Research and development is constantly happening in businesses, across many industries. While R&D may be associated with pharmaceuticals and big science experiments, your own business may be more involved in it than you think — which means you may already qualify for R&D tax credits.

According to Tiffany Bisconer, director of Acena Consulting, any business that’s making products or processes better, faster or cheaper could be eligible to claim R&D tax credits. These credits are an under-utilized resource because R&D can be such a natural part of staying competitive.

However, if you start identifying your eligible business activities today, you could be putting your revenue to better use. This summary of Tiffany’s talk, “R&D Tax Credits: What you need to know,” will show you how.

Most of us probably didn’t anticipate a global pandemic as the next obstacle in our paths, but in situations like these, success is often measured by how well we’re able to overcome the roadblocks in our path. The strategies you choose and the actions you take can help your business come out stronger than it ever was before.

On September 17, we invited Robin S. Reed, principal partner at EmFluent, to present “The 5 A's For Overcoming Obstacles In Business.” From his webinar, you’ll learn about the steps you need to take to survive, no matter what challenges you’re faced with.

Customers are spending more time online than ever, and as a business owner, you need to be where your customers are. If you haven’t already, you need to start implementing digital marketing tactics to amplify your brand and lead your industry.

On September 16, we invited Ryan Knoll — founder of house cleaning service Tidy Casa — to present his key “Marketing Ideas to Implement Today.” Ryan has over a decade of experience leading search engine optimization (SEO) initiatives.

Keep reading for his three key marketing strategies and how you can put them into action.

Money may seem like the most important business need around, but without a great financial strategy, all the money in the world won’t be enough.

On September 15, we invited Stephanie Sims, founder of Finance-Ability, to help you understand where your money is actually going and what you can do to grow. Get the tips from her helpful webinar, “Stop the Money Madness."

The details are in the data. Visit Mesa, along with their marketing agency, HAPI, will lead an introduction to understanding your data and teach easy ways to track insights that will help you target your desired market more effectively. Learn how to set up weekly reports on Google Analytics Facebook and Instagram Insights and, more importantly, digest the data that matters most to you.

 The best business decisions are informed ones. This session will present the following:  

•        Understanding how traffic flows to your site 

•        Consumer behavior acquisition

•        Discover your highest performing pages online and how to maintain growth 

•        Get the latest trends in online behavior  

•        Optimize your marketing based on real time data  How to build your content online to match popular search terms

The COVID-19 crisis has been particularly hard on small and medium businesses. In this interactive lab, learn how to use Facebook and Instagram in new ways to reach customers during and beyond the COVID-19 crisis — both locally and from afar. We'll share examples of how other SMBs are using social media and creativity to reach customers and drive revenue.   

  You’ll learn how to:     Increase your social media following & bottom line through Facebook, Instagram, and user-generated content , get rights to your top-performing UGC to drive more purchases to your digital store , leverage your partners to get more exposure , use low-cost marketing ideas like Instagram & Facebook live to build an audience & build loyal customers.

When your customers understand your brand, your business is more likely to stick in their heads. Your brand is essential for helping you stand out. When your brand has a clear purpose, you get more than awareness — you get customer loyalty, too.

According to Robin Bramman — founder of Brandtini (a brand agency and academy) and chief operating officer of CO+HOOTS — great branding starts with creating context and clarity. In her September 10 webinar, “How to Build a Purpose Driven Brand that Sparks Loyalty,” she provides the knowledge you need to begin an effective branding process today.

Collaborators and quality leads won’t just come to you on their own. If you want to build connections in your area, you need to network — and always do so with intention.

Even with more businesses online than ever, networking remains an incredibly important tool for growing your business. You are no longer limited to meeting people in-person, with the internet around, so you can start growing your business through networking at literally any time.

On September 9, we invited professional speaker Tisha Marie Pelletier — who is also a business mentor, brand builder and the chief experience officer (CEO) of Tisha Marie Enterprises — to provide her key tips for making every networking opportunity count.

Read our summary of her talk, “Purposeful Networking: Tips to Build & Boost Your Biz,” below.

When you own a local business, you need to get familiar with Google. This search engine is the go-to resource for local shoppers who are seeking your products or services—and even better, shoppers who are ready to buy within one day.

Making sure your brand shows up on Google and Google Maps searches first requires you to get on Google My Business (GMB) and optimize your listing.

Stephanie Erickson—an SEO professional and the owner of Erickson Built—will guide you through “How to Optimize Your GMB Listing & Outrank Your Competition,” one step at a time.

Searches take place every single second from all over the world. When COVID-19 rose, it brought with it an even deeper dive into the digital space.

There’s no more turning back from digital marketing for any business these days. That’s why we invited Kris Jonson — owner of digital ad agency Upward Haus and co-founder MTBBOXX, a subscription service for mountain bikers — to help you dive into the world of online promotions the right way.

Read below for tips from his September 4 talk, “Small business digital strategies for a post-pandemic America.