Scaling and Growth Articles

Take your business to the next level through an expansion or growth.

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Put the building blocks in place to learn how to scale or grow a business sustainably with these tips from the experts.

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Professional Service Providers: Are You Charging Enough? We talked with Allison C. Shields, a lawyer, owner of Legal Ease Consulting Inc. in New York, author, and consultant who works with professional service firms to help them better manage their cash flow. 3 min read

It’s Tax Time, Business Owners: Are You Ready to File? For business owners, tax season can be stressful and confusing. To help you weather the financial recordkeeping storm, we’ve talked with certified business tax prep pros and put together the following list of tips and to-dos. 4 min read

Business Spotlight: White Dogwood Farm & Stables First Bank client White Dogwood Farm & Stables is a full service breeding and boarding facility started by Elizabeth and Chris White. The Whites truly love horses and their boarding facility offers top notch care, quality feed/hay and daily turnout. 3 min read

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

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

The Changing Face of the Retail Experience For while retailers face seemingly infinite choice, competition, and technology, retail is still at its strongest when it is focused on the basics: people, service, and relationships. 5 min read

Investing in Technology to Reach Young Audiences At the 2005 National Scout Jamboree in Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia, only the pattering of rain and the murmur of tent zippers interrupted the gentle hum of crickets in the night. Not a single ringtone broke the silence. Fast forward to 2013. Not only are mobile devices allowed at the National Scout Jamboree, but leaders encourage scouts to use them. Charging stations are strategically placed throughout the grounds, and some Jamboree activities actually depend on scouts toting smartphones alongside their sleeping bags and merit badge sashes. Why the big change? 4 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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