You’ve invested countless long, hard hours in building a stable, profitable business with a bright future. But negative economic forces can strike at any time, destabilizing your finances and possibly even endangering the survival of your business. This is one of the main reasons it’s so important...

A year ago, a headline “The Recession of 2023 might surprise everyone” would have been prescient simply because it didn’t happen. On the contrary, last year showed surprising resilience and a pace of growth no one expected, despite forecasts of a slowdown or recession by most economists. 2023 was...

Commonly known as the Beige Book, this report is published eight times per year. Each Federal Reserve Bank gathers anecdotal information on current economic conditions in its District through reports from Bank and Branch directors and interviews with key business contacts, economists, market experts...

Banking partners you can count on to help you achieve growth goals “Business is booming in the Denver area despite increased interest rates and inflation”, said Michael Wamsganz, President and CEO of Citywide Banks, a division of HTLF Bank. He sees the impact of inflation on consumers more than...

Between costs like rent, inventory, and payroll, it can be hard for businesses to cover expenses. Even if you have enough cash on hand to fulfill your obligations, an unexpected cost could derail your operation. Could a business credit card help? High interest rates might make you hesitant to open...

Streamlining payments involves refining the management of money flowing in and out of your business. It could include reassessing your payment strategy or even upgrading your treasury management solutions. When done effectively, optimizing your payment processes may improve customer experiences...

The end of the year can be an ideal time to look back at the progress your company has made and celebrate the collective effort that helped you reach your goals in the past year. After all, a key way to boost morale is to recognize past successes. But at the same time, it’s also helpful to start...

Anybody can make money in a thriving economy—but can they maintain profits during an economic downturn? As a small business owner, worries of an economic downturn might keep you up at night. Do you have enough cash on hand to cover your bills? Will next quarter’s product launch fall short of...

Cash flow management is crucial for the success of your small business. By understanding your inflows and outflows and anticipating common cash flow pitfalls, you can leverage best practices and make better-informed, data-driven business decisions. As a small business owner trying to survive these...

Small business owners can’t overlook their fraud prevention strategies. The extra cash you might save from cutting corners isn’t worth the money you could lose to scams and hackers. Ensure your employees are well-versed on all the latest techniques cybercriminals use to obtain corporate money and...

In an ever-changing landscape, fraud continues to be a growing threat for most businesses. With 65% of companies reporting fraud attacks 1, it’s clear fraudsters are becoming more sophisticated causing devastation to their victim’s bottom line and operations. Now is the time to safeguard your...

Don’t let fraud prevention fall by the wayside. To survive in a world full of scammers and thieves, small businesses must take cybersecurity and check fraud seriously. Never trust a suspicious check, and don’t hesitate to request an alternative payment. Utilizing check payments to pay your vendors...