Head Start: Secure Ways to Get Funding for Your Startup

27 Oct, 2015 | Tags: , , ,

While many people may have an idea for how to start their own business, getting the necessary funding may be difficult at best. What many people fail to realize is the many different ways there are to secure funding for a startup business. If you meet certain criteria, you can make the process a little easier and get funded more quickly.

Crowdfunding

A way to reach a variety of people online, crowdfunding has become a popular option for funding a business idea. By using such websites as Kickstarter, people can read about your business idea and donate money to it simply because they like what they see. Many businesses have been able to raise thousands of dollars with this method, so it’s an option that’s definitely worth exploring.

Small Business Grants


New business owners might overlook the numerous grants available to help get the money needed to make their dreams become reality. Businesses that focus on technology, medicine, education, and social services tend to have the most grants available to them, and there are more than 1,000 different grants available from the federal government alone. Online directories are available for searching grant possibilities, making this option well worth the effort.

Bank Loans

An option for those who have excellent credit or enough collateral to put up that will lessen the risk of the bank, loans can be a way to get the necessary financing to start a business. For those who own their homes, a home loan can be a way to raise high amounts of money quickly and easily. Talk to a mortgage agent in Houston at Sente Mortgage about how you might refinance or what you might need to do to qualify for a home loan.

Angel Investors

Becoming a more popular option for future business owners, angel investors are almost always available in metropolitan areas. Most of these individuals are willing to invest up to one million dollars in a business in exchange for a percentage of the profits. So if you have big plans for your business, these investors can make them happen. Make sure you have a strong pitch to sell your point to them.

Family and Friends

An often overlooked source of business financing, family and friends can be a primary source of funding for any startup businesses. Because they want to see the business be a huge success, they are often willing to offer substantial amounts of money and be flexible when it comes to repayment terms.

By exploring these options, people who have dreams of starting their own business can find themselves with many financing options. While it can be difficult to get a business started, taking advantage of these options can go far toward seeing your dreams become reality.

10 Mobile Applications for Your Growing Restaurant

20 Apr, 2015 | Tags: , , , , , ,

Mobile app technology is growing exponentially and the tools available at your disposal are becoming harder to filter out. With numerous applications that serve the same function, it becomes a tiresome exercise made up of 2 key questions: 1. Which tool is best? and 2. Do we really even need this?

There is no general right answer for any of these questions. Each business and restaurant will have different sizes, customers, and objectives so it’s futile to define who needs what. With this list we provide a basic overview of several online and mobile applications that are designed to make life easier as a restaurant owner.

If any of our suggestions make you think “Hey, this would really help us out a lot”, then go check it out. Make sure you search for and compare between similar applications so you can properly decide which one is right for you.

1. The Suggestion Box– If your establishment is already using table technology to make payments and take orders, this app is a great add on to let customers provide anonymous reviews and ratings of their overall customer experience.

2. Accupos–  If you are just getting started and are looking for a point of sale system, AccuPOS might be the right place to start looking. It integrates cleanly with Quickbooks and it’s scaleable design allows you to add-on tools like magnetic card readers, touchscreen pc’s and receipt printers.

3. Appsuite- Appsuite is a restaurant loyalty and reward program software that tracks your customer’s order history and “behavior”. It allows you to customize loyalty programs based on what the customer has purchased in the past.

4. Canvas–  Canvas is a great tool for any kind of business that needs proper tracking of inventory, cleaning supplies, restaurant inventory, employee time sheets,  etc. It also works together with Spreadsheet Processors and Quickbooks.

5. Ezee menu- When a customer is making a decision on wether to visit your restaurant or not, a well made menu goes a long way in drawing them in. With the prevalence of mobile devices, it is important to have digital version of your menus available online. Sometimes the restaurant that a customer ends up choosing is the one whose menu loaded quicker on their phone.

6. What Time do I Work– This one is our favorite for no specific reason. If you are tired of employee scheduling conflicts and the internal communication issues that come along with it, then this might be the app for you.  Not only does it offer clean scheduling options, but it allows you to contact your entire staff, handle employee request, and manage employee alerts with just a few clicks.

7. Gopago– Gopago makes a heavy promise by stating it is “Everything you need to get your business up and running”. It certainly offers many tools, among them being credit card processing, cloud storage, loyalty programs, invoicing systems, and mobile ordering.

8. Nowaitapp- The nowait app makes life easier for your employees as well as your customers. Your customers can hold a place online before ever arriving to your location. It is a real time wait list and seating tool for restaurants that allow your hosts and customers to see where they are in the wait list.

9. Chownow.com– Chownow is a web app that allows you to take orders online. This obviously allows you to digitize your menu as well. If your restaurant is located near office business centers, it will greatly facilitate patrons to place their orders while they are at work so that they are ready for pickup by lunch time.

10. Uncorkd –  Uncorkd is a wine and beverage menu app that lets you go the extra mile whith your wine menu.  You can provide extensive information on the wines you offer, even allowing you to offer pairing suggestions and options.

These are just a few of the thousands of tools available at your disposal. Some of these might be useful for you. It’s always a wise idea to research all your options before deciding on one particular choice.