The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has altered every aspect of our lives in the last few weeks. Businesses of every kind—and particularly restaurants and bars—have been hit especially hard by voluntary and official measures to slow the spread of the virus. Local businesses are Yelp’s lifeblood, and we want to do what we can to help… Read more
When you first decided to go into business yourself—marketing probably wasn’t your biggest “top of mind” priority. And if you’re like most of us—with hundreds of things you jungle in a week—we doubt it’ll ever be your number one concern. Too often, when we ask for advice on how to market our electrical contracting business,… Read more
Let’s Walk Through the Basics When you first started dreaming about opening a small business—you probably weren’t fantasizing about spreadsheets. Or really any financial analysis for that matter. But behind every feasible, profitable, full-of-potential new enterprise, there are a lot of numbers to crunch. Luckily, the equations that make up the backbone of your small… Read more
Celebrate LGBTQ+ rights without the risk of co-opting Pride. June is the most wonderful time of the year. It’s the month that marks the start of summer. The sun is shining, the flowers blooming, and corporate logos start to emerge from their chrysalises reborn as beautiful rainbows. This year, there have been a number of… Read more
A few concrete, easy-to-follow steps for making your business discoverable online. When you’re a small business owner, figuring out how to build your SEO can be tricky. If you ask around, you’re sure to get a two types of “expert advice” on small business SEO: It’s simple! Just change some text in your headlines,… Read more
Branding options for every budget It takes consumers 10 seconds to form a first impression of a brand’s logo. Visual appeal can be assessed within about 50 milliseconds. Nearly half of consumers feel a website’s design is the number factor in determining a business’s credibility. Meaning: if you want your business to be trustworthy, and… Read more
When all other attempts to serve a customer fails, bring in the manager. He or she will pull satisfaction out of a hat. Or at least that’s the hope. The data tells us a different story, however. By looking at the reviews that mentioned talking to a manager, we found that 80% resulted in a… Read more
These days, it seems like nearly any impulse can be fulfilled as fast as we have them. Can’t remember a fact you learned in elementary school? Ask Siri. Need a ride? A driver will pick you up in 2 minutes. Looking for a rare book? Sit tight! You’ll have a copy in 2 days—it just… Read more
When it’s time to eat and home cooking just won’t do, how do you pick a restaurant? Perhaps you’re looking for great tasting, mind-blowing cuisine. Or maybe you’re in the mood for something on the cheap. But how often do you say to yourself, “I’m looking for a restaurant that has GREAT customer service?” Probably… Read more
*Ring ring* “Hi, I need my sink repaired. I live way out in the boonies. Is that in your service area?” Imagine if the leads reaching out to your business already knew just how far you’re willing to travel. You’d probably save time returning calls and responding to messages. More importantly, you wouldn’t have to… Read more
Restaurants, laundromats, tech startups, and mechanics. Very different businesses—one common thread. They all need capital to survive and grow. Now there are more ways to fund your business than ever—many of which require less time compiling papers or waiting on the bank. And even if you’re applying for more traditional funding sources, non-traditional funding options… Read more