How to Start a Business Right So, you’ve come up with a great business idea and you’re ready to take your industry by storm. What now? We have some answers that can help you take your idea and make it a success, starting with these four steps. 1. Sharpen the concepts When starting a business – as a record 3.4 million… Read More
10 Tips for Staying Productive at Home Working from home was once a rarity. But with strict social distancing measures imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of workers have traded in the office for the familiar sights of home. While ditching the morning commute is an undisputed benefit to remote work, there are also some drawbacks. For example, a lack of oversight… Read More
Finding Your Next Great Hire with the Blind Institute of Technology A company is nothing without the people that comprise it. That is why FirstBank fills its ranks with intelligent individuals with strong moral compasses, and prides itself in hiring and training a diverse employee population. This is at the center of the bank’s “people-first” mentality. Contrary to this philosophy is the inaccurate belief that employing… Read More
PB Americano: Spreading Happiness, One Jar of Peanut Butter At a Time As we continue to highlight some of FirstBank’s business banking customers that exemplify ‘banking for good’, let us introduce Peanut Butter Americano, a Phoenix-based natural peanut butter company. PB Americano first hit our radar as an entrant in 2018’s “20K Good Business Giveaway“, a video contest they would end up winning as Maricopa County’s grand… Read More
Knotty Tie: A Small Business Doing Big Things Last fall, FirstBank called out to businesses in Colorado and Arizona in hopes of identifying companies that embodied ‘banking for good’ in their own unique ways. The third iteration of FirstBank’s business contest, the $20K Good Business Giveaway, illuminated a bevy of worthy businesses that sought to do more than hit financial goals. Colorado’s grand… Read More
FirstBank is Helping Businesses get BIG (Again)… FirstBank values a healthy and mutually beneficial relationship with every customer. This rings especially true with local businesses, who strive to grow and help their communities at the same time. Here’s the thing: we want our customers to succeed, because their success becomes our success. Pretty simple philosophy, actually. This is one of the many… Read More
7 Things to Consider When Moving Your Business The typical timeline for commercial real estate transactions is roughly 60 days. However, if you’re planning to relocate your business or buy a new building, you’ve probably spent longer considering your decision. Moving a business is a significant financial investment and time commitment. So if you’re serious about relocating, do yourself a solid and leave… Read More
Start Small, Grow Big: What SBA Loans Can Do for Your Small Business Only one in ten small businesses will make it their 10 year anniversary. That means access to capital plays an important role in the viability of small companies everywhere — and our economic well-being. Simply put, we need small businesses to succeed, and we need to ensure they have the resources to do so. Fortunately,… Read More
5 Ways to Improve Your Company’s Cash Flow Is money flowing out of your business, faster than it’s coming in? Turns out, you’re not alone. According to the National Federation of Independent Business research, half of small businesses don’t hold enough cash for one month, while 25 percent of small businesses can’t even make it two weeks. While challenges vary from industry to… Read More
Workplace Culture: How to Get BIG Benefits Without a Big Budget You can think of culture as your company’s personality. Just as with personality, corporate culture impacts perceptions, both internally and externally. Sites like LinkedIn, Indeed, and Glassdoor make it so any conversation about your company can become public information. Point being, how your employees are treated, and the work environment you create, can positively or… Read More