Articles by

djones

Over the last five years, point-of-sale technology has rapidly advanced. What once was a quarterly visit from multiple merchant companies trying to underbid each other’s rates has evolved into feature-rich integrated software solutions tied to your bank account. Companies like Stripe and Square offer a plethora of services to assist business owners, like mobile swipe […]

Do you shop online? I’m guessing that answer is yes (even though you might not want to admit just how often or how much you spend). You’re not alone, the post-pandemic reality is that most consumers have taken full advantage of online offerings for a number of reasons. As we all focus on where we […]

“A business plan is a document that defines in detail a company’s objectives and how it will achieve them,” according to the Business Plan: What It Is, What’s Included, and How To Write One article in Investopedia. There is no wrong way to write a business plan. The plan is your plan and should meet […]

Starting a business can be straightforward or more complex, depending on the size and nature of the business. Entrepreneurs opening a brick and mortar businesses have more steps to work through to get open. Securing a location, negotiating contracts, hiring employees, and obtaining financing takes time and energy. Smaller-scale businesses do not need many people, […]

It is that time of year! We are excited to share with you our “hot off the press” 2022 Annual Report! We have stayed true to the format from last year, including a letter from State Director Tiffany Ford, impacts and demographics information for the network as a whole, as well as for each center, short […]

Happy New Year, and welcome back (if you had a chance to get away for the holidays)! In 2022, we enjoyed sharing with you some of our network’s specialized and niche areas of expertise. To kick off this new year, we would like to refresh your memory on some of the core competencies and standard […]

Building a business plan typically requires thinking into four distinct areas: What am I selling, and why do people want to pay for it? (Value Proposition) Who are my target customers, and how many potential customers can I reach? (Market Research)? How do I provide my goods or services to my customers? (Operating Model) Looking […]

  The weeks between Thanksgiving and the festivities of the holiday season usually see a (slightly *wink*) slower pace in many of our offices. During this time, we can reflect on how grateful we are to have fantastic clients that trust us with their ideas, and for the support of our many partners. To date, […]

Shoppers, business owners, and civic leaders need to come together to support small businesses and the communities they help to thrive. We encourage you to “Shop Small” on Small Business Saturday, November 26, to Support North Dakota’s Locally-Owned Small Businesses! A special day is coming later this month – Saturday, November 26th is Small Business […]

Greetings from the North Dakota Small Business Development Network (ND SBDC, ND PTAC, and VBOC of the Dakotas!) With National Veterans Small Business Week only a few short weeks away (October 31-November 4), the North Dakota Small Business Development Network would like to take this time to highlight our commitment to veteran small business entrepreneurs. […]