Coworking spaces are one of the hottest trends for those starting or growing a small business: Instead of working from a corner of your bedroom or renting an office, you find a shared space to hang your shingle. In the U.S., coworking spaces can be found in most major cities and some smaller ones, as well as in countries around the world. These arrangements offer the ability to rent space in a place dedicated to entrepreneurs and working professionals. In Read More

One day, an up and coming contractor with a passion for restoration is alerted to his dream job.  A federally funded restoration of a historic landmark is up for bid, and he knows this is more than a dream, it’s a career making move.  With a background that has him well prepared and a workforce he’s confident in, he starts the bidding process only to find out that, because it’s a federal contract, he needs a surety bond if he Read More

Changing your business name? At Nav, we changed our name three years after we launched. Although we were a relatively young company, it was still a lot of work—but well worth it. To help make the process easier for you, we’ve put together a checklist we used to help us stay organized. You can download it below and customize it to your needs. Here are some pointers to keep in mind as you start planning for your name change. We Read More

What is a DUNS number? The Data Universal Numbering System—or D-U-N-S number—was created and copyrighted in 1962 by Dun & Bradstreet. It is a unique a nine-digit identifier that has become the standard numbering system to identify businesses across the globe. Just as your social security number reveals a lot about you—your bank accounts, tax returns, credit scores, residences, etc., your DUNS number reveals similar information about your business. This is helpful, and in some cases required, for commercial and Read More

You’ve created a business plan for your small business, in which you laid out your vision, strengths, resources and goals for the future. Now it’s time to think about a marketing plan. The two documents will work together in helping you realize your small business’s potential. In fact, your marketing plan will build on the goals you’ve already laid out in your business plan. Creating a marketing plan doesn’t have to be hard. The fact that a large and established Read More

Starting a small business is hard work. The list of things you have to do in order to turn your dream into reality may seem overwhelming at first. Anyone who has searched “how to start a small business” online has seen page after page populate with articles on loans, investors, incorporating, credit scores, cash flow, taxes, permits—the list goes on and on. When faced with such a formidable to-do list, it is easy to think of a formal business plan Read More

The world of business comes complete with its own unique collection of terms, concepts and procedures, and both new and seasoned business owners may find that their knowledge is tested from time to time. Two of the terms and concepts that are often shrouded in a bit of mystery are SIC codes and NAICS codes.  Though these two terms and the digits that define them are frequently at work in the background, they may get lost among the more overt Read More

What is a corporation? The root of the word corporation is the Latin word corpus, or body. In the eyes of the law, a corporation is a person. This person stands independent from the people who formed it and make it run. It can sue someone, buy a car, sell a product, set up contracts, and pay taxes. For business owners, the main advantage of this arrangement is that the corporation itself is liable for all of its actions, rather Read More

It seems pretty obvious that cash is a big factor in your current and future business plans. From startup and everyday operating costs to growth and expansion costs, cash is the lifeblood of a business. Large corporate organizations and small business alike are required to make decisions about where and when to spend (or not to spend) money. To do this, it’s imperative that you monitor what is commonly referred to as “cash flow.” So what is cash flow? To Read More

As our economy becomes more reliant on the use of payment cards as opposed to good ol’ fashion paper cash, instances of fraud are on the rise. Data breaches are happening more frequently and transactional fraud is costing the United States billions upon billions of dollars. If it weren’t for a significant change in technology, this trend would continue to spell disaster for businesses and consumers alike. That significant change is rooted in what is commonly referred to as EMV, Read More