Ideas for Small Businesses During a Trade War
We have some ideas for small businesses dealing with the trade war. How we got here goes back decades. For more than 40 years, the United States has run a trade deficit against the rest of the world, meaning that we import more goods than we export. There are a lot of reasons for this, […]
How Bento Uses Bento for Managing Subscription Expenses
Managing subscription expenses has become a huge issue for many companies. Software as a Service makes it easier for companies to use the latest in technology, but it can be difficult to track expenses. Our controller, Gillian Deinoff, recently led a review of all our software subscriptions. We learned a few things that may help […]
How Transaction Processing Works with Expense Management
Bento for Business’s controls help small business owners with expense management while giving employees the power to do their jobs. It all integrates into the transaction process, which is probably more complicated than you realize. There are several parties involved in every transaction. Each merchant has a bank, known as the acquirer, that accepts the […]
Virtual Credit Cards and Virtual Debit Cards Are Great Additions To The Business Owner’s Toolbox
If you’re a business owner, then you know it feels great to make a profit. You’re also painfully aware how quickly that sense of excitement evaporates when it’s time to pay the bills. Corporate card programs can help, but there may be a better way to manage online and telephone payments than physical cards. Virtual […]
Fraud Alert: 10 Ways You’re Making it Easier for Employees to Steal from You
Whether or not you’ve stopped to think about it, small businesses are more vulnerable to internal fraud than their larger counterparts. This is because small businesses… Typically don’t have a budget for fraud detection. Rarely have official policies in place for handling funds, checks, reimbursements, and bills. Often rely on trust rather than clearly defined […]
3 Reasons Why Corporate Credit Cards are So Popular These Days
Advancement in payment technologies has made it easier for businesses to conduct their day-to-day financial operations. According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, an increasing number of companies are now offering their employees corporate credit cards for simpler expense tracking and savings from suppliers. A recent survey by Strategic Treasurer, the “2017 B2B Payments & Working […]
Small Business Credit Cards, Debit Cards, and Expense Management Tools
Small business owners have to spend money to cover expenses and invest in their businesses. Small business credit cards, debit cards, and other expense management tools can make the process easier by keeping business expenses separate from personal ones and by providing records that can make budgeting and accounting easier. These programs have differences, too. […]
4 Ways Businesses Can Learn from Customer Feedback
Keeping tabs on customers’ sentiments is a critical component of running a successful business today, as a majority of the consumers turn to online reviews and social media buzz to make an informed decision. Staying on the top of the conversation that goes around your brand helps you mitigate any potential damages and positions your […]
Tools for Expense Management for Mosques
Like other religious and non-profit organizations, mosques need to spend money. They have buildings to maintain, programs to put on, and charitable efforts to support. There is a key difference when it comes to expense management for mosques, namely the prohibition against paying or receiving interest. The growing Muslim market Since 1994, National Geographic reports […]
Is Your Current Expense Management System Allowing Employee Theft?
Top Expense Management Problems & One Solution As a business owner, cash flow is always top of mind. You set rules and processes in place to ensure that every dime that comes in and out is accounted for – yet somehow cash still slips through the cracks. A significant amount of this leakage is due […]
How Big Data Can Help You get a Small Business Loan
Non-traditional Ways That Banks Rate Your Creditworthiness If you’re looking to get a small business loan, it’s time to take down those photos of you drinking the tequila worm in Cabo on your Facebook page. As small business lending moves away from traditional institutions such as banks, alternative lenders are looking more and more at […]
Why Can’t Banks Innovate?
Banking Innovation: Startup & Big Bank Synergy Banks run into a bit of a conundrum when it comes to innovating. Essentially, the problem is that the institution of banking has one rule: avoid risk. This is a big hurdle when considering innovation, which is fraught with risk-taking. Innovation can even be a little scary when it […]
Will Mobile Payments Become More Popular in 2016?
The Future of Mobile Payments The Money 20/20 Conference held in October in Las Vegas brought the future of mobile payments into the forefront of the FinTech world’s minds, which could be the cause of the recent forecast by eMarketer which predicts a massive growth (210%) in mobile payment usage in 2016. That’s an amazing […]
Your Year End Business Housekeeping Checklist
As we approach the end of the year, it’s a great time for small business owners to take stock and do some business housekeeping. Your business is likely preparing to wind down for the holiday break, so with a little planning now, you can get everything sorted out and not worry about what you’re coming […]
Which is Better for Your Business: a Prepaid Card or a Credit Card?
With the wealth of different financial options out there for small business owners, how do you decide what to choose? To dispel some of the confusion around the different types of cards available, we’ve decided to tell you a little more about the Bento business prepaid debit Visa – the perfect solution for smart small […]
