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As a small business owner, it is necessary to make financial projections to give an accurate sense of what the future looks like. Year-end financial projections for the year ahead are crucial towards making better decisions and keeping your small business in check. These financial projections should be based on your small business's accounting data, such as expenses and cash flow. Using this information can help you better guide your company in a goal-oriented manner during 2014. Read on for some types of financial projections that could aid your small business.

Do you need to make changes to your products' prices, in order to adjust your small business's bottom line? Many entrepreneurs are hesitant to do this because they are afraid of alienating their current customers. The success of your pricing policy depends on how the policy is implemented. Part of this means timing the pricing change carefully, and predicting your competitors' reactions to the pricing change.

However, the budget deal forged at the end of the year provided confidence that there would not be another hurtful showdown in the near future. As the year progressed, we saw record gains by the stock market and a rebound in the real estate market across the nation. The unemployment rate has been dropping steadily and is hovering around 7 percent, far from the nearly10 percent unemployment rates during 2009 and 2010. Further, interest rates for small business borrowers are still low, and banks are beginning to lend again, although not yet at pre-recession levels. 

The reasons for the big bank pullback, Arora says, are three-fold. First, big banks have more challenging underwriting standards and they may be waiting for 2013 tax returns from businesses. The harsh winter has also wrought havoc on business sales as customers stayed home and businesses themselves pulled in and perhaps sought fewer loans. Lastly, Arora says, banks haven't done a good job automating their loan processes, so it slows down their loan approvals

Podcasting is an inexpensive way to effectively reach and build your small business's customer base. But maybe you've never recorded yourself before, and what would you even say? Should you go ahead and try anyway? Podcasting is cost-effective and simple. Read on for more tips to start podcasting for your small business today.

People often ask me how to get a loan to start a business, or what type of documentation is needed to apply for a small business loan.  Although every bank has its own requirements, many documents are mandatory across lenders. Before applying, here are the basic small business loan requirements to keep in mind.

As America honors its fallen soldiers this weekend, the country also recognizes the contributions of its returning veterans. They often face challenges such as permanent injury or a return to civilian life that can be difficult after years of serving in the military.

A Biz2Credit study earlier this year listed the Portland, Oregon, area as having the second-highest average revenue in the U.S. for businesses with fewer than 250 employees or under $10 million average revenue.