Getting Started with WooCommerce

WooCommerce is the most widely used e-commerce platform in the world, and it has completely transformed the way people can set up their own online stores. If you’re thinking about setting up your own e-commerce store, or you’re just considering using WooCommerce as an alternative to other e-commerce platforms, you might be wondering how exactly to get started with Woocommerce? This guide will answer those questions and more! In this guide we’ll show you some of the most popular ways that people use WooCommerce and help you decide which option works best for your business goals.

Is This Program Right For Your Small Business

WooCommerce is a free and open-source e-commerce plugin that can be integrated into WordPress. Once installed, it allows you to set up your own online store and start selling products from there. Whether you’re running a web design agency, selling handmade soaps from your kitchen, or making elaborate popsicles for summertime refreshment, this guide will teach you everything you need to know about the basics of setting up an online store using the popular Woocommerce platform.

Beginner’s Guide To E-Commerce

Woocommerce is the most popular, open-source and free e-commerce platform for selling anything online. Woocommerce provides a platform for you to set up your own store and start selling your products from all around the world. There are multiple features such as product options, stock levels and currencies that allow you to customize each of your items.

Different Ways to Shop Online

e-Commerce is a quick, efficient and effective way to buy or sell products online. If you are looking to do the latter, getting started with a platform such as Woocommerce can be just what you need to streamline your selling process. With so many options and tools available, it is tough to know where to start.

Where to Host Your Store

The first step is to choose a web hosting service that will allow you to run a WordPress site. There are many web hosting providers on the market, but some of the best ones for running a WordPress website are SiteGround and Bluehost. Next, install and configure your new host. You’ll need an FTP program like FileZilla to upload files from your local computer.

The next step is to install WordPress on your hosting account’s server space.

The Basics of Launching an Online Store

WooCommerce is a free and open-source WordPress plugin that allows anyone to sell things on the internet. The interface is incredibly user-friendly, even for those who don’t know how to use it. Starting an online store on WooCommerce can be done in just minutes.

Setting Up Payment Options

One of the first decisions you’ll need to make when setting up a new website is what type of payment option you would like to offer your customers. To manage credit card payments and save your customers from entering their bank details into your site, consider offering Paypal or Stripe.

Getting Help From Third Parties

Business owners often get help from third parties to get their businesses started. A third party can provide you with the advice and resources to bring your idea to life and grow it into a successful venture. Whether you need help on a specific task or want a partner to lead certain aspects of the business, there are plenty of professional services out there that can assist you.

Partner with United Funding Group

In these uncertain times, it’s more important than ever to have a reliable partner you can count on for funding, especially with a Startup business. United Funding Group has a long history of helping small businesses weather tough times. We offer a variety of funding options that can be tailored to your specific needs. So if you’re worried about how inflation will impact your business, give us a call. We’re here to help.

Contact UFG, Today!

United Funding Group provides funding for all types of businesses, regardless of industry. We provide merchant cash advances for many industries, including retail, service, restaurant, and real estate investment. Whether expanding your business or opening a new one, we can get you funded quickly and easily. Contact us today to learn more about merchant cash advances from United Funding Group, ufgfunding.com

How to start an e-commerce business on Shopify

If you’ve decided to start an e-commerce business, there are two ways you can go about it. You can go the traditional route of creating your own website or landing page and building your online storefront yourself. Or, you can use Shopify—an e-commerce platform that allows anyone to launch an online store in minutes and comes with a ton of great features to help you grow your business.

Step 1: Create an account with Shopify

To get started, you’ll need to sign up for a free trial account with Shopify by entering your email address. This trial will give you 14 days of access and won’t require any credit card information. When the trial is over, if you decide to upgrade to a paid plan, your monthly fees will depend on how many products are in your store. If there’s no limit, then it’s $29 per month plus $0.50 per product added or edited each month. If there’s a 500-item limit then it’s $29 per month plus $0.30 per product added or edited each month.

Step 2: Register your domain name

Once you’ve decided on a name for your website, it’s time to register a domain name. Most web hosting providers will allow you to add a domain name of your choice when signing up. If not, there are many registrars (such as GoDaddy) that make registering a domain name very easy and can even help with the process if need be. Make sure the name is available before proceeding!

Step 3: Choose your theme (templates)

Templates are pre-designed websites that use a specific layout. These can make the set up process for your store quicker, since you won’t have to design everything from scratch. There are tons of free and premium templates to choose from, with plenty of different features and customizability options.

The easiest way to figure out which templates you’re going to need is by taking a close look at what your products will be and how they’ll be displayed in the store.

Step 4: Start Selling Products

Now that you have all your products in a streamlined system, you’re ready for the next step: getting your product online and in front of customers! 

Start by selecting the Sell Online option from the sidebar. You’ll be prompted to enter the URL of your website or domain.

Step 5: Tracking Statistics

Setting up analytics will allow you to see how your site is performing. Google Analytics is a free and easy way of tracking how many people are visiting your website, which pages they’re viewing, how long they’re spending there, and where they’re coming from. You can even monitor the geographical breakdown of visitors and convert this data into new marketing strategies. Having these metrics at hand will allow you to improve your site with ease.

Step 6: Increase Sales with Marketing Techniques

This is the part of the process where you’ll want to let potential customers know about your product, who it’s for, and what makes it unique. There are a number of ways you can do this, such as, placing banner ads across different sites (like Facebook or Instagram) with links directing people back to your site. Create social media campaigns that feature products or deals. Promote these through sites like Twitter and Facebook. You could also create posts around things like shopping trends, bestsellers, or new arrivals so followers feel they’re getting value even if they don’t buy anything that day.

Partner with United Funding Group

In these uncertain times, it’s more important than ever to have a reliable partner you can count on for funding, especially with a Startup business. United Funding Group has a long history of helping small businesses weather tough times. We offer a variety of funding options that can be tailored to your specific needs. So if you’re worried about how inflation will impact your business, give us a call. We’re here to help.

Contact UFG, Today!

United Funding Group provides funding for all types of businesses, regardless of industry. We provide merchant cash advances for many industries, including retail, service, restaurant, and real estate investment. Whether expanding your business or opening a new one, we can get you funded quickly and easily. Contact us today to learn more about merchant cash advances from United Funding Group, ufgfunding.com

How to Make Your Seasonal Small Business Profitable Year-Round

Many small businesses have seasonal trends, where they get busier during certain times of the year and slow down during others. Many seasonal business owners end up having to shut down their operations completely when business is slow, not making any money at all when it’s time to take a break from the busy season and leaving lots of money on the table in the process. As long as you know what you’re doing, though, you can make your seasonal small business run year-round while still keeping profits high! Here’s how to make your seasonal small business profitable year-round.

The Pros of Starting a Seasonal Business

1. It is easier to set up because you don’t need much inventory, staff or room for storage. 2. With a seasonal business, if things go well with the seasons, then you have time during the off season for promotion and other projects. 3. You might make more money per day of work than a standard 9-to-5 job but not get paid as much per hour because of how long the days are. 

The Cons Of Starting a Seasonal Business

Running a seasonal business means you’ll have high revenues and then very low ones as time goes on. Plus, it’s not a good idea if you like working in the same place or need a constant stream of customers to keep your employees busy. 

Ways To Keep Your Off-Season Operating Profit At $0

Unfortunately, it is not possible for any business to operate for free. For seasonal businesses, many times what happens is that their expenses are higher than their revenue during the off season and they end up losing money. The way to avoid this problem is by looking at your revenue and costs over a long period of time.

Ways To Make Money During The Off-Season

There are a few ways that you can make money during the off-season. First, you can consider going online with your product and sell them on an ecommerce site like Etsy. This way, you don’t have to take time off during the low season for manufacturing, but can instead bring in revenue passively without too much extra work. Another option is adding a subscription service where customers can order new additions periodically throughout the year as they come up.

Partner with United Funding Group

In these uncertain times, it’s more important than ever to have a reliable partner you can count on for funding, especially with a Startup business. United Funding Group has a long history of helping small businesses weather tough times. We offer a variety of funding options that can be tailored to your specific needs. So if you’re worried about how inflation will impact your business, give us a call. We’re here to help.

Contact UFG, Today!

United Funding Group provides funding for all types of businesses, regardless of industry. We provide merchant cash advances for many industries, including retail, service, restaurant, and real estate investment. Whether expanding your business or opening a new one, we can get you funded quickly and easily. Contact us today to learn more about merchant cash advances from United Funding Group, ufgfunding.com

Beating the Annual No-Bookings Panic for Your Small Business

When October rolls around, many small business owners are in a panic about their Christmas or New Year’s bookings, thinking that they’re not going to get any at all, or that they won’t make as much money as last year. While this may be true for some people, it doesn’t have to be true for you! There are plenty of things you can do right now to be ready when the next peak booking season comes around so that you don’t suffer from annual no-bookings panic anymore.

Get inspired by restaurants that are beating the slump

Bars and restaurants are always suffering from a long, slow lull in business this time of year. The best way to beat it is to find creative ways to draw people into your establishment, by hosting events or specials they won’t find anywhere else. Offer wine tastings during lunch, offer brunch every day, and as soon as you get more traditional dinners available (during normal business hours), offer discounted meals that are higher quality than what’s typical on the menu.

Put yourself in their shoes

Most small business owners are excited about their new enterprises, so it’s tough to keep a no-bookings panic away. But one of the best ways to keep you from freaking out is to take a step back and identify what you can do. Put yourself in your customer’s shoes and look at your business from their perspective. Ask yourself what they would want, then implement these changes into your business! The most important thing is to stay positive and show that there’s always hope.

Identify what’s right with your restaurant

Think about what’s going well, and look into why. Perhaps you’re getting a lot of customer feedback on certain menu items, or maybe you’ve increased your advertising budget. Or maybe there’s a problem that you need to address–say, customer complaints that drinks taste watered down? Once you identify the positives and negatives, ask yourself how you can improve on those items to increase your sales.

Do research on how other businesses manage it

Do your research. Why do you think no one is booking? Is it a price issue? Competition in your niche? Location of your business? Is there any way to differentiate yourself from others in your industry so that people will choose you over them? Is there anything wrong with your service or product that customers need to know about before booking with you?

Focus on ways you can increase engagement

The best way to increase engagement is by encouraging your customers to give feedback on their experience with your company. This can be done through a survey at the end of their visit, or you could even set up a form on your website that asks them questions about their visit. In return, you could offer some sort of deal as an incentive. Another way to increase engagement is by setting up promotional deals and discounts. You can do this through social media, email or even in person if possible.

Work with local influencers to drive awareness

If you’re running a small business, getting exposure to your customers is one of the most important pieces of any marketing plan. This can be a tall order. If you don’t have as much money to spend on marketing as larger businesses, how do you get in front of your target audience? You might want to look into leveraging people who already have connections with your target audience and see if they will help out or offer advice on best practices.

Stay calm through these changes

Don’t let the lack of bookings deter you from your main goal.  Remember, you’re in this for the long haul. One year is a small percentage of how long it takes to build a business and make money as an entrepreneur, so don’t be too worried about one bad year in which you barely make any sales at all.

Partner with United Funding Group

In these uncertain times, it’s more important than ever to have a reliable partner you can count on for funding, especially with a Startup business. United Funding Group has a long history of helping small businesses weather tough times. We offer a variety of funding options that can be tailored to your specific needs. So if you’re worried about how inflation will impact your business, give us a call. We’re here to help.

Contact UFG, Today!

United Funding Group provides funding for all types of businesses, regardless of industry. We provide merchant cash advances for many industries, including retail, service, restaurant, and real estate investment. Whether expanding your business or opening a new one, we can get you funded quickly and easily. Contact us today to learn more about merchant cash advances from United Funding Group, ufgfunding.com

Dreaming of Starting Your Own Business? Here’s What to Expect!

Starting your own business can be one of the most exhilarating and terrifying experiences of your life, and that’s why many people are paralyzed by fear, unable to take the plunge. However, if you’re ready to start your own business, don’t let your fears hold you back! The truth is that starting your own business isn’t as scary as it seems, but it does require hard work and dedication. Follow these steps to learn what you can expect when you decide to start your own business!

This isn’t the easy road

Starting your own business isn’t for the faint of heart. It requires courage, perseverance, and dedication. The entrepreneurial road isn’t always a straight one either; there will be detours and failures but if you keep your head up, you’ll eventually reach your destination.

Failure happens, prepare yourself for it

Running a business is full of ups and downs. Being prepared for the tough times, will help keep you motivated during the good ones. We asked a business owner who has gone through it before, what they would tell their former selves if they could go back in time.

“Every entrepreneur, whether starting a business from scratch or growing one they inherited, will run into some bumps along the way. It’s inevitable–the question is how you get past them and continue moving forward when you feel like giving up.”

Are you ready for long hours and hard work?

So you’re dreaming of starting your own business. Congratulations, it can be a scary but incredibly rewarding experience. You might be thinking about how on earth you’re going to pull this off, and the fact that you’ll have no personal life because you’ll spend all your time at work. How can you balance being a new mom or dad with running your own business? Are you in school? Do you currently have a 9-5 job? There are so many factors that go into starting your own business, just don’t give up. Just be prepared. 

Have a vision, have an end goal in mind

The first step is finding your passion. What does this mean for you? It means really looking inside yourself and asking yourself: What would I love to do? Once you figure out what you want to do, make sure it aligns with your personality. If the idea of starting a business feels like the most exciting thing in the world and it meshes well with who you are, then go for it!

Plan out your start-up budget carefully

The start-up budget can vary significantly depending on a person’s needs and circumstances. One person may only need a few hundred dollars, while another might require a few thousand. When getting started, it is important to carefully plan out the start-up budget in order to avoid any financial setbacks later on. A great way for beginners to figure out how much money they need would be consulting with an accountant or CPA about their financials and creating projections for what their finances might look like in the future.

Don’t be afraid to ask others for help

One of the most important steps in starting your own business is building a support system. Get yourself on Facebook and LinkedIn so you can ask for advice and offer help when needed. Join groups or forums that talk about your area of expertise, join conferences or reach out to a mentor. Connect with an accountant, lawyer or other professionals who specialize in your industry, even if you don’t hire them initially.

Partner with United Funding Group

In these uncertain times, it’s more important than ever to have a reliable partner you can count on for funding, especially with a Startup business. United Funding Group has a long history of helping small businesses weather tough times. We offer a variety of funding options that can be tailored to your specific needs. So if you’re worried about how inflation will impact your business, give us a call. We’re here to help.

Contact UFG, Today!

United Funding Group provides funding for all types of businesses, regardless of industry. We provide merchant cash advances for many industries, including retail, service, restaurant, and real estate investment. Whether expanding your business or opening a new one, we can get you funded quickly and easily. Contact us today to learn more about merchant cash advances from United Funding Group, ufgfunding.com

Ready to Level Up? Here’s What You Need to Know

So you’ve got your business up and running and you’re doing really well, but there’s something missing… You’re ready to level up to the next level of your business, but you don’t know how or what to expect. Lucky for you, we have some insights on what it takes to go from a small business to an enterprise level, plus how this will change your business and what should be expected during the transition. Ready? Let’s get started.

Step 1: See Things Differently

If you feel like you’re hitting a plateau, it’s time to rethink how you see things. Don’t worry, it doesn’t take much. Step out of your comfort zone. The most successful people don’t limit themselves by what they’re comfortable with. They constantly push themselves to the next level in order to keep growing and expanding their knowledge. You never know when an opportunity will come along and when it does, you want to be ready for it!

Step 2: Become an Expert in Your Industry

Do your research. Read industry-relevant books, articles, and blogs. Network with people in the field who will share information and insights with you. Ask questions and show that you are a keen learner, willing to spend time gaining as much knowledge as possible.

Step 3: Build Relationships with Influencers

In this stage, it’s time to go out there and meet as many people in your industry as possible. Who knows what might happen! And hey, if you like the person you meet, send them a quick follow-up email with a personalized note just asking how they’re doing (you can even offer your assistance if needed). After all, without connections, why would anyone pay attention to what you have to say?

Step 5: Develop Killer Content

One of the newest tactics to help your business is social media. Some businesses have become social media rockstars. Companies invest time and money into creating great content to promote their business across all different social platforms.  That means quality, quantity, and being strategic. Quality is important because it ensures that your audience will continue to engage with you and not get bored of your posts.

Step 5: Become an Authority by Sharing Knowledge

Don’t underestimate the power of teaching what you know. Author or not, there are many ways for you to share your skills and teach your area of expertise to others. One of these ways is by putting together a book proposal and pitching it to publishers who would be a good fit for your work. Consider sharing tips on your social media platforms.  There are many other ways in which you can teach what you know and develop authority in your industry.

Step 6: Do the Hard Work First

By now, you should have a fairly decent idea of what you’re going to offer and how you want it packaged. Now is the time for an extensive marketing plan. Market research will give you valuable information about your target audience, their preferences, and how much they’ll be willing to spend on your product or service. Remember not all prospects are interested in doing business with your brand, so make sure that your marketing efforts are reaching out to them in ways that they’re most likely receptive to.

Step 7: Go on Tour

If you’re prepared and ready to take on the world, here are some ways you can get yourself and your products out there. Start by coming up with a plan, which should include where you want to visit, how often, what size audience you want to reach, what costs are involved, and how much space you’ll need. If you don’t want to go on a world tour yet, check out your city’s Pop up shops. You can be a vendor and showcase your products and business to the different areas across your state. 

Partner with United Funding Group

In these uncertain times, it’s more important than ever to have a reliable partner you can count on for funding, especially with a Startup business. United Funding Group has a long history of helping small businesses weather tough times. We offer a variety of funding options that can be tailored to your specific needs. So if you’re worried about how inflation will impact your business, give us a call. We’re here to help.

Contact UFG, Today!

United Funding Group provides funding for all types of businesses, regardless of industry. We provide merchant cash advances for many industries, including retail, service, restaurant, and real estate investment. Whether expanding your business or opening a new one, we can get you funded quickly and easily. Contact us today to learn more about merchant cash advances from United Funding Group, ufgfunding.com