Education: AA Liberal Studies, Limestone University
Erica has been writing about small business finance and technology since 2008. She joined Merchant Maverick in 2018 and specializes in researching and reviewing business software, financial products, and other topics to help small businesses manage and grow their operations. Her expertise has been cited in MSN, Reader’s Digest, Vox, U.S. News & World Report, and Real Simple. She is a Certified ProAdvisor for QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Payroll, a graduate of Limestone University, and currently resides in Greenville, South Carolina.
One form of relief offered to small businesses is the Employee Retention Tax Credit. First introduced in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, this tax credit could be claimed by eligible employers on quarterly tax returns. This program was expanded by the Consolidated Appropriations Act signed into law in December 2020, making the credit accessible to more employers.
The SBA offers a variety of loan programs that vary according to business needs. Its flagship program is the 7(a) loan program, which offers loans for most general business purposes. However, it also offers special programs such as microloans and disaster loans. Find out more about SBA loans, including who qualifies.
QuickBooks Online is cloud-based accounting software. It has the complex accounting capabilities that small business owners need and supports numerous integrations. Quickbooks Online has a lot to offer in terms of features, accounting, and usability.
Wefunder is an equity crowdfunding platform for non-accredited investors and the biggest regulation crowdfunding platform. It is good for startups with exponential growth potential. However, keep in mind that Regulation Crowdfunding is legally complex.
Whether your nonprofit needs to raise funds, you want to throw the wedding of your dreams, or you need help with a family medical emergency, FundRazr is certainly worth a look. While not necessarily the place to raise millions of dollars for an innovative new startup (look to equity crowdfunding for that), it’s a great way to raise funds easily and for projects close to your heart.
A seasonal business isn’t without its risks and challenges, but if done right, can be rewarding and lucrative. You can get your business off the ground by doing your research, choosing the right business idea, and using the tools and resources available to you.
Invoice Ninja is well on its way to becoming one of the greats in the invoicing world. Invoice Ninja is also one of the few, if not the only, invoicing programs that offer a free, open-source version of its software. This version is locally-installed and can be customized to fit your unique business needs. If you don’t want to self-host your invoicing software, there is a cloud-based SaaS version of Invoice Ninja (which the majority of this review focuses on).
Currency Finance (formerly Currency Capital) is an alternative financing company that offers a platform to connect customers with third-party equipment loans and leases. Currency offers an impressive amount of equipment capital to new businesses, but its funding process can still drag out.
Business owners looking to save time on paying bills (or who want to move their accounts payable processes to the cloud where there is an electronic audit trail of all transfers) need to know about Bill.com. Accountants, as well, might be interested to learn how their colleagues are changing their practices for the better with Bill.com.
EquityNet is an equity crowdfunding platform connecting businesses to investors. EquityNet is definitely worth a closer look if equity crowdfunding fits into your grand plan. But keep in mind that equity crowdfunding is a trickier field to navigate than rewards crowdfunding.
Square Capital is an easy-to-understand, convenient loan product for Square borrowers. Although the fees can be a little expensive, they’re still generally comparable to or better than those of its competitors.
Patreon declares itself a crowdfunding platform for creators, as its platform allows creators to draw a steady, continuous income from The Crowd. This funding model makes Patreon particularly well-suited to creators of viral videos, online journalists, writers, and musicians.
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The vendors that appear on this list were chosen by subject matter experts on the basis of product quality, wide usage and availability, and positive reputation.
Merchant Maverick’s ratings are editorial in nature, and are not aggregated from user reviews. Each staff reviewer at Merchant Maverick is a subject matter expert with experience researching, testing, and evaluating small business software and services. The rating of this company or service is based on the author’s expert opinion and analysis of the product, and assessed and seconded by another subject matter expert on staff before publication. Merchant Maverick’s ratings are not influenced by affiliate partnerships.
Our unbiased reviews and content are supported in part by affiliate partnerships, and we adhere to strict guidelines to preserve editorial integrity. The editorial content on this page is not provided by any of the companies mentioned and has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are author’s alone.
