Running a Business Articles

Build and grow your business with a strong financial foundation. Check out these articles for tips and resources.

Learn About Running A Business

Whether you’re a small local shop or an online retailer, running a business is a complex and dynamic challenge. Use these articles to broaden your understanding of the tools that are available and some proactive measures you can take to set up your business for success.

All Protecting Your Assets Managing Cash Flow Employee Benefits Preventing Fraud Scaling and Growth Loans and Credit Small Business Essentials Starting Your Business

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Business Spotlight: Hagler Farms Bryan Hagler tells the story of Hagler Farms in Laurinburg, North Carolina. 2 min read

What It Takes to Run a Property Management Company While the economy seems to be slowly improving, property managers—like most smart business owners—must be prepared for lean times. 6 min read

Business Spotlight: Little Black Dressing Video

Business Spotlight: Little Black Dressing Co. Kissie Stroup started High Point-based Little Black Dressing Co. simply to “provide something for [her] family” but it has become so much more. The dressing is now carried in supermarkets across the region and was even the official dressing of the 2014 U.S. Open in Pinehurst. Video Transcript Kissie Stroup: I think my grandmother passed onto us taking care of the household. Families don’t do that anymore. You know, they’re off to baseball and then they’re off to football and they’re off to tennis or they’re at dance and the home life now seems to have lost its family orientation. And that’s what I think she did. She, and my mom, provided that for us. And that’s what I wanted for my kids. It’s a lost art. Stroup: I am Kissie Stroup and I started a food business called Little Black Dressing. We produce four flavors of refrigerated, all-natural salad dressing. I just wanted to provide something for our family. You know, my husband’s worked hard, the fabric furniture industry was not good during there in the crash seven years ago, and I thought to myself, “What can I do?” Stroup: I don’t have anything that anybody else really has, and I think that’s the key. You’ve got to give them something different. Food seems to be the thing that you come back to. You entertain, you eat around the table…it seems to be when we’re the happiest and when everybody gets along. So, we gathered around food. Stroup: I’ve had a lot say it’s the best dressing they’ve ever eaten and it’s because its fresh and its different. It’s unique. I’ve got four different flavors and I don’t do anything like the other flavors that you see in the refrigerated salad dressing section. Stroup: Why would I want to compete with those large companies? I don’t. I don’t want to. I want to do something different. I’m going to give you what I grew up eating and they’re unique, they’re different. Success: Is it making a lot of money? Because I’ve yet to do that. Is it that’s it’s in every grocery store in the nation? I don’t know. I don’t know what the success of it is. I feel successful that I 3 min read

Business Spotlight: Elizabethtown Baptist Church Video

Business Spotlight: Elizabethtown Baptist Church Located in Bladen County, NC, sits the majestic Elizabethtown Baptist Church. The church plays a major role in the Elizabethtown community and that was never more apparent than in the aftermath of a devastating tornado. 1 min read

3 Surprising Facts About Small Business Loans When the time comes to invest in new resources, a small business loan can help you stimulate production and grow. But what should you expect when applying for a loan? 5 min read

Bring in More Locals with Location-Based Marketing Tools Over the last few years, location-based services (LBS) have helped millions of businesses harness trends in consumer tech to grow a local following, boost revenue, and thrive. But how are these businesses using LBS, and what can you learn from them? 4 min read

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Business Location Evaluation [INFOGRAPHIC] The location of your business can be one of its most powerful assets, or not. Let’s evaluate various positive and negative factors. Find the business in the infographic below and see how good its location is. 1 min read

Help Your Customers Find You on Google Unfortunately, simply creating a fancy website and waiting for customers to crash down the door isn’t enough anymore. You need to have “Googliness.” But what is Googliness and how do you get it? 6 min read

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Here’s Why Data is Good for Your Business Wondering how to re-energize customers who haven’t stopped by in a while? Start thinking of them not as customers, but as alumni. 4 min read

In it for the Long Haul: How the Most Successful Businesses Innovate Have you ever wondered how some businesses manage to keep growing and thriving through the last 10-20 years, or even over centuries? 5 min read

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Thinking of Sponsoring a Local Event? Event sponsorships can be great when they’re done for all the right reasons. But it helps to evaluate all of these opportunities and offers before making any commitments to move forward. 4 min read

When Mother Nature is in Charge of Your Business Running a business that caters to tourists can be a wonderful and rewarding experience for many entrepreneurs. But with that seasonality comes an up-and-down approach to planning and managing that becomes a way of life—season after season. 5 min read

Explore Courses to Help Run Your Business

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Small Business Essentials Learn the basics of managing a small business. 6 Topics

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Growing Your Small Business Take your business to the next level with these growth tips. 5 Topics

Streamline how you process payments. View Credit Card Processing

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Accelerate growth and get great benefits. Business Elite Checking

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