Education: AA Liberal Studies, Limestone University
Erica has been writing about small business finance and technology since 2008. She joined Merchant Maverick in 2018 and specializes in researching and reviewing business software, financial products, and other topics to help small businesses manage and grow their operations. Her expertise has been cited in MSN, Reader’s Digest, Vox, U.S. News & World Report, and Real Simple. She is a Certified ProAdvisor for QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Payroll, a graduate of Limestone University, and currently resides in Greenville, South Carolina.
One form of relief offered to small businesses is the Employee Retention Tax Credit. First introduced in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, this tax credit could be claimed by eligible employers on quarterly tax returns. This program was expanded by the Consolidated Appropriations Act signed into law in December 2020, making the credit accessible to more employers.
The SBA offers a variety of loan programs that vary according to business needs. Its flagship program is the 7(a) loan program, which offers loans for most general business purposes. However, it also offers special programs such as microloans and disaster loans. Find out more about SBA loans, including who qualifies.
QuickBooks Online is cloud-based accounting software. It has the complex accounting capabilities that small business owners need and supports numerous integrations. Quickbooks Online has a lot to offer in terms of features, accounting, and usability.
One of the biggest challenges faced by trucking companies is waiting to get paid. You could potentially wait for weeks (or even months!) to receive payments from your customers. Fortunately, there’s a way to get paid quickly: invoice factoring. You can have access to instant (or near-instant) cash instead of waiting 30, 60, or 90 days for your customers to pay. But what’s the catch? In this post, we’ll take a look at invoice factoring for trucking companies.
This corporate credit card, issued for Stripe by the Utah-located Celtic Bank, boasts a 1.5% cash back rate alongside a strong portfolio of extra perks. Plus, as this bit of plastic is a Visa card, your team members shouldn’t have problems using the card worldwide.
The processing industry is simply not the sort of place where you can expect everyone to be honest and treat you fairly. People in this business can and will take advantage of you – if you let them. Reading your contract before you sign up is your last line of defense against being stuck in a bad deal. Here are our best tips for reading and understanding your merchant contract.
Take a look at our picks for the best small business loans for cash flow issues, business expansion, debt consolidation, bank financing, and other common business financing needs.
Square’s free software and affordable payment processing appeal to many nonprofits on a budget. Learn how Square’s platform can help you run your organization, collect donations, and more.
Business owners need to be proactive in managing their credit card processing accounts. Learn what risk factors processors look for to keep your merchant account safe and what to do if you do run into a funding hold or account termination.
Learn about the best small business loan options for franchisees, whether you need funding to open a franchise, purchase an existing franchise, or keep your franchise business functioning optimally.
Using PayPal to accept donations online is super easy, but nonprofits can also take advantage of PayPal’s many tools and features to fundraise pretty much anywhere.
If you can’t afford restaurant equipment up-front, an equipment lease is a great way to get the appliances you need. Find out how restaurant equipment financing works and check out some of our favorite lessors in this article.
An SBA 7(a) Loan is a finance option offered to small businesses, backed (or guaranteed) by the Small Business Administration to reduce the risk involved on the part of the lender. 7(a) products are intended for businesses that may be unable to procure other, more traditional, loans. The loan guarantee provided by the SBA gives business owners a chance to fund their small business needs.
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The vendors that appear on this list were chosen by subject matter experts on the basis of product quality, wide usage and availability, and positive reputation.
Merchant Maverick’s ratings are editorial in nature, and are not aggregated from user reviews. Each staff reviewer at Merchant Maverick is a subject matter expert with experience researching, testing, and evaluating small business software and services. The rating of this company or service is based on the author’s expert opinion and analysis of the product, and assessed and seconded by another subject matter expert on staff before publication. Merchant Maverick’s ratings are not influenced by affiliate partnerships.
Our unbiased reviews and content are supported in part by affiliate partnerships, and we adhere to strict guidelines to preserve editorial integrity. The editorial content on this page is not provided by any of the companies mentioned and has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are author’s alone.
