Business/Investment

What Does It Take to Start a New Business?

Start a New Business

Did you know that you can become a successful entrepreneur at any age? Having a business degree can give you an edge when it comes to managing a business but even if you are an undergraduate or a non-degree holder you still have the potential to earn a gratifying income from starting a small business. It is a significant achievement to watch it grow right before your eyes. However, success does not come overnight, so you have to create a solid plan and put effort into your business if you want it to succeed. Here are some helpful tips to get you started.

Ask yourself if you are ready

One of the critical elements of starting a business is the right timing. You should ask yourself why you would like to have your own business at this point. Are you willing to work longer hours or even quit your stable job? Launching a start-up business is never easy. It will entail working extra hard to promote your business, and it means spending long hours and sacrificing your happiness for a while. You may need to advertise your business personally by setting up marketing tools like double sided roller banners and posters and even hand out flyers in public places. If you are prepared to make this sacrifice, then it is a good sign that you are prepared to start your business.

Think of what business you will have

Once you have decided that you are ready to become an entrepreneur, another thing that you have to decide is the nature of your business. It is easier to promote and sell a product that is close to your heart; something that you are familiar with will motivate you to succeed. Choose something that you are good at and not because it is the current fad because your interest will die down once the sales start to slow down.

Think about your capital

Before deciding to invest in anything, think about how much you are willing to shell out as your initial capital. Are you ready to take a loan in case something goes wrong with your cash flow? This is a very serious matter because you are talking about your hard–earned money. It is a known fact that a significant number of businesses fail within the first two years, so it is best to think carefully about how you will spend your money.

Create a solid business plan

Successful companies are known to have a solid business plan. You should set goals regarding your sales figures each month. Also, it is essential to think of different strategies to make your business sustainable and profitable. Take your time to study and do market research and try out the various business strategies that most successful entrepreneurs practice.

Launching a business is never easy, but with your hard work and dedication, there is a big chance for you to succeed.

Fashion

Tourmaster Apparel Buying Guide

The bike makes the biker, but clothes aren’t far behind. The right riding apparel says a lot about you and tells where your priorities reside. You might be the type who likes your gear bright and flashy, or you could prefer something quiet and supremely functional. Either way, cheap motorcycle clothing and accessories are in high demand, giving you quality gear at affordable prices. The best products are ideal for a cross-section of the motorcycle community.

Top Gear for Riding

While the bike is always the main thing, riding gear is critical, too. A well- dressed rider would be smart to make selections from the following categories of motorcycle riding gear:

  • Helmets

  • Gloves

  • Jackets

  • Eyewear

  • Pants

  • Footwear

  • Jerseys

Synergy heated leather gloves by Tourmaster enable you to continue riding into the cool weather. They come equipped with a Rainguard waterproof and breathable barrier and are made of premium goatskin leather for a supple feel. A sensor regulates temperatures inside the glove so your hands are never too warm or too cold. An expansion panel provides excellent fit and elevates comfort, as does a complete wrist closure. Polyfill insulation adds to the warmth of these gloves.

Quality Accessories

The right accessories make your life better in many ways. The Tourmaster coaster SL soft toolbag comes in a black design and is made of heavy-duty synthetic leather. It’s easy to carry on the bike and is designed to eliminate any flapping in the wind. A waterproof covering is included.

The coaster SL windshield Bag fits on the front fairing and windshield, making it easily accessible. Its 3 storage pockets accommodate lots of gear and tools and the bag is big enough to carry sunglasses. Ventilation and drainage holes are included in the synthetic leather.

Buy Online

Get your parts and accessories online. You can access the largest selection at the best prices and receive your items quickly.

Are You Missing Out on Great Job Opportunities?

How would you say your career is going these days?

For some people, their careers could definitely be going in a better direction.

For some reason, they’ve had struggles keeping their careers going in the right direction. As a result, it can lead to financial issues and more.

So, are you missing out on great job opportunities?

How Can You Improve Your Career Chances

In your efforts to improve your career chances, keep the following pointers in mind:

1. Attitude – Above all else, try your best to maintain a positive attitude when it comes to your career. Sure, it can get discouraging at times when things do not go the way you want or need them to go. That said staying positive will more times than not lead to good things.

2. Objectives – What objectives do you have as it pertains to your career? For example, are you looking to stay in your current industry or move to something much different? Making a change to something new can of course be a little scary (see more below). That said nothing is gained if nothing is ventured. Do your best to define your career objectives and go from there.

3. Appearance – As important as work experience and a good attitude are, do not go to sleep on your appearance. Even if your job does not entail daily interaction with the public, you still want to look good. From how you dress to your hair, don’t skimp on trying to look good. That said if you are a guy and sport facial hair; do your best to keep it nice and trim. With that thought in mind, are you doing all you can to look neat? If not, it may be time to look at the grooming tools you use or fail to use for that matter. Go online and review what tools you may need to look better. You can do that in checking out Harry’s Shave Club reviews and others. Make sure you have the right razors and more to look good. You never want to be putting your job in jeopardy by not properly grooming you.

4. Organization – It is also important that you are as organized as possible. This means being on time for work and appointments. If you are going to be late, be sure to contact the appropriate personnel so they know you are running late. Being organized also means meeting customer needs no matter what line of work you are in. If customers feel you are unorganized, chances are some go elsewhere. Part of your job responsibilities entail being organized no matter where you work at.

5. Eagerness – Last, always be eager to see what else is out there for you. While many stay in comfortable jobs, how will you know this is the career for you if you do not see what else there is? Talk to family members and friends about their jobs. See if they may have some tips for you to find better opportunities. It is also good to use the Internet to explore other career opportunities.

If you’ve been missing out on some opportunities, you may have no one other to blame than the person you see in the mirror.

How New Parents Can Save Money and Stretch Their Budgets

You spent months filling up a nursery with expensive furniture, baby clothes and boxes of diapers, all in preparation for the day that you would bring a little bundle of joy home from the hospital. Now that your beautiful baby has finally arrived, you need to start thinking about the expenses coming around the corner.

Parents that are working with a tight budget will want to save as much money as they can while making sure that their child is provided for. If you’re in this situation, read these practical tips that will help you pare down costs.

Hold Off On Buying Clothes

Stocking up the nursery dresser with brand-new onesies from the store will be a waste of money. For such a small amount of fabric, baby clothes can have hefty price tags. They will be incredibly expensive for something that will likely get worn one or two times before your infant moves up a size.

Start by using up any of the appropriately-sized items given as baby shower gifts. Ask for donations and hand-me-downs from other parents who don’t have any use for baby clothes anymore. Anyone that knows their way around a sewing machine can make DIY baby clothes like leggings and hats to stack into the nursery dresser. Since the clothing will be so small, you can do a lot more with the length of fabric that you buy.

Another easy way to save on your family’s expenses is to skip out on buying baby shoes — they won’t be walking for months, and when they do, they will do it barefoot. Much like baby clothes, little shoes are expensive and become useless within weeks. Get soft booties for a tiny fraction of the price to keep their feet warm when they go outside.

Think About Daycare Now

You may not be thinking about daycare at the moment, but you should start right away. For one, daycare availability can be competitive depending on your location. The daycare center closest to you could be full by the time you’re thinking of signing up.

The second reason why you need to think about daycare as soon as possible is that it will become one of your biggest expenses. The average cost for daycare in the country is $11,666 per year — this means parents have to be ready to pay $972 every single month. The price varies depending on your location and the age of your child. The costs rise with younger children because they require more professional attention and care at the center.

Paying for childcare can be difficult, especially when you’re dealing with a strict budget. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, families living under the poverty line spent approximately 30% of their income on childcare and families that live above the poverty line spent 9% of their income.

As parents, you may need to look at your finances to see if daycare is the right decision, or if the stay-at-home parent option would be easier. A stay-at-home parent would mean no childcare costs, but it also means the potential loss of an income. As a compromise, you can see if either of your employers offer alternatives like working from home or modifying your work schedule.

Change Your Budget Priorities

Now that you have a baby, your priorities have completely changed, and your budget needs to reflect that. One of the first things you should do is revisit your budget and see if it’s catering to your new lifestyle — if it’s falling short of your expectations, you need shift savings and cut costs.

Try to push more savings into costs for the baby, like saving up for childcare and buying fresh diapers. Trim down costs that used to be essential like entertainment, memberships, dining out and shopping. Cutting down unnecessary costs will give your budget a little more wiggle room.

You will need that wiggle room in case an unexpected cost pops up. If you have no money to take care of it, you can go to a website like MoneyKey to take out a fast loan. Whether you’re dealing with an overdue bill or a broken water heater, you will appreciate having a simple and speedy solution.

You can fill out an application for a loan online and get the money you need in as soon as one business day. Any parents that are stressed from a sudden financial slip can find out more information today by visiting the official website or by downloading the mobile app.

Providing for your growing family will be overwhelming at first. But just like other aspects of parenthood, you will get used to the changes and eventually completing your tasks will become second nature to you. You will find that cutting costs and putting your baby’s needs ahead of yours will become a matter of instinct.

3 Thefts You Should Be Concerned About

While you can’t stop every theft out there, you want to do all you can to prevent theft from coming into your life.

With that in mind, have you been successful up to now in this regard?

Even one theft that is successful against you can have repercussions for years.

So, what thefts should you be most concerned about now and moving forward?

Don’t Take Crime in a Light Manner

As you do your best to avoid becoming the next theft victim, here are three that should concern you:

1. Identity theft – If able to steer clear of identity theft, consider yourself fortunate. Identity theft can have quite the repercussions when it strikes. So that you can lessen the odds of it happening to you, find a company offering identity theft protection. Such a plan will allow you peace and comfort. This is because you know someone is watching over your financial activities for you. So, whether you opt for Identity Guard or another provider, have one watch your financial back. You can trust a provider to alert you when something seems is amiss. Last, make sure you protect your personal financial info at all times. For instance, do not check an online bank account on a computer you can’t be sure has protection from viruses. Also, do not be handing out your username and password for email accounts and more. Always know the things to avoid with your finances to keep criminals at arm’s length. By using some commonsense, you are less likely to become the next victim.

2. Home invasion – Given how much your home means to you, do you go out of your way to make sure it is as safe as possible? Too many homeowners and renters don’t use commonsense when protecting their homes. As a result, they can open the door to crime before they know it. From having a home security system to making sure all windows and doors stay locked, use your head. The last thing you ever want is to have your home invaded. It is also wise if traveling to wait until you return from your trip to post comments and images on social sites. Many criminals use the social networks to find out which homes may be empty.

3. Owning a small business – Finally, if you own a small business, how safe is it? While you may worry about outside threats, what about the potential for inside ones? If you have employees, do you trust them? This is why it is important during the hiring process to do your best to get the cream of the crop. Even one employee going rogue against you can have damaging effects for years to come. From stealing customer info to providing info to your competitors can be bad. Always make it a point to protect your business investments.

As you look to avoid thefts of varying kinds, are you winning the battle?

In the event you are, don’t let up now.

Travel

The Affordable Ways You Can Travel Like a Celebrity

Most of us would love to live like a rock star. And we all wish we could afford to travel like Beyonce, but for most of us, it just doesn’t fit the budget. If only at least once we could experience what it’s like to live and feel like a celebrity. Good thing we found these four affordable ways to travel like your favorite stars without hurting your wallet.

Traveling gives us time to rethink, refocus and commune with nature, or simply be with the people we care about. But traveling to posh places is something we all wish to experience at least once in our lifetime. Why not get the best deals on your travel plan by checking out these tips:

  1. Sign up for Deals – Signing up for airline promos could save you more dollars. Airlines have all-year round deals, and you just need to know when they will release it. You can sign up for any exclusive deals on emails and SMS so you get instant updates when the airline announces promo fares. After getting that promo fare, always reserve a window seat for that perfect shot! If you wish to, you may also upgrade your seat to first class for that celebrity experience.

Hotels also have promotions. Usually, hotel vouchers are given during the off-peak parts of the season where there are fewer travelers. This is a way for them to keep customers coming in, and a chance for you to have that celebrity-class room. You can also sign up on their website to receive points and redeem them upon booking.

  1. Book an All-Inclusive Resort– Upon booking a room in a hotel or a resort, make it all-inclusive with breakfast, lunch and dinner plus other hotel amenities. Some hotels are giving away free wine or champagne to customers. This will give you more time to go and find the nearest café to dine in, plus you cover most of your costs up front. Celebrities do the same thing; they get all-in accommodations and simply focus on relaxing!

Speaking of relaxation, since this is only happening once in a lifetime, so why not treat yourself for an hour in the spa? Celebrities love going to spas for that perfect pampering and ‘me time’ experience.

  1. Go where the Stars Are – When planning a vacation, checkout where your favorite stars usually go. If Taylor Swift had a blast in Ibiza, why not book a hotel in Ibiza using the deals you signed up for? Be a wise, yet posh traveler. Make a checklist of the best possible celeb-places you can visit and save up for.

Another tip: you can also schedule your vacation during the awards seasons like the Oscars, Cannes, and more. This way, you will have greater chances of spotting all your favorite stars in one place! Don’t forget to bring your camera in case Leonardo DiCaprio passes by!

  1. Book a Cruise – Finally, when you want to splurge a little, and really travel effortlessly, book a cruise destination. You’ll have a week or two of celebrity-like and celebrity-life vacation where you can eat international cuisines, drink and party like a real celebrity, and enjoy some much needed relaxation. Choose a popular cruise destination where most stars go, find the best deals, book ahead, and enjoy! Since you’ve sacrificed and saved to enjoy your experience, make sure you take steps to protect your vacation and are prepared for emergencies, so you can focus on having fun!

Traveling like the celebrities should not really break the bank, all you need to make it a reality is a plan and these four tips. So start saving and go treat yourself!

Business/Investment

Virtual Offices – How Virtual Offices Are Changing US Businesses For The Better

The drive from Long Beach to your office in West Hollywood on a good day is roughly an hour. The drive from your home in Homestead to downtown Miami is roughly an hour and a half, on a good day. The drive from your home in New Jersey to Manhattan, on a good day, is roughly two hours.

The drive from your home in any city in the United States to your virtual office lasts as long as it takes to turn on your device and access the internet. Just in terms of transforming the daily commute, the virtual office has done wonders for the modern business landscape. In many ways, these office setups have made the work of doing work more efficient and effective.

Continue reading to discover how the virtual office is transforming modern industry.

The Logistics Of Work

The way many virtual offices work professionals can access their business information at any time of the day or night. Furthermore, these offices typically provide businesses with on-site accommodations in the form of conference and meeting rooms. Check out Servcorp America’s coworking space at www.servcorp.com/en/virtual-offices/ to see the types of amenities that might be included in your plan.

The virtual office has made it possible to work with people all across the world and in a timely manner. Businesses no longer have to incur travel costs associated with meeting international clients because video-conferencing capabilities make it possible to hold meetings anywhere. In essence, the virtual office has transformed where work is completed making it especially convenient for modern business.

Hiring Top Talent

Another major impact of the virtual office is that it has made it possible for businesses to recruit and hire top talent from around the world. Gone are the days when businesses had to traverse the often-complicated process of hiring qualified candidates from a limited pool of applicants. After selecting and interviewing candidates, weeks might have passed before someone is actually hired. The various professional social media sites, in addition to the various employment sites, provide employers and applicants with the option of submitting online applications, uploading material and advertising information in the effort of finding talent and getting hired.

More significantly, the virtual office has transformed the types of positions available to the workforce. Years ago, the full-time position was an entry into workplace heaven. Alternatively, today’s American business landscape has grown to include a large number of people who get hired on contract. For business, this has saved them millions of dollars, but for the workforce, it has transformed how people work, turning some into digital nomads.

Work Efficiency

The speed at which work gets done is a major result of the virtual office. With the various online apps available to business, professionals can communicate with each other in real time, can send and receive documents quickly through cloud-sharing programs, can electronically sign documents, and can complete a number of applications related to the managing of a business within a short amount of time. In essence, the amount of time for business transactions to happen has been drastically reduced by virtual office applications.

File Storage

Just in terms of the amount of physical space that is saved, the virtual office has all but removed the need for storage closets. In past incarnations, offices ended up devoting at least a few rooms to storing files. Virtual office capabilities have allowed businesses to move files to an electronic format, thereby saving a lot of physical space.

The Quiet Revolution

Almost overnight, technology has overtaken many of the functions that made work inefficient. Today, a business could function in virtual reality without running to snags, as the various apps and human resource technologies make managing an office easy. For your business, the virtual office can connect you to an online community and promote your venture to a wider audience.

Learning to Drive Again After An Accident

Car accidents can leave you incredibly shaken and whether it was your fault or not, the event could leave you with a great deal of apprehension when it comes to getting back behind the wheel. We often here people say that if you fall off the horse you need to get back in the saddle, but that is far easier said than done. After my accident last year, a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer who was dealing with my claim told me that I should only drive again when I felt ready, and it was a long time before I felt truly confident behind the wheel. If you have been involved in an accident, here is how to gradually find your driving shoes again. 

Consider a Lesson

A great piece of advice which I heard, unfortunately this was after I had started driving again, is to pay for a driving lesson. The reason that this is such a good idea is that the driving instructor will have brakes under the passenger seat, should they feel that you need to slow down or stop. Secondly a driving instructor can help you to give you the confidence to drive again, without any pressure at all. If you call the driving instructor and let them know your situation, they will also be able to tailor a route which will help you to experience different situations on the road.

Short Journeys 

When you get started behind the wheel of the car again, it is important that the first journeys which you take are very short, and in areas with a low speed limit. The key here is getting used to other road users, and hazards which occur whilst driving. You should start off taking these small trips just once per day, gradually building up your confidence.

Support

Having someone in the car with you for morale support is a very good idea which can help you to get that confidence back. Make sure that the person in the car is not a nervous passenger or a backseat driver, but someone who will be respectful, quiet and non-judgemental. Once you feel confident with someone in your car, it is time to go it alone, and build up your own self esteem when it comes to deriving the car alone.

Nighttime

During your road to recovery you should only be driving in the daytime, but once you have found your feet again, it is time to take some trips after dark. When you drive in the dark you need to be more aware and more alert than during the day, which will be the perfect ultimate test to see just how far you have come since the accident.

You will feel confident once again if you take your time on the road and gradually, you will feel comfortable driving, just like before the accident took place.

Business/Investment

Must Read: 7 ways to break away from the paycheck to paycheck cycle

Many of us have become accustomed to living from pay check to pay check; however, there are millions of people who have broken free from the rut and you can too. Living pay check to pay check means you’re one pay check from living without electricity, gas, a home and a car. It’s a worst-case scenario that could happen if you don’t improve your financial situation. Here are 10 ways to break free and increase your income stream.

Recognising you have a problem and dealing with it: The first step to getting out of the rut is recognising you’re stuck in a cycle of your own creation. Go online and read through the experiences of individuals who were in a similar situation but turned their life around. It offers insight on what you’re doing wrong and a few ways to change.

Live below your means: Review your credit card statements, bank statements and receipts. What are you spending every month? Can you cut back on miscellaneous expenses such as eating out and partying with friends? Compare your expenses with your income; if your outgoings are more than your income then it’s time to cut back.

Don’t shop for the sake of it: When you go out with friends, it’s tempting to buy a dress or an item you didn’t plan for during an impromptu shopping trip. Shopping for fun is a costly action. The best option is to stay away if you know your friends always end up in a store when you hang out.

Stop using credit cards and get out of debt: You won’t get your finances in order until you’re out of debt. Debt eats into your monthly pay check, leaving you with little for anything else. You also need to stop using your credit card while you’re paying off your debt. Avoid taking out any loans while you’re at it.

Spend Wisely: When making purchases, try to find the best deals, keep track of all your spending with virtual financial assistants as well as using cashback sites.

Make savings automatic: Planning to save after your expenses mean you will never save. Whether you’re saving for retirement or emergency funds, the money should come first before your spending. Savings should be automatically deducted from your checking account or ask your bank to deduct the funds to your 401 (k) plan automatically.

Increase your income: Another way to cut back on expenses is to increase your income. Get a part-time job or a freelance work online. Sell off household items you don’t need. All the extra income should go towards paying off your debt and you could quit your second job when you’ve finished paying off your debt.

Conclusion

Don’t rely on regular bonuses to cover your living expenses. Instead use it to speed up your debt payment or increase your emergency fund. The emergency fund is how to get out of the cycle of living from pay check to pay check in the long-term. Set a budget that caters to your expenses, insurance premiums, loan and car payments.

Business/Investment

Delivering Top notch customer service to energise Your Business

You can’t have dissatisfied customers and yet expect to have a successful business. The two don’t mix. If you want to have a successful business with longevity, keeping your customers happy and satisfied at all times is key. And the key to this is top notch customer service.

Asides from keeping your business profitable, satisfied customers also equals a highly competitive business. If your business is currently lagging, here’s how you can energise it by switching to a more customer oriented business plan:

  1. Hiring the right people

You can’t care for your customers the right way if you don’t have the right people on your staff. No amount of training and retraining can change an individual’s personality so you need to make sure you hire personnel who share your company goals and enthusiasm for customer satisfaction. For instance, hiring someone with a friendly personality and placing him/her at the front desk or as a sales rep will put customers more at ease and make them feel welcome. So when hiring, keep an eye out for potential, enthusiasm, and an understanding of your company’s philosophy.

  1. Make customer service everyone’s focus

It’s not just the receptionist, marketers, customer service reps, and sales reps that should operate in a customer focused manner. Everyone in the company from the doorman to the guys in IT should operate with a customer first mentality. This is important because with no customers, there would be no business. So everyone in your company should be pitching in to keep the customers happy.

  1. Training happens every day

There’s no such thing as too much training, especially in light of the fact that customer needs are always changing. Recently, Starbucks had to retrain all their staff in the US after two customers were poorly treated at a branch. So don’t shy away from investing in training your personnel in order to ensure they actually have the tools and knowledge to serve and relate with your customers the right way

  1. Happy employees are a big asset

It’s easier for a satisfied and happy employee to provide great customer service, compared to a bitter and dissatisfied employee with poor working conditions. Since happy employees are in a better position to create happy customers, make the effort to provide optimal working conditions for your staff and ensure they are well cared for. One easy way to accomplish this is through fostering a rewarding work environment for employees.

  1. Offer flexible solutions

Be it payment terms, hassle-free returns policies, prices, delivery options, or otherwise, offer your customers options so they can pick the one that’s most convenient and satisfies their needs. If a customer can get all he/she needs from your business, there’ll be no reason to check out the competition. Having that degree of flexibility is particularly valuable in the early stages of your business’s life as you’ll be likely to face a number of ups and downs in those vital first few years.

  1. Reward loyalty and retain customers

Retaining customers can be difficult, but it’s much easier if you provide your customers a reason to stay. You can accomplish this through loyalty schemes, listening and responding to customer feedback, and more. A customer that feels appreciated is more likely to keep coming back. Just make sure your loyalty scheme is straight forward and doesn’t seem like a ploy.

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