At a high level, the payment processors Adyen and Stripe are very similar. Both serve the same overarching purpose: To help business owners accept and process payments in a way that works for them. With both of these payment platforms, you can accept a variety of different…
Business loans and business lines of credit are different forms of business financing. With a business loan, you’ll receive a lump sum of money and pay it back over time. A line of credit is a pool of money that you can keep dipping into, up to a limit. In general…
When you’re running a small business with tight margins, every transaction counts. Inflation and labor shortages have made it an especially difficult year for businesses already struggling due to the aftermath of the pandemic. According to a 2022 Guidant Financial survey…
Some lenders may require a business loan proposal be included in your application for a business loan. A business loan proposal should not be confused with a business plan. While some similar information is included in both documents, a business loan proposal is more…
Not all new business owners’ journeys start from nothing — some entrepreneurs buy an existing small business instead. You can finance a business purchase with a loan from a variety of lenders, including traditional banks, online lenders and the Small Business…
Small-business loan terms determine how long a small-business owner has to pay back their borrowed money, plus interest. Typical loan terms, also referred to as repayment terms, can vary from a few months to 25 years — it depends on your lender and the type of business…
Fidelity bonds are insurance policies that protect a business’s finances in case an employee steals from the business or commits fraud. Fidelity bonds are also known as employee dishonesty insurance. You can buy a fidelity bond on its own or as part of a commercial crime…
The best barcode label printers make it easy to create and print codes that help you track your inventory. Thermal printers, which use heat to print, eliminate the need for ink and can print hundreds of labels per minute. Some barcode printers are also compatible with…
Not everyone wants to take on the challenge of building a business from the ground up. An attractive alternative can be to step into a business that’s already up and running by purchasing it from the current owner. Some advantages of buying a business may include easier…
It’s a small business’s worst nightmare: You’ve been notified by your payment processor that your transactions are being investigated for potentially fraudulent activities. Your account has been frozen, you’re not allowed to process any transactions until further…
Accounts receivable financing, also known as invoice financing, allows businesses to borrow capital against the value of their accounts receivable — in other words, their unpaid invoices. A lender advances a portion of the business’s outstanding invoices, in the form of…
Personal guarantees and collateral are both ways of promising a lender that you’ll make good on your debt. You may have to offer both to get an SBA loan. Collateral ties a loan to a specific asset, like your business’s inventory or your home, which the lender can seize…
Many of the same SBA loans are available to both self-employed people and more formally structured businesses, such as limited liability companies and corporations. However, self-employed individuals, like sole proprietors and independent contractors, might face a higher…
Factoring companies for trucking, also called freight factoring companies, give trucking companies cash in exchange for outstanding invoices. They can be helpful to trucking companies that need working capital quickly or don’t have the staff to manage invoicing and…
Online businesses need a payment gateway, a portal where customers can securely enter their payment information to process transactions on their websites. White-label payment gateways, unlike traditional gateways, let businesses customize the online checkout process with…
High-risk merchants operate in industries that are age-restricted, such as cigarettes and tobacco, or have high rates of fraud or chargebacks, such as dropshipping, nonprofits or web design. These businesses often struggle to find merchant account providers and payment…
What is IRS Form 8832? IRS Form 8832, “Entity Classification Election,” is a form business owners use to tell the IRS how to classify a business for federal tax purposes. Businesses that don’t fill out Form 8832 will receive a default tax classification, which could…
What is IRS Form SS-4? IRS Form SS-4, Application for Employer Identification Number, is an IRS form businesses use to apply for an employer identification number (EIN). Business lenders may require an IRS Form SS-4 notice to verify a business’s EIN when evaluating a loan…
If you’re looking for business insurance near you, you’re probably searching for a local agent you can trust. After all, you might get small-business insurance from this person for years and rely on them for help navigating crises like natural disasters and employee…
Many small businesses still work well with an old-fashioned stand-alone cash register, but businesses that sell online or in multiple locations may benefit from a point-of-sale system with a touch-screen terminal instead. If your business only needs to process payments and…
