Small Business Job Creation At 18 Year High According to Report

The National Federation of Independent Business issued a report on Thursday indicating that job creation among small businesses is increasing.  The report is a marker that businesses see significant business growth in the US and abroad.

The percentage of U.S. small business owners saying they planned to add to payrolls in July exceeded those with plans to cut jobs by 19 percentage points on a seasonally adjusted basis, the NFIB data showed. That is a 4-point increase from June and the strongest reading since December 1999. Sixty percent (60%) of owners said they were hiring or trying to hire, a 6-point increase from June.

Although businesses are looking to hire, it appears that having skilled employees remains an issue in creating a more robust economy.  Fifty-two percent (52%) of respondents said they had few or no qualified applicants for the positions they wanted to fill, according to the report. Around 35 percent of business owners said they could not fill jobs in July, a 5-point increase from the previous month and a 43-year record high on a quarterly basis.

Also an issue is the increase expenses associated with payroll.  Bill Dunkenberg, Chief Economist of NFIB states “The tight labor market is driving up costs for small employers.  More than a quarter of all owners reported raising wages in July, and the pressure was especially high in the construction industry.”

The report comes out at a time when the economy added 209,000 jobs in July while the unemployment rate fell to 4.3 percent, the lowest since March 2001, according to a government report Friday.

http://falconconsultingandmarketing.com/small-business-job-creation-18-year-high-according-report/

Google Has Dropped Instant Search

Google’s Instant Search feature which automatically prompts search results while you type a query has been removed as a feature.  The rationale behind Google’s decision is that search is now becoming mobile and as a result of this, there isn’t much of a need for it.  According to a spokesperson speaking to Search Engine Land, 

“We launched Google Instant back in 2010 with the goal to provide users with the information they need as quickly as possible, even as they typed their searches on desktop devices. Since then, many more of our searches happen on mobile, with very different input and interaction and screen constraints. With this in mind, we have decided to remove Google Instant, so we can focus on ways to make Search even faster and more fluid on all devices.”

Google Instant was a response to the fact that a lot of users are perceived as slow typers. On a desktop, Google’s search engine would help users by sending out text suggestions in the below the search field as well as constantly refresh the page as you type additional information.  Faced with the fact that more people are using mobile as well as having to manage two search engines, Google decided to end the feature.  Although the feature will be terminated,  you will still be able to get search suggestions while you type and you can click on those suggestions to see the results. This means that pages will not load unless you click on the search or press enter.

http://falconconsultingandmarketing.com/google-dropped-instant-search/

New Jersey & New York Are Top States for Small Business Loan Approvals

According to a new report by Biz2Credit, New Jersey and New York are ranked the top 2 States for the approval of small business loans.  Biz2Credit which identifies itself as a leading online lending marketplace for small business owners analyzed over 50,000 loans over a 12 month period.  During that period, 23.4 percent of loans in New Jersey were approved.

Rohit Arora, CEO of Biz2Credit attributes New Jersey’s top spot on several factors.  He states “New Jersey business owners have the unique combination of high average annual revenues and credit scores with a close proximity to two of America’s biggest cities. Despite being sandwiched in between New York and Philadelphia, New Jersey-based businesses have much lower overhead costs while still enjoying the benefits of a high volumes of traffic.”

New York came in second in the report with loan approvals of 19 percent.  “The high operating costs of running a business in New York City, which had the lion’s share of loan requests on our platform, had an adverse effect on entrepreneurs seeking funding.  Businesses in New York City, however, typically have higher revenues, credit scores and are in business longer, which bodes well during the application process.”

The Top 10 States by loan approvals are the following according to the report:

1. New Jersey (23.4%)

2. New York (19%)

3. Illinois (15%)

4. California (14.2%)

5. Pennsylvania (12.9%)

6. Florida (11.1%)

7. Georgia (10.2%)

8. Texas (10%)

9. Ohio (8.8%)

10. North Carolina (7.9%)

For small businesses seeking financing and are not aware of where to seek information there are several options.  Here are the most popular ways to get financing for your small business:

(1) S.B.A. Loans- The U.S. Small Business Administration

Government loans are generally offered through banks and credit unions that work with the Small Business Administration (SBA). The SBA is a U.S. government entity, with the motive of providing economic support for small businesses and entrepreneurs. The loans can be applied to a number of uses, such as:

Purchase of new equipment, machinery, parts, supplies and ancillary items

Financing leasehold improvements

Commercial mortgage on buildings

Refinance existing debt

Establishing a line of credit

(2)  Non bank entities-  Known more commonly as alternative financing, they provide financing that do not have the stricter loan requirements than a traditional bank.  The benefits of this type of financing is that you have a higher chance of approval, however the terms of the loan such as interest rates and overall payments terms will be higher than a bank loan.  More of these companies have been popping up and there are many opportunities to obtain financing through this avenue.  Kabbage which extends businesses a line of credit have spent millions of dollars in advertising to bring awareness of their product.

(3)  Crowdfunding-  Small business in this instance gives the principals of a company the opportunity to raise capital through the collective effort of a large group of individuals, as opposed to a single entity.

http://falconconsultingandmarketing.com/new-jersey-new-york-top-states-small-business-loan-approvals/

Bill Introduced In New York State To Alleviate Small Businesses on First-Time Regulatory Violations

Many small businesses are confused about certain regulatory regulations they need to comply with when they are opening up.  The average amount of money small businesses spend in order to stay compliant with regulations in the first year of operation is roughly $83,000.  Also on average, many businesses spend an estimate $12,000 a year in regulatory costs whether they be directly or indirect.  Those include workplace upgrades, daily work routine changes and attorney fees, as well as time taken away from other business tasks to understand regulations and meet with specialists.  A new bill has now been introduced to the New York State Assembly seeks to assist the over 380,000 small businesses in New York State by providing relief to small businesses from regulatory fines for first-time offenses. A business will still be fined and not exempt if  the offense impacts health, public safety, or the environment.

The bill introduced by Assemblyman John T. McDonald can be read here in full.  Its goal according to McDonald is “to find a meaningful way to help reduce the burden on small businesses and to hopefully foster a more productive relationship between the State and business owners.”

Mr. McDonald goes on to say:

“As a small business owner, I can tell you first-hand that between local, county, state and federal entities as well as the day-to-day happenings in a business, it is not easy at times to keep up with all of the rules and regulations, especially the number of new ones that change procedures and are issued on a regular basis. I have found at times that even in my role in government where I have a better vantage point than most, all of the new regulations are difficult to track and keep up with. It is virtually impossible to keep track of all regulatory changes that occur within the state of New York and I am someone who lives and breathes it every day.  It is not unreasonable to assume that a business owner just starting out can make a good faith effort to stay up to date on regulatory changes but make an honest mistake or have a new guideline escape his or her attention while keeping up with the demands of running a business. This is the reasoning behind introducing this legislation.”

There is definitely truth to his statements and this can help businesses navigate the rough terrain of opening up a small business and not having to worry about making mistakes that can potentially close them down before they are able to make a name for themselves.  There is tremendous support for this bill from the business community as well.  The Business Council of New York State has heavily supported the bill.  Lev Ginsburg, Director of Government Affairs for the Business Council intimated:

“In our heavily regulated state, it is crucial that small businesses be given the ability and knowledge necessary to comply completely with all government regulations and that the regulatory scheme of the state not simply act as a “gotcha” regime. This legislation would not only ensure reasonable regulatory enforcement practices but would also guarantee that businesses be provided with materials necessary to comply with all regulations into the future.” According to CNBC, New York is currently ranked 29th when comparing the top business states across the country, according to a 2016 survey.  Hopefully this will assist New York achieve a higher ranking in the future.

http://falconconsultingandmarketing.com/bill-introduced-new-york-state-alleviate-small-businesses-first-time-regulatory-violations/

U.S. Consumer Confidence Hits High Levels Not Seen Since 2000

U.S. consumer confidence rose to the highest levels it has seen in almost 17 years as Americans are continually growing more confident about the economy and job market, according to figures released by the Conference Board.  Consumer confidence which gives us an indication of how individuals make economic decisions and is a key indicator that the economy is expanding.   Consumer confidence rose to 125.9 in October which is the highest it has been since December of 2000 when the index hit 128.6.

Lynn Franco, Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board, said in a statement.

“The economic weight of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma pulled down the spirits of U.S. consumers in September, when the index was relatively flat. In October, “consumers’ assessment of current conditions improved.  This was boosted by the job market which had not received such favorable ratings since the summer of 2001.  The high level of confidence suggests the economy will continue to expand “at a solid pace” for the rest of 2017.”

The survey also showed that assessment of present day business conditions are upbeat.  “The percentage saying business conditions are “good” increased from 33.4 percent to 34.5 percent, while those saying business conditions are “bad” rose marginally from 13.2 percent to 13.5 percent. Consumers’ assessment of the job market was more upbeat. The percentage of consumers stating jobs are “plentiful” increased from 32.7 percent to 36.3 percent, while those claiming jobs are “hard to get” decreased slightly from 18.0 percent to 17.5 percent.”

Other significant tidbits from the report are that 22.2% percent of consumers said they expect better business conditions in next six months, up from 20.9 percent in September.  Buying plans of automobiles in the next six month are up with purchases of houses and appliances are down.

If you are interested in reaching your revenue and operational goals than Falcon Consulting & Marketing may be of assistance to your business.  We are a full service digital marketing agencyheadquartered in New York City providing companies with online marketing techniques such as Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Pay Per Click (PPC) and Online Reputation Management.  We also assist with day to day operational consulting.  We assist one client at time.

http://falconconsultingandmarketing.com/u-s-consumer-confidence-hits-high-levels-not-seen-since-2000/

What Doctors Should Look For in Hiring the Right SEO Company

The competition in the healthcare industry is competitive.  In order to be in the game with attaining new patients and maintaining communication with existing ones, physicians are now relying on digital marketing companies to assist with their marketing.  The problem is there are way too many marketers out there sending out unsolicited e-mails and phone calls to medical practices throughout the New York City region as well as nationally.  This has created a souring effect where decision-makers are reluctant to speak with SEO consultants.  Furthermore, this chilling effect leads to businesses making mistakes in hiring the correct SEO company.

Let’s face it, SEO is changing all the time, but having a focused SEO plan should remain a top priority for health care providers.  Search engine optimization is for many businesses the magic bullet that turns that can turn a struggling practice into a powerhouse. Having a strategy that enables you from being an unknown to a thought leader in the online universe should be a priority.   So how do you go about finding the right SEO agency for your type of practice? Here are a few things you should consider:

Digital marketing agencies can be as diversified as their clientele.  Some specialize and they believe that serves them best as they can narrow their knowledge and use less resources doing so.  For instance, some agencies just work with attorneys, home improvement contractors and dentists.  Others take in all comers initally and cater their business accordingly.  This means that agencies may start with working with all industries but vary it according to the types of businesses they have acquired as clients.  For example, at Falcon Consulting & Marketing we have catered our business towards working with small and medium sized businesses.   Some agencies work on only a specific area of SEO.  Such as content marketing, link-building or PPC.  At the end of the day, it really depends on what you are looking for in an agency.

Realistically what is the determining factors are what your business can afford with respect to online marketing as well as what you are looking to accomplish for you business.  For instance, you might want to get new patients quickly but you are not doing your paid advertising campaigns correctly.  It might be another instance where you are looking for more publicity in a highly specialized industry that may need investors in the future.  For the first company, you might want to look for a PPC company that has knowledge of your practice.  In the latter instance, you will be looking for an SEO specialist who can create content that will cater to your specific instructions leading to your end goals.

At the end of the day finding the correct SEO company takes more than taking the work of the person cold-calling your practice.  It should involve an aggressive position on your end with respect to making sure that the company you decide on is the right fit for you.  Picking your agency should involve multiple meetings where both parties should lay out their realistic expectations and commitments in achieving set goals. The key is to make sure there is a synergy between both parties and everyone understands your needs and whether the company you decide on is willing to put in the work according to what you have both agreed should be realistic goals.  Your SEO company should also fit well with your company culture and you should always feel pride in your choice of provider.

Call Us at Falcon Consulting & Marketing – A New York City SEO Services Company

Are you looking for a SEO company in the New York City region? We suggest you give us a call at Falcon Consulting & Marketing. As suggested in above we would like to go discuss with you whether we are the right fit for you practice.  We have worked with many industries and our track record is second to none.  Call us at 516-350-9531 for a free consultation.  We would love to see what we can do for you.

https://falconconsultingandmarketing.com/doctors-look-hiring-right-seo-company/

Google Home Service Ads Increase Number of Categories and Locales

Google Home Service ads, which allows businesses to advertise their business on Google and receive service requests directly from potential customers is expanding to new locations as well adding additional service categories for customers looking for service providers.  Google released the update in their small business blog.  For those unfamiliar with the service, when you run a Home Service ad, it will appear at the top of a Google Search results page when people search for the services you offer in your area. Potential customers have the ability to either call you or send you a message request by clicking on your ad.  You’ll get an email and notification from the Home Service ads mobile app when someone is interested in your service. You can then choose to accept, decline, or ask for more information about the lead.

Factors that affect your ranking include your proximity to potential customers’ locations, your review score, the number of review scores you receive, your responsiveness to consumer inquiries and requests, your business hours, and whether or whether there have been complaints with Google.

In order to become a Home Service provider, you must pass an extensive screening process.  Because of the strict qualifying criteria, there is a level of trust and prestige by becoming a provider.  The service has now been expanded and will be available in the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, Stockton, San Diego, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia.  Additionally there are new categories and services for customers under the product.  They are as follows:

• Plumber
• House Cleaner
• Locksmith
• Handyman
• Contractor
• Electrician
• General Contractor
• Painter
• Garage Door Pro
• Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC)
• Roadside assistance service
• Auto glass service

To become a Home Service Provider you can click here.  As the product becomes more successful, we expect it to expand further into the Northeast and into the New York City region.

https://falconconsultingandmarketing.com/google-home-service-ads-increase-number-categories-locales/