By James Pruitt, Senior Staff Writer

How can a Veteran Business Owner lure a casual onlooker into a strong, mutually beneficial partnership? The Age of the Internet has brought the concept of “Search Engine Optimization” also known as “SEO”.  Backlinks are one of the best strategies for establishing SEO within your niche.

The Concept of Search Engine Optimization

“Search Engine Optimization,” or SEO, increases the likelihood of a website’s appearance in an Internet search. One common strategy involves the use of backlinks, which connects the site to other related pages. Site administrators use various tactics to link to other websites.

Foundations of SEO

Authority, Content, Structure, Useability

First, websites must command authority and retain credibility. Respectable content should maintain internal coherence, as well as factual verifiability. Trust in a website’s content precedes optimal search engine optimization. Posting foolish content could make your website irrelevant. Subsequently, the website could disappear into the back pages of internet searches.

Second, visibility is key. Many websites for small businesses may specialize in a certain niche. Veteran Business Owners need to sync with others in their niche. Building enthusiasm within the same field encourages backlinks. Build excitement among others within your business’s niche, and they will link to your website.

Third, consider the structure of the website. Veteran Business Owners should design sites with attractive layouts. Otherwise, Google searchers will simply dismiss the site as not only hard-to-use, but unprofessional.  Understanding themes in web-building applications like WordPress could facilitate the process of user-friendly website construction.

Fourth, consider the technical aspects, the website should be fast, crawlable, and secure. A slow website could frustrate casual users. Additionally, wise users understand the importance of security. Finally, the search engine’s bots could ignore the website absent content that remains in sync with your industry.

Steps to Build Backlinks: Strategies for Building Enthusiasm

1. Analysis

Key words are important for backlinks. Some basic phrases can optimize web search results. For example, many potential customers use the phrase “near me” to find local businesses. These phrases are crucial to lift your business to the top of the list in web search results.

2. Development

Your website can develop to any level of complexity and sophistication. Just ensure your content remains in-sync with the needs of customers. The more useful the information, the greater the trust with potential clients.

However, always consider user-friendliness. A “busy” or confusing website merely alienates viewers. Again, understanding “themes” in WordPress or other web-building websites may keep websites simple and interesting.

3. Publication

Business owners should use care with use of “key words” in maximizing SEO. Overuse of general stock-phrases may garner hits without engagement. “Key words” should generally target the relevant industry. Google Keyword Planner may help with directing traffic specifically to spark a sale or partnership.

4. Marketing

Social media shares do not hurt a brand. Feel free to use them. However, backlinks and key words remain the best ways to spread the word.

5. Maintenance

Always monitor engagement with your site. Google Analytics is one tool to ensure healthy traffic to your website.

Other aps such as SEMRUSH, Magestic, Moz, or Ahrefs offer both free and paid services to ensure your website’s ongoing health.

Strategies to Avoid

Search engine companies are on to most shady backlink tactics. Starting in 2012, Google launched the Penguin algorithm to their search engine. The Penguin algorithm can detect, with uncanny accuracy, attempts to buy or fabricate backlinks to raise a website in a list of search results. Such attempts are not worth anyone’s time.

Strategies to Recommend

Consider your competition. Also consider the “buzzwords” in your industry. Do not forget your niche in the local economy. Ultimately, Veteran Business Owners should consider their marketing efforts as genuine engagement with real human beings, not screens or bots. Hence, we obtain backlinks, and move toward optimal SEO.

VAMBOA, the Veterans and Military Business Owners Association hopes that this article has been helpful.  We work hard to bring you important, positive, helpful, and timely information and are the “go to” online venue for Veteran and Military Business Owners.  VAMBOA is a non-profit trade association.   We do not charge members any dues or fees and members can also use our seal on their collateral and website.   If you are not yet a member, you can register here:

https://vamboa.org/member-registration/

We also invite you to check us out on social media too.

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/vamboa

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/VAMBOA

Don’t forget that VAMBOA members receive significant discounts on technology needs.   Check them out here:

https://vamboa.org/dell-technologies/

Many Americans are evaluating their lives and how they make their livings. Driven by factors such as safety, job security, life purpose, future goals, and work-life balance, the COVID-19 pandemic has led a lot more people to question whether now is the right time to start their own business.

Do you dream of creating your own product line? Setting your own hours? Being your own boss? Starting your own business can really help you take control of your life and work, take charge, add flexibility, learn new experiences, connect better with peers, and broaden yourself as a person.

Business owners are not special super humans.   They are normal people who have big ideas and work very hard to turn their ideas into reality. Every business owner is different but there are a few key traits that they all seem to have in common. To help you decide if starting a business is right for you, below are some basic questions to ask yourself before making the leap.

1.) Can you make important decisions quickly?

Problems arise all the time in business, and it is very important that the business owner can respond to them quickly, decisively, and with a clear head. You will also need to be able to handle any consequences that may occur after the problem has been resolved. Being a business owner, requires you to have confidence under pressure but not arrogance. You need to be able to be part of the team you build, have confidence in each other’s skills, accept that mistakes will happen, and be able to learn from those mistakes to move forward. If you struggle to make effective decisions quickly, owning a business will be more difficult for you.

2.) Do you have energy? 

Running a business is a lot of work. You need to have a high level of energy and excited to grow your brand. If you are the type of person who is constantly seeking after-work hobbies, weekend projects, and other activities, you may have the energy to start a new business.

3.) Are you creative?

Creativity is a key aspect of owning a business.  It is important to have the ability to think out of the box. As the owner, you will be required to constantly come up with new ideas.   These new ideas may include but not be limited to new product ideas, lead generating strategies, marketing thoughts, revenue boosting activities, improving the company culture, and more. If you are usually bursting with new ideas, a business is a great way for you to share those ideas with the rest of the world.

4.) Do you like to solve problems?

A business owner is basically a full-time problem solver. As we touched on in point #1, problems constantly arise in business. These problems should be viewed as opportunities and challenges rather than setbacks. As the owner, you cannot afford to be easily discouraged by setbacks or bad news. You need to be able to push forward and continue working hard. So, if you love solving problems and are not easily discouraged, business ownership could be for you.  VAMBOA wishes you great success.

Regardless of how you answered the above questions, we hope that you can see that business ownership is not out of your reach if it is something you are interested in. If you are even slightly creative, energetic, and love to solve problems plus you have a great idea for a business, now is one of the best times to get started.

VAMBOA, the Veterans and Military Business Owners Association hopes that this article has not only been valuable but provided some unique perspective.  We work hard to bring you important, positive, helpful, and timely information and are the “go to” online venue for Veteran and Military Business Owners.  VAMBOA is a non-profit trade association.   We do not charge members any dues or fees and members can also use our seal on their collateral and website.   If you are not yet a member, you can register here:

https://vamboa.org/member-registration/

We also invite you to check us out on social media too.

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/vamboa

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/VAMBOA

Don’t forget that VAMBOA members receive significant discounts on technology needs.   Check them out here:

https://vamboa.org/dell-technologies/

By James Pruitt, Senior Staff Writer

The tides of the Internet can catch us by surprise. Rumors, missteps, and follies of all sorts can leap out and foil even the best laid plans. These days, more than ever, a company’s online life drives its reputation.

A good example of this is the Olive Garden, which descended into controversy following an online SNAFU. A text meme dated May 6 circulated on Facebook saying “Olive Garden is funding Trump’s re-election in 2020. It would be terrible if you shared this and Olive Garden lost business.” The post received 7800 shares, and a boycott ensued.   It is a big negative to involve your business in polarized politics.

Darden Restaurants that owns Olive Garden, had a plan in place for just such an occurrence. Nevertheless, they still lost business and had to pay for expensive damage control. Darden Restaurants could afford a public relations infrastructure to absorb the fallout. Their spokesman was able to offer proof that Olive Garden does not support political candidates.

Imagine the havoc should such a meltdown occur with a small business owned by a struggling veteran. Smaller organizations are not immune to PR catastrophes. Consider the example of Comet Ping-Pong, that was gobsmacked in 2016 by a bizarre online fiasco. A foreign disinformation campaign spread a rumor that the restaurant was a front for child trafficking. A man even showed up with a gun.

Fortunately, Comet Ping Pong’s story was headline news. Well-wishers could easily mobilize to ensure the company’s survival. The establishment benefited from a go-fund-me campaign, as well as large-scale PR support.

Each of the above two firestorms include variables most online crises lack. The Olive Garden fiasco involved a large company with a well-developed PR machine. The second involved a small business caught up in a huge, international conflagration. Most attacks on business’ reputations remain confined within the circles of their target clientele, and fade leaving nothing but empty bank accounts.

Most veteran small businesses do not have the infrastructure for a complex PR response when, for example, local news misreports a food contamination scandal, or the Internet explodes over a shoplifting allegation. However, good planning does not require an on-call crisis management team. Good planning, at the outset, mandates that you be the company your clientele expects.

First, make sure the company does not engage in practices that might invite a crisis. Your business’s operations should remain ethical and fair. Use due diligence to ensure, for example, that your kitchen is clean. Vet your employees to weed out those unfit to deal with the public. Training programs should include such topics as diversity training, quality control, and any other topic that might keep your business out of the spotlight for poor practices. Additionally, if a crisis does arise, acknowledge any comments or complaints early. Do not invalidate clients’ concerns by deleting online comments or resorting to falsehoods.

Second, remain aware of any discussions or dialogues regarding your company. Staying vigilant of negative online reviews puts a proprietor on notice when an issue arises. Owners should make sure to address online complaints to the reviewer’s satisfaction. Additionally, businesses should solicit feedback to raise awareness of gaps in service or blind spots on the part of the management. Google alerts can monitor activity on social media sites and Yelp reviews.

Third, carefully vet any online content published to websites. This vetting process should involve a careful review, which may involve a standardized worksheet containing preplanned responses to concerns.

Fourth, nurture a community of loyal customers. Most successful businesses have regulars. Many brands have outright fans. Business owners should provide these loyalists forums to protect against negative feedback. Online blogs, comment sections, and even Facebook groups can foster a sense of brand community. This community can help squelch the embers before a full-blown conflageration burns the company down entirely.

These four steps can prepare veteran small entrepreneurs for an online fiasco. Few small businesses have the resources of a corporation such as Darden Restaurants. Few crises have the sound-bite appeal of the Comet Ping Pong mess. Before a crisis arises, owners should focus on prevention. Afterward, the management should stay honest, diligent, and maintain dignity. Together, these measures are worth a fortune in PR work.

VAMBOA, the Veterans and Military Business Owners Association hopes that this article has been helpful.  We work hard to bring you important, positive, helpful, and timely information and are the “go to” online venue for Veteran and Military Business Owners.  VAMBOA is a non-profit trade association.   We do not charge members any dues or fees and members can also use our seal on their collateral and website.   If you are not yet a member, you can register here:

https://vamboa.org/member-registration/

We also invite you to check us out on social media too.

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/vamboa

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/VAMBOA

Don’t forget that VAMBOA members receive significant discounts on technology needs.   Check them out here:

https://vamboa.org/dell-technologies/

By James Pruitt, Senior Staff Writer

Age, Veteran Status, and Entrepreneurship

These days, veterans come in all shapes and sizes. From the oldest to the youngest, veterans bring necessary skills to their communities, including countless niche specialties necessary to keep our economy flourishing. Many such veterans are older, and age is a strong asset to entrepreneurship.

Network of Connections

Older people know more people. Successful entrepreneurs have expansive tendrils of connections at their disposal. These tendrils often reach deep into their life experience, and draw upon wide expanses of interests, hobbies, and life experiences. In this sense, older entrepreneurs can mine a far richer substrate of expertise, advice, and enthusiasm. Reconnecting with that old friend with shared interests may provide the spark, even after decades.

Financial Advantages

Often, a few more years allows that much time to strengthen your credit and savings. New businesses require capital. With a few decades under your belt, you may over have accumulated the capital to bring that great idea to life.

Obviously, do not lose your nest egg in the process. Especially in this new age of “working from home,” there are numerous strategies to carefully stream your capital into your life’s dream. If you have money on-hand and your idea is feasible, go for it. Loans may be another story. While friends and family may provide another resource, trouble may brew later. In short, consider your future, your company’s scope, and plans for your company.

Older entrepreneurs do tend to have more financial resources, whether savings or credit. These resources provide an advantage when used wisely.

Experience and Perspective

Inevitably, for all of us, the older you are, the more you have failed, and the more you have learned as a result. Your experience has taught what mistakes you can and cannot make.

Age brings perspective. Some problems are small, and some are big. Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy repeatedly uses the aphorism “don’t panic.” Never panic. However, you should know your priorities. Maturity often brings an understanding of when to calm down, and when a dangerous situation may loom ahead.

Trust of Clients and Creditors

Your past connections may help in the acquisition of loans and small business grants. Such connections may also conjure up more active clientele. Older people can often summon more expansive resources to back up claims of quality, ingenuity, and trustworthiness.

The same goes for marketing. Your connections may help bring clients. Satisfied clients write good online recommendations. They also bring new business. Older business-starters likely have more to draw upon and should use these resources extensively, within reason.

Resources for Older Entrepreneurs – below are some valuable resources for older entrepreneurs:

• Work for Yourself at 50+ (aarpfoundation.org)
• Tips for Older Entrepreneurs Starting Their First Business (uschamber.com)
• 10 Tips for ‘Senior’ Entrepreneurs | Next Avenue
• Can I Get An Encore? 7 Tips for Older Entrepreneurs (forbes.com)
• 5 top tips for entrepreneurs over 50 | Wise Living Magazine
• Here are seven tips for starting a business in your 50s — and beyond (cnbc.com)

Conclusion

“Older” workers are often the best-situated to earn money independently.  Many have income streams to carry them too.  A mid or late-career professional may think they find themselves “marooned,” without further paths in their desired trajectory. However, the skills they have developed and the talents they have discovered may be staring them in the face. Military veterans especially have gone through training and development that left them with invaluable skills. Long story short, go-for-it, but be cautious, and consider your resources and the context beforehand.

VAMBOA, the Veterans and Military Business Owners Association hopes that this article has not only been valuable but provided some unique perspective.  We work hard to bring you important, positive, helpful, and timely information and are the “go to” online venue for Veteran and Military Business Owners.  VAMBOA is a non-profit trade association.   We do not charge members any dues or fees and members can also use our seal on their collateral and website.   If you are not yet a member, you can register here:

https://vamboa.org/member-registration/

We also invite you to check us out on social media too.

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/vamboa

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/VAMBOA

Don’t forget that VAMBOA members receive significant discounts on technology needs.   Check them out here:

https://vamboa.org/dell-technologies

From a Debtor’s and Creditor’s Perspective

By James Pruitt, Senior Staff Writer

The pandemic has not quite ended. However, the light at the end of the tunnel looms bright. Unfortunately for some business owners, the light shines brightest for creditors. After months of accommodations, many business owners are now seeing collections time on the horizon. Most hard-hit may be owners of restaurants, small shops, and entertainment venues.

In the case of the pandemic, most economic transactions remained stagnant for most of 2020. That status may lift as restrictions ebb and eager consumers rush back to their pre-pandemic lives. During the long hiatus in economic activity, many small businesses saw their funds run dry.

Creditors mostly retreated for the meantime. Legal restrictions often prevented collection efforts. Also, knowledgeable creditors generally do not collect until their debtors have something to collect. During the Pandemic, most creditors simply did not bother with economically inactive debtors. They knew better. Creditors bided their time, as the economy would not stay inert for long.

In their defense, creditors need to eat too. Creditors rarely accommodate out of charity. When economic circumstances leave both parties helpless, collections tend to stop. Most purveyors of loans and forgivers of debts, negotiate willingly with their partners.  However, collectors always perk their ears at leads their obligations can be satisfied.

Paradoxically, bankruptcies and other collections tend to increase during recoveries. Most common are Chapter 5 bankruptcies. Chapter 5 governs individuals and most corporations. Chapter 11 bankruptcies allow for a restructuring under the guidance of the bankruptcy court. Under Chapter 11, the business owner shelters more of their assets from creditors. However, the court needs a coherent restructuring plan before a court order forgiving any debts. The debtor needs to demonstrate a sincere plan for regaining solvency. Any hint of fraud gets you thrown out of court.

Even before bankruptcy, manifold options provide debtor relief. Generally, options vary with repayment. Debtors can settle with a fraction of their debt. Trustworthy lenders usually offer repayment plans. The only caveat for the debtor is honesty. Bad intent in the mind of the debtor (or creditor) can bring legal troubles.

On the horizon come hard choices, including selloffs and layoffs. As creditors start to collect, some businesses may not meet their payroll. Many companies may liquidate office equipment and even physical facilities. Despite the improving economy, some businesses may fail. Strangely, some of these failures may come as a result of the increased economic activity.

Wise use of funds from PPP loans may buy time. These loans have flexible terms, allowing many businesses to play catch-up as the economy normalizes. Fortunately for all of us, this experiment in pausing the economy does show many signs of success. News reports indicate we are off to a stellar year.

As we all get back to work, business owners and those they pay should buckle down on strategies for settling economic scores. We have all compromised during the Pandemic over the past year. Educated payment and debt practices ensure the survival of all economic participants. As we get through the last few months of these restrictions, Veteran Business Owners should carefully ponder strategies to step up business while communicating with those who’ve patiently waited for payment.

VAMBOA, the Veterans and Military Business Owners Association hopes that this mini-series on “Strategic Planning” has been valuable.   We work hard to bring you important, positive, helpful, and timely information and are the “go to” online venue for Veteran and Military Business Owners.  VAMBOA is a non-profit trade association.   We do not charge members any dues or fees and members can also use our seal on their collateral and website.   If you are not yet a member, you can register here:

https://vamboa.org/member-registration/

We also invite you to check us out on social media too.

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/vamboa

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/VAMBOA

Don’t forget that VAMBOA members receive significant discounts on technology needs.   Check them out here:

https://vamboa.org/dell-technologies/