Latest news with #Nav
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Can't get a business loan? This new credit card might change that
Entrepreneurs and prospective business owners looking for ways to finance their budding companies often run into a problem: Their personal credit scores are low—which makes it difficult to access the loans they may need to lease a storefront or buy equipment. A solution may be on the way. This new tax deduction in Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' lets people cash in on charitable donations up to $2,000. Here's what to know These are the 3 best questions to ask at the end of your job interview Southwest Florida's housing market is undergoing a material home price correction—here's why Fintech company Nav is launching new features to its signature credit card to help entrepreneurs build their personal and business credit simultaneously. The card—called the Nav Prime Card—is designed to help small-business owners get their operations off the ground. Many of those entrepreneurs rely on their personal credit, at the very early stages, to get those operations going. As such, it's a product designed for 'Main Street' small businesses rather than for startups or those seeking venture capital or investor financing. The Nav Prime Card itself launched in 2023, while the features that allow for simultaneous credit-building (which are optional) will be launching this summer. In effect, the Nav Prime Card helps those small-business owners build their own credit scores and the credit profile of their businesses at the same time, and there's nothing else like it on the market, says Nav's CEO and cofounder Levi King. A credit product born of small business experience 'The whole thing was born from my experience as a small-business owner. I started out fixing electric signs,' King says. He recalls the setbacks he encountered while trying to acquire equipment for his company—such as a truck—due to his business's thin credit profile, not to mention his personal credit score not quite cutting it for lenders. So, the idea was hatched to help small-business owners in similar situations get access to the credit they need, and to boost their personal and business credit profiles. 'When you start a business, the credit bureaus have a record that you exist, but you'll appear 'high risk' because you're brand new and have no credit history,' he says. So, Nav developed the Prime Card, creating something that didn't yet exist, and in sort of a gray area that many other fintech companies weren't paying attention to. 'I could see the opportunity before other people,' King says, referring to his days operating an electrical sign business. 'If you're in Silicon Valley, you get an MBA at Stanford; you're not looking at small businesses. My background as a small-business owner helped me see a future that others couldn't.' A big potential impact There's a large potential pool of customers, too, who could be interested. Nav cites data that shows almost 70% of small-business owners have a credit score below 670. And people are starting businesses like never before—the most recent Census Bureau data shows that almost 5.5 million new businesses were launched in the U.S. during 2023, which is an increase of almost 57% from 2019. So far, King says that the people who have tried the card 'love it.' Investors love it, too. Randy Komisar, a member of Nav's board of directors—and a Silicon Valley heavyweight who founded Claris and TiVo, and was a former CEO at LucasArts Entertainment and Crystal Dynamics—says that King's vision presents a big opportunity and solves a real problem for small businesses. 'I want to use the power and resources available to me to try and solve this problem: How can we make the small business sector stronger and more viable, and use technology to help?' Komisar says. 'When Levi came to me with his idea, I saw it as an opportunity to have a similar impact to Intuit—for what Intuit did for bookkeeping.' While it's unlikely that Nav will grow to the mammoth scale of a company like Intuit, Komisar believes the company's future is bright, as it aims to address 'real' problems for small-business owners. 'I'm very enthusiastic about a plan that uses credit information to allow small businesses to manage their growth and sustainability in a way that they're ill-equipped to do with the tools today,' he says. This post originally appeared at to get the Fast Company newsletter: Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Fast Company
2 days ago
- Business
- Fast Company
Can't get a business loan? This new credit card might change that
Entrepreneurs and prospective business owners, looking for ways to finance their budding companies, often run into a problem: Their personal credit scores are low, making it difficult to access the loans they may need to lease a storefront or buy equipment. A solution may be on the way. Fintech company Nav is launching new features to its signature credit card to help entrepreneurs build their personal and business credit simultaneously. The card—called the Nav Prime Card—is designed to help small business owners get their operations off the ground. Many of those entrepreneurs rely on their personal credit, at the very early stages, to get those operations going. As such, it's a product designed for 'Main Street' small businesses, rather than startups or those seeking VC or investor financing. The Nav Prime Card itself actually launched in 2023, and the features that allow for simultaneous credit-building (which are optional) are launching this summer. In effect, the Nav Prime Card helps those small business owners build their own credit scores and the credit profile of their businesses at the same time, and there's nothing else like it on the market, says Nav's CEO and co-founder, Levi King. Subscribe to the Daily newsletter. Fast Company's trending stories delivered to you every day Privacy Policy | Fast Company Newsletters A credit product born of small business experience 'The whole thing was born from my experience as a small business owner,' he says. 'I started out fixing electric signs,' he says, and found issues trying to get the equipment he needed—such as a truck—due to his business having a small or no credit profile, and his personal credit not quite cutting it for lenders. So, the idea was born to help small business owners in similar situations get access to the credit they need, and boost their personal and business credit profiles. 'When you start a business, the credit bureaus have a record that you exist, but you'll appear 'high-risk' because you're brand new and have no credit history,' he says. So, Nav developed the Prime Card, creating something that didn't yet exist, and in a sort of gray area that many other fintech leaders weren't paying attention to. 'I could see the opportunity before other people,' King says, referring to his days operating an electrical sign business. 'If you're in Silicon Valley, you get an MBA at Stanford, you're not looking at small businesses. My background, as a small business owner, helped me see a future that others couldn't.' A big potential impact There's a big potential pool of customers, too, who could be interested. Nav cites data that shows almost 70% of small business owners have a credit score below 670. And people are starting businesses like never before—the most recent Census Bureau data shows that almost 5.5 million new businesses were launched in the U.S. during 2023, which is an increase of almost 57% from 2019. So far, too, King says that the people who have tried the card 'love it.' Investors love it, too. Randy Komisar, a member of the Board of Directors—and a Silicon Valley heavyweight who founded Claris and TiVo, was also the CEO of LucasArts Entertainment and Crystal Dynamics, among many other things—says that King's vision presents a big opportunity and solves a real problem for small businesses. 'I want to use the power and resources available to me to try and solve this problem: How can we make the small business sector stronger and more viable, and use technology to help?' he says. 'When Levi came to me with his idea,' he continues, 'I saw it as an opportunity to have a similar impact to Intuit—for what Intuit did for bookkeeping.' While it's unlikely that Nav will grow to the mammoth scale of a company like Intuit, Komisar believes the company's future is bright, as it aims to address 'real' problems for small business owners. 'I'm very enthusiastic about a plan that uses credit information to allow small businesses to manage their growth and sustainability in a way that they're ill-equipped to do with the tools today,' he says.
Local Norway
11-07-2025
- Health
- Local Norway
What can you do if an employer in Norway rejects a sick note?
How do you apply for sick pay? You can get the first three days of sick pay without needing to contact a doctor, so long as you are a member of the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme and have worked for your employer for two months or more. If you come from an EU or EEA country, or if you are employed in Norway on a work permit, you will be a member automatically. If you are on secondment, however, you may find you are insured under your home country's scheme. To apply for the first three days' sick pay, you need to send in a self-certification letter. There is no official form for this, so you need to contact your employer to find out whether they have an internal form you should use. Employers are mandated under law to allow at least three days off sick under self-certification, and some offer more days. If you are sick for longer than this, you will need to provide a doctor's note, which you can receive from the day you see your doctor, or if an appointment is not available, from the day you contact them on the phone. You send the sick note to your employer by logging on to the Ditt sykefravær system on the website of the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration and submitting it from there. Advertisement When can your employer refuse a sick note? Your employer can refuse an application for sick leave via self-certification if you have applied for sick leave more than four times in 12 months, or if they have reasons to suspect you are not actually ill. Employers also have the right to refuse a sick note issued by a doctor if they suspect that you are abusing the system. Before they do this, they are supposed to raise any issues or suspicions with you first, so that you have the right to respond. The rules empowering employers to do this are in place to prevent unscrupulous employees abusing the system. What happens if your employer refuses a sick note? If your employer refuses a sick note, payments are immediately stopped, meaning those affected can rapidly find themselves in a crisis situation. Nav is theoretically responsible for providing sickness benefit during the employer's period if the employer refuses to pay, but this can take time to come through. Advertisement What can you do if your employer refuses a note? The first thing to do is contact your employer . Under law the employer is required to raise any issues with you before deciding to reject the note, but they do not always do this. If they have not raised the issue, you may be able to clear up any misunderstandings and convince them to change their position and accept the note. Whether you succeed in this or not, you should demand a written explanation giving the grounds for refusal. If the employer has not raised the issue with you, you should appeal to Nav immediately, citing their failure to follow procedure. Advertisement The second thing you need to do is understand the grounds for refusal . Is your employer contesting the illness itself? Is it questioning whether the sick note is valid? Or is it justifying the refusal on other grounds? Have you been working for the employer for the required four weeks to qualify for sick leave? Are they questioning whether the health professional who issued the note is qualified to do so? Have you provided enough information, for example, when your first day off sick was and how long you expect to be ill? Advertisement The third thing you should do is get help from your trade union if you are a member. You can find information on contesting sick note refusal both on the website of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions and on the information site it owns . If you contact your local trade union rep, they should also be able to offer you help appealing the refusal to Nav or contesting the refusal in an employment court if Nav is unable to resolve the situation. The final thing to do is to appeal to Nav . You can appeal via Nav's website or submit an appeal in writing. You need to do this within six weeks of learning that your sick note has been disputed. It is also important to immediately apply to Nav for it to cover payments during the period where the employer is refusing. Although this should theoretically happen automatically, it is a good idea to make an explicit demand for advance payment. There is a useful example of an appeal letter and a list of all the details you need to include on the website.
Entrepreneur
10-07-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
How to Recover from a Bad Business Decision (and Rebuild Trust)
When you're the one calling the shots, you're going to get things wrong now and then. Thankfully, getting it wrong can be just as instructive as getting it right. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. One of the first things you notice when you start working for yourself is that you work for yourself. It's not just a motivational poster anymore. It's you, alone, steering the ship. Every decision matters. Every mistake is yours. This realization can feel exhilarating — and terrifying. Over time, you get better at managing the chaos. The panic subsides, and the wins get bigger. But the mistakes? They don't stop. They just change shape. I still remember standing up during an all-hands meeting at Nav, the company I co-founded, to reaffirm our commitment to equality across gender, race, and identity. I referenced our generous maternity leave policy as a proud example. A young dad in the back raised his hand. Calmly, he pointed out that our paternity leave was dramatically shorter. It hit me immediately: he was right. Without realizing it, we had built inequality into our policy. Right there in the meeting, I made the call — we'd change the policy to make it equitable for all parents. It wasn't a small move. It caused chaos in HR and finance. But it was the right thing to do. The experience taught me something every founder eventually learns: it's not whether you'll make bad calls — it's how you respond when you do. Here's a framework I've used and seen work repeatedly — for solo founders, small teams and even larger companies navigating costly missteps. 1. Own it — out loud The instinct to hide or downplay a mistake is strong. Resist it. Whether it's a pricing misstep, a bad hire or an ineffective product rollout, the fastest way to regain trust is to say: "I made the wrong call — and here's what I'm doing about it." Blame kills credibility. Accountability builds it. 2. Understand what actually happened Look deeper than the surface. Was the decision based on incomplete data? A rushed timeline? A blind spot in your understanding of the customer? Map out not just what went wrong, but why. This is where long term growth happens — not just in cleaning up, but in preventing repeat mistakes. 3. Bring in real feedback You don't have to go through it alone. Talk to your team, customers or peers. Ask them what they saw. What would they have done differently? Mistakes are humbling, yes — but they're also an opportunity to listen in a way you might not have before. 4. Fix what you can — fast Not every mistake can be undone. But most can be softened. Offer refunds. Roll back changes. Update your policy or product. Even symbolic actions — like a personal message to an affected customer — can carry massive weight. The goal isn't perfection. It's restoration. 5. Document the lesson Take 20 minutes to write down what happened and what you'd do differently next time. Share it with your team if you have one. You're not just solving a short-term issue — you're building a culture that's resilient and self-correcting. That's a huge advantage. 6. Refocus on what's working A mistake can knock you off balance. That's normal. Once the cleanup is underway, shift your attention back to your strengths — what your customers love, what your team does best, what you know works. Recovery isn't just about fixing the wrong move — it's about re-centering on the right direction. Mistakes will follow you at every stage of your business, whether you're solo and scrappy or managing dozens of employees. The key is to treat each one like a checkpoint, not a dead end. If you can develop the habit of learning quickly, responding clearly and acting with integrity, those mistakes will actually build trust rather than erode it. You may not be facing HR-level headaches yet. But that mindset — of owning your decisions, course-correcting fast, and staying human throughout — is one of the most powerful assets you can bring to the table. Join top CEOs, founders and operators at the Level Up conference to unlock strategies for scaling your business, boosting revenue and building sustainable success.
Forbes
02-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How To Know If You Are Hiring Your Next Superstar Or Next Disaster
Levi King is the CEO, co-founder, and chairman of Nav, a financial health platform for small businesses. No chief executive officer (CEO), no matter how brilliant, would last a day in the shark-filled waters of commerce without tons of help. It isn't exactly easy to thrive in a hypercompetitive country teeming with smart people willing to claw, bite and wreak havoc in general to reach the top. At the end of the workday, look around. Look at those who stand by you and with you, ready and willing to do the heavy lifting. Who are they? Well, it's a complicated question. But I can think of one answer at least that will help to dispel the confusion: They're folks you hired. As the head of your company, you have an outsized say in who joins the team. Others may assist you, but you are the final word on the subject. In the not-always-bloodless arena of business, your lifted or lowered thumb means thrilling excitement for some, crushing disappointment for others. To Hire Or Not To Hire Weighty decisions require commensurate thought and preparation. In my experience, prioritizing résumés and college pedigrees at the expense of more human considerations in the hiring process is a major mistake. Perhaps I'm not cold-blooded enough, but as a college student, I wouldn't have gone on a single date with someone based on her GPA, much less have moved in with her! I understand that we're not talking about romantic relationships, but anyone who tells you that there's no intimacy involved in work relationships is either lying or naive. They involve our egos and dreams and ambitions; our financial security and worldly success. The fastest way to get to know someone, other than moving in with them, is to work with them. Becoming a CEO entails a tremendous amount of the latter. Allowing yourself to be dazzled by credentials or charisma to the point of overlooking everything else is a proven method of throwing that work down the toilet. Interview Questions To Ask I recently hired a chief financial officer (CFO) and a chief marketing officer (CMO). I'm confident that both of those roles are now filled by the kind of colleague I love and the kind of leader I trust. If you're asking how I can be so darn sure, the answer is pretty mundane: They told me themselves, in their own words, freely. I didn't have to smooth-talk them or resort to gimmicky sales tricks. In turn, they didn't have to do any smooth-talking themselves or resort to gimmicky flattery. They revealed who they were by being who they were, and I tried to make it as easy as possible for them by asking the correct questions. I not only asked good questions, but I shut up afterward and listened to their answers. I've been doing this long enough that I pride myself on the quality of my BS detector, but I've also learned that some lines of inquiry encourage more BS than others. After all, by the time a candidate is sitting across from me, they've been fully vetted in terms of their capabilities and past experience. I want to hear things like: • What are the most brutal and painful experiences you've ever endured personally and professionally? • How did those experiences shape how you show up professionally? • When you think of what you want to accomplish in your career, can you identify key formative moments from your childhood and youth that planted the seeds? • What is your idea of happiness, of personal and professional fulfillment? • What's your idea of the perfect company culture? • Think of one or two people you've worked with who you will stay in touch with the rest of your life; what was it you experienced together professionally that drove that enduring connection? • When was the last time you were red-hot angry? What happened, and how did you work through it? • Think of a time you had to drag yourself out of bed to go to a miserable job; what was it that caused the misery, and how did it change your perspective on your career plans? • If you think of your last job and contemplate your top two or three moments of pure joy, what happened to make you feel that way? • Setting aside compensation, role and responsibilities, rank the top three to five priorities you are looking for as you make your next career decision. There's more than one reason for following these open-ended lines of inquiry featuring practical and personal implications. They allow you to meaningfully assess the candidate—to figure out whether they're right for you—but it's just as important that you genuinely assess whether you're right for them. If I derive clear clues from a candidate's answers that they aren't going to be happy working for me or for my company, I owe them the same honesty I expect to be honored with. It doesn't matter how talented and amazing they are—I'm not going to pull a bait and switch. Employees reach their full potential when they're fully happy—period, stop. To hire great people, get out of their way. If you're wondering if your worlds align, if the mission of your company is one they're foaming at the mouth to join, if its vision is something they don't have to strain to see, they'll tell you in their own words. There is no such thing as perfect psychic clarity; even masters of the art of the interview fail from time to time, just as great psychologists sometimes have the wool pulled over their eyes. You can do everything correctly and still hire a dud—or be one, from someone else's point of view—and that's okay. As you slowly pull together the ideal posse, you'll feel less and less alone when faced with big decisions. You'll recognize misfits more readily and recover from them faster. You'll sleep better at night knowing that, though the sharks may be circling, you've got a team that can handle it. And that's the best feeling in the world. The information provided here is not investment, tax or financial advice. You should consult with a licensed professional for advice concerning your specific situation. Forbes Finance Council is an invitation-only organization for executives in successful accounting, financial planning and wealth management firms. Do I qualify?
