You’ve heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but that isn’t the only good thing morning has going for it. Establishing a morning routine helps you get your day started off right. It also helps set the tone for the remainder of the day. Highly successful entrepreneurs and businessmen and women around the world follow this advice. While their routines don’t look the same, there are some similarities between many of them. These 7 morning routine tips can help you have a more productive day:

Make getting dressed easy

There are a couple of strategies that you can follow to make getting dressed a breeze. For example, Mark Zuckerberg decided to stop wasting time on getting dressed every morning. He wears basically the same outfit every day. This eliminates the decision making progress. He knows what he is going to wear and can get dressed without wasting time thinking about it.

If the thought of wearing the same thing every day is more than you can handle, choose your clothes at night. Layout every article of clothing you are going to wear down to the accessories. In the morning you can simply shower and put your clothes on. Make yourself stick to it.

Exercise

There are many benefits to exercising, especially in the morning. Making this part of your morning routine can help boost your mood throughout the remainder of the day. Here are a few of the benefits of adding exercise to your morning routine:

Get up at the same time everyday

Wake up at the same time every day, even on the weekend. It’s hard to stick to a morning routine if you wake up whenever you feel like it. Doing so also allows you to follow through on the rest of your morning routine.  While you’re at it, avoid hitting the snooze button.  Set your alarm for the time you want to wake up and then actually get up at that time. Those extra five minute increments between obnoxious buzzing does not make you feel better in the long run.

Have a written plan

Plan your day out the night before. This lets you know exactly what you have coming in the morning. It will also help you to stick to the schedule and waste less time on indecision. You will wake up with an instant sense of direction, knowing exactly what you need to be doing. It will be easier to make purposeful decisions during the day. You can even carry a routine through many other parts of your day. For example, set aside a certain time each day for checking email. Or, keep only the afternoons open for meetings and do not spend the first part of your day sitting and listening to others.

Avoid grabbing your phone first thing

Smart phones have given us easy access to our emails and social media accounts. Many people instantly grab for their phone as soon as their eyes pop open. They are then checking their emails before their feet even hit the floor. When you do that you are putting other people’s to-do list at the top of your priorities for the day. When you start responding to their questions or concerns you can easily find that you have lost most of your morning and been distracted from the things that were on your to-do list.

Ashton Kutcher found this to be a problem, so he simply stopped checking his email in the morning, and you can do. Avoid checking it until you have accomplished the things that you wanted to in the morning. Make it through your morning routine and cross the most important things off your list before turning your attention to the demands of others.

Spend some time with family

Spending time with those we love does wonders for our attitude. There is a lot of information about the importance of sitting around the dinner table as a family together, but the same can be said for breakfast. Elon Musk devotes part of his morning routine to helping his children prepare for their day. Plan time to talk with your spouse and children in the morning. Eat breakfast together, pack lunches together, or drive to school and work together. Make your family a priority because they are the ones you are coming home to at the end of the day.

Go to bed at the same time

A good morning routine actually starts at night. In fact, Michael Hyatt is just as particular about his evening routine. He always tries to be in bed at the same time each night. To make this happens he has a routine of when he starts to wind down for the day. Going to sleep at the same time every day helps your body get used to your sleep schedule, making it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep. Getting enough rest overnight makes it easier to get up in the morning without needing to drag yourself out of bed.

There is no argument that a morning routine will help you get your day started right. However, what you include with your morning routine is up to you. Try out a few things and don’t be afraid to make a change if it isn’t working. Whether you wake up at 4 am or 11 am, a routine can make all the difference.

 

Black Friday is the best day of the year for some consumers. They look forward to hitting the stores in the early morning hours after Thanksgiving draws to a close. One of their favorite parts of Thanksgiving is scouring the ads that have been released to create their plan of attack. There are great deals to be had at many stores. On the other hand, though, Black Friday creates a challenge for many businesses. Owners are forced to determine if they should close for the day or take part in the craziness of the day. There are pros and cons for opening on Black Friday, so think carefully before deciding.

Pros of opening on Black Friday

  1. You can take advantage of the shared advertising

People everywhere know about Black Friday. They purposely watch for and inquire about what deals are being offered where. People are out and about hitting the stores on Friday, so why not be one of the stores that are open for them to stop in to. Word spreads quickly about where the deals are, so come up with something interesting and you will be able to draw a lot of attention from the sale buzz that is flying around.

  1. People are willing to try new things on Black Friday

Consumers love getting a deal so much that they will buy things they have never purchased before, and even things they don’t need, in order to save money. And, they will be excited about doing it. That means your small business can take advantage of pulling in new clients and convincing them to give your product or services a shot.

This can also be a way to expand your market and gain customers that might not have found you otherwise.

  1. You can move products and clear your shelves

Black Friday is a great day to move out your old products. Consumers are looking for deals. If you run a good sale it is a great way to move out the old product without ending up having to count it as a loss. After all, the entire point of Black Friday is to help businesses keep their bottom line in the black.

Cons of opening on Black Friday

  1. Consumers are looking for a steal

There are a lot of consumers out shopping, but they are looking to score the best deal. They aren’t interested in buying products at the same price that they could get on a normal sale. If you choose the wrong sale to highlight on Black Friday you could end up with no shoppers coming to your store, or not making enough profit because you lowered the price too much.

  1. Intense competition

Competition is good for business, but maybe not the type of competition that you find on Black Friday. On this day shoppers are looking for the best deal, not just any deal. They are comparing prices between multiple stores, something many shoppers don’t typically do. That means if another store trumps your sale you could end up paying your staff to man your store and wind up with little to no activity.

  1. Your staff might not be open to the idea

If you are going to open on Black Friday you need to be prepared and have the proper staff to run your business. With an extra rush of shoppers, you will want to be ready with a store full of employees to help keep shelves stocked, answer questions, and to provide your shoppers with a smooth checkout experience. If your staff hates the idea of working the day after Thanksgiving when they used to have it off think carefully about deciding what to do. If you have great employees sometimes it is better for your bottom line to reward them for their work, then to push them over the edge with a busy work day.

Decision Time

There is no standard right or wrong answer to opening or closing on Black Friday.  With extra shoppers hitting the stores you could have a great day of sales. But, with additional competition and rock-bottom prices you might struggle to make a profit. The choice is really yours.

If you decide to close on Black Friday remember that there are still a couple other options for you. If you own an e-commerce business you can take advantage of Cyber Monday. This is always the Monday after Black Friday. Or, if you are a small business with a storefront you can run a special for Small Business Saturday. This is the day after Black Friday. Determine what will work the best for your business.

 

Today we celebrate the 62nd anniversary of Disneyland opening. When you think of Walt Disney it’s hard to think of anything but success. The man is responsible for dreaming up and setting in motion the vast empire that is Disneyland and Disney World. The company has spread to having parks in other companies and wild success within the TV, movie, and merchandising industries. You may feel discouraged by hearing about the wild success of another business, especially if yours is struggling to have the working capital it needs. But, Disney experienced many of the same obstacles as you, and possibly even more than you.

Overcoming Obstacles

Disney faced obstacle after obstacle while trying to find success in business. If you think you have it bad take a look at this:

Does any of this sound familiar to you? It’s easy to hear the success of a business person, and think that everything must have come easily to them. But, that isn’t usually the truth. In spite of opposition, Walt Disney rose to the challenge and found success that is unmatched in many ways. Here are some lessons you can take away as a small business owner:

Pursue Your Dream

“If you dream it, you can do it.” – Walt Disney

Everything that Walt has created, and much of what has been created since his death, was built upon his wild imagination. He dared to dream of something outside of what people knew and understood and it paid off for him. If he had listened to all the naysayers along the way can you only imagine what wouldn’t have been created, including the happiest place on earth.

Every time you think of quitting at your dream to start, or grow, your small business remember Disneyland and Walt Disney. Do not listen to those that say you can’t achieve what you are setting out to do and don’t let opposition stop you. Pursue your dreams in your business and don’t let what others think is realistic stop you from achieving greatness.

Sometimes You Have to Make it Happen

“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” – Walt Disney

You can talk until you are blue in the face about what you want to do and what your business plans are, but without action, none of it matters. It can be overwhelming to get started sometimes, but the only way to do it is to start taking action. For example, Walt Disney could not obtain the working capital he needed to start the construction of Disneyland. In fact, he was even told that it wouldn’t be possible. Did he let that stop him? Nope, instead he got creative and thought outside of the box.

Instead of obtaining working capital from a traditional source, Walt ventured into television, which was heavily discouraged by those in the movie business. However, it was just what he needed to build Disneyland. If you are trying to obtain the working capital that you need, maybe you need to start thinking outside of the box.

If at First You Don’t Succeed… Do it Again

Walt Disney didn’t find instant success in pretty much anything that he did, but he kept on going. Here are just a few problems that Disneyland encountered on opening day:

Does that sound like the “happiest place on earth”? No. In fact, the Walt Disney Company considered July 17th “Black Sunday” after the bad press that they received from that day. But, did they get depressed and give up? Instead, they invited everyone back for a second day which went over much better. And, here we are 62 years later and we can see that Disneyland was just the start of something that became so much more.

Applying the Lessons to Your Business

It’s easy to think that you could never experience the success in your business that Walt had in his business, but you are only limited by your thinking. Take action today to find the resources that you need to grow your business. iBusiness Funding can help you find the working capital that you need to achieve your dreams within your business. It’s as simple as – stop talking and start doing by filling out the online form today.

Walt Disney once said, “All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me… You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.”

Today we celebrate the International Day of Happiness along with people from 160 countries around the world. It was started by the United Nations and celebrated for the first time in 2013. Small business owners tend to allow the success of their business to determine their level of happiness. However, this is not where happiness should come from. Happiness does not come from your financial situation, but you can your finances to spread happiness to others. Whether your business is booming or you need working capital with no credit check, you can spread happiness at work today.

What is The International Day of Happiness?

The International Day of Happiness was established by the UN in an effort to shift the focus of progress from economic success to making people happy. Studies have found that even as our financial success and status in society improves our level of happiness does not. Therefore, our happiness is unrelated to our success. Instead, they recommend doing these 10 things to be happy:

  1. Do things for others
  2. Connect with people
  3. Take care of your body
  4. Life life mindfully
  5. Keep learning new things
  6. Have goals to look forward to
  7. Find ways to bounce back
  8. Look for what’s good
  9. Be comfortable with who you are
  10. Be part of something bigger

How to Spread Happiness at Work

There are an endless amount of ways that you can spread happiness as a small business owner, but here are 5 ideas to get you thinking:

1. Do the Little Things

“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted” – Aesop

The small things can go a long way at work. Most small business owners think that their employees are motivated only by financial incentives, like pay raises and bonuses. Wrong. There have been many studies that have proven that different people are motivated by different things. Studies have also found that financial incentives are one of the lower motivators. Employees do however, love the small things. As a small business try things like the following to spread happiness at work:

2. Pay for Training

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” -Chinese Proverbs

Helping your employees further their education and better their lives increases how happy they are. People love when others believe in them enough to invest in them and their future. Investing in your employees will not only make them happier, it will help your business. Whether you have an abundant budget or need working capital with no credit check, you can use some of the funds to provide your employees with training.

3. Celebrate the Small Victories

Celebration is a “tool that can leverage big and small wins and keep you and your team focused and motivated during the not-so-good times.” – Frank Gruber in the book Startup Mixology

One way small business owners can make employees happy is to celebrate the small victories with them. Companies need to have big goals, but there are smaller victories along the way and they should be celebrated. Look for reasons to compliment your employees. Find things they are doing right and make a big deal out of it. If your employees work together to achieve a small goal bring in pizza or ice cream or another treat that is popular in your area.

4. Find a Way to Volunteer Together

“Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more.” – H. Jackson Brown Jr.

Everyone has heard that giving is better than receiving, and it’s true. Gather your employees together and take a vote on a way to serve your community. Many businesses collect donations for certain causes, but take your employees one step further. If you collect donations allow your employees to go and be a part of dispersing and delivering them. Allow them to see the people they are helping. Or, pick a volunteer opportunity where you can all go and serve together. Not only will this help others, it will make your employees happier and bring them together as a team.

5. Help Your Employees Set Fulfilling Goals

“A wise person knows which goals are ultimately fulfilling and which offer only the illusion of fulfillment.” -Robert Emmons

Small business owners set goals and then ask their employees to work to achieve those goals. While, this is necessary to grow your business it is also important to help your employees set fulfilling goals. Encourage your employees to set goals for themselves that they want to work to achieve within your company. It could be training in a certain area, coming up with a solution to a problem, or reducing errors in a department. The key is that the goal has to matter to the employee or it will not provide them with the same fulfillment and happiness.

Once the goals are set, look for ways to help your employees reach them. Can you provide training? Allow an entry-level employee the chance to interview for a management position? Maybe you have a book you can lend to your employee that would help educated them in an area. Helping your employees achieve their goals improves their level of happiness.

Bounce Back From Setbacks with working capital with no credit check

One of the keys to happiness is learning how to bounce back from setbacks. This usually hits home with most small business owners struggling with working capital. If you need funding and do not have a strong financial past, you can obtain working capital with no credit check. iBusiness Funding works to provide working capital that cannot be approved by traditional lenders. Qualification and approval is fast and easy. Complete the online form to celebrate the International Day of Happiness with working capital with no credit check to grow your business.

The 89th Oscars is here. This is the night that many in the film industry work for year after year. It is the chance to earn the ever coveted Oscar award. While the night is to celebrate the leaders in the film industry, there are many lessons the rest of us can learn from the evening. Small business owners can take this opportunity to learn how online working capital can help them grow their business.

How to Win at Business

People enjoy hearing whose name is called after, “And the winner is…”. However, for the majority of people, the answer doesn’t matter. The results of the Oscars will have no impact on their lives.  Therefore, small business owners can take advantage of this time to learn how to grow their business.

You Must Stand Out Among the Competition

There are countless individuals in the movie industry that would like to win at the Oscars. So, what’s the secret? The ones that win are the ones that stand out from the crowd. You can’t win when you are doing the same thing that everyone else is doing. You need to rise above the others and set yourself apart.

Choose what your business is going to rise to the top in. Are you going to have the best pricing or the best service? Will your quality be second to none? If you lack the working capital you need to stand out from your competitors, apply for online working capital with iBusiness Funding. Working capital can help you obtain the financing you need to purchase new equipment, ramp up your marketing efforts, or hire the sales force that you need to expand your market.

How You Present Your Business Matters

Those that have been nominated for an Academy Award put time and consideration into how they present themselves that night. They do not just show up in the clothes they prefer to wear on a daily basis. They invest money, sometimes a lot of money, into their attire and appearance for the evening.

How does your small business present itself? People want to do business with companies that are professional and show it. If you give hand written quotes to clients because you don’t have money to invest into the proper software, it is time to obtain additional capital. Businesses, even small businesses, should have a brand. You need to invest in a logo, website, business cards, and the tools and software that allow you to present your business in a professional light.

Newbies Can Win

Actors and actresses can win an Oscar from the start. They don’t need to be around for a certain amount of years or have met a certain amount of requirements. Julie Andrews is the perfect example. Her acting debut in Mary Poppins landed her an Academy Award. Or, Kevin Costner, who won an Oscar for Dances with Wolves, which was the first film he directed.

This is great news for entrepreneurs and small business owners. Small business owners can succeed in business even if they are just starting out. Do not become discouraged if there are competitors in your market that have been around longer than you. This does not correlate over to business success.

Don’t Give Up

While there are some people that were able to win on their first try, that is not the case for everyone. Many actors and actresses are nominated many times but don’t win, or don’t win every time. Meryl Streep is a big name when it comes to the Oscars. She has won 3 times, however, she has been nominated more than any other. She received 19 nominations. Katherine Hepburn was nominated 12 times and won 4 of those times. Jack Nicholson has won 3 of his 12 nominations.

Receiving a nomination for the Academy Awards is hard enough. Winning is something that only a handful of individuals are able to achieve over their lifetime. However, the important thing is to not give up. When you set a big goal for your business, even if you don’t hit it, you will be much closer than you were when you started.

How Do I Get Online Working Capital?

If you are ready to win with your business, consider obtaining online working capital. iBusiness Funding provides working capital that can be applied for online. The process is fast and simple. If your business has been turned down for a loan through traditional lenders, iBusiness Funding can help you win. We only have a few requirements and can provide you access to funds quickly.

Having the working capital you need, will help your business stand out from the competition. You can use the funds in the way that you need to help your business the most. Today is your day to start winning at business. Use our simple online form today.

During the month of February, we celebrate Black History Month. It is a time for America to come together and remember the history and struggle of African Americans from the past and celebrate their achievements. Studying the stories of these successful African American entrepreneurs can help motivate us to continue growing our own businesses and show how working capital can help you do just that.

Christina Carteaux Bannister (AKA: Madame Carteaux)

Back in the 1840’s, this woman was a highly successful hairdresser. In fact, she was so successful that she ran several salons around her local area. The funds that she earned from her salon enabled her to do many things. She was able to support her husband as he worked at being a painter. She also used her excess funds to support causes that she believed in. Madame Carteaux was active in the underground railroad and helped financially support the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts Regiment. Later in her life, she founded the Home for Aged and Colored Women, which is still in operation under a different name today.

Madame Carteaux ran several successful service businesses. Small business owners of service businesses can often run into a rough patch of not having enough capital to fund their business growth. If you are in this position right now, instead of continuing to struggle, apply for a working capital with iBusiness Funding.

Frederick Douglass Patterson

Mr. Patterson took over the C.R. Patterson and Sons CarriageCompany of Greenfield, Ohio when his father passed away. When he saw his first horseless carriage he realized that he needed to make changes within his company. In 1915 he finished manufacturing a Patterson-Greenfield two-door coupe. His automobile was coming out at the same time that Henry Ford was producing the Model T. There were some that thought Patterson’s design was better, however, there was one problem. Patterson could not compete with the Detroit assembly line. It wasn’t long before he changed to making school buses and trucks.

Small business manufacturers can struggle to have the funding they need to keep up with updates to manufacturing. iBusiness Funding can provide working capital that allows you the freedom to spend the money where your business needs it. We don’t limit you on how your spend your funds, so you have the ability to use it in the way that will help you expand your business.

Berry Good Jr.

When he was just 29 years old, Berry Good Jr. established Motown Records from an $800 family loan. The record company became an amazing success and worked with individuals like Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye. He focused on quality control, which paid off big in the end. By 1971 Motown Records had over 100 songs that reached the Top 10 and 31 #1 singles. When he sold the company in 1988 it was for an astounding $68 million.

Berry Good Jr. created a huge return on investment for himself from an $800 loan from his family. While it would be nice if all small business owners could receive funds from family or friends, it isn’t always realistic. The alternative working capital by iBusiness Funding allows small businesses who are turned down by other lenders a chance to obtain the working capital funds that they need.

Thomas Jennings

Mr. Jennings, a tailor, owned a successful clothing store located in New York City. He became the first African-American man to receive a patent in the United States. His patent was for, dry scouring, which was a dry-cleaning process he invented. He used his financial resources to fund antislavery causes.

If you have big dreams and ideas for your business but lack the funding to make it happen, consider obtaining a merchant cash advance.

Sarah E. Goode

Ms. Goode is credited with being the first African-American woman to receive a United States patent. She was a born into slavery but was freed after the Civil War. At that time she married a carpenter and they began running a success custom furniture company. The majority of their customers lived in homes with tight living quarters and Goode invented the foldaway bed to solve their dilemma.

This woman overcame much to earn her success. Being born into slavery gave her a start that would have stopped some, but she didn’t let her past stop her from building an incredible life and making her way into American history. If you are struggling with your business because you have a rough credit history, iBusiness Funding could be the answer you are looking for. We base our working capital approval from the business revenue and not from the owner’s personal credit score or past.

Working Capital from iBusiness Funding

If you are ready to grow your business, let us help. iBusiness Funding can provide you working capital through merchant cash advances. Our process is fast, simple, and a great alternative for those that cannot be approved with the strict requirements of traditional lenders. To apply you only need to have been in business for 6 months and have at least $10,000 in monthly revenue.

When you need working capital to grow your business, the faster you can get it the better it is. Traditional lenders can take months to approve a loan. At iBusiness Funding, we approve you within 24 hours and give you access to the funds within 3 days. So, if you are ready to grow your business, complete our online application to get started today.