Day: July 15, 2021

Ditch the Boss…Here’s How to Start a Small Business With No Money

Do you dream of starting your own small business but have no clue how to finance it? The number one thing that stands in the way of those who want to start a business, assuming they already have an idea of the type of business they want to start, is that they have no money. A general rule of life is it takes money to make money. While in a way this is true, it’s not always as cut and dry as it seems. Find out how to start a small business with no money.

No Money? No Problem! Try These Tried and True Tips for How to Start a Business with No Money

Ok, so let’s be real.  It actually does take money to start a business.  However, it doesn’t have to be money you already have. In fact, it doesn’t even have to be your money at all!  Here are some creative ideas for how to start a small business with no money, or rather, how to get the money you need to make your small business dreams come true.

Credit Line Hybrid Financing: Get up to $150,000 in financing so your business can thrive.

How to Start a Business With No Money

So, you do need money to start and grow a business, and we are going to show you how to get it. Yet, you don’t have to wait to start.  Start your business now, and grow it from the ground up.

1. Start Small

Facebook was started by college roommates in their dorm room, Microsoft was birthed in a garage by a college drop out, and Hewlett- Packard got started with less than $600. These are just a few of the many major companies that started out very small and with little capital.  After all, how many people actually remember that Amazon used to be an online bookstore?

Starting small is essential, especially if you are wondering how to start a small business with no money. Cut out as much overhead as you can and focus on getting your product to the customers.

2. Keep Your Day Job…For Now

It will be a challenge for sure, but working your business outside of your regular working hours, while keeping your current job if you have one, will allow you to put any profit from your business back into your business.  In essence, your business will be funding itself.

3. Keep Early Marketing Simple

In the early stages, simple is best. Offer free samples, leverage word of mouth, and start a Facebook page. As you build funds, you can increase your marketing strategy as well.

Be strategice as well. There is no need to market to the masses initially.  Keep it narrowed down to the market that you know will be interested.

How to Start a Small Business With No Money: Leverage Your Assets

Now, you do need to figure out how to get the funding you need.  If you have no money, you may struggle to get a small business loan.  As you are starting small and building revenue, consider what  assets you can leverage to get the cash you need.

There is always the option to use  your home or land as collateral for a loan.  Pretty much any bank will do that.  Yet, that understandably makes many uncomfortable. There are some better options.

401K Financing

401K financing is a flexible and powerful way to leverage assets that are in a 401(k) plan or IRA.  In as little as 3 weeks you can actually invest a portion of these funds into your own business. Then, you not only have more control over the performance of your retirement plan assets, but you also have the working capital you need.

This type of program even has the blessing of the IRS. In fact, they  have their own term for it. It’s called a Rollover for Business Startups (ROBS).

You do not have to submit financials or have good credit to get approval. In fact, all the lender will ask for is a copy of your two most recent 401(k) statements.

If the plan has a value of more than $35,000,  you can get approval. This is true even if you have bad personal credit. You can get however much of your 401(k) is “rollable.”

The plan you use cannot be from a business where you currently work. It will have to be from previous employment. Also, you can’t still be contributing to it.

Equipment Financing

This is a great option if you need equipment for your business and have no money to purchase it.  Equipment financing allows you to purchase or borrow hard assets for your business using said asset as security for the loan. You can use it to buy or lease any physical asset. This can include items like an industrial freezer in a restaurant or an oven or a company car.  You name it.

How to Start a Small Business With No Money: Use a Guarantor

What if you have no money and no assets? What then? You still have options. The easiest way to get funding for a business if you can’t do it on your own is to use a guarantor. Many entrepreneurs have friends or family that will sign a loan with them. Doing so tells the lender that, if you default, your guarantor will be responsible for the payments.

This is a better option for many, because the guarantor isn’t out any money up front, and they only have to pay if you do not.  Keep reading for one of our favorite options for guarantor funding.

Credit Line Hybrid Financing: Get up to $150,000 in financing so your business can thrive.

Credit Line Hybrid

What if there were a way to fund your business with 0% interest? The Credit Line Hybrid allows you to fund your business without putting up collateral, and you only pay back what you use.  Generally, you do need a personal credit score of 680 or above, and you can’t have any liens, judgments, bankruptcies or late payments.  However, if you do not meet the requirements, you have the option to take on a credit partner, which is in essence a guarantor. And yes, you can often get 0% interest for up to 18 months!

The great part is, this program reports payment to your business credit profile, meaning you build your business credit score regardless of whether you have a guarantor or not.

How to Start a Small Business With No Money: Other Options

If you do not have assets, your personal credit is not great, and you can’t find a guarantor, all is not lost. Here are some other possibilities.

Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding allows you to access tons of investors at once, and test the market at the same time. You market your business on the platform, and anyone who wants to can invest in the company.  Some platforms will even accept donations as low as $5 or $10 dollars, though most do require more.  With rewards-based crowdfunding, you get a trinket of thanks for your donation.  This may be anything from a thank you note to a free product.  With equity-based crowdfunding, which almost always requires $500 or more, investors get a piece of the company. There are a ton of crowdfunding sites to choose from, you just have to pick the one that will work best for your business.

One unique program is Kiva.  The money you get has to be repaid, but the loan is crowdfunded.  The interest rate is 0%, so even though you do pay it back, it’s free money.  You have to get at least five of your family and friends on board to donate to your business, and then you have to lend $25 to another company on the Kiva platform.

After that, submit a thorough business plan and you could be well on your way to a 0% interest loan.

Angel Investors

Now, an angel investor from an angel firm is going to want to know you have some money already, likely. But you don’t need to go through an angel firm, because anyone can be an angel investor. That includes friends and family, even your mom!  So, this is definitely an option if needed.

Credit Line Hybrid Financing: Get up to $150,000 in financing so your business can thrive.

Is it Even Possible to Start a Small Business Without Money?

In the strictest terms, no.  You have to have funds to start a business. However, there are ways to fund your business without having money in the first place. While knowing how to start a small business with no money is important, it is always important to understand how to set your business up to get the funding it needs into the future as well.

The key to that is to start building business fundability from the beginning. As you consider funding options for your small business startup, look for those that will help you build fundability.  As you set up, set your business up in a way that will help it become more fundable.  These things are best done at the beginning.

You can discover what funding options are available to you right now, and get a head start on fundability by speaking with one of our business credit experts.  Try a free consultation now!

The post Ditch the Boss…Here’s How to Start a Small Business With No Money appeared first on Credit Suite.

Best WordPress Themes

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Your website should load quickly and present content for readers in a sensible way.

The good news is there’s a wide variety of excellent WordPress themes that do just that.

WordPress themes offer different layouts for your website–be it a blog, online store, portfolio, or business. You’ll be able to present content beautifully and boost engagement with your brand. Get everything designed the way you want without writing a line of code.

I’ve put together a guide to the best WordPress themes available now to help get you started.

#1 – Jayla Review — The Best for Online Shops

The Jayla theme offers a minimal and contemporary approach to the e-commerce industry, allowing you to create a store and sell products online with ease.

Jayla is built around the popular and powerful WooCommerce plugin, which means you’ll have access to a large number of features.

Jayla also gives you access to multi-block builders to speed up your site’s creation and an almost unlimited number of colors for your layout.

Perhaps most impressive is the wide variety of shops you can build with the theme. From furniture shops to tech stores and everything in-between, Jayla is useful in most e-commerce scenarios.

Other highlights of the Jayla theme include:

  • One-click install demo
  • Lifetime support
  • Header and foot builder
  • Drag and drop page builder
  • Woo product filter
  • Compatible with Yoast SEO
  • WooCommerce product wishlist
  • Supports over 800 Google fonts

On the pricing side, Jayla costs just $59 for the regular license, which is more than enough to get your store started.

That regular license also adds in future updates for no extra cost and six months of support with site bugs and other issues.

If you want additional support, you can extend it to 12 months for $17.63. Get Jayla here.

#2 – Astra Review — The Best for Beginners

We all have to start somewhere, and the same is true with WordPress themes. Where do you even begin? The answer is with Astra.

Astra is our top pick for WordPress beginners for its slick customization options, high level of functionality, and the considerable number of free extensions available for it.

I mentioned earlier that ensuring great page builders were compatible with a theme was important, and Astra doesn’t disappoint. Some of the most popular page builder plugins, like Elementor and Beaver Builder, are easily used with it.

On top of that, Astra offers a lightweight experience, allowing it to load exceptionally quickly. That’s without mentioning the super easy customization and pre-built options for blogs, portfolios, and online shops.

Other key features of the Astra theme include:

  • Dedicated sidebar
  • WooCommerce ready
  • Mega-menu
  • Mobile headers
  • Fluid layout
  • Spacing control
  • Custom fonts
  • Infinite loading

In terms of pricing, you can get Astra for free, and this provides you with a basic theme able to get you up and running. For some, it might be all they need.

There is also a pro version of Astra available that offers additional settings and options. The pro version is a must if you need a great deal of customization and new layouts. You can purchase it for $47.

#3 – Tusant Review — The Best for Podcast Creators

Tusant by Second Line is a first-rate theme that’s best suited for podcast creators, musicians, voice-over actors, and music streaming.

While many themes can offer flashy designs, Tusant is practical, too, allowing you to embed audio and video from multiple sources.

For example, a podcast creator would be able to embed an entire ongoing series with ease, while musicians could display their latest work. The developers say Tusant can showcase an unlimited number of entries.

What’s more, Tusant supports all of the vital podcasting plugins such as PowerPress, Seriously Simple Podcasting, and PodLove. You can host MP3 files locally, too, so there’s little to get in the way of your creativity.

Tusant also offers the following:

  • Over 900 Google fonts supported 
  • One-click theme install
  • Dedicated support
  • Responsive mobile design
  • WordPress built-in customizer
  • Full documentation for each section
  • Translation ready
  • Page builder support included

For the pricing, there are three distinct tiers from the Tusant creators:

  • Single Podcast Theme: $69 for one Second Line Podcast WordPress theme of your choice + 12 months of updates and support
  • Podcast Theme Bundle: $139 for access to all Second Lines Podcast WordPress themes + 12 months of updates and support
  • Lifetime access: $389 for unlimited lifetime access to all Second Lines Podcast  WordPress themes + lifetime updates and support

Second Line currently has five different podcast WordPress themes. Tusant offers multiple layouts, beautiful displays for playlists, and supports over 20 podcast hosting providers. If you’re a podcaster, you cannot go wrong with Tusant. Buy it here.

#4 – Sydney Review — The Best for Freelancers

Whether you’re a freelance marketer, editor, or content writer, an excellent theme to show off your accomplishments and details is essential.

That is where Sydney comes in. This is a powerful and feature-rich theme ideal for freelancers, both those new to the industry and those who have been doing it for years and might want to change things up.

Sydney has more than 600 different Google fonts to choose from, and users have access to a full-screen slider, which can make a strong first impression on potential clients.

I also like the custom Elementor blocks that can be designed just how you want, enabling you to focus on getting your branding right.

Other features of the Sydney theme include:

  • Slider or static image header
  • Translation ready
  • Social buttons
  • Cross-browser support
  • Regular updates
  • Live customizer
  • Parallax backgrounds
  • Color controls

Sydney has a free version, and you’ll have access to a lot of vital features.

With that said, the pro license only costs $69 per year, or $169 for a lifetime license. The upgrade will allow you to take things to the next level with extra page options, templates, WooCommerce, video headers, and more.

You can also pay $389 for a lifetime license for all of the company’s podcast WordPress themes.

It’s a good idea for most freelancers and small businesses.

#5 – Foodie Pro Review — The Best for Food Bloggers

This compelling WordPress theme is perfect for sharing new recipes and the best cooking tips with your online audience.

Minimalist and clean, yet offering loads of features and specific design choices, you can’t go wrong with Foodie Pro.

Consisting of the Genesis Framework—both secure and search-engine-optimized—Foodie Pro offers an almost countless number of color and typography options.

You’ll be able to upload your brand’s logo quickly, and a selection of pre-built templates only helps speed things up if you’re in a hurry to launch.

Other features of Foodie Pro include:

  • Customizable header
  • Mobile responsive
  • Widget areas
  • Recipe index
  • Works with popular plugins
  • Child theme based on the Genesis Framework
  • WordPress customizer
  • Lightweight design

There’s no free version of Foodie Pro, but you can buy the theme and complete framework package for $129.95, which I think is a fair offer based on what you can do with it.

There’s also a Genesis Pro option for those who love the framework and want to invest further. The Genesis Pro variant includes access to additional support and every future theme the company releases.

Genesis Pro is a good choice for those with big plans and costs $360 a year.

#6 – Zakra Review — The Best for SEO

Zakra isn’t just a memorable name—no, this stylish WordPress theme will help your brand rank higher on Google.

Zakra is optimized for the largest search engines, loads quickly, and supports almost all essential SEO plugins.

One particularly impressive feature is the 50 or so demos that are pre-built and ready to go with the theme.

These demos cover multiple scenarios you may need and can be quickly set up with a one-click demo importer. From there, you’ll be able to customize the demo to your liking.

One major advantage is the speed at which you can do this, so it’s an excellent option for those short on time.

The Zakra theme also delivers:

  • Lightweight designWooCommerce integration
  • Suitable across multiple devices
  • Compatible with key page builders
  • Translation-ready theme
  • Right-to-left text direction languages
  • Dynamic, customizable areas
  • Menu styling option

Zakra is free to use, but be aware that multiple features are locked out. Once you’re happy with the theme, you can upgrade to one of the more premium packages.

There are four pricing tiers, and all of them feature the Zakra Pro extras. The following prices are for lifetime access:

  • Personal: $159 for 1 site license
  • Personal Plus: $209 for 3 site licenses plus 30+ premium starter demos and Elementor companion
  • Professional: $422 for 10 site licenses plus 30+ premium starter demos and Elementor companion
  • Developer: $454 for unlimited site licenses plus 30+ premium starter demos, Elementor companion, and future plugins

You can also choose to pay via an annual fee. I think the Personal Plus package with a lifetime subscription would be a great option for most.

#7 – Travel Way Review — The Best for Travel Bloggers

Travel Way is perfect for travel bloggers and photographers who want to show their locations’ real beauty. Travel Way is also great for travel agencies and portfolios.

With call-to-action buttons, multiple sections, and handy social icons, it’s a theme ready for the modern traveler.

The free version of Travel Way is flexible and highly customizable, with the option of setting up galleries, booking forms, services, and portfolios. There’s a huge amount you can do with this theme.

Even better, it works well with all of the major browsers, is very responsive, and offers unlimited pages for each section of your site.

Other attractive features of Travel Way include:

  • Featured sections
  • More than nine custom widgets
  • Testimonials
  • Tour packages
  • Custom sidebar areas
  • Full layout controls
  • Page builder compatible
  • Extensive slider options

The pro version features advanced custom widgets, multiple options for comment sections, more menu and logo positions, and quite a bit more.

It costs just $55 for personal use and $99 for developers, so if you’re pretty set on the theme, I wouldn’t hesitate to upgrade for the rest of the features.

What I Looked at to Find the Best WordPress Themes

Deciding on a single WordPress theme for your brand can be overwhelming. There are tons of options out there, and it can be difficult to know where to start. If you’re struggling to pick one, try thinking about the complete picture.

The first aspect to think about is whether you should get a free or paid WordPress theme. The difference isn’t just in the pricing.

A free WordPress theme can offer a lot to the right person, but it’s worth knowing some of the drawbacks. The main one is the lack of ongoing support for that specific theme, which, in most cases, can mean you’re left tracking down the original creator’s email for help when something breaks.

Far from ideal.

Not to mention that the same free themes can pop up on many websites, taking away originality from your branding.

But you can usually try out a theme for free before deciding to invest in the full paid version, so they do have their uses.

Paid themes are a better bet for brands in general, though. They generally include regular updates and support, higher levels of customization, and higher-quality code.

Another thing to mention is that WordPress.org, or ‘self-hosted WordPress,’ (as opposed to WordPress.com) is the best bet for most businesses as it gives a greater level of control and is cheaper overall. This extends to themes, availability, and customization.

With that said, I’ve seen some top brands on WordPress.com, or ‘hosted WordPress,’ with some genuinely dazzling themes, too.

If you’re in doubt, I’d still say go for WordPress.org.

Other key things to think about are the following:

Theme Functionality

Thinking about functionality is very important. I’m talking about what you need a site to do to conduct business.

Do you need social media icons that link out to brand accounts? How about a comment section or forum, and what about the e-commerce side of things like a shop?

In other words, you need to think hard about the features you need.

The great news is that WordPress plugins can add a significant number of extras whenever you want, but it’s worth looking into the functionality of a theme you like.

For example, specific themes might be coded in such a way that adding a forum could prove difficult.

If you like a theme, make sure you’ve done your research before buying it and that it can support your core needs.

Site Responsiveness

Is your new theme going to look good on any screen size?

A mobile reader needs to have the same complete experience as a desktop user, so any good WordPress theme will adapt to this on a case-by-case basis. Don’t forget that Google has made it mandatory for sites to be mobile responsive, which can affect your rankings in a big way.

Mobile traffic is increasing every year, so a responsive WordPress theme is essential. Most WordPress themes include this as standard, but not all do, and free themes often don’t. Think carefully about this when researching.

Page Builders

A good page builder will allow you to drag and drop to create pages with little fuss.

Most WordPress themes come bundled with page builders, but not all of them do. Some themes may even use a bespoke page builder that could slow down a site with unwanted code.

Ideally, you want a WordPress theme optimized to work with the best page builders, particularly if you have a preference.

You could find a WordPress theme that provides almost everything you want, only to find it’s incompatible with your favorite builder. Or buy one that features a proprietary builder, but it’s just not very good. Too late, though, because you’ve already purchased it.

Browser Support

A theme can load smoothly and look beautiful on your browser, but what about on your customer’s browser? It’s worth noting that not all themes will work correctly on every browser, so a good deal of testing is a sound idea.

You can usually check a browser’s compatibility under a WordPress theme’s details, but the developers won’t always list this. In that case, test it yourself.

It’s as simple as downloading a few of the most popular browsers, loading up your site with its new theme, and seeing what works and what doesn’t.

More often than not, you’ll find an issue or two that only occurs on a specific browser. I’ve seen pages breaking inexplicably on certain browsers while others were fine. This is often an overlooked area, so it’s prudent to get ahead of any potential issues.

Summary

There are tons of beautiful WordPress themes out there, and my list has given you just a snapshot of everything you can do on the platform. But many themes work better for specific uses.

The picks on the list offer some of the best themes available in their respective areas:

  1. Jayla — The best for online shops
  2. Astra — The best for beginners
  3. Tusant — The best for podcast creators
  4. Sydney — The best for freelancers
  5. Foodie Pro — The best for food bloggers
  6. Zakra — The best for SEO
  7. Travel Way — The best fortravel bloggers

Whether you’re a freelancer, travel blogger, podcaster, or you want to launch an online shop, WordPress has got you covered.

The best part is how much you can do with a single theme, so dive in and get started.

The sky really is the limit.

Alfa Romeo to stay in F1 beyond 2021 with Sauber

Alfa Romeo will remain in Formula One beyond 2021 after extending its agreement with Sauber.

The post Alfa Romeo to stay in F1 beyond 2021 with Sauber appeared first on Buy It At A Bargain – Deals And Reviews.

F1 to bring back podium laurels for sprint qualifying

Formula One will reward the top three finishers of its first sprint qualifying race with old-school podium laurels at the British Grand Prix.

The post F1 to bring back podium laurels for sprint qualifying appeared first on Buy It At A Bargain – Deals And Reviews.