There are many facets to starting and managing a business. However, at the core of these responsibilities comes the management of accounts and finances within your organization. Whether you’re an entrepreneur working from a home office or a small business owner managing several employees, keeping track of your finances can tie into various business aspects you probably weren’t aware of.

They're just three letters but for business owners, they can add up to an all-consuming issue - ROI.

Entrepreneurs and venture capitalists alike want to make sure that they're getting the best return on investment wherever possible.

Fortunately, there are number of ways to get that ROI by looking at both the day-to-day operations and the big picture:

Entrepreneurship was supposed to be freedom. You threw off the yolk of the corporate world; you exchanged 9-to-5 for whenever-to-whenever; you built a brand that people trust. And then a few months in, you created your own yolk. Accounting, billing, emailing, time tracking, contracts and lead hunting became a crushing, invisible force, like gravity. And you accepted all the extra work and administrative lassoing because that is what “freedom” requires, right?

For many people, the United States stock market is an afterthought. For business owners, however, it needs to be at the forefront of your mind.

Even if you aren't invested in the stock market, or if you're not a public company, changes in stock values can have a great impact on your business.

If you’re a small business owner, you’ll probably face different marketing challenges throughout the year. For example, because you have limited scales of production, your costs may increase rapidly each month. Luckily there are simple ways to improve your business’s finances strategically, and at a low cost. If your business has a website, you can drive more traffic to key pages by implementing four additional procedures.

Having a great brand is knowing how to market it. Creating and developing your brand, from finding the right name, designing the right logo, symbols and slogans is the key to making your brand standout. Brand awareness is important because it’s what helps and drives customers into the business. Without a smart marketing plan you won’t have a business. Being smart is being active. Brand loyalty creates a level of security for the business, you want to make sure that the guests that are walking into your store are coming back. Making sure that you and the team are providing great customer service is a huge key to success and will help your business, but it’s not enough on its own.

Great inventors typically don’t just have one or two terrific ideas - they are always thinking of new and better products. If inventing is in your blood, chances are new ideas occur to you during your daily life as well. But the holidays aren’t an ordinary time, and the change in routine can be a major distraction — or an inspiration. Here are some tips to help you make sure your holiday season is filled with new ideas: 

The holidays are a trying time of year for most people, but especially for small and mid-sized retailers. In preparation for increased orders and fulfillment demands, businesses worry about having enough inventory in stock and their ability to quickly track, pack, and ship orders.

Retailers’ inventory management concerns are well warranted. How well retailers manage their inventory ultimately determines their profitability. Yet, even businesses that feel prepared for the holiday rush often still make mistakes when it comes to properly managing their inventory and operations.

 Each year thousands of companies across the country have their managers fill out review sheets about their employees. Those employees have a meeting with their manager, discuss what they’ve done well and what they need to work on, and then they go back to work.

The thought process behind these performance reviews is that they are an effective way for managers and their employees to discuss openly about how they’re doing and what they can do to improve. A recent article by The New Yorker found that these reviews are falling out of favor with some companies.

There are so many aspects of making a successful sale that it can be difficult to know which one to focus on the most.

The preparation, the research, and the actual pitch are all important, but what really counts is the close. Closing a sale means sealing the deal and earning the money, but too often, business owners don't know how to effectively make this happen.