Five Things To Know This Week:
1) 23 Apps That Increase Productivity
2) Small Business Loan Approvals Rise—Slightly
3) How to Lead Better Virtual Meetings
4) To Boldly Go Where No Man—or Telescope—Has Gone Before
5) Resource of the Week: New Jersey Business Action Center
Hello SBE Newsletter Readers,
This week’s newsletter is filled with ways to make you more productive. From 23 apps that will help increase productivity to tips on automating your tasks from Gordon Henry at Thryv, we remind you that “Time is the only currency that matters.” You can always generate more money, but no one has figured out how to generate more time.
Spend it wisely, and watch the time robbers!
Brian
Brian Moran, CEO
Small Business Edge
Brian Moran & Associates
brian@smallbusinessedge.com
23 Apps That Increase Productivity
Like most business owners, I’m always in search of tips, tools, and tactics that will increase my productivity. I work at home and have three dogs, so I’ve long searched for an app that provides ambient noise. There’s a great one included on this list of 23 best productivity apps from Fast Company.
There’s lots more to discover here, for smartphones and computers, for both Windows and Mac operating systems.
Learn more about increasing your productivity.
Small Business Loan Approvals Rise—Slightly
There’s some good news for small business owners looking for money. According to the latest Biz2Credit Small Business Lending Index™, loan approval rose ever so slightly in June from 15.3% to 15.4% at big banks and from 20.9% to 21.1% at small banks.
In addition, the report shows banks’ loan approvals have risen every month this year.
Alternative lenders’ loan approval rates also increased from May to June, while those at credit unions dipped from 20.6% to 20.5% in June.
Biz2Credit CEO Rohit Arora says, “While the cost of capital for small businesses is rising because most small business funding comes at variable rates, borrowers [who] need capital for growth…can find it at a variety of lending sources.”
Learn more about small business funding and the Biz2Credit Small Business Lending Index™.
How to Lead Better Virtual Meetings
Even though some of us have returned to the office full-time, many are running hybrid or virtual companies. And that means we’re still participating in numerous video conferences.
Leading a virtual meeting may sound easy, but it’s not that simple to focus on the task at hand while holding everyone’s attention.
This article in Harvard Business Review is written for new managers, but it has good advice for all business leaders.
Read more about leading better online meetings.
To Boldly Go Where No Man—or Telescope—Has Gone Before
Yes, I’m borrowing words from the opening of Star Trek. But, in case you missed it, last week, NASA released the first images from the James Webb Space Telescope—and they were truly breathtaking. The first picture released shows a galaxy cluster from 4.6 billion years ago. Another, which looks like agates floating in space, is informally known as the Southern Ring Nebula and is approximately 2,500 light-years away.
Learn more about these amazing pictures from NASA.
Small Business Resource: New Jersey Business Action Center (NJBAC)
The New Jersey Business Action Center (NJBAC) is a business advocacy team within the Department of State dedicated to solving problems and maximizing growth opportunities for NJ business owners.
The NJBAC can connect you with government agencies, direct you to appropriate officials, facilitate meetings and follow-ups with regulatory agencies, and so much more, all at no cost. And it’s all kept strictly confidential.
Whether you are an entrepreneur just getting started or a corporate executive looking to expand, the NJBAC can help you.
Learn more by calling 1-800-537-7397 or by going to their website.
Listen to my podcast with Gordon here.
