You’re pulling together a presentation for a new small to mid-size business (SMB) prospect. You have checked it again and again to be sure your i’s are dotted and your t’s are crossed. Your high school English teacher would be so proud! But perfect grammar likely won’t be enough to convince a prospect that you are the right fit for their...

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) was developed as the standard for use by the U.S. federal government’s statistical agencies, replacing the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system in 1997. Industry-specific NAICS codes are assigned to each business in the country, classifying them for the collection and...

You may have heard the platitude, “Cash is the most important, yet least productive, asset a business has.” It is a bit cliché, but it is also true. Properly balancing the so-called “big three” of cash management—accounts receivable, accounts payable, and inventory—is crucial to the financial success of any business. 

The economy is a hot topic lately, with pundits arguing over whether we are or aren’t heading into a recession. Whether you think an inverted yield curve is a recession bellwether or not, there’s no debate that there’s a lot to be learned by looking at economic numbers. But practically speaking, most small business success is dependent...

Speaking with people you don’t know at a networking event can be a tricky proposition. Having a valuable conversation with a prospective client means making sure it is about them, not you. To do that, you need to be both inquisitive and insightful. Knowing something about a lot of different topics gives you a leg up. And that’s where...

It’s summertime, and the 41,000 hotels and motels in the U.S. are rolling out the red carpet to vacationers as well as business travelers.

It’s spring cleaning time! And the nation’s 53,000 janitorial service providers are here to help. These crucial companies clean building interiors, windows, and the interiors of transportation equipment, such as aircrafts.

One of the fascinating things about working for Vertical IQ is learning about the structures of industries and why they have evolved that way. At the heart of what we analyze are the numerous facets that drive revenue—and factors that make businesses within that sector succeed or fail. Indeed, it’s every advisor’s job to understand how...

Two members of the Vertical IQ team and I attended the 2018 Exit Planning Summit in Nashville last week because many exit planning experts need and appreciate industry research. Having been a business banker for many years, and then personally being involved with founding and selling several successful businesses, I’ve had first-hand...

It seems that just about everything today relies upon computers, and as a result, computer programming services is a booming industry. For bankers, despite the risks, there is a lot of opportunity to be found within the rapidly growing computer programming services industry.