Running a business doesn't stop until the business stops. You can start a company faster and easier in the United States than almost anywhere in the world, but getting it right takes a plan. You'll need to consider whether you need a business loan, temporary or permanent staffing, whether you're going to use a public relations company to get word out about who you are, business insurances, data backup, where are your customers coming from? Will you need to contract with a lead generation service? And this is just the very tip of the iceberg.

Using Your Business Credit Profile to Get Business Loans

Your business credit profile could be one of the most valuable things that you have as a business owner. Here are a few things to consider about using your business credit profile to get business loans.

How a Bankruptcy Affects a Business Credit Card Application

A business credit card application is used to apply for a credit card that is issued to the business owner in his or her business' name. Getting a business credit card allows small business owners to get loans, make payments and build credit history without putting their personal credit on the line. However, when they apply for a business credit card, their financial history very much matters; though there are ways to work around that.

How to apply for a SBA-backed loan

What do you really need to know about how SBA-backed loans work? First, know that you're going to be spending more time with a bank than you might think.

Why you need a bank account

Separation of personal and business finances is essential for any business owner, and gives you a little protection from the IRS. How do you open a bank account for your business? It's not quite as simple as wandering into the local branch of the big bank on the corner.

BUYING GUIDE: Account Receivable and Invoice Factoring

Usually, we call these "buyer's guides," but when you're factoring your receivables, you're not buying. You're selling. Specifically, you are selling your receivables to a third-party who, in turn, immediately pays you a price that is discounted from the face value of the receivable. Learn how it works here.

In Conversation with Mitch Jacobs
On Deck Capital

Company.com talked to Mitch Jacobs, founder and CEO of On Deck Capital, Inc., a New York based company providing loans that work for small business-not the other way around. Mitch founded On Deck Capital in 2006 and, to date, has provided $49 million in loans to small businesses when traditional bank loans were not an option.

BUYING GUIDE: Business Loans

Some well-financed soul out there probably wants to lend money to your business. The question is, who is this person, and on what terms? We recognize that small business loans can be difficult to find these days. We want to make the process easier and more transparent for you. We describe the process of most small businesses’ search for a loan, starting at the gold standard – an old-fashioned bank loan – through other alternatives from nonbank lenders, so-called “hard money” lenders and asset-based lenders.

Debt vs Equity
How Much Will You Give Up
To Get What You Want?

Bootstrapping, reinvesting (your own or your company's money), bank loans, and equity partners. Is there a lesser evil when you sell a stake in your business to bankers or strangers?

Startup Accounting 101 - A presentation by Mint.com CEO Aaron Patzer

Aaron Patzer, CEO of Mint.com, discusses startup accounting and the financial history of Mint.com, which recently bought by Intuit for $170 million. Slides and video of Patzer's presentation are included.