The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official opinions, policies, or positions of StreetShares or any of its affiliates.

One of the biggest challenges of running a small business is raising the money that you need to grow your business. As a result, most business owners rely on small business loans to fund their daily business operations during the growth period.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official opinions, policies, or positions of StreetShares or any of its affiliates.

Most small businesses experience a significant dip in business during the holiday season. From the middle of December to the beginning of January, small businesses suffer as local customers are on vacation or saving to recover from the holidays.

Even if you do your best to prepare for this slow time of year, your small business is still likely to experience some negative consequences. If you find yourself in this position, consider implementing some of these strategies to help your small business rebound from the holiday lull.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official opinions, policies, or positions of StreetShares or any of its affiliates.

Military veterans are one of the most entrepreneurial groups in the nation for a good reason. As they're very likely to be highly disciplined and extremely careful with both planning and execution, their backgrounds translate well into the world of business.

Despite all that, veteran entrepreneurs, like any other entrepreneur, will make mistakes. Both mistakes and failure are inevitable. Whether it is your first business you're starting—or your fifth—you will run into mistakes. Fortunately, many of them can be avoided. Below is a list of five common mistakes and solutions that you can use to prevent them from occurring in your business.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official opinions, policies, or positions of StreetShares or any of its affiliates.

It's no secret e-commerce has had an impact on brick-and-mortar businesses, and you can point to its growth in annual sales as proof: a steady 17% increase in annual sales year over year. However, people often miss out on the fact that e-commerce shopping is still tiny compared to brick-and-mortar sales. Also, the health of the brick-and-mortar industry shouldn't be summed up in just one metric.

It's not to say that e-commerce hasn't affected brick-and-mortar sales. More than 6,400 brick-and-mortar stores closed down in 2017, and key brands in the industry, like Sears, have also recently closed their doors. Much of that has to do with the growing e-commerce space.

Additionally, consumers are now largely plagued by the Amazon effect, which means they expect a seamless shopping experience with instant rewards. Consumers expect to find exactly what they're looking for with little effort and want the item(s) delivered within a very short time frame. However, this is by no means the end of retail. In fact, numerous stores have taken steps to take advantage of the intersection of technology and retail shopping.

Here are four ways you can optimize your brick-and-mortar experience to best fit today's modern consumer.