  • Explorer: $35 user/month, 5 user minimum ($42 if fully hosted by Tableau)
  • Viewer: $12 user/month, 100 user minimum

Creators have full author/edit privileges, and can connect new data sources and flows. Explorers can work with most existing assets and create their own visualizations. Viewers can interact with data and collaborate with colleagues, though they cannot author or prepare data.

Tableau Public is a free forever version of the product and the company offers a free 14-day trial that lets you test drive some of the premium features.

#2 – Infogram — Best for Collaboration

Infogram is an intuitive data visualization tool that delivers stunning reports, slides, dashboards and social media visuals. 

First-time users are going to love the UI. Basically all of the visualization building can be accomplished via drag-and-drop. 

Infogram makes it easy for teams to share and produce consistent work with customizable branded templates, role-based permissions, and file versioning..

You can see who’s editing your projects in real-time and you can add comment threads directly to an image within the infographic. 

Teams can get up and running with Infogram quickly, taking advantage of its incredibly deep design capabilities::

  • 1 million stock images and icons, as well as animations, GIFs, and video
  • More than 35 interactive charts and over 550 interactive maps
  • Preset and customizable branded design themes
  • Data integration with Google Analytics, Amazon Redshift, OneDrive, MySQL, Oracle, and more
  • JSON feed to import live data
  • WordPress plugin

The streamlined features don’t stop there. Tasks like embedding projects, for example, involve no more than copy/pasting embed codes into your CMS. 

Infogram can be extremely beneficial for companies of any size. In addition to a free forever version, Infogram offers several pricing tiers:

  • Pro: $19/month for an individual
  • Business: $67/month for an individual
  • Team: $149/month for 3 users
  • Enterprise: contact sales

With Team and Enterprise subscriptions, you get the ability to invite members, set flexible permissions, share projects, and collaborate in real-time. Connect your data, get the input you need, and start publishing great looking content before the end of the week.

#3 – Plecto — Best for Sales Teams

Plecto is a great tool for promoting a data-driven team culture. The idea is to involve everyone in the constant flow of data by making all relevant KPIs available in a real-time, highly-visible dashboard.

Okay, plenty of other tools can do that. Gamification is where Plecto really separates itself from the crowd. 

Gamification? Yes, it’s a word, and a hot one these days. With Plecto, it’s super simple to create contests using your KPIs as benchmarks. This could be sales closed, employees hired, lists built—whatever metric you need to drive, use Plecto to enable the spirit of competition.

Plecto is built for this. It’s easy to set goals and achievements that are directly tied to the numbers you care about. Increase transparency and motivation at the same time.

The platform’s capabilities work exceptionally well for sales teams, yet other departments across the organization can benefit from the unique mix of features and functionality, which include:

  • Unlimited dashboards and data sources
  • Custom KPIs
  • Display multiple dashboards on the same screen
  • Integrations with Microsoft SQL, Oracle SQL, PostgreSQL, and MySQL
  • Notifications based on thresholds and other milestones
  • One-click integration with more than 60 leading cloud services
  • Create and track individual performance agreements in private employee-manager dashboards

There are three plan options for Plecto:

  • Medium: $100/month for 5 licenses, $20/month per additional license
  • Large: $350/month for 10 licenses, $20/month per additional license
  • Enterprise: Contact sales, minimum 100 licenses

Some of the important data visualization tools (like SQL integration) are not included with the Medium plan. You only need to buy licenses for users who send their data to Plecto (view-only users are free).

#4 – Datawrapper — Best DIY Data Visualization Tool

Datawrapper has a simple chart tool feel, yet it’s got the ability to deliver interactive and responsive charts, maps, and tables. 

It’s not designed for BI so much as mass producing next-level data visualizations to capture attention on feeds and pages.

Lots of companies, like The New York Times, for example make use of Datawrapper every day to improve their content. Using striking visuals, the Times can convey complex ideas to consumers about voting data, consumer preferences, and so on.

Datawrapper has a clean, intuitive interface that makes it easy to engage with the cloud-based product’s full range of functions, which include:

  • Copy data from Excel, Sheets, or the web into Datawrapper
  • Create live-updating charts by uploading CSV/XLS files or linking to a URL
  • Embed different types of interactive and responsive charts, maps, and tables
  • Export as PNG, PDF, or SVG
  • Colorblind check for all images
  • Live-updating graphics for maps
  • Collaborative tools and shared team folders
  • On-premise creation to comply with regulatory requirements

You have to purchase premium plans to create custom charts and white-label projects. Custom, the first tier above free, starts at $599/month and really allows companies to reach their audience with on-brand, original visuals.

Datawrapper’s free version is excellent for internal or team use, but less attractive for public-facing visualizations.

#5 – Highcharts — Best for Interactive Visualizations

Highcharts is a wonderful tool aimed at helping developers add interactive charts to web and mobile projects. It’s a clean, SVG-based, multi-platform, JavaScript charting library.

Upload multiple types of data and use official wrappers to work in:

  • Microsoft .Net
  • Python
  • PHP
  • R
  • iOS & Android

This product requires some technical skills to use effectively, but the tradeoff is that it’s relatively inexpensive and works with any database or stack.

And the results are phenomenal. 

Highcharts is extensible, scalable, and meant to work anywhere on every device. Some of the key features include:

  • Multiple map types (heatmap, mapline, tilemap, etc)
  • Dedicated Highcharts Gannt product
  • Export JPG, PDF, PNG, or SVG
  • Add tooltip text information when users hover over labeled data points
  • Pure JavaScript requires no client-side plugins
  • Intuitive configuration and chart editing
  • Mobile and touch-optimized for truly interactive user experience
  • Download, inspect, and edit Highcharts source code.

For personal, non-commercial, or non-profit organizations, all of Highcharts’ products are available for free. This includes Highchart Stock, Gantt, Maps, Editor, and Mobile. 

They also have deals for startups and ways for other businesses to customize the various Highcharts products to their needs. Contact sales to start putting together a pricing plan.

Summary

Tableau is the best tool for enterprise because it gives teams an edge in every aspect of data visualization. 

It’s a considerable investment, though, and not every company is looking for a full-bore business intelligence solution.

If what you need is a data visualization tool to build and share memorable images, Infogram will help your teams take their game to the next level with zero graphic design or programming skills.

For companies that want to embed interactive visualizations in their online content, look no further than Datawrapper. Highcharts is another great option for embedding interactive content into your sites, though it’s not as easy for non-specialists as Datawrapper.

Coming back to Tableau for a second—yes, it’s heavy, but you can try the free version today without having to navigate a multi-step enterprise sign-up process. There aren’t any hoops to jump through, just the chance to take your data visualizations to the next level.

The post Best Data Visualization Tools appeared first on Neil Patel.

How to Find Paid Social Media Keyword Ideas From Top Hashtags

In the world of digital marketing, content is king. And keywords hold the keys to that kingdom.

They unlock connections to your target market—people who are looking for what you’re trying to sell.

When you’re setting up paid social media campaigns, keywords can help you make those critical connections and ensure your campaign’s success.

Knowing which keywords to use throughout the copy of your campaign can be a pain. If you’re not sure which ones are right, you might miss the mark and, by extension, your audience.

Popular hashtags can be the source of inspiration that gets your paid social media campaigns off the ground.

The Importance of Hashtags in Paid Social Media Campaigns

Why are the top hashtags important for inspiration and keyword ideas? Because they can provide a lot of information if you know how to look for it.

Here are the questions you should ask when looking for hashtags:

  • What are people talking about?
  • What’s the demand for a particular product or service?
  • Is there a rise in interest? Or is the trend on the decline?
  • Who is using those hashtags?
  • What’s the context of those conversations?

Researching popular hashtags can provide relevant insights into the conversations happening around a topic. Their power is in the data you can mine from real-life, real-time sources.

Top hashtags can also lead to other hashtags and keywords you may not have considered. As you continue to dig deeper, you may start to see some patterns to add to your campaigns.

Be on the lookout for:

  • New or up-and-coming hashtags
  • Hashtags used by other relevant target markets
  • Questions or concerns people are expressing
  • Phrases in the associated content that come up often

How to Use Trending Hashtags for Your Paid Social Media Campaigns

First, you have to find the top hashtags. Begin with what’s trending in your industry and go from there. We’ll go into more specifics on different social media platforms later.

As you dive in, explore the content surrounding the hashtags.

How do you use the information you found? It’s all about inspiration. The hashtags, phrases, and keywords you find can inform your paid social media campaigns in the following ways:

  • For text: What you’ve learned can be a launching point for your ad’s language. Look at the posts’ content in addition to the hashtags, and incorporate the language people in your target market use. Knowing how people talk about things can teach you how to best speak to the pain points they face and the solutions they love.
  • For images: What kinds of images are those hashtags often associated with? Whether you plan to use a stock image in your ad or create your own, let what you find attached to hashtags help determine the type of images you use. You may even find a meme that you can join in on, making your social media ad more engaging.
  • For target audiences: Use the hashtag research to inform the parameters of your social ad reach. Who is using these hashtags? Where do they live? How old are they? What else are they interested in? These stats can help you narrow the ad reach to your target audience.
  • For sponsored post research: In addition to helping your paid social ad content be more relevant, hashtags may also help pinpoint a recent post to put cash behind. Experiment with different top hashtags in your posts on each social platform you use. Those hashtags may help your posts perform well organically, and then you can choose to boost them with sponsorship.

Using Facebook Top Hashtags for Paid Ads

Let’s start with Facebook, one of the most popular platforms for online marketing.

With over two billion users per month, there’s got to be some great data out there for your hashtag research.

You are probably only connected with a tiny number of those people, but don’t let that stop you. In fact, you can choose who sees your Facebook ads:

Using Facebook Top Hashtags Screenshot of Facebook ad target market options

But, before you create the ad, you need to find the right words to use that are getting the most visibility. This is where hashtags come into play.

A quick search for #tacos on Facebook shows some drool-worthy meals from strangers around the world who made their posts public as well as from brand pages. You do this from your search bar.

Top Hasthags Facebook providing alternatives to the popular hashtag Tacos

That list shows you what words most commonly follow that hashtag. Additionally, when you submit the hashtag you’re searching for, Facebook shows you on the top of the next page how many people are talking about that topic:

Top Hashtags Facebook view of the popular hashtag Tacos

When you type in the hashtag that interests you, Facebook also auto-fills other hashtag options to explore.

You can also explore the bookmarks that Facebook makes available, including local events, crisis response, or other timely topics. These can provide insights into why people are using this hashtag.

Using Instagram Top Hashtags for Paid Ads

Instagram is a hashtag-heavy environment, making it ideal for top hashtag research.

Much like on Facebook, you can start by typing your hashtag ideas into the search bar. Instagram not only auto-fills suggestions but also shows you how popular those hashtags are based on how many posts include them.

Using Instagram Top Hashtags Instagram providing recommendations for hashtags about puppies

Instagram Explore

Are you still looking for more hashtags to dig into? Head to Instagram’s “Explore” section, with the compass icon, to see top posts related to content you have interacted with in the past. You may discover new or emerging hashtags that you didn’t know about.

Using Instagram Top Hashtags

Now is an excellent time to stop and talk about how hashtags don’t always translate directly into keywords and phrases for paid social media campaigns. You may have to convert from a succinct hashtag to a robust, natural way of talking. Here are a few tips for doing that:

  • Listen to What Influencers are Saying With Those Hashtags: Take some time to watch the video posts and Instagram stories associated with the hashtags you’re researching. Hear how they talk about the subject. What are some key phrases that come up often?
  • Read and Take Some Notes About What the Hashtags are Saying: Now it’s time to turn off the videos and read the actual content. What are they using those character counts to say? This is where you can learn about key phrases that everyone is using and the meat behind the hashtag topics you are researching. For instance, a top hashtag may be “#cleanbeauty,” but it’s not about skin cleanliness—it’s about toxicity in beauty products, congressional oversight, regulations in the industry, and how to know what’s safe for your family’s skin. Learning about the issues and conversations behind the topics can help you frame paid social media content in a usable way.
  • Talk Out Loud Using the Instagram Hashtags: Hopefully, you’re working by yourself because this could get a little awkward: It’s time to start talking to yourself. Go ahead. As you’re writing down ideas that we talked about earlier and starting to craft your social media ad content, actually saying it out loud may help disconnect you from “internet speak” and get you into using a more natural tone.

Using Twitter Top Hashtags for Paid Ads

If you’re using Twitter on your mobile device, you can hit the magnifying glass icon at the bottom of your screen to see what’s trending. If you’re on your desktop, hit “#Explore” on the left side of the screen, then click “Trending” to see currently popular hashtags.

Using Twitter Top Hashtags

You can see what topics Twitter thinks are important now based on their editorial board and algorithms, as well as how many tweets are using those hashtags. Keep in mind some of these are promoted hashtags, not organic ones, though—they are labeled, as you can see with “#Godfall” at the top of this screenshot.

To learn more, click on “Show More” or the “Explore” section on the desktop layout to see more about these topics and find more currently in use.

You may need to dig deep to find hashtags that are relevant to your niche. When you see a conversation or post around topics pertinent to your industry, check out those hashtags.

Don’t be afraid to see a spark of inspiration, such as a new hashtag that’s just starting to catch fire, and get onboard that topic before it becomes a wildfire.

Using LinkedIn Top Hashtags for Paid Ads

Where do you go to find the top hashtags on LinkedIn? There are a couple of different ways to start your research.

You can look up hashtags in the search bar at the top, just as you do on other social media platforms:

Linkedin Top Hasthags LinkedIn recommendations for hashtags about fitness

And like other platforms, LinkedIn will auto-recommend other options.

When you choose a hashtag, LinkedIn shows how many people are currently following that hashtag. This data can help you understand how many people may see your posts that incorporate that hashtag. You will also see top posts with that hashtag.

LinkedIn Top Hasthags LinkedIn option for following the fitness hashtag

When you follow a hashtag you’re interested in, you can click on the three dots on the right of your followed hashtags and choose “Discover new hashtags.”

Using LinkedIn Top Hashtags

Now you’ll see all kinds of popular hashtags to inspire you.

LinkedIn Top Hasthags screen of other hashtags LinkedIn recommends

If you want to skip those steps and just start exploring, you can go straight to LinkedIn’s Follow Fresh Perspectives tab to see the top hashtags, accounts, and companies LinkedIn recommends to you.

Context Is Key When it Comes to Using LinkedIn

Here’s the critical thing to remember about LinkedIn: It’s a popular platform for content, but it’s also very specific in its contextual use. LinkedIn is generally about professional or career conversations.

Using Pinterest Top Hashtags for Paid Ads

Are you trying to reach a creative, DIY crowd with your paid social media ads? Pinterest can show you what’s hot right now.

With Pinterest, hashtags aren’t as critical and promoted as they are on other platforms. Keywords in a post seem to be just as crucial for searching.

Here is a search for the popular term “Hygge:”

Pinterest Top Hasthags Top posts on Pinterest for the search Hygge

And a search for “#Hygge:”

Pinterest Top Hashtags Top results for the hashtag Hygge on Pinterest

You’ll notice similar results. So, just searching around for popular topics on Pinterest and exploring the top posts may prove just as useful.

However, if you are looking for top hashtags, there is a workaround. You can log in to the mobile app, click to create a new pin, and type a hashtag into the description section. This will give you a listing of top alternatives and stats for how popular they are.

Pinterest Top Hasthtags

More Tools For Finding Hashtags

If you’re still looking for the right hashtag, you may want to try one of the many hashtag search tools. These online and app tools allow you to plug in hashtags you’re using, and find related and popular hashtags. A few options include:

Conclusion

The key to using hashtags for paid social media is to use them as a launching point. They should inspire relevant content for your very specific target market. Hashtags can help you understand who they are, what they care about, and how they talk online.

Popular hashtags can also open the door to new opportunities for your social media strategy as you join fresh, ongoing conversations happening online and reach out to new markets.

Which popular hashtags will you be analyzing to inform your next social media ad campaign?

.

The post How to Find Paid Social Media Keyword Ideas From Top Hashtags appeared first on Neil Patel.

Rock Solid: You Can Apply for a Business Credit Card with Bad Credit in a Recession

Apply for a Business Credit Card with Bad Credit in a Recession the Foolproof Way

Do you want to apply for a business credit card with bad credit in a recession which you think will drag you down? Not to worry. And that is still true despite the emergence of COVID-19.

According to the SBA, business credit card limits are 10 – 100 times those of personal cards! This shows you can get a lot more cash with business credit.

And it also means you can have personal credit cards at retail stores, and now have an additional card at the same shops for your business. And you won’t need collateral, cash flow, or financial information to get company credit.

Apply for a Business Credit Card with Bad Credit in a Recession

Brex Card for Startups

Take a look at the Brex Card for Startups. It has no annual fee.

You will not need to provide your Social Security number to apply. And you will not need to provide a personal guarantee. They will take your EIN.

Nonetheless, they do not accept every industry.

Also, there are some industries they will not work with, and others where they want more paperwork. For a list, go here: https://brex.com/legal/prohibited_activities/.

To determine creditworthiness, Brex checks a business’s cash balance, spending patterns, and investors.

You can get 7x points on rideshare. Get 4x on Brex Travel. Also, get triple points on restaurants. And get double points on recurring software payments. Get 1x points on everything else.

You can have bad credit scores (even a 300 FICO) to qualify.

Find it here: https://brex.com/lp/startups-higher-limits/

Check out how our reliable process will help your business get the best business credit cards, even during a recession.

Apply for a Business Credit Card with Bad Credit in a Recession – Fair Credit? No Problem!

Capital One® Spark® Classic for Business

Check out the Capital One® Spark® Classic for Business. It has no annual fee. There is no introductory APR offer. The regular APR is a variable 24.49%. You can earn unlimited 1% cash back on every purchase for your business, with no minimum to redeem.

While this card is within reach if you have average credit scores, beware of the APR. Yet if you can pay in a timely manner, and completely, then it’s a bargain.

Find it here: https://www.capitalone.com/small-business/credit-cards/spark-classic/

Apply for a Business Credit Card with Bad Credit in a Recession with a 0% Introductory APR – Pay Zero!

Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express

Check out the Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express. It has no yearly fee. There is a 0% introductory APR for the first one year. Afterwards, the APR is a variable 14.74 – 20.74%.

Get double Membership Rewards® points on everyday company purchases like office supplies or client suppers for the first $50,000 spent per year. Get 1 point per dollar afterwards.

You will need great to exceptional credit to qualify.

Find it here: https://creditcard.americanexpress.com/d/bluebusinessplus-credit-card/

American Express® Blue Business Cash Card

Also take a look at the American Express® Blue Business Cash Card. Note: the American Express® Blue Business Cash Card is identical to the Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express. However its rewards are in cash instead of points.

Get 2% cash back on all qualified purchases on up to $50,000 per calendar year. After that get 1%.

It has no yearly fee. There is a 0% introductory APR for the initial one year. Afterwards, the APR is a variable 14.74 – 20.74%.

You will need great to exceptional credit scores to qualify.Business Credit Card with Bad Credit in a Recession Credit Suite

Find it here: https://creditcard.americanexpress.com/d/business-bluecash-credit-card/

Apply for a Business Credit Card with Bad Credit in a Recession and Even Get Luxurious Travel Points

Flat-rate Travel Rewards

Capital One® Spark® Miles for Business

Have a look at the Capital One® Spark® Miles for Business. It has an introductory annual fee of $0 for the first year, which after that rises to $95. The regular APR is 18.49%, variable due to the prime rate. There is no introductory annual percentage rate. Pay no transfer fees. Late fees go up to $39.

This card is fantastic for travel if your expenditures do not fall into common bonus categories. You can get unlimited double miles on all purchases, with no limits. Earn 5x miles on rental cars and hotels if you book via Capital One Travel.

Get an initial bonus of 50,000 miles. That’s the same as $500 in travel. Yet you only get it if you spend $4,500 in the first 3 months from account opening. There is no foreign transaction fee. You will need a great to excellent FICO rating to qualify.

Find it here: https://www.capitalone.com/small-business/credit-cards/spark-miles/

Bonus Travel Categories with a Sign-Up Offer

Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card

For a terrific sign-up offer and bonus categories, have a look at the Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card.

Pay an annual fee of $95. Regular APR is 17.49 – 22.49%, variable. There is no introductory APR offer.

Get 100,000 bonus points after spending $15,000 in the initial 3 months after account opening. This works out to $1,250 towards travel rewards if you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards.

Get 3 points per dollar of the first $150,000 you spend with this card. So this is for purchases on travel, shipping, internet, cable, and phone services. Plus it includes advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year.

You can get 25% more in travel redemption when you redeem for travel with Chase Ultimate Rewards. You will need a great to exceptional FICO score to qualify.

Find it here: https://creditcards.chase.com/business-credit-cards/ink/business-preferred

No Yearly Fee

Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World MasterCard® credit card

For no annual fee while still getting travel rewards, have a look at this card from Bank of America. It has no annual fee and a 0% introductory APR for purchases during the initial 9 billing cycles. After that, its regular APR is 13.74 – 23.74% variable.

You can earn 30,000 bonus points when you make a minimum of $3,000 in net purchases. So this is within 90 days of your account opening. You can redeem these points for a $300 statement credit towards travel purchases.

Earn unlimited 1.5 points for each $1 you spend on all purchases, everywhere, every time. And this is no matter how much you spend.

Also get 3 points per every dollar spent when you reserve your travel (car, hotel, airline) with the Bank of America® Travel Center. There is no limit to the number of points you can earn and points do not expire.

You will need excellent credit to get this one (as in, 700s or better).

Find it here: https://www.bankofamerica.com/smallbusiness/credit-cards/products/travel-rewards-business-credit-card/

Hotel Credit Card

Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card

Take a look at the Marriott Bonvoy Business™ Card from American Express. It has a yearly fee of $125. There is no introductory APR offer. The regular APR is a variable 17.24 – 26.24%. You will need good to outstanding credit scores to get this card.

Points

You can get 75,000 Marriott Bonvoy points after using your card to make purchases of $3,000 in the initial three months. Get 6x the points for qualified purchases at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels. You can get 4x the points at United States restaurants and gasoline stations. And you can get 4x the points on wireless telephone services purchased directly from US providers and on US purchases for shipping.

Get double points on all other eligible purchases.

Rewards

Plus, you get a free night each year after your card anniversary. And you can earn another free night after you spend $60,000 on your card in a calendar year.

You get free Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status with your Card. Plus, spend $35,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year and earn an upgrade to Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status through the end of the next calendar year.

Plus, each calendar year you can get credit for 15 nights towards the next level of Marriott Bonvoy Elite status.

Find it here: https://creditcard.americanexpress.com/d/bonvoy-business/

Apply for a Business Credit Card with Bad Credit in a Recession and Pay No Annual Fee

No Annual Fee/Flat Rate Cash Back

Ink Business Unlimited℠ Credit Card

Check out the Ink Business Unlimited℠ Credit Card. Beyond no yearly fee, get an introductory 0% APR for the first year. After that, the APR is a variable 14.74 – 20.74%.

You can get unlimited 1.5% Cash Back rewards on every purchase made for your business. And get $500 bonus cash back after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months from account opening. You can redeem your rewards for cash back, gift cards, travel and more using Chase Ultimate Rewards®. You will need excellent credit scores to qualify for this card.

Find it here: https://creditcards.chase.com/business-credit-cards/ink/unlimited

Apply for a Business Credit Card with Bad Credit in a Recession and Get Jackpot Rewards That Never Expire

Capital One® Spark® Cash Select for Business

Check out the Capital One® Spark® Cash Select for Business. It has no annual fee. You can get 1.5% cash back on every purchase. There is no limit on the cash back you can earn. And earn a one-time $200 cash bonus once you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. Rewards never expire.

Pay a 0% introductory APR for 9 months. Then pay 14.49% – 22.49% variable APR afterwards.

You will need great to excellent credit scores to qualify.

Find it here: https://www.capitalone.com/small-business/credit-cards/spark-cash-select/

Check out how our reliable process will help your business get the best business credit cards, even during a recession.

Apply for a Business Credit Card with Bad Credit in a Recession and Get Cash Back

Flat-Rate Rewards

Capital One ® Spark® Cash for Business

Check out the Capital One® Spark® Cash for Business. It has an introductory $0 annual fee for the initial year. After that, this card costs $95 each year. There is no introductory APR offer. The regular APR is a variable 18.49%.

You can get a $500 one-time cash bonus after spending $4,000 in the initial 3 months from account opening. Get unlimited 2% cash back. Redeem any time without any minimums.

You will need great to exceptional credit to qualify.

Find it here: https://www.capitalone.com/small-business/credit-cards/spark-cash/

Flat-Rate Rewards and No Yearly Fee

Discover it® Business Card

Check out the Discover it® Business Card. It has no annual fee. There is an introductory APR of 0% on purchases for twelve months. After that the regular APR is a variable 14.49 – 22.49%.

Get unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases, with no category restrictions or bonuses. They double the 1.5% Cashback Match™ at the end of the first year. There is no minimum spend requirement.

You can download transactions| conveniently to Quicken, QuickBooks, and Excel. Note: you will need good to outstanding credit scores to get approval for this card.

https://www.discover.com/credit-cards/business/

Bonus Categories

Ink Business Cash℠ Credit Card

Have a look at the Ink Business Cash℠ Credit Card. It has no annual fee. There is a 0% introductory APR for the first year. After that, the APR is a variable 14.74 – 20.74%. You can get a $500 one-time cash bonus after spending $3,000 in the initial three months from account opening.

You can get 5% cash back on the initial $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable, and phone services each account anniversary year.

Get 2% cash back on the initial $25,000 spent in combined purchases at filling stations and restaurants each account anniversary year. Get 1% cash back on all other purchases. There is no limitation to the amount you can earn.

You will need outstanding credit scores to get this card.

Find it here: https://creditcards.chase.com/business-credit-cards/ink/cash?iCELL=61GF

Boosted Cash Back Categories

Bank of America® Business Advantage Cash Rewards MasterCard® credit card

Take a look at the Bank of America® Business Advantage Cash Rewards MasterCard® credit card. Get an 0% introductory APR for the first 9 billing cycles of the account. After that, the APR is 13.74% – 23.74% variable. There is no annual fee. You can get a $300 statement credit offer.

Get 3% cash back in the category of your choice. So these are gas stations (default), office supply stores, travel, TV/telecom & wireless, computer services or business consulting services. Get 2% cash back on dining. So this is for the first $50,000 in combined choice category/dining purchases each calendar year. After that earn 1% after, with no limits.

You will need superb credit scores to qualify.

Find it here: https://promo.bankofamerica.com/smallbusinesscards2/

Check out how our reliable process will help your business get the best business credit cards, even during a recession.

Apply for a Business Credit Card with Bad Credit in a Recession with Flexible Financing

The Plum Card® from American Express

Check out the Plum Card® from American Express. It has an initial annual fee of $0 for the first year. After that, pay $250 per year.

Get a 1.5% early pay discount cash back bonus when you pay within 10 days. You can take up to 60 days to pay without interest when you pay the minimum due by the payment due date.

You will need good to exceptional credit scores to qualify.

Find it here: https://creditcard.americanexpress.com/d/the-plum-card-business-charge-card/

The Perfect Way to Apply for a Business Credit Card with Bad Credit in a Recession

Your absolute best way to apply for a business credit card with bad credit in a recession will hinge on your credit history and scores.

Only you can select which features you want and need. So make sure to do your homework. What is excellent for you could be catastrophic for others.

And, as always, make sure to develop credit in the recommended order for the best, speediest benefits. The COVID-19 situation won’t last forever.

The post Rock Solid: You Can Apply for a Business Credit Card with Bad Credit in a Recession appeared first on Credit Suite.

Trump’s Fair Banking Rule

Pushing back against the left’s red-lining of unpopular industries.

The post Trump’s Fair Banking Rule appeared first on ROI Credit Builders.