Signpost, Wix and OnDeck all serve large numbers of small businesses. And they recently joined together to release a free Small Business Toolkit. The Toolkit is an ebook with advice and resources for website creation, marketing and financing. The ebook can be downloaded at www.smbtoolkit2014.com.
The three companies got together due to their complementary missions to serve small businesses. The Toolkit focuses on those three complementary areas:
- Creating a Web presence and getting online — Wix offers a free and easy-to-use website creation tool.
- Standardizing and expanding that presence across the Web –– This is where Signpost comes in, with marketing tools to help small businesses standardize and extend their local listings and get found on mobile apps, and then ties contact information into a CRM system so you can you better manage customer interactions.
- Getting capital for operations and growth — Enter OnDeck, which provides short-term capital solutions for small businesses.
Signpost CEO Stuart Wall explained that the companies share a similar vision, noting “We hope that by aggregating our advice in a helpful format, more would-be entrepreneurs and current small business owners will embrace the web to start a venture or increase the health and longevity of their current business.”
Signpost and OnDeck executives knew of one another through one of their investors, Google Ventures. Google Ventures has investments in both OnDeck and Signpost.
And the Wix connection came about through networking. Says Ryan Sommer, a spokesman for Signpost, “We connected with Wix by attending events at the Wix Lounge,” a co-working and events space run by Wix where entrepreneurs and small business owners congregate. “We recognized that we were on a similar mission for small businesses. We’re excited to work with both companies, and we expect to grow the relationship. The goal is to evolve the Toolkit by adding more content over time.”
Signpost serves mainly service businesses, such as chiropractors, and many have 1 to 5 employees that typically do not have a large team they can mobilize for marketing. The company is headquartered in New York, and also has offices in Austin and Denver.
OnDeck is one of the new breed of online lending platforms that is transforming how small businesses apply for and obtain working capital, growth capital and business loans. It has deployed over $1.5 billion n capital since being founded in 2007, to tens of thousands of businesses.
The three companies held a launch of the Toolkit and reception in New York on October 21, 2014, attended by senior executives of all 3 companies at Signpost’s headquarters. The event, timed with the start of New York’s 9th annual Small Business Summit, included remarks from the participating companies and Gregg Bishop, Deputy Commissioner of Business Development at New York City’s Department of Small Business Services.
“Entrepreneurs and small businesses are looking for reliable, accessible and easy to use solutions to raise capital, get online and market their businesses,” said Eric Mason, director of marketing communications, US at Wix.com. Mason added in remarks that the collaboration on the Toolkit “is a natural fit for all three companies and important to our mission to serve small businesses.”
Andrea Gellert (pictured above), senior vice president of marketing for OnDeck spoke at the event and concurred that ” helping small businesses grow through innovative technology” is a mission important to all three companies.
Download the Toolkit here.
Editor’s note: corrected investor reference.
Aira Bongco
It’s always nice to see companies working together for the benefit of the industry. Not only does it light the fire of camaraderie. It also reminds you that you are not alone as a small business owner.
Ryan Sommer
Thanks for the nice comment Aira!
George
Ondeck doesn’t make any money, their default rate is over 25%, great business model and a great example of how not to run a business.