{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"123 Reg Blog: Small business tips, insight and advice","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.123-reg.co.uk\/blog","author_name":"Will Stevens","author_url":"https:\/\/www.123-reg.co.uk\/blog\/author\/will\/","title":"Your small business problems solved | 123 Reg Blog","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"5c44TdRgzJ\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.123-reg.co.uk\/blog\/online-business\/your-small-business-problems-solved\/\">Your small business problems solved<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/www.123-reg.co.uk\/blog\/online-business\/your-small-business-problems-solved\/embed\/#?secret=5c44TdRgzJ\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"&#8220;Your small business problems solved&#8221; &#8212; 123 Reg Blog: Small business tips, insight and advice\" data-secret=\"5c44TdRgzJ\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/www.123-reg.co.uk\/blog\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/www.123-reg.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/planningsquare.jpg","thumbnail_width":480,"thumbnail_height":480,"description":"Recently, we asked people to share their small business problems with us via Twitter using #smallbizproblems. Here are some of the most common issues along with their solutions. If you\u2019ve got any questions we haven\u2019t covered here, please leave a comment and we\u2019ll get back to you. \u00a0 @123reg finding the capital to get my #SmallBiz up and running #SmallBizProblems \u2014 James (@BOOM3R_BOY) February 2, 2016 Finding money to get your small business up and running is never easy. There are, however, a few tried and tested ways to get the money you need to build a small business. The first of these is bootstrapping \u2013 this means you start the business without external finance and then use the money generated by the business to expand it. Of course, this doesn\u2019t help if you want to start a business that requires a significant amount of money to get it off the ground. Next up is starting a part-time business. This is closely related to bootstrapping, but removes some of the problems relating to it. The idea is to work as an employee and receive a wage, and use that money to help fund your business. It will also give you something to live on if your business isn\u2019t profitable right away. Then, when the business is established, you can leave your old job and work for yourself full time. Finally, there\u2019s external funding. Either from a loan, or from investors. This has the advantage of allowing you to fund any capital outlay easily and to concentrate on your business full-time. However, investors are going to expect a return on their money and if you get a loan, you\u2019ll have to repay it. That means if your business isn\u2019t as successful as you hoped, you may face significant financial problems. Starting a business with investors or by using a loan is a big step, and as such you should seek extensive advice before putting pen to paper. \u00a0A good place to start your search for advice is the National Enterprise Network. \u00a0 @123reg When a #smallbiz, with little web experience, working out what keywords will improve your SEO for the local market #SmallBizProblems \u2014 REJComp (@rejcomp) February 1, 2016 One of the biggest problems with running a small business is that you have to do everything yourself. So unless you have the money to hire a reputable search engine optimisation (SEO) agency, you\u2019re going to have to learn how to conduct keyword research yourself. Fortunately, this is one of the easier bits of SEO. At its most basic level, it involves sitting down and thinking about the terms people will put into Google to find a business like yours, then ensure that you\u2019re using those terms on your website. In reality, it is a bit more complex than that. For this reason, we\u2019ve put together a series of guides on SEO. The best place to start if you\u2019ve never done any SEO before is this article on SEO for a new site. If you want to focus on local SEO then you can look at this guide, and we also have this article on getting started with keyword research. \u00a0 I guess I\u2019m not getting anything done this afternoon\u2026 #internetisdown #smallbizproblems \u2014 Mila Gates (@MilaCGates) January 26, 2016 If your internet is down and that means your business is down, then you could be in real trouble. If your internet goes down right ahead of an important video conference or crucial deadline, then that could harm your business. Although a fast broadband connection should always be your first choice when working from home, you should always have a range of back up options in case your internet goes down. Perhaps the best back up option is 4G phone that you can use as a wireless hotspot. This will allow you to connect your laptop to the internet via your phone and, as long as you have a good signal, work in pretty much the same way as if you were connected via broadband. This is a good idea as it not only provides you with an alternative internet connection at home, but also something you can use when you\u2019re on the move. However, even phones can go wrong so it makes sense to know where you can online if your first back up option isn\u2019t available. It might be a library, or a coffee shop, but as long as you\u2019re aware where you can go to get online, you won\u2019t have to worry if your home internet goes down. \u00a0 @123reg #SmallBizProblems Switching off from your business when you go away on holiday! xxx \u2014 Ezzie (@ezziemakeup) January 15, 2016 Switching off from running your small business can be extremely hard and sometimes it might even being impossible. If you\u2019re determined to take a complete break from things one option is to employ someone to cover for you during the time you\u2019re away. It won\u2019t work for every kind of business, but the right person should be able to fulfil orders, deal with customer queries. Paying someone to work for you will put a dent in your profits, but if you want to switch off entirely it may be your only choice. Another option is to simply let customers know you\u2019re going on holiday and you won\u2019t be around for a week or two. This isn\u2019t ideal \u2013 you might lose orders from people who need something urgently, or you might not be around to deal with a crisis. However, if you want a total break from things this might be your only option. The other alternative is to limit the number of hours you work while on holiday. This can take a lot of will power, but if you only work for two hours each morning, you can spend the rest of your holiday winding down. \u00a0 @123reg When your monthly newsletter goes into the junk folder #SmallBizProblems \u2014 BeyondSims (@beyondsims) January 15, 2016 Getting sent to someone\u2019s junk"}