Growing Your Business in Lincoln – June 2023

Supporting local businesses is one of the most important values that Strictly Business holds. After all, we are a magazine dedicated to local businesses and their success. As such, our mission is to help small businesses grow and maintain a steady stream of business by encouraging community support.

With a multitude of resources available in Lincoln to help businesses grow, the dream of owning a successful, forwardthinking business is obtainable. Whether new to entrepreneurship or feeling like you have whole business owner thing down, the resources available in Lincoln are here to help take your business to the next level.

Let’s Get Popular

Altitude Motion Media offers high-quality; attention-grabbing videos that help get businesses in front of potential customers. They love sitting down with business owners to great a plan for a video that is tailored to their wants and needs. Their goal is to provide a video, or videos, that entrepreneurs can use on their social media platforms, emails and websites to draw as much attention as possible to who they are and what they do.

Providing high quality video content that new businesses can use strategically as part of a marketing campaign is Altitude Motion Media’s bread and butter. They provide 30 second reels along with full-length videos that engage people in today’s fast-paced, screen-scrolling world. For instance, when putting together a video, or video series, for a business, customers can decide to release videos on whatever timeline they choose. They can be released one a week for a month or one a month for a year. Regardless of when videos are released, they help keep businesses’ customers and potential customers thinking about them.

“Good exposure is necessary to successfully grow a business and shouldn’t be shied away from. Having a well-done, eye-catching video that helps potential customers understand your business is a simple way to get public,” explained Owner Ryan Lindbeck. “It’s exposure that spreads like wildfire! Anyone planning on growing their business should make sure they are constantly in front of people, whether it’s networking, social media posts or emails. If you are consistently a business that people see, they will start to notice and remember you.”

It’s important for entrepreneurs to know that marketing a business is an investment, and getting your business out to the public via video is a great investment. Not only can customers see your face and business in action, but hear your voice and message as well. It’s exciting, appealing and noticeable. You won’t regret taking this first step towards public popularity.

Where to Grow

Eschliman Commercial Real Estate (ECR) is quite knowledgeable about the local market, with a 30-year real estate Veteran and 40-year former retailer leading the business. Robin and Ted Eschliman know the commercial space terrain and monitor the changes to keep current on availability, both on- and off-market. Their Grow Lincoln radio show and podcasts keep their fingers on the pulse of Lincoln’s unique economic development.

“If you’re expanding your space, it’s important to think numbers,” shared Ted Eschliman. “What a space generates per-square-foot in income doesn’t always scale up if you don’t have the labor, supplies, or enough hours in the day to produce and maintain that over the term of your lease commitment. We encourage factoring net (not gross) income when calculating new space needs – and we can help a tenant with that.”

Ted went on to explain more on how Eschliman’s expert team can guide you through the process with ease.

”We can assist startups in the current availability and market pricing of retail, office and industrial flex space, but this is only a portion of the expenses to expect in a brick-and-mortar operation,” explained Ted. “A good business needs to be prepared to adapt to market changes. Lack of cash flow in temporary slowdowns has killed many good businesses. Your vendors, employees and landlord expect to be paid whether you get paid or not.”

ECR’s most crucial service is assisting in the search for the best location. You never want to be one-half block away from success and negotiating the finer points of a lease. The institutional knowledge of a good commercial realtor can greatly shorten that path. Business owners need to understand their lease obligations in paying for their space, including HVAC responsibility, and participating in upkeep of common areas.

“We have commercial space multiple listings on our website for searching retail, office and industrial space, and that’s a good place to get a feel for what’s out there, and current pricing,” Ted said. “Still, the finer understanding of gross lease and Triple Nets are best explored with an experienced commercial realtor. You can find more at ecrproperty.com/property-search.”

As we all know, things don’t cost the same as they used to. Business owners should be prepared to spend a little bit more for quality services and products.

“It’s no secret. Everything has gotten more expensive in the last 18 months, from supplies to construction to labor,” Ted shared. “You want the assistance of professionals and mentors in all phases to help you make the best decisions. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel. Measure twice, cut once!”

Solutions You Can Count On

When you outsource your accounts receivable, you will be able to focus on doing what you do best while simultaneously bringing in more funds that will be instrumental in the growth of your business. To learn more, we spoke to Aaron Newell, founder of AR Solutions.

AR Solutions is a licensed, bonded and insured collection agency headquartered in Lincoln and offering services to the surrounding Lincoln and Omaha areas. With more than 60 combined years in collections, AR Solutions understands that you don’t have time to waste – in Accounts Receivable or in managing multiple vendors. Not only do they offer solutions, but they give you the time you need to balance the competing demands of clients and critical receivable management issues. There’s also zero risk and zero cost, with no fees incurred unless AR Solutions recovers money for you. All of the Asset Recovery Specialists at AR Solutions are American Collection Association (ACA) certified, so you can trust that your accounts will be handled with the highest quality and dignity.

Aaron Newell founded AR Solutions in 2005 after working in the collection industry since 1996. The company was created under the value of integrity: “If you have integrity, nothing else matters; if you do not have integrity, nothing else matters.”

“In addition to offering past due accounts receivable collections, we can also consult with clients to help them set up their receivables process to increase their in-house collections or to prevent future issues,” said Aaron. “I often use this quote: ‘Do what you do best and pay for the rest.’ It is as simple as being able to communicate with the consumer at a specific date and time. If you are not able to communicate with them at that specific time, you may not get a second chance. Collecting past due receivables is all we do… and if we don’t collect, we don’t eat.”

Aaron advises clients to gather as much information as you can on your customers before the transaction is complete, and to also keep in mind that not all customers are going to pay on time, or pay at all. At some point, you may need to use a law firm or collection agency to pursue payment on past-due accounts, AR Solutions has both under one roof. By outsourcing this job to a third party that you trust to uphold your reputation as an extension of your business, it takes the emotions out of it and you don’t have to be the bad guy.

AR Solutions works with all types of companies that have accounts receivable issues. They also have a specialized Healthcare division that is HIPAA compliant and understands the ebbs and flow of medical billing and insurance processing. They will partner with you and your staff to:

• Accelerate cash flow
• Transform accounts receivable
• Backlog into cash
• Sliding scale pricing based on
• Accounts receivable aging
• Lower operational expenses
• Increase efficiencies
• Reduce write-offs
• Maintain positive consumer relations
• Extend billing office capabilities

AR Solutions’ collection process is just as important as how they collect. Their specialists approach their work as skillful sales people and are trained and certified to remain professional, ethical, confident and firm – even in the most difficult situations – to get payment in full on the initial contact. Their company policy dictates that everyone is treated with respect and dignity while also approaching collections in a firm and persuasive manner. AR Solutions has recently implemented an AI (artificial intelligence) platform to increase collections, compliance and ease of communications with consumers.

A Space that Fits Your Needs

Greenleaf Commercial Real Estate is a full-service commercial real estate company located in Lincoln, with its roots dating back to 1973.

Most businesses find it challenging to find the perfect space. An essential element of finding that location is building relationships. At Greenleaf Commercial Real Estate, they strive to understand each client’s unique circumstances and objectives to tailor a strategy designed to accomplish your goals. Throughout the process, they emphasize communication and accountability to earn each client’s trust and confidence. Their experienced group of professionals is there to help you reach your goals for your business and community.

“We assist entrepreneurs with decisions related to their commercial real estate needs,” said Brett Harris of Greenleaf. “Even with the increasing popularity of remote work, most businesses require some type of commercial real estate and we work with entrepreneurs to identify the best location and space to help their business grow.”

Finding a space that works for your business now while also preparing for the potential growth in the future can be tough. The economy is unpredictable, and events like the COVID pandemic can throw a wrench into a five-year plan in an instant.

“It can be difficult to project future space needs for a growing business. Business owners are reluctant to take on too much too soon but also don’t want to fall behind in terms of their real estate needs as they grow,” Brett explained. “It’s a tricky balance but knowing when to be proactive about expansion or relocation can be critical for a growing business.”

The easiest way to avoid a blunder while searching for a new space for your business is to work with the experts that know best, and are eager to help you every step of the way. They also have the tools that make the search a lot easier that you may not have access to.

“As a smaller, boutique real estate company, we enjoy working with entrepreneurs and start-ups and we feel that we have good knowledge of the local real estate market,” said Brett. “We believe we can be a valuable asset to help businesses determine a proper strategy for their space needs as they grow. There are a variety of technology-based tools that can be used to determine the best location for a particular business. One example is the Site-to-Do-Business offered through our membership in the CCIM Institute. This program allows us to access detailed demographic and mapping information for any site.”

Brett and the team at Greenleaf urges business owners to be proactive about future space needs.

“Finding a new location, negotiating a lease or purchase and then doing any required renovation can be a lengthy and complicated process,” Brett shared. “It’s best to plan for it a year or so ahead of time.”

Start your real estate journey on the right foot with Greenleaf Commercial Real Estate!

Invest in Technology

Panology Tech Solutions makes technical support and cloud services accessible to small- and medium-sized businesses. By lowering the barrier to cloud adoption through automation, you can begin (or accelerate) the movement of your workloads into the cloud with ease, increase your agility and keep the technology that your business relies upon running while you focus on what your business does best.

“As a business grows, so do the demands upon their technology,” said Darren Lichty, owner. “It is at this point that small nuances can become major problems. Worse yet, the technology that is serving your business needs fine today can, and often does, hinder your business as it grows. This can be avoided if you have a trusted partner who will explain these things to you in a way that you understand.”

Darren explained that sometimes, it’s the little things that can have the most impact on a business’s growth, especially for small businesses with limited resources. Take, for example, something as simple as Google’s G Suite. It’s perceived to be more professional and there’s a higher trust and credibility factor with an email that uses your domain name as opposed to @gmail.com or @yahoo. com. You can also take advantage of improved email security, a full suite of productivity apps and accessibility from anywhere on any device.

“The pace of innovation keeps increasing. This is not only true in the technology field, but in businesses of all varieties,” Darren shared. “The key to keeping up with this pace is continuously challenging yourself to try new approaches. Continuously making small bets can add up to big wins. Just as important is continuously measuring the success and failure of these steps along the way. That said, prepare yourself to be uncomfortable, as it is an indication that you are moving forward. Don’t fear failure, as it is a very powerful tool. Thomas Edison once said, ‘I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.’ He also said ‘Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.’”

It Must be a Sign

Signage is a big piece of making your business known in the community and telling the public that you’re ready to provide them with your goods and services. Regardless of where you are at in your business journey, Sign Pro of Lincoln has something to offer.

“We offer a wide variety of products for the different stages of getting a business going and continuing to help a business grow,” said Owner Julie Shald. “In the early stages, we can offer temporary signage such as ‘Coming Soon’ banners, yard signs and temporary window signs. When your opening date is closer, we can give you many options for building signage, both interior and exterior. If your business is mobile or has delivery or service vehicles, we can produce a wide variety of vehicle graphics to meet any need and budget.”

Once you have the business up and running, Sign Pro can continue to help you with signage for special events, sales or promotions. They encourage you to keep them in mind over the years as your business grows to help you keep your signage and graphics looking great. A rebrand or refresh is often part of the growth of a business, and Sign Pro wants to be the ones that help you make your brand shine!

A Personal Touch to Payroll Services

TAC Payroll Solutions provides full-service payroll solutions, bookkeeping services and more while keeping up with the ever changing payroll laws and regulations at a fair and reasonable cost. They are dedicated to providing your business with the personal attention it deserves.

Owner and Manager Terry Clark has over 20 years of experience in multi-state payroll and bookkeeping. With the latest software technology available, Terry’s attention to detail and experience, plus being a member of the Lincoln community, all set TAC Payroll Solutions apart from the big box companies.

As a small business owner herself, Terry has some advice for those looking to organize their finances.

“I found that it was a little more expensive to get things set up than expected, and I hadn’t budgeted for that. Sitting down with a professional before making big decisions would have saved me a lot of time and money,” said Terry. “Hiring an accountant and attorney first is key to getting your business set up correctly, and establishing that relationship is important. They will be on your side and have a deeper understanding of your business when you are experiencing growth.”

Terry and her team bring a personal approach to providing payroll and bookkeeping services at a fair and reasonable cost. They love being a part of the Lincoln community and pride themselves on bringing good customer service to every interaction they have.

The Newest Tech to Drive Your Success

Yost Network Solutions is a locally-owned and operated technology firm. They serve Lincoln and the surrounding communities. Yost believes in a proactive support model – they want to reduce your system management and support costs by helping to prevent problems before they happen. They do this by scheduled maintenance plans, active system monitoring and good diagnostics. Yost Network Solutions will help build and keep your systems running at their optimum level to ensure you are able to do the things in life that matter most to you.

If your business relies on the newest technology, make sure you have the best tools for your type of work. Yost Network Solutions provides IT consulting and implementation for commercial clients in the Lincoln and the surrounding communities. Their IT solutions are designed with you in mind. They will work with you to determine your business needs and find areas where technology can make your work even better.

The IT solutions offer a range of benefits for your business. Yost can help your business increase your internet speed, implement system automaton and create a data monitoring system.

Your network is vital to your business’s success. If your network is slow, your production will be slow. Trust Yost Network Solutions to create a pathway that helps you work well. Yost’s network design services are customized to every client and their needs. They will work with you to determine your needs and ensure your new network can handle the workload. Wireless network design is a breeze with the right people on the job. When getting network design services, you need to know about your needs and plans.

The crew asks the right questions so that you get the right services:

• What type of services do you provide?
• What types of clients do you support?
• What are your data needs?
• What level of bandwidth will you need?

With the right wireless network design, you can serve your customers well and avoid the pitfalls of a bad network.

Yost offers traditional access control systems as well as systems designed specifically for businesses and other properties. With their access control service, you can utilize the convenience of a traditional RFID fob, key card system or app. Tenants can use a single app to open doors, pay their bills and communicate with their property management.

Contact Yost today to find out how they can help your business.

Real Estate Help on Your Side

NP Dodge Real Estate has been a locally owned, Nebraska-based real estate company for over 165 years. NP Dodge is America’s only real estate company to be led by the same family and is one of the longest running family-operated businesses in the nation. As the most experienced real estate company in the country, NP Dodge is passionate about real estate, the local communities and helping clients make the best property investments.

“There are a lot of good companies out there, and competition is strong. However, I believe we stay on our A-Game by training and providing agents that offer quality support,” June Ring shared. “Communication with one another and our leadership is pinnacle. I enjoy giving people the support they need in achieving their home buying or selling goals.”

NP Dodge Real Estate cares about you and your business, and they want to help you find the perfect space ton continue to grow.

“I strongly recommend to people to reach out for help,” said June. “Realtors are connectors. We know a lot of people that can help you with preparing and getting ready for the next big thing in the buying process. We also help you see the things you may have overlooked, and can make a stressful life change a lot easier. I’m always willing to sit down with folks and process their options, too. Sometimes it’s the right time to jump into the process and sometimes it’s not, but I want to assure you that I’ll be there when you need me.”

Getting Technical

ArcLight Solutions is a technology services company offering experienced consultation and complete IT management for small to mid-sized companies and solutions for large-volume data centers ranging from assessments and migrations to decommissions and support.

Their mission is to provide comprehensive technology services and strategic IT solutions to increase revenue, create efficiency and optimize resources. ArcLight promises to provide responsive, trustworthy expertise to assist your organization in identifying needs and solving technology challenges.

ArcLight is driven to help you transform your technology services by optimizing your assets and creating rock-solid migration plans, ultimately yielding an unmatched ROI for IT and business operations. Their strategies reshape how you conduct your business by finding ways to improve efficiency and grow your technology ecosystem.

Build Your Brand with Local Marketing

Abante Marketing specializes in brand building with a focus on screen printing, embroidery and promotional products. Servicing corporate, government, private sector, schools and nonprofit customers with exceptional pricing and years of experience, Abante takes pride in their industry expertise and professional customer service.

Abante also provides a variety of finishing and fulfillment services, which may seem simple, but are often valuable time savers. In addition to vinyl names and numbers, services include distribution, warehousing, custom order forms and folding and bagging. As well, their custom web stores are a great service for customers who want to eliminate the hassles associated with traditional paper order forms.

Abante Marketing has two screen printing facilities in Omaha and Sioux City. Together, they operate five manual and five automatic screen printing presses, giving Abante the ability to print thousands of shirts hourly. Their embroidery department is located at the Omaha location and operates four six-head embroidery machines and one single-head machine. Since opening, Abante has become one of the largest apparel decorators in the Midwest. They are also in the top 15% of their industry in terms of apparel decoration while 85% of their competitors outsource their screen printing and embroidery. Therefore, they can provide a better product, at a savings to their clients, and ensure faster turnaround times.

Your Local Chamber

The Lincoln Chamber of Commerce is another great connection tool. The chamber is a key player in the efforts to grow businesses in Lincoln. They work with lawmakers and local officials to advance important policies affecting the business community and start conversations for needed changes. The Lincoln Chamber of Commerce hosts monthly events to bring business leaders together and ignite collaboration. Through networking opportunities before and after work such as The HIVE and The LNK, members of the business community are given the chance to share their mission and ideas with like-minded individuals. You may ask yourself if joining the Chamber is a good idea as a growth strategy for your business, and the Chamber can assure you this is true. They are Lincoln’s leading business organization, with over 1,300 businesses with one strong voice for business advocacy and growth. They want you to be part of their organization, and they’ll go to work to help you grow your business as they advocate for a positive business climate in Lincoln.

Don’t Forget About Us!

Last but not least, Strictly Business is an awesome marketing tool offering services in the Lincoln area, and we would love to partner with you to promote your brand and help your business grow. Not only do we offer advertising in print, digitally and on social media, but we also have the IN THE ISSUE monthly email blast that is designed to break down each issue of Strictly Business in a clean, concise and easy-to-digest digital format. Our goal is to get in front of even more people in this ever-growing digital age and to further promote all of the local businesses that we love and partner with. Contact us today to learn more!

In recent years, content marketing has evolved from being just blog post and editorial strategies. It has become a holistic approach that relies on a broad range of digital marketing strategies including social media, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and paid media to engage businesses with their customers and potential customer. At Strictly Business, our goal is to help your visibility skyrocket and not only draw new customers or clients to your business, but also help them understand why they can trust you and depend on you to do the best work possible for them. Call Paige at (402) 466-3330 today and find out how we can help you grow your business!

Ready to grow your business? Contact these Lincoln professionals to learn how they can help you expand your brand throughout the community and beyond.