WESST BLOG
WESST Named 2024 SBA New Mexico Microlender of the Year
We are thrilled to announce that WESST was named the winner of the 2024 SBA New Mexico Microlender of the Year award! Our Lending Team includes Sandro Tonini (VP of Lending), Melissa Williams (Loan Operations Officer), Teresa Rodriguez (Bilingual Loan Assistant), Adriana Martínez Guzmán (Special Programs Manager), and Humberto Hijar (Financial Capability Consultant). Their passion for service and tireless dedication to our clients is the reason we received this recognition. We are so proud of our amazing team and feel honored to receive this award! For over 60 years, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)…
Facebook Does it Again with Instant Personalization – Yet Another Privacy Setting Made Active by Default
“Privacy setting.” Ironically, those two words are an oxymoron when it comes to Facebook as it continues sharing more user information with third-party websites and requires us to opt out of these so-called enhanced social sharing features rather than opt in. The latest feature added to Facebook’s privacy settings is called Instant Personalization. It actually launched quietly in April of 2010, but Facebook began rolling it out the masses last week.
How to Spot, Avoid (And Deal With) Facebook Spam/Scams
Spam, scams and email phishing schemes seem to spreading like wildfire via Facebook lately. With more than 550 million users, it’s not surprising that fraudsters are targeting Facebook users. The potential payoff is huge. Since a lot of my Facebook friends have recently fallen victim, I thought it was a good time to write a blog post about how to spot some of these scams, deal with them if you’ve already been tricked, and avoid them in the future.
How to Remember Names
One of the best ways to make a personal and lasting connection with people you meet at networking meetings is to remember their name. Over the past several years, I have found that by taking the following simple steps, I have become much better at remembering people’s names:
5 Key Steps of Home-based Businesses, Part 5: Anchors Away!
During this five-part series, we looked at ways a small home-based business can make educated decisions in moving from start-up to mainstream. We’ve covered “Look Before Leaping,” “Ready, Set, Start Up,”Keep on Tracking,” and “Growing with Magic Beans.” Now, we’re ready for “Anchors Away” – taking that leap in moving the business from home to another location.
21 Ways to Overcome a Series of Sales Call Rejections
As every small business owner knows, a large percentage of their day is spent selling something — from initially convincing their family to support their plans to start a new business and, once started, selling their business idea to a lender to obtain a loan, or selling their products and services to prospective customers, and so on. Since the typical sales pipeline involves making a large number of presentations that result in only a few sales, the small business owner’s never-ending challenge is to stay motivated when facing so much rejection.
5 Key Steps of Home-Based Businesses, Part 4: Growing With Magic Beans
The fourth article in our five-part series, “5 Key Steps of Home-Based Businesses: Moving from Start-up to Mainstream” is “Growing with Magic Beans.” This step keeps the doors opened, so to speak, and the cash flowing. The “magic beans” required to grow your business through increased sales are marketing, networking and building a customer base.
5 Key Steps of Home-Based Business, Part 3: Keep on Tracking
The third part in our five-step series on home-based businesses, Keep on Tracking, focuses on the importance of staying on top of competition, products, services, operations, and record keeping. This is where entrepreneurs really need to take a step back and view their business with an objective eye (from customers’, accountant’s, and business advisors’ points of view). In essence, this is an analysis step.
5 Key Steps to a Home-based Business, Part 2: Ready, Set, Start Up
In order to compete effectively with competitors who may look better, provide more services, have a bigger marketing budget, etc., every detail should be examined in the home-based business, from image to quality of services. Things like branding, packaging or presentation, availability of product or service; and in general, good customer service (returning calls, following up, making good for any dissatisfaction, putting the customer first, etc.) should be worked out long before opening for business.
Why Small Businesses Should Take A Closer Look at SEO
In response to the severe credit meltdown and ensuing economic repercussions that have been felt across all sectors around the globe, many businesses – from large corporations to small companies – are dialing back their marketing budgets as part of their cost-cutting measures. As companies search for ways to spend their limited marketing resources more efficiently, more and more businesses are shifting their focus from traditional mass media spending to online media. Despite the weak economy, studies continue to show evidence of growth in the internet marketing industry. In uncertain times, one thing is certain: smart companies are relying more on inbound marketing strategies such as search engine optimization (SEO), pay per click advertising (PPC), and social media to save money and create revenues.
5 Key Steps of Home-Based Businesses, Part 1: Look Before Leaping
Starting a business is often like “feast or famine”. On one hand, there is the entrepreneur who has over-researched, planned, tested, borrowed, and sought out people “in the know” before making the big leap; on the other hand, there is the small business want-to-be who has done nothing but is ready to plunge just the same.
Public Relations Puts Your Business on the Map for Free
Across the country, traditional media (newspapers, magazines, television and radio) have cut resources to save money. Today’s reporters begin research online and you can help them by providing information they can access 24/7 on your website. In this article, Mary Ellen Merrigan shows you five sectors where you can start getting the word out about your business for free.
How to Stand Out on LinkedIn: 12 LinkedIn Tips for Job Seekers
Whether you’re looking for a job or looking for new clients, having a presence on LinkedIn means that people who are looking for someone with your experience will be able to find you. Knowing how to leverage LinkedIn to its full extent can help you connect with people who can make an introduction that might eventually lead to work. The key, of course, is knowing how to make the right connections.