What do Pat Riley and your small business have in common? More than you think.

The legendary NBA coach is set to make over $1 million just because he trademarked the phrase “three-peat”—way back in 1989. Fast forward to today, and if the Kansas City Chiefs win their third straight Super Bowl, Riley gets a cut of every piece of merch that dares to use the phrase.

Lesson? Protecting your intellectual property (IP) is like playing defense for your business—it keeps others from cashing in on your hard work.

Why Should You Care About IP?

As a small business owner, you’re constantly creating—brand names, slogans, product ideas, content, and more. But here’s the cold, hard truth: If you don’t lock it down legally, someone else will. And trust me, there’s nothing worse than seeing another company profit off something you built from scratch.

This isn’t just a problem for massive corporations or celebrities—small businesses face it all the time. Imagine spending years building a brand, ...

 Tax season: the one time of year when even the most organized business owner starts sweating bullets. If you're a small business owner, you know the drill—digging through piles of receipts, scrambling to meet deadlines, and praying to the IRS gods that you didn’t miss something critical. But let’s be real: tax season doesn't have to feel like a financial horror movie. With a little prep and some smart strategies, you can breeze through it like a pro.  

Here’s your no-BS guide to surviving tax season without losing your sanity (or getting a nasty surprise from Uncle Sam).  

Get Your Books in Order (Like, Yesterday)  

If you’re still stuffing receipts into a shoebox or tracking expenses on a cocktail napkin, we need to talk. Proper bookkeeping isn’t just about making tax time easier—it’s about knowing where your money is going before it’s too late to fix mistakes.  

What to do now:  

✅ Reconcile your bank accounts and credit card statements  

✅ Categorize expenses properly (Hin...

 Running a business without a funding backup plan is like skydiving without a reserve parachute—sure, it’s fine… until it’s not.  

This recent SBA loan freeze? Yeah, that’s the universe smacking business owners in the face, reminding them that relying on a single funding source is a terrible idea. If you don’t have a plan B (or C), your business is one “Sorry, we’re out of funds” email away from financial chaos.  

So, let’s talk about how to bulletproof your business against funding disasters. Because hoping for the best without planning for the worst? That’s how businesses go under.  

Why You Need a Backup Plan (And No, "Hoping for the Best" Doesn’t Count)  

Most business owners think they’ll always have access to capital when they need it. But reality has a way of proving otherwise.  

🔴 Banks can reject your loan application.  

🔴 Credit lines can get slashed overnight.  

🔴 Government-backed programs (like SBA loans) can freeze up without warning.  

If any of these happen, ...

Hold onto your coffee, business owners—things just got interesting in the world of SBA funding. ☕

On January 27, 2025, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) dropped a memo announcing a temporary pause on all federal financial assistance programs, including SBA loans. Yep, that’s right—your funding may be on hold while the government hits the brakes to realign with its new priorities.

Here’s the scoop on what’s happening, why it matters, and how Credit Banc is stepping in to save the day. ⬇️

What’s Going On?

Let’s break this down without the government-speak. Starting January 28, 2025, at 5:00 PM, federal agencies are hitting “pause” on disbursing funds for grants, loans, and other financial assistance programs. This includes SBA loans, which means if you’re mid-application or waiting on funding, you might be stuck in limbo for a bit.

Why? The administration wants to review how these programs align with their priorities. Think of it as a government “audit” to reshuffle the d...

When you hear “supplier,” do you picture someone who just delivers what you order and sends a bill? 

That’s a vendor—a transactional relationship that doesn’t do much for your bottom line. 

But a partner? That’s a game-changer. Partners are suppliers who are invested in your success, offering support, flexibility, and collaboration to help you both grow.  

Let’s talk about how to upgrade your vendor relationships into partnerships that actually make your business stronger, more reliable, and yes, more profitable.

Step 1: Rethink the Relationship

Start by asking yourself: Are you treating your suppliers as disposable, interchangeable resources? If the answer is “kind of, yeah,” you’ve found your first problem. Suppliers aren’t just service providers; they’re stakeholders in your business’s success.  

When you invest in their success, you create opportunities for collaboration, innovation, and long-term reliability. Think bigger than transactions: this is about relationships.

Step...

Welcome to the new year, where optimism is high, resolutions are written (or ignored), and small business owners everywhere are ready to take on the world—after their second cup of coffee. If you’re aiming to make this year different (read: successful as hell), you’re in the right place. 

We’re diving into 10 simple yet powerful strategies to ensure your business crushes 2025 like your favorite competitor's outdated marketing plan.

1. Audit Yo’self (and Your Business)  

Before you set a single goal, take a hard look at what’s working—and what’s not. This isn’t about being harsh; it’s about being honest. Pull up your profit and loss statement, review those Google Analytics numbers, and have that awkward talk with the team about last year’s customer complaints.

Pro Tip: List the top three revenue drivers and the top three time-wasters. Double down on the former and ghost the latter.

2. Set *Real* Goals (Not Those Fluffy Ones)  

“Make more money” isn’t a goal; it’s a vague asp...

 As a small business owner, you’ve probably heard the saying: nothing is certain except death and taxes. But what happens when those taxes catch up to you in ways you didn’t expect? Whether it’s an overlooked payment, a miscalculation, or an honest mistake, tax debt can quickly spiral into a source of stress that keeps you up at night.  

But here’s the good news: it’s not as hopeless as it seems.  

Small business owners often think of the IRS as an unbeatable foe, but in reality, it’s an organization that *can* work with you—if you know how to approach the situation. The key is taking action sooner rather than later.  

Step 1: Open the Envelope 

If you’ve ever avoided an IRS notice like it’s an ex texting, you’re not alone. But burying your head in the sand will only make things worse. IRS letters are scary, yes, but they’re also your first step toward resolving the problem. The quicker you understand what they’re asking for, the faster you can come up with a solution.  

Step 2: I...

It’s the week between Christmas and New Year’s—a strange limbo where you’re technically working but also wondering if it’s acceptable to pour Bailey’s in your morning coffee. 

(Spoiler: It is.)  

Before you start Googling “vision boards for overachievers,” take some time to reflect on the past year. Evaluating what went right—and what went horribly, laughably wrong—isn’t just cathartic. It’s also how you set the stage for a bigger, better 2025.  

Here’s a simple end-of-year evaluation framework to help you wrap up 2024 with clarity and confidence.

1. Break Down the Numbers  

Numbers don’t lie (unlike that one client who swore they’d pay on time). Start with the basics:  

• Revenue Growth: How much did you make compared to 2023? 
•  Profit Margins: Did they grow, shrink, or ghost you?  
• Customer Retention: Are people coming back, or are they one-and-done?  
• Expenses: What costs could you cut in 2025 without sacrificing quality?  

A little tip? Don’t just look at the numbers—as...

Ah, the end of the year. That magical time when the calendar reminds you of everything you said you'd accomplish but didn’t (we’ve all been there). But don’t panic. December isn’t just about panicked holiday shopping and year-end tax prep; it’s also the perfect time to reflect, regroup, and set *realistic* business goals for the year ahead.  

2025 is knocking on your door, and it’s bringing a fresh 365-day opportunity to level up your business. Whether you crushed 2024 or just survived it, now’s the time to map out what comes next. But here’s the kicker: the key to success isn’t about dreaming big; it’s about planning smart and sticking to the plan. Let’s get to it.

Reflect Before You Project: Wrapping Up 2024  

Before you even think about setting goals for 2025, you need to face the good, the bad, and the "WTF was I thinking" moments of 2024. Ask yourself:  

• What worked?  
• What flopped harder than a bad sales pitch?  
• Where did you crush it?  
• Where did you completely drop...

If you’re a small business owner, chances are you’ve at least thought about hybrid or remote work. Maybe you’ve already made the switch, or you’ve been operating this way for a while. Either way, you’ve probably realized that keeping your company culture alive when your team is scattered across home offices, coffee shops, or coworking spaces is a whole new challenge.  

In our last post, we talked about the pros and cons of hybrid work and how it can work for small businesses. But if you’ve made the leap—or even if you’re just weighing your options—one thing is certain: company culture can’t be left to chance. For small businesses, culture is the heartbeat of your team, and it’s what keeps everyone aligned and motivated. So, let’s dive into how to keep that heartbeat strong in a remote world. 

 Why Culture Matters Even More When You’re Remote  

Back in the office days, culture kind of happened by accident. Happy hours, water cooler chats, random snack runs—those little things added u...