Start Fresh in 2021 with these Five Small Business Tips

Are you eager to get a fresh start in 2021, or is the future too unpredictable to get excited about? Both feelings are completely understandable, especially for the small business owner. On the one hand, 2021 will likely bring an end to the COVID-19 pandemic. But on the other hand, there’s really no way to predict when that end will be. There are still so many questions to be answered and you may be wondering if your business can survive that long.

source https://www.emscorporate.com/news/start-fresh-in-2021-with-these-five-small-business-tips

3 Tips for a Strong Close to the Final Quarter of 2020

What a year this has been. Somehow, we’re already rapidly approaching the holiday season and the end of Q4. As an Agent, you may be feeling rushed, pressured, or even stressed about achieving your final goals for the year. 

from Agent News https://ift.tt/2VQaBRl

5 Ideas for Bold, Creative Selling during the Pandemic

Lately, we’ve been doing things differently. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced everyone to change their approach to shopping, traveling, working, and even spending time with loved ones. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like life will be returning to normal any time soon.

from Agent News https://ift.tt/3fPs9GA

Shop Local | Your Guide to Supporting Small Businesses This Season

As the 2020 holiday season approaches, small businesses in your community need your support more than ever. In this post, we’ll share some of the reasons why shopping local is important and how you can show your support this season (with or without using your wallet).

source https://www.emscorporate.com/news/shop-local-your-guide-to-supporting-small-businesses-this-season

How to Read Your Merchant Statement & Why It’s Important

Credit card statements can be confusing. The conglomerate of numbers and unfamiliar terms may tempt you to ball up your statement and throw it in the nearest waste basket each month. But what if we told you that this monthly document could help your business grow? Would you still toss it aside, unopened?

source https://www.emscorporate.com/news/how-to-read-your-merchant-statement-why-its-important

How to Prepare Your Restaurant for the Winter of 2020

The winter of 2020 has devastating potential for restaurants.

That’s a harsh first sentence of this narrative, but now’s not the time to dance around the point. According to the National Restaurant Association, “nearly 1 in 6 restaurants (representing nearly 100,000 restaurants) have closed either permanently or long-term” due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The unfortunate reality is winter will likely bring more closures.

source https://www.emscorporate.com/news/how-to-prepare-your-restaurant-for-the-winter-of-2020

Merchant Services Advantages for Community Banks and Credit Unions

As the payments industry continues to advance and develop, small business owners have more options for financial services and assistance than ever before. Non-traditional financial service providers are breaking into the industry, creating fierce competition for community banks and credit unions like yours. To put yourself ahead of the competition, you need to offer complete merchant services solutions.

from Agent News https://ift.tt/3jIBvEm

Empowering Merchants is Our Mission

What is a mission statement, and why is it important?

If you simply type this question into your Google search bar, you’ll see hundreds of results on defining a company mission statement, why all companies need a mission statement, the importance of mission statements for employees, and much more. For the purposes of this post, we’ll reference a simple definition from Indeed.

source https://www.emscorporate.com/news/empowering-merchants-is-our-mission

Accepting Payments in the Digital Age | What You Need to Know

The technology we use today has advanced so rapidly, it’s astounding. In fact, some of the technology we rely on every day is less than 25 years old! For instance:

source https://www.emscorporate.com/news/accepting-payments-in-the-digital-age-what-you-need-to-know

7 Ways to Boost Your Online Reputation

As a small business owner, you know the importance of maintaining a positive reputation. Word-of-mouth is one of the most effective marketing tools you have, and happy customers will often want to share their excitement about your business.

source https://www.emscorporate.com/news/7-ways-to-boost-your-online-reputation

How to Create and Encourage Social Distance in Your Restaurant

Restaurants are designed to be places that bring people together. But right now, people need to stay six feet apart. That means your restaurant is facing a huge challenge that you probably never saw coming.

source https://www.emscorporate.com/news/restaurant-social-distancing-tips

How to Keep Your Customers Informed and Why It’s Important

Have you made some changes to your business recently? You’re not alone. Practically every business in the country has changed their normal practices and procedures as we continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of those changes will be temporary, but others may become permanent.

source https://www.emscorporate.com/news/how-to-keep-your-customers-informed-and-why-its-important

Stories to Help You Overcome Common Small Business Challenges

The task of running a small business is anything but… well, small. It’s a huge undertaking! As a small business owner, your list of responsibilities can seem endless. From balancing the books to managing employees, marketing to customers, and more, the success of your business is on your shoulders. That also means when challenges arise, it’s up to you to find the solution.

source https://www.emscorporate.com/news/stories-to-help-you-overcome-common-small-business-challenges

5 Common Merchant Services Struggles and What to Do About Them

Businesses are like snowflakes – each one is unique. However, many businesses experience similar roadblocks and scuffles when it comes to securely accepting and processing payments. In this post, we’ll explore five common merchant services struggles and what to do about them.

source https://www.emscorporate.com/news/5-common-merchant-services-struggles-and-what-to-do-about-them

Apply for PPP Loan Forgiveness | Here’s What You’ll Need

Please Note: Requirements for loan repayment through the Paycheck Protection Program vary and are changing rapidly. Please read the latest guidance from the Small Business Administration and the U.S. Department of Treasury for updated program rules and how they apply to your situation.

source https://www.emscorporate.com/news/apply-for-ppp-loan-forgiveness-heres-what-youll-need

Email Marketing Basics | How to Develop a Strategy for Small Business

Whether your small business is currently operating online or in-person, you need a way to stay in contact with current customers and attract new ones. Email marketing is a great tool for exactly that!

source https://www.emscorporate.com/news/email-marketing-basics-how-to-develop-a-strategy-for-small-business

Ten Tips for Small Business Marketing on a Budget

Many small businesses are operating on shoestring budgets right now. Is yours in the same boat?

source https://www.emscorporate.com/news/ten-tips-for-small-business-marketing-on-a-budget

How to Choose the Right Point of Sale Solution for Your Retail Store

If you’re a retail shop owner, your point of sale system is your best friend. Or, at least it should be.

source https://www.emscorporate.com/news/how-to-choose-the-right-point-of-sale-solution-for-your-retail-store

Five Tips for Providing a Customer-Focused Retail Experience

Retailers are always fighting some invisible challenge. Whether it’s a shift in customer behavior, the convenience offered by online retailers like Amazon, or even a pandemic, challenges never cease. If retailers are going to thrive, they need to be able to adapt quickly and stay focused on their customers.

source https://www.emscorporate.com/news/five-tips-for-providing-a-customer-focused-retail-experience

EMS Sponsors the Greater Cleveland Food Bank’s “Market at Home”

Electronic Merchant Systems proudly serves thousands of merchants in the United States thanks to our offices and agents across the country. It is wonderful working in big cities like Atlanta, Boston, and Chicago, but our hometown is particularly special to us. Cleveland, Ohio is home to EMS corporate headquarters, and we are so proud to be a part of the CLE!

source https://www.emscorporate.com/news/ems-sponsors-the-greater-cleveland-food-banks-market-at-home

Know the Signs: Protect Your Small Business from Identity Theft

New identity theft scams are discovered each year. Many are brought to the forefront during tax season, when we’re all using our personal information to file annual taxes. If you’ve been filing for a while, you are probably already aware of the threat identity theft poses and you may already know how to identify a scam. However, fraudsters don’t just target individuals. They also victimize businesses they see as vulnerable, particularly small businesses.

source https://www.emscorporate.com/news/know-the-signs-protect-your-small-business-from-identity-theft

5 Steps for Creating an Outdoor Dining Area

While many restaurants across the nation are now able to welcome diners again, “business as usual” is still a distant dream. In an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19 and promote health and safety within businesses, temporary capacity restrictions have been set by public health departments across the country. Some of these restrictions require restaurants to limit their capacity to 50% or even 25% of their typical dining room maximum. Unfortunately, these capacity reductions could cause profitability struggles for your restaurant.

source https://www.emscorporate.com/news/5-steps-for-creating-an-outdoor-dining-area

How to Balance Customer Experience with Health Department Expectations

The COVID-19 outbreak in the United States has forced businesses to make big changes very quickly. Large offices sent employees to work from home for the first time, restaurants closed to dine-in customers, retail stores shifted to curbside pickup or delivery only, and even our favorite radio personalities started delivering broadcasts from home. These are changes we never saw coming.

source https://www.emscorporate.com/news/how-to-balance-customer-experience-with-health-department-expectations

Ten Tips for Marketing Your Restaurant on Social Media

If the words “marketing strategy” make you break out in a cold sweat, you’ve come to the right place. We’re not a marketing agency, but we do know a thing or two about how to build a successful marketing strategy for your restaurant without breaking the bank.

source https://www.emscorporate.com/news/ten-tips-for-marketing-your-restaurant-on-social-media

How to Safely Reopen Your Small Business after the COVID-19 Shutdown

If you’ve been following our blog lately, you’ve been reading quite a bit about tips and resources for sustaining your small business during this time. There’s a lot of content out there right now regarding the economic effects of COVID-19 and how we must work together to flatten the curve. It’s not a particularly enjoyable subject to read about, and if you’re like us, you might be feeling tired of the doom and gloom.

source https://www.emscorporate.com/news/how-to-safely-reopen-your-small-business-after-the-covid-19-shutdown