Starting 1 January 2009, textile and clothing items originating in China no longer require any import license or surveillance document before entering the EU. Meanwhile, textile and clothing shipments to the US made on or after 1 January 2009 are not, at this point subject to any shares. Under the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA), the mainland has given all results of Hong Kong origin, including clothing items, duty free treatment starting from 1 January 2006. According to the stipulated procedures, items which have no existing CEPA rules of origin will enjoy levy free treatment upon applications by nearby manufacturers and upon the CEPA rules of origin being agreed and met. Hong Kong clothing companies are reputable for ODM and OEM creation. They are able to deliver quality clothing articles in short lead time, as foreign importers and retailers request clothing suppliers to tighten up flexibly chain management to ensure the ordered merchandise reaching the store floor at the correct time. Increasingly, Hong Kong clothing companies, the established ones specifically, have indicated enthusiasm for brand advancement. Hong Kong’s total exports of clothing decreased by 5% year-on-year in the primary portion of 2019, when re-exports fell on par and domestic exports dropped by 29%. In January-June 2019, Hong Kong’s clothing exports to the US and EU, the two largest markets that accounted for 55% of the total, fell by 9% and 14%, respectively. The clothing industry is a significant manufacturing sector of Hong Kong. It is one of the largest manufacturing employers in Hong Kong, with 558 establishments hiring 3,468 workers as of Walk 2019. Hong Kong’s geographic limit has never constrained the development of the forward‑looking clothing industry. Most of clothing manufacturers have set up offshore creation facilities in an attempt to reduce operation costs. Relocation...
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Running a business? Launching a new one soon? If you’re starting with a new business, it can be overwhelming to keep up with all the different documents you need to run your business seamlessly. We’ve compiled a few business document templates to hopefully help you along the way. These business documents are essential in making managing your business a smooth and easy process. Keep on reading to find out more about each of their uses and importance. 1. Business Plan Template One essential document for businesses, especially those just starting, is a business plan. This describes all the different details that you and your business will go through. As well as accomplish to meet its goals. This serves as a guide on what your business plans to do in the long term. This will contain factors like your company description, your target market, marketing plan, and a timeline your business wishes to follow. A business plan template displays the foundation of your business. 2. Weekly Activity Report Template To have you and your team become more efficient, a weekly activity report helps present whatever your business gets done within the week. This is extremely helpful to guide you and your employees to adjust their work ethic. Whether they need to be more productive or if they should keep up on what they’re doing. This can also pave a way for good communication between you and your employees. They would have to report what they’ve accomplished in-depth each week. A weekly report can also help you reflect on the effectiveness of your team and help you ensure work does get done in your business. 3. Employee Timecard Template Every business owner must be well informed of their employee’s hours. Having an organized log when they start and leave work helps you evaluate...
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June 12, 2020Are you financially secure? If not, you’re not alone. In fact, nearly 80% of people live paycheck to paycheck. The key to becoming financially stable is to create a plan for your life and stick to it. For many people, this is easier said than done. Keep in mind that financial security doesn’t happen by accident. First, you need to educate yourself about money so that you can make the best decisions possible. This article takes a look at the key components of financial planning. Keep reading to discover insight into how to take control of your money once and for all, and start living the life you’ve always imagined. 1. Managing Your Cash-Flow When it comes to taking control of your financial life, the first thing you need to worry about is dealing with your cash-flow. This requires fully understanding your current assets, liabilities, and net worth. It’s crucial to clearly identify the status of you personal balance sheet. Be honest with yourself about your long-term goals in relation to your current financial wellbeing. Once you understand where you are and where want to go, you’ll be in a better position to make smart strategic decisions going forward. 2. Managing Your Investments The next step is investment management. Your investment portfolio should include well-diversified set of assets that minimize risk while maximizing returns. Again, you need to take your long-term goals into consideration. This is where hiring an experienced investment professional can be a huge benefit. They can help guide you, enabling you to invest in the right assets for attaining your ultimate financial goals. 3. Planning For Retirement Retirement will be here before you know it. After all, it’s no secret that time goes fast. So you’d better think about and get your retirement plans in order so that...
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June 12, 2020By 2021, there will be 2.1 billion online shoppers worldwide. Learning about the benefits of eCommerce will make you want to hop on this business trend before it explodes. What is eCommerce? eCommerce encompasses all financial transactions that occur on the internet. As eCommerce grows in popularity, more viable markets are popping up than experts ever could’ve imagined. Producing a decent income through eCommerce isn’t as hard as you think. In fact, its advantages might mean it’s exactly what you’re looking for. Here are 5 eCommerce benefits that are too good to pass up: 1. Lower Startup Costs One of the biggest advantages of eCommerce is affordability. Some eCommerce platforms cost as low as $20 per month. Others take a percentage out of every sale you make. Nonetheless, eCommerce startup costs are tiny compared to brick-and-mortar store costs. It’s much easier to launch an eCommerce operation than a physical store. Learn more about the great value you’ll get from eCommerce marketing through the aforementioned link. 2. The Internet is the Best Location Brick-and-mortar stores rely on local customers for their business. These nearby customers must travel to the store, creating a literal distance between the business and its potential customers. When you run an online shop, customers visit your online shop from their own homes. Plus, you’ll attract customers from all over the country and even the world by being online. 3. SEO Benefits SEO (search engine optimization) refers to increasing a website’s visibility and ranking on SERPs (search engine results pages). When you rank high on SERPs, you get more organic traffic and sales as a result. Search engine visibility is the best advertising you’ll ever get because each internet user is a qualified lead. That’s because by searching for a product like yours, they’re already expressing interest in it. 4. Customer Data Why use eCommerce? Use...
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June 11, 2020As the owner of a Macbook, you know that you’re in possession of an incredibly powerful machine, capable of just about anything. It’s a recording studio, a video editor, a notebook, a calculator, and an encyclopedia, all in one. And that barely scratches the surface! To get the most out of your device, however, you need to take advantage of some of the countless additional apps available on the built-in app store. But with so many options, it can be tough to know which are truly app store essentials. To help with this dilemma, we’ve compiled a list of 10 apps that will take your Mac experience to the next level! Keep reading to learn more. 1. Alfred By utilizing hotkeys and keywords, Alfred will help you streamline your productivity and get the most out of your Mac. There’s an online community available where you can download prebuilt workflows, or you can customize your own. Think of it as an upgraded version of Mac’s Spotlight feature, allowing you to do even more with the touch of a button. 2. Magnet One of the few features that are offered on Windows but not on Mac operating systems is window snapping. If you often use your computer to multitask, it can be difficult and time-consuming to try to arrange your windows yourself. That’s where Magnet comes in! With this app installed on your Mac, all you have to do is drag and drop your windows where you want them and they will snap in place. Then, scale the windows to the size you want them and they will stay in these positions until you choose to move them again. 3. 1Password The average computer user has 23 online accounts that require passwords. And to best protect yourself and your information, you should be using...
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Research shows that organizations across the United States spend $178.5 billion on managed information technology (IT) services in 2019 alone. For many businesses, IT is a critical need for operational excellence, but the investment necessary may not be there. For firms that have the budget, bringing IT in-house can often take away from the core business. Thus, more firms are outsourcing their technology needs to a managed service provider that can offer the necessary expertise while freeing the contracting organization. Here’s a closer look at what a managed IT service provider is, and the potential benefits outsourcing to them can give your organization. What Is a Managed IT Service Provider? A managed IT provider is a company that takes on and runs the day-to-day management of a specified set of IT duties for clients. These duties include network, security, infrastructure, and application services. A managed service provider (MSP) firm works on an outsourcing basis and serves a wide array of clients from large corporations to small businesses. During service delivery, such a firm can offer you their proprietary service in collaboration with another vendor’s offering. Others, known as pure-play MSPs, offer only one vendor or technology, which often tends to be their service. Initially, the term MPS used to refer to firms that dealt only with device-related or infrastructure services. Nowadays, an MSP also includes any firm that handles regular management, support, and maintenance. When you bring an MSP on board, they don’t take over total control of your IT management. You want to retain overall control even as you pass on some responsibilities to keep the MSP accountable. The first an MSP will do when they come on board is to review all your processes. Through this audit, they will identify areas that need more efficient steps to provide...
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Few battles are more heated than the Mac vs. PC debate. Some love PCs for their customization and software capabilities, while others love Macs for their speed and sleekness. There’s a lot more that comes with switching to a Mac than just a pretty machine, though. If you’re thinking of switching to Mac from PC, you’re about to make a very good call. Here’s why. 1. Straightforward & Fast While you can get PCs that are fast and easy to use, it’s hard to match the straightforwardness of a Mac. Right from the get-go, everything is set up and ready to go on your Mac. You won’t experience any slow-down or lag between launching apps. You can multi-task like a king with even the lower-end Macbook offerings. This means a lot less ctrl-alt-deleting to close out crashed apps. If you do need to use the task manager, though, learn how to control-alt-delete on mac here. Mac’s iOS is laid out so conveniently anyone can learn how to use it in a matter of minutes. What’s more, Macs come with tons of great applications pe-installed, from iTunes to Safari to Facetime and more. You can get hours of entertainment and productivity straight out of the box with a Mac. Plus, the startup time on Macs is unbeatable. You’ll be ready to use your Mac seconds after booting it up, as opposed to often slow PC startup times. 2. The Most Portable (and Connected) Computer Apple offers the most portable laptop experience, from the physical design to the Cloud capabilities. The newest Macbooks and Macbook Airs are some of the thinnest, lightest computers on the market. You can easily slip one of these into a backpack or bag and hardly notice the difference. What’s more, the Apple ecosystem works seamlessly across devices. If...
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There are 23.8 million people working in management in the US today. Within this, there are many good managers and many subpar ones. However, it’s not always clear what separates the former from the latter, or how to improve as a manager. There are many strategies you can use to improve your management game, however. Read on as we look at the seven most important leadership tips for people in today’s workplace. 1. Be Clear About Values When you boil it all down, management is really about values. You’re trying to get those in your command to subscribe to your view and make it real, whatever that view may be. For more insight on the importance of values in management, check out the Dare to Lead values list. 2. Be Humble The quickest way to alienate people is to act as though you’re better than they are. Always treat your team as equals. Listen to what they have to say and engage proactively with their contributions. 3. Develop a Style & Stick to It People on your team need to know what to expect from you. This can be firmness and formality if you want, but it needs to be consistent. 4. Be Open In the modern world, everyone likes to feel that they’re involved. This is why it’s important to share relevant information with the people you’re managing. If you fail to share things with your staff, they’ll resent you for it. That will hurt morale and productivity. 5. Encourage Creativity You don’t want to put yourself in a position where every element of your team’s development is your personal responsibility. With this in mind, encourage your team to propose solutions to problems themselves. The more effective operators there are on a team, the better. 6. Prioritize Effective Communication Communication is always...
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Around 82% of small businesses go under due to cash flow management failure. Accounts receivable and accounts payable contribute significantly to the state of your firm’s cash flow health. Therefore, you must invest enough time in learning how to handle accounts payable and accounts receivable to avoid crashing and burning. So, how do you manage accounts payable and receivable? Wonder no more. Dive into this guide to uncover expert tips for managing these two cash flow factors. What’s Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable? Not every business will handle customers that pay on delivery. To keep selling, you need to operate using accounts payable and accounts receivable. But what do each of these terms mean? 1. Accounts Receivable Accounts receivable (AR) is the amount of money a customer owes you when you offer your goods or service to them on credit. Let’s say you deliver a product or service to your customer worth $12,000 and agree on payment in 60 days. That $12,000 will go on your books an account receivable. 2. Accounts Payable Accounts payable (AR) refers to the credit you receive from your suppliers when they serve you their products or services without upfront payment. In our previous case, if the tables were turned and you were the one receiving the $12,000 worth of goods or services from a supplier on credit, it would be an account payable in your books. At the end of 60 days, the supplier would expect you to pay them $12,000. Why Do Accounts Receivable Matter? Even though AR is a type of debt you extend to your clients, it still goes on your books as an asset and not a liability. Why is that? First of all, AR can help you raise more business as clients don’t have to pay you upfront. As long as...
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Have you ever made an error on your taxes, missed a year, or lost some of your tax paperwork? If so, you’re not alone— they are some of the most common tax mistakes. But if you’re running a small business, any tax errors could cost you serious money. One of the best ways to avoid mistakes is to hire an accounting pro to look after your small business. DIY accounting is risky and can cost you money and time in the long run. Hire an accountant to help with your small business taxes—keep reading to find out why. 1. Tax Laws Change Frequently Can you do taxes yourself? Sure— but that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea! Why not? Tax law is complex and frequently changing. Even if you did your business taxes yourself last year, there could be new laws since then that you’re not aware of. To avoid missing out on important changes that could impact the amount of tax you pay, leave your tax filing to the pros. As experts in their field, they’re aware of any changes to the laws that may make a difference to your taxes. 2. Doing Tax Yourself Means You Can Miss Out on Deductions Small business owners can claim many deductions for services and expenses over the course of the year. But, are you aware of every possible deduction? You might not be, but your tax pro is. Don’t risk missing out on major savings, as some deductions are not well-known. A pro can talk you through all the possible deductions for your business, making sure you don’t miss out. 3. Save Time Figuring out your own taxes can be confusing and time-consuming. Why not focus your time on what you do best—running your business—and leave your taxes to your accountant. Use...
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June 11, 2020According to the American Association of Retired Persons, by 2030, for the first time, the United States will have more individuals that are 65 and older than children. More people turning age 65 and older means more individuals will need medicare supplement insurance. If you are selling medicare insurance and are looking to increase sales, keep reading to find the top 10 tips for generating Medicare supplement leads. 1. Boost Social Media Efforts Each year, more and more individuals age 65 and older are joining social media to keep up with events going on in their family’s lives. Close to two-thirds of adults ages 50-64 are now on Facebook, and for those 65 and older, 43% are on social media. You can effectively generate Medicare supplement leads through the use of Facebook and other social media apps. You can provide educational materials and updates through your social media account. Here, you can inform those who need dental, vision, and hearing insurance for seniors that they can obtain such coverage through you. 2. Write Engaging Content Companies are developing innovative strategies to increase their chances of showing up on google when searching for specific things that relate to their business. This is done through a process called search engine optimization. You, too, can reap the benefits of search engine optimization by doing some basic research and determining what keywords people will be searching for when looking for medicare supplement insurance. Engaging content can bring in new leads and can also help close sales by educating the audience and showing them why they need medicare supplement insurance, such as Medigap plan f. 3. Utilize Live Transfer Leads Live transfer leads involve transferring potential leads who have already undergone a pre-screening process. The pre-screening process is used to determine if the lead is qualified or not, meaning the leads...
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Are you tired of having your business networks go down? Do you find your company losing thousands of dollars in productivity because of slow technology? Do you wish you could upgrade, but you don’t have the funds on hand to buy the necessary hardware? Enter managed IT services. The right managed IT services package will greatly improve and enhance your business’s operations at a far more affordable initial cost. In this article, we’ll answer the question of what is managed IT services and why your company needs to consider hiring one. What Are Managed IT Services? Managed IT services are essentially a delegation of your company’s information technology operations to a third-party. This involves several components. The first is the actual hardware that powers your network requirements. Whether it’s your proprietary network that employees need to work on or a web-based product accessed by paying customers, managed IT service providers will have the necessary hardware to deliver the cloud computing functionality your business needs. Another important component is personnel. If you’re low on operating funds, you may not able to hire IT personnel. After all, employee costs are more expensive than just salary. You also have to consider benefits, recruiting costs, and much more. That’s again where IT managed services come in. You can outsource the maintenance of your network to them. They can set up cybersecurity measures, monitor downtime, and do anything else that an in-house IT department would do. What Benefits Do Managed IT Services Provide? Now that you know what the managed services model is, it’s time to talk about the benefits that one can provide. The primary benefit that these services provide is a way for you to spread out IT costs over time. These services typically work on the basis of a monthly fee. You don’t have to absorb the enormous cost of buying a...
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Data theft is on the rise – and growing. According to Statistica, data breaches in the U.S. climbed from 157 cases in 2015 to over 1,400 cases in 2019. Just in the last year, these data breaches led to the exposure of 164 million personal records. Oftentimes, data is stolen as a result of poor (or nonexistent) data governance. But what is data governance? Read on to learn the ins and outs of data governance, why it’s important, and how it can protect your company’s success. What is Data Governance? While some data are publicly available, other data can’t be viewed by everyone who wants to see it. Sensitive, personal, and secret information must be kept safe – and only dispersed to those authorized to view it. When data needs this type of management and protection, data governance comes to bat. A data steward – the person(s) in charge of protecting and managing data – can decide the best ways to keep data safe. They’re also in charge of determining when, how, and to whom this protected data should be shared with. Data Governance: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Good data governance is easier said than done. There’s a lot of policies that weigh into how data is stored and shared. There are a few rules of thumb that data stewards have to follow: Data must be stored in a highly secure location. Data can only be shared with individuals who are granted authorization to do so. Data must be shared securely to those with authorization – ideally through encrypted protection. Ultimately, failure to govern data correctly can result in lawsuits, client distrust, and even the economic downfall of a company. If you think that these mistakes are only made by smaller businesses, guess again. Data breaches occurring as a result of improper data governance happens to major global...
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Meeting your business’s tech needs continues to be challenging on almost every front. From the IT talent shortage to managing cybersecurity, business leaders often wonder how to manage IT. It’s little wonder so many of them consider technology outsourcing as a solution. You may have even thought about it yourself. Is outsourcing IT the right solution for your business though? With all the benefits it brings, outsourcing IT services could be a smart move. Defining Technology Outsourcing Outsourcing describes any time you hire an outside team of experts to take care of a business task for you. Some businesses outsource payroll, while others send their customer service to outside firms. IT outsourcing is similar. It moves your IT functions from in-house to an outside team of experts. You can choose to outsource all of your IT operations, or just one or two aspects. One firm might choose to let another business handle cybersecurity for them. The third-party vendor looks after security, while the SMB continues to handle their own tech infrastructure. A small business might also decide to let another firm handle all their technology needs. This can include everything from deciding on webservers to building an app. You can visit this page and learn more about what end-to-end IT solutions entail. Cost Benefits of Outsourcing The most common reason business leaders choose to send their IT to another company is cost. Maintaining an in-house team of experts can be quite expensive. The third-party vendor may also be able to get discounted prices on equipment or software. That’s because they’re buying for many clients, which helps them get better pricing. Finally, outsourcing can also lower labor costs associated with IT. The IT firm knows what they’re doing and has both the expert team and the equipment to handle it. They’re almost always more efficient,...
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Few things are as crucial to a medical enterprise’s daily operations are patient records. After all, think about it. Patient records are not only crucial to correctly diagnosing patient problems and treating them correctly, but many aspects of these records are required by various legislation that regulates the medical industry. A failure to keep detailed, organized clinical records could significantly negatively impact your healthcare business. You could open yourself up to a lawsuit, mistreat a patient, or worse. But you probably already know about the importance of proper medical documentation. What you may not know, however, is how to go about medical record keeping. It’s hardly an intuitive process. Fortunately for you, we’ve written this article. In it, we’ll go over some simple strategies that you can begin implementing today for more organized clinical records. Use the Right Software First things first: it’s time to bring yourself into the 21st century. If you’re still using paper folders and filing cabinets for your clinical record needs, then you are way behind the times. You need to step it up. Technology has impacted just about every facet of every business’s operations in every market. This is perhaps nowhere truer than in the medical industry. Subsequently, there are hoards of different options on the market you can choose to assist you in your quest for medical record keeping. Start with a tool that automates as much of the documentation-creation process as possible. An AI-powered tool like DeepScribe would be ideal. Artificial intelligence technology can leverage predictive technology to improve its transcribing of a patient visit. This translates into better records with even less manual effort. Once you have the documentation recorded correctly, it’s time to use a cloud-based platform to store the data. There are many different options on the market, but iCloud is a particularly popular one because of its ease of use and built-in integrations with Apple...
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There are few things more precious to businesses in the 21st century than technology. This love of tech is reflected in the extraordinary spending we see companies make every year in the space to the tune of trillions of dollars. Among the many types of technology that have been invested in under the broad tech umbrella is 3D scanning technology. 3D scanning technology isn’t often talked about (certainly not as much as 3D printing) but is making waves in fields that extend from medical to movies. If you’re unsure about what 3D scanning is and what kinds of applications it offers, you’re in the right place. Below, we share a brief overview of 3D scanning and how it’s being used in today’s economy. What Is 3D Scanning Technology? 3D scanning technology refers to the hardware that makes 3D scanning possible. This hardware is a handheld piece of equipment that looks a little bit like a souped-up barcode scanner. Users pass the scanner over an object which is then rendered in an application like Autodesk, Blender, or other proprietary tools. Once rendered, designers, medical professionals, and others can manipulate, study, and do a bevy of other things with their newly created models. How Does 3D Scanning Differ From 3D Printing? We’ve seen people use the terms 3D scanning and 3D printing interchangeably so allow us to quickly clear up the difference. A 3D scan pulls designs from our physical reality and moves them into digital. 3D printers pull objects from digital and render them into our physical reality. In short, these activities represent opposite sides of the 3D spectrum. What Can 3D Scanning Technology Be Used For? When 3D printing caught fire about five years ago, most of the projects we saw people creating revolved around fun, hobby-like activities. Because of that, there’s...
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84% of Americans see homeownership as a good thing. Owning a home can make you feel safe and secure in your personal environment. The problem is that many people who want to be homeowners don’t feel like they have that opportunity because of their credit. They want to buy a house, but their credit score and report is lacking. If learning how to buy a house with bad credit might be on your list of things to do, we are here to help you. Continue reading this article to learn if and how you can buy a house with bad credit. Bad Credit Doesn’t Automatically Mean No The good news is that having bad credit doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t be able to get approved for a home loan. In fact, there is such a thing as a bad credit home loan. Before you go to apply for a bad credit loan, make sure you have bad credit in the first place. What you might consider a bad credit score isn’t necessarily bad credit. Check with a lender before you put yourself in the category of someone with bad credit. What Is Bad Credit According to Mortgage Lenders? While your credit might not be good enough to get a personal loan without collateral, that doesn’t mean it’s too bad to get a home loan. There actually isn’t a specific minimum credit score you need to have when you start looking for a new home. Private mortgage lenders are able to set their own minimum requirements when it comes to credit scores. Keep in mind that government loans do give lenders a little peace of mind and often have lower requirements, but that still doesn’t mean that you’re going to be able to get a loan with a rock bottom credit score. If...
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June 4, 2020Strong communication skills are more important than ever before. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, roughly half of American employees are working from home. Under these circumstances, it is impossible to maintain productivity without effective communication. There are a number of communication trends that are influencing the business world. New communication technology is helping to bridge the gap between remote employees during a difficult time. Explore five business communication trends to get a jump on the competition. 1. Collaboration Tools One way that businesses are bridging the virtual gap is by using collaborative applications. For example, Microsoft Teams is a popular new tool used in the business world. This tool allows employees to seamlessly hold meetings with both video and audio support. In addition, employees can share their computer screen to work on spreadsheets or reports in real-time. Other popular features include recording meetings and a SharePoint for common file access. 2. Mobile Communication In the 21st century, everyone is on the go. It is time to take a look in the mirror if your company is not mobile-friendly. Your employees will certainly be more productive if they can get work done outside the office. There are a few things you can do to enhance mobile communication. For starters, your company can optimize intranet content and emails for mobile usage. Your employees can hit the ground running if they can clear out their inbox during the morning commute. Other mobile communication tools like DeskAlerts. With this tool, you can send mass notifications to your employees. Let them know about an upcoming meeting so that they come prepared. 3. Video Conferencing Video conferencing is one of the hottest trends in business. Your company can save big dollars by relying on video conferencing instead of physical meetings. Think of the cost avoidance by eliminating flight...
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If you thought the days of email marketing were over then consider this. Ninety-three percent of business-to-business companies still use email to market themselves. There are over 5.6 billion email accounts worldwide. Businesses in the US alone spend $350 million dollars on email advertising. Email marketing services help you send and manage your email blast ideas. But the best ones offer a lot more. This article helps you find the best email marketing company. We break down 4 features that separate the top marketing companies from the competent ones. From click tracking to custom landing pages, you’ll find the right provider for your business. 1. Custom Email Templates The goal of an email campaign is to get customers to open, read, and interact with your marketing message. They need to look appealing, should include images and professional copy, and link to pages on your website. But what if you don’t have a background in design? A great emailing marketing company offers a selection of templates for you to use. Simply change the colors and text to match your brand. Then link to the appropriate product or service pages on your site. Be cautious of paying extra for templates. These should come as part of your monthly plan so shop around to get the best deal. 2. Open and Click Rate Success Open rates measure how many customers opened your email instead of ignoring or deleting them. The higher the open rate the higher the chance they will read and act. Email marketing services vary in their open rates depending on the industry. For example, Mailchimp statistics put business and finance at 21.56% but hobbies at 27.74%. The average hovers around 20% or one in five. Click rates measure how many customers clicked a link in your emails. These metrics are considerably lower, around 2-3%, and...
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Whether you’re shopping around for your business or for personal use, if you’re in the market for data storage solutions then you need to consider iCloud. This cloud storage facility is from one of the biggest companies on the Fortune 100 list — Apple — and is a top-tier service. In this article, we’ll explain everything you need to know about iCloud and why you need to use it. We’ll also tell you about five concrete benefits that you can expect to see once you switch to using iCloud service. 1. Access from Anywhere in the World The primary benefit of using iCloud is the same that is realized when you use any cloud object storage service. You’ll be able to access your data from anywhere in the world on any device. This is particularly important for those of us who are always on the go. You want your data to be able to keep up with your travels. You don’t want to be tied down to having to connect your computer to some kind of physical server in order to access data. That only slows down your productivity. 2. Sync Across Devices Another significant advantage of iCloud is its ability to sync data across the various devices that you use. You aren’t limited to storing your data warehouse on a single computer with an upgraded SSD. Instead, you can use all your devices, and all kinds of devices (phone, tablet, or PC) to access your data. 3. Organize Data Better iCloud has always had a reputation for superior data organization. Data organization is of prime importance when you’re trying to run an efficient business. One of the things that will kill productivity is a lack of access to the right data. All cloud storage services solve the problem of being able to access your data on any device from anywhere in the world....
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Over 90% of all online activity starts on a search engine. With search engine optimization (SEO) you can appeal to those consumers and lead them to your website. You’ll need a strong SEO strategy, first. With this digital marketing advice, you can increase traffic to your site. You can then turn those visitors into sales or leads. Here are seven SEO marketing tips that can set you up for success. 1. Start Researching In order to use these SEO marketing tips, you need to know who you’re trying to target. Start building a strong SEO strategy by researching your target audience. Make a list of target keywords by using SEMRush and Google Keyword Planner. You’ll use these keywords for your website content. Make sure to prioritize long-tail keywords, which are more focused. 2. Utilize UX Over 80% of consumers check their phones before making a purchase. In order to really utilize these SEO marketing tips, make sure you’re mobile-optimized. Google uses mobile-first indexing when determining SEO rankings. If you’re not optimized for smaller screens, your ranking will suffer for it. On mobile devices, make sure: Buttons are easy to click on Your site is easy to navigate Text is easy to read Make these changes before using the rest of these SEO marketing solutions. 3. Place Your Keywords Once you start creating content, it’s important to know where to place your target keyword. Each post’s target keyword should appear in the: Page title URL Opening paragraph Closing paragraph A header Body text Alt image tags Meta description Make sure your keywords read naturally within your content. For more help, this SEO company can help improve your overall SEO strategy. 4. Focus on Value As you begin writing blog posts and creating content, don’t focus on selling. Instead, you want to show readers the value you have to offer....
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June 2, 2020Google My Business is one of the best tools for local businesses to find online. In this article, I will help you with my top Google My Business Tips for 2020 as an SEO Professional. The challenge every business faces, whether they are small business or big business, is to find the right people: by their target audience. For small businesses, everything tends to make sense, because without being discovered, there are fewer customers, which means less cash flow, and a rocky future. This effort for discovery has led to new areas of marketing and advertising such as pay-per-click or PPC advertising, search engine optimization or SEO and more. However, many of these methods require time, and often, require a significant amount of monetary investment. Unfortunately, due to the hyper-importance assigned to SEO Company and PPC Company, many marketers miss out on some obvious areas that can be optimized to help companies grow the ‘Discovery Ladder’ for free: Google My Business. Google My Business is a free tool offered by Google that allows business owners to manage and update their inventory. Your Local SEO Services Company can help you to setup GMB listing. Google My Business is a great tool to launch innovation, especially for brick-and-mortar businesses such as coffee shops or fast food joints. Yes, the benefits are important to local site-based businesses, but the benefits that Google My Business provides to businesses that don’t have a specific address are also noteworthy. After you add or “claim” your list, you can customize it to be more informative, increasing the chances of people finding out. Once your business listing is added, your business will be visible in Google search results and Google Maps to all who are looking for a service. Researchers are given a wide variety of information, including...
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Templates have always worked out to save time and efficiency. These are the pre-made designs wherein we can fit our matter and use it anywhere. Templates are widely used in different scenarios. For instance, web templates help in customizing the website design. Similarly, these templates can help you out in the strenuous presentation as well. Wondering how? Let’s dig in. Have you ever got frustrated by the prolonged PowerPoint presentation in your office that includes numerous slides? It is true that PowerPoint presentations can be time-consuming and often result in inefficiency. Guess what, PowerPoint templates can help you. Instead of struggling with making those blank slides attractive, you can use templates that will help you make the presentation more professional and engaging. For good quality and better engagement, you can buy PowerPoint templates from Templatemonster. How PowerPoint Templates Help? There are many reasons why you need to start using PowerPoint templates in your presentation. Here are a few amazing benefits of using such templates. Save Time It is true that working on blank slides for hours to make it appealing and presentable is undoubtedly time-consuming. If you buy PowerPoint templates that are meant for a different purpose, you only need to add the relevant content. Professional Design You don’t need to be a graphic designer to design your PowerPoint presentation. All you need is the right template that will give you a professional presentation design. Suppose you have to give a presentation among some estimated people, having a professional template will help you enhance your approach. Quick Customization Everyone needs a little customization in their work. With PowerPoint templates, you can quickly customize everything. All the source files are with you, and you can edit anything anytime. It is much easier to edit in a template than in an original...
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It is impossible to know how badly COVID-19 will affect America’s economy. However, some projections estimate that the annualized drop in GDP may be as much as 37% for this quarter alone. Such economic shrinkage is bad news for every business. If you’re a business owner, you may well be worried about what the future holds for you. One possible tool that may help you is a capital allowance. So, what is a capital allowance? Read on as we take a closer look at the concept and how it might benefit your business. What Is a Capital Allowance? A capital allowance is a form of tax relief that businesses can avail of in respect of certain assets and investments. The function of a capital allowance is to facilitate the writing-off of expenses incurred on an asset over a period of time. To claim a capital allowance, you will have to have invested in a capital asset during the relevant tax period. This might be a piece of property, or a significant item of machinery or equipment. In America, capital expenditure on research and development will also qualify. The investment in question doesn’t necessarily have to be an outright purchase. For example, if you spent a significant sum on the renovation of a previously owned property, the cost of this renovation may qualify. For an asset to qualify, it must be in regular use for the purposes of your business. Therefore, a property that you purchased as a speculative venture will not usually count. However, if you were claiming rental income on the relevant property or asset during the tax period, this will qualify the asset for an allowance. Non-durable assets cannot get you a capital allowance. How Can You Claim a Capital Allowance? To proceed with a capital allowance claim, you...
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May 28, 2020You’ll never get a second chance to make a first impression. Your company’s business card can provide the right or wrong first impression depending on its design. Make the right impression on your future clients by following these 5 business card design tips. Use a Special Finish for a Memorable Card One way to make your business card design stand out is to use a special finish. A special finish could be foil blocking, metallic ink, spot-UV, or a heavier cardstock. These finishes can add extra cost to your design but they are worth it. If your customers have a stack of business cards your card will stand out from the pile because of the special finishes you added. Use a Die-Cut Design If you’re asking how to design a business card that is different from the norm, try going for a die-cut card. A die-cut business card design takes your card and cuts it into a unique shape. Simple die-cuts include rounded corners. You can also cut shapes out in the middle of your card. Make sure you give your printer plenty of time to create your design. Do not for a die-cut card if you need them tomorrow because they do take extra time to make. Make Your Card Useful One of the popular business card design ideas is to turn your card into something useful. These days you can have your card details printed on a bottle opener or a dog biscuit. Choose something that resonates with your brand that customers will use instead of throwing away. A mechanic could print his business card on keychains or a cook could print them on a spatula. Don’t Include Too Much Your business card should list important details so that people can get ahold of you but don’t make...
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May 28, 2020Are you trying to figure out a better way to communicate with your team virtually? You’re in luck. There are so many different tools out there that will make virtual meetings easier. With so many different software and services out there, it’s hard to find the best conference call platform for you. In this guide, we will outline some of our favorite conference call services. We will let you in on why we love them so that you can find the best option for your company’s needs. BlueJeans If high-quality audio is what you’re looking for, this is where this service really shines. BlueJeans uses noise-canceling technology while also keeping voice levels consistent. This is great for any team that relies heavily on clear communication during meetings. Additionally, this software has features such as easy screen sharing and one-click scheduling for efficient collaboration. This software focuses on sound quality as well as efficient collaboration methods. This will allow your team to work together productively from all over the world. Conference Town This option focuses solely on conference call services to ensure quality experiences. With a full web interface, you and your employees can have access to a simple and intuitive platform. There are no caller or conference limits, which makes it a great option for a large team that requires frequent meetings. Special features such as their question and answer build in, allow your meetings to flow smoothly, with limited interruptions. This feature allows someone to raise their hand and enter a question after someone is done presenting an idea. This is a great way to have effective virtual communication and gives employees the option to save questions for later. Vast Conference This service allows you to make immediate calls without having to set meeting times. It also offers operated...
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Trying to make your company as great as it can be? Wondering what the benefits of video conferencing are? If you’re trying to build a stronger company, you need to make sure that your employees can communicate with each other and with clients well. Using video conferencing can be one of the best ways to do this and will help make your business more productive and more connected. If you want to learn more about the value of video conferences, look no further. Below we’ll tell you why your company needs to make use of video conferencing. 1. Strengthen a Decentralized Workforce If your company operates in more than one location or if it makes use of remote workers, video conferencing tools are essential. It can be hard for a dispersed workforce to collaborate and to work effectively together. Luckily, video conferencing can allow your employees to connect and get on the same page whether they’re working remotely or working in various offices across the globe. 2. Revolutionize Productivity and Collaboration One of the best things about video conferencing is that it allows your team members, no matter what their role and no matter where they’re located in the world, to work together and communicate in a clear way. This can work wonders when it comes to completing projects and having a more productive team. Video conference calls can help a lot during collaborative projects or tasks. It can help bring a team together and will allow them to talk about goals and ideas in a simpler and easier way than ever before. 3. Create a Stronger Company Culture Another great thing about using video conferencing is that it can help improve employee satisfaction and strengthen company culture. Fostering great relationships between employees can help them truly feel like they’re part of a team. Especially for employees who work remotely or work...
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May 28, 2020Yes, you need to keep up with the trends in SEO and e-commerce today. You need to understand and recognize everything that goes around you. Otherwise, your competitors will always beat you in this game. With every passing year, the world undergoes specific significant changes. Understandably, the same goes on for e-commerce SEO. If you search the web, then you will run into many write-ups and videos. These concentrate on the position of SEO and whether you still need it to boost your website. There are other alternatives that you can exploit, like social media platforms. It does not matter where you stand on this particular issue. You shouldn’t neglect to educate yourself about the values of SEO. It has profound business-boosting capabilities. It can make your e-commerce website to break all records regarding sales and popularity. This topic will disclose a few new SEO trends that popped up this year. You must try to take advantage of these trends. Off-the-shelf e-commerce SEO services: There was a time when the only SEO product that you used was the one tailored for you. You never chose to use anything else. Now, however, the off-the-shelf alternatives are becoming better than ever. These off-the-shelf packages include everything, including apps and widgets. The designers create these tools for the generalized market. With these products to back you up, you won’t require much input from your side. Ecommerce SEO Packages to get top rank: There are number of Ecommerce SEO packages available in the market. Google gets trillions of searches daily. Each visit on Google, and multiple times in a day. You typed something into the search box of that unforgettable website, and hit enter. A page with roughly 10 links came up and you probably clicked 1 or 2 down from the top. The...
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According to recent research, IT downtime costs US businesses around $1.55 million per year. If you run a business, it’s often a good idea to invest in IT support services so that you can keep your IT systems ticking along. However, if you don’t know anyone that’s invested in this service, you might have some reservations about the whole thing. Here’s a quick look at why you should think about investing in IT support services. When you complete this post, you’ll understand why your IT systems need support from a specialist IT company. Let’s begin! 1. Make Life Easier for Clients If you invest in IT support, you will be able to provide clients with a better level of service. This is because an IT support company will make sure your IT systems are working as fast as possible. Following this, if a client calls you and has a question about their account, you can quickly load up their details and provide support. Your ability to do this will keep the client happy, as they didn’t have to spend an excessive amount of time on the phone. As a result of this, they will continue to use your services, and they might even recommend you to others. 2. Improve Staff Collaboration Another great thing about investing in IT support is that you’ll find that collaboration often becomes easier. That’s because IT support companies can set up the things that are required for virtual collaboration. For example, they can create virtual private networks that allow people to access work documents outside of the office. Additionally, if someone wants to work from home, support companies can set up secure video conferencing on computers. Thus, team members can then take part in important meetings, even if they’re not in the office. 3. Minimize IT Expenses Investing in IT support also allows you to save a lot of...
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May 19, 2020According to the National Small Business Association, 36% of small businesses across the United States spend $500 monthly to service their payroll. For many small businesses, that’s money they can better spend in growing their operations. Thus, it is not unusual to find small firms taking a do-it-yourself (DIY) approach to handling payroll. Here’s a guide to help you learn how to do payroll for your firm. How to Do Payroll for Your Small Business When you go the DIY route on small business payroll, there are several steps you will need to take. These include: Preparation: You will have to collect all the pertinent information before you can begin processing the funds. That starts even before you hire employees, and it includes deciding who will handle the process. Paying the staff: Once you have all the necessary information, you can craft a schedule to disburse the payments. Here, you’ll have to manually compute the amounts and arrive at gross and net pay per worker. Post-payment follow up: After your staff has received their salaries, the process doesn’t end for you just yet. At this point, you’ll need to make records for the period’s payroll and store it. If there are any mistakes or miscalculations, this is the juncture you document them and in preparation for alerting the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Let’s look at this process more closely. 1. Set up to Operate as an Employer After setting up your firm’s legal structure and acquiring all the necessary licenses, you need to make your firm legally qualify as an employer. Start by setting up an employment ID number (EIN) with the federal government if you’re a new business. It’s at this juncture that you’ll also need to verify your state tax identification number. If you don’t have one yet, consider applying or checking...
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There are over 1 million solar energy systems installed in the United States. As consumers learn more about the benefits of solar energy, they’re taking the step to power their homes with it. While many people understand the benefits of solar energy, a large portion of people still doesn’t. Why go solar? Keep reading to learn more! Why Go Solar There are so many reasons why you should consider going solar as a homeowner! They are: 1. Reduce Electric Bill Going solar can reduce, or even completely erase your energy bill! Energy bills can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars each month for a home or business. Keep that money in your pocket so you can spend it somewhere else! 2. Increase Your Property Value Homes with solar energy not only sell faster, but they sell for more money than homes without solar energy. As consumers learn more about the money that they can save with solar, more buyers will be looking for a solar home. 3. Sustainability Many of us are trying to find ways to treat our environment a little better. Recycling is great but solar energy will take your sustainability efforts to the next level! A huge portion of carbon emissions is energy from homes and businesses. Reduce your carbon footprint with solar energy. 4. Help Create More Jobs The solar industry adds jobs quicker than many other fields. Investing in solar for your home will help you create jobs in your community. These jobs are also typically higher-paying, so your contribution will help stimulate the economy. 5. You’ll Get Your Return Back Quickly While solar isn’t exactly inexpensive to add to your home, you’ll get the money back quickly. This is because you won’t be paying the same hefty energy bill each month. Over time, the amount that you’re...
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Technology has changed a lot in business over the past several years. We’ve gone from stacks of paperwork and phone calls to handling almost everything online. Advancements in tech aren’t expected to slow down in the future, either. Reports show that the average company plans on increasing tech spend by 44% in 2020. If you want to keep up with these businesses, you need to do the same thing yourself. If you’re struggling with IT, working with managed IT services is an option worth considering. Keep reading to learn what managed services are and how they will help your business. What Are Managed IT Services? Information technology wasn’t always that hard for small businesses. You hired a tech to set up a few computers and connect them with a network. Unfortunately, things are more complicated these days. You need a wide variety of skill sets to build an IT infrastructure today. Many businesses don’t have the budgets to afford all the employees they need. Managed services companies help businesses in these situations. A managed services company will come in and take an audit of your network. Once they learn about your business, they will build out your infrastructure for you. From there, you only need to pay a monthly retainer for any tech support you need. How Do Managed IT Support Services Help? The good news is that a managed services provider does a lot more than get your IT infrastructure up and running. Below are six benefits you’ll see when you outsource your IT services. 1. Make a More Productive Team Your employees are only going to be as productive as their tools let them. While many tools of the past do work, they don’t allow people to work as efficiently as possible. The good news is that modern online...
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Employee injuries are more common than most business managers care to admit. Employees are hurt on the job an average of 12,900 times per day. These injuries can mean employees are out of work for about 21 days. Coming back to work can be disruptive to all employees. It can also create long-term problems in your business. Companies that face these issues have a back to work program in place to integrate the injured worker back in the workplace. Read on to learn what back to work programs, how to implement them, and the benefits they’ll bring to your business. What Is a Return to Work Program? The longer an employee is laid off due to a work injury, the less likely they are to return to work. A back to work program is a set of guidelines created by your company. These guidelines are meant to integrate returning workers slowly, as opposed to throwing them back into action assuming that they can do the same work at the same rate. Back to work programs help injured workers get back to work more quickly by reducing their task and the intensity of their work at first. The employee can slowly ramp up their work rate as they recover. You can easily give the employees the confidence they need to recover and give them income at the same time. Creating Your Business’s Return to Work Program How can you create a return to work program for your business? You have to be able to sell the idea to your management team. You’re going to learn the benefits of back to work programs, and these benefits will show that this is a worthwhile endeavor. Create a Written Back to Work Policy It’s important for everyone to be on the same page as to what the back...
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Businesses rely on good customer service more than ever. Business owners and managers know that the customer experience can determine the fate of the business. Abut 85% of customers are going to increase their spending after a good experience. At the same time, 70% will limit spending if they feel they weren’t treated right. Companies have turned to call centers to improve the customer experience. The level of outsourcing has grown and the call center industry is now over $13 billion. There hasn’t been a better time to start a call center business. Keep reading to discover how you can build a call center business that is profitable and highly successful. 1. Choose Your Niche Your first assignment in building a call center business is to choose a niche. You’ll see that there are many different types of call centers. There are outbound call centers, which most people think of as telemarketing. There are inbound call centers that take care of customer service calls. You can then decide what industry you want to serve. Outbound call centers can serve almost any industry, from political campaigns to nonprofit organizations. Inbound call centers can serve ecommerce companies, IT providers, and healthcare providers. There are some call centers that target doctors and provide an answering service. You have to get clear about the type of call center business you plan to have before you start it. 2. Write Your Business Plan There is some debate as to whether or not a business plan is necessary before you start a business. Startups that have a formal business plan are more likely to be successful than ones that don’t. Your business plan asks you to think about every aspect of your business. It’s an opportunity to see the risks of running a call center business. For example, if you decide...
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In the past, most cyberattacks were directed towards PC users. But in 2017, there was an 80% increase in malware attacks on Macs. So if you’ve been thinking you’re quite safe from cybercriminals, then think again. You may have been living with a false sense of security and have just been lucky that nothing unfortunate has happened yet. Now that we have your attention, it’s time to up your security. Here are 7 MacBook cybersecurity tips you should know. 1. Have a 2-Way Firewall On Apple devices, you’ll get a built-in firewall. A firewall is a type of gate that protects you from incoming and outcoming traffic (in theory). However, Apple’s built-in firewall only protects you from inbound traffic. For this reason, you need to look for a third-party firewall that’ll protect you from both inbound and outbound traffic. There are many attacks that come in, infect your system, and then spreads itself by dispersing in outgoing traffic. By having a 2-way firewall, you’ll have a double layer of protection against this type of malware. Nothing should be able to get in, and if it does, it won’t be able to get out. This is one of the best cybersecurity tips for Mac. 2. Have a Good Antivirus Program In addition to having a 2-way firewall, you should also have a good antivirus program installed. That way, if you accidentally download something malicious, the program will pick up on it immediately and stop the install from even happening. A virus scan for Mac can easily be done with any antivirus program you download. All you have to do is hit “scan” and it’ll analyze your entire MacBook for anything that may be malicious. You’ll then either have the choice to quarantine or delete those files. Even when you’re not actively running a scan, it’ll still be...
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Every year, thousands of people decide that they’ve had enough of working for others and become entrepreneurs. The road of entrepreneurship isn’t smooth. It’s a bumpy ride and you have to learn how to manage a business and make it successful. Read on for the top entrepreneurial tips to help you become a great entrepreneur. 1. Understand Finances One of the most important things you can do is learn how to manage money. Cash flow is a big reason why many businesses close. You don’t want yours to be one of them. The most important things to know are profit and loss, operating expenses, startup expenses, and projected sales. There are plenty of low-cost and free resources that train entrepreneurs in business finance. Udemy has a wealth of experts who offer classes on business finance. Another great resource is Edx. It’s a website that offers courses from the top universities around the world. These courses are free to audit and offer certification for a small fee. 2. Communicate Well Communication is a skill that entrepreneurs need to master. Miscommunication between you and employees or clients can cost your business money. Your communication skills can also be used to close sales and attract customers. You have to be able to explain to prospects what you do, your ideal client, and why your business is better than the competition. You have to learn how to say a lot in few words to get the point across. It takes an understanding of what is in it for the other person, too. It’s a skill that you can develop over time. 3. Get a Mentor There are countless entrepreneurs who have come before you, and there will be many who come after you. You’re a member of a rare community of people who wanted to...
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The Diffusion Group conducted a study that found 60% of companies that lose their data close within six months and an astonishing 72% of businesses that suffer a big loss disappear after 24 months. These statistics prove data is the lifeblood of all businesses so it’s crucial that corporate data backup is taken seriously. Need tips on how to do it correctly? If so, you’ve come to the right place. Here are the top 10 favorites. The Different Ways You Can Lose Data Before diving into digital filing systems and business data backup, it’s important to cover the main ways companies lose data. For instance: A hard drive crash or damage to your device makes your data unrecoverable Your computer or phone is stolen Data is accidentally deleted Your computer’s riddled with malware A ransomware attack makes your files inaccessible unless you pay a large fee These points show how vulnerable your data is so regardless of the company’s size, invest in backing up your data. Our 10 Tips for Backing Up Data Data backups can save a company but it’s important to consider these points so they’re getting a good deal. Including: 1. Understand Your Data Needs When choosing a small business data backup service, understand which data storability option is relevant for the company, and how to maximize the space. It’s tempting to store everything because of its affordability but businesses must identify which data is valid so the company isn’t storing redundant data. Companies must also use a data protection solution that makes data easy-to-search so they get accurate results, especially in an emergency. For guidance, consult with a SQL server consultancy to get a coherent plan before choosing a storage solution. 2. Don’t Forget Unstructured Data By 2025, 80% of a company’s data will be unstructured. Structured data is organized, easy-to-read, and search...
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The standard VAT in the UK is 20%. This VAT has significant impacts on small businesses. Yet, some companies hardly pay attention to business VAT. If you’re a small business owner, understanding how VAT works is essential. So, how does VAT work? Keep reading to know more. What Does VAT Mean? Value-added tax (VAT) refers to the business tax that the government levies after the sale of products and services. VAT applies at every point of sale after value addition. Typically, VAT is often a percentage of the entire cost. VAT in the UK means different things. Besides the 20% standard VAT rate, there are other rates, such as 5% that apply to children’s car seats, energy-saving, and sanitary products. There is a zero rate on food, children’s clothes, newspapers, and books. How Does VAT Work? When one purchases goods or services, VAT becomes part of the price of the products. Your business has to levy VAT on all products. Remitting the tax to the right authority means you’re accountable. You need to make your VAT payments quarterly, monthly, or even annually. It is crucial to understand how to calculate the VAT. Fortunately, there’s a VAT calculator that can help add VAT or remove VAT. While small businesses with a turnover that’s less than £85,000 don’t have to register, it would be wise to get VAT regardless of your income. Once you register, your business will have to charge 20% on sales. You will have several responsibilities as a VAT-registered business. Besides charging VAT on products, you can reclaim the VAT you pay on business-related services or goods. You will also need to report to HMRC the VAT you have charged and your pay-out, which is after every three months. The VAT you charge on goods should somehow balance with the VAT you...
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any companies spend too much on travel, perks, ineffective marketing, and other expenses that do not help the business grow and succeed. When this happens, reducing costs is one way to get your company spending back under control and allow your business to thrive. Cutting costs does not automatically mean letting go of staff, especially since laying off employees without changing your spending habits is often a short-term solution to the problem. By making a few tweaks, you can retain your staff while saving money. If your business is in desperate need of effective cost-cutting strategies, here are several ways you can start saving money. 1. Review Your Company Expenses The first step in cost-cutting is to review your company’s spending. This will tell you where you need to cut costs and how much you need to cut. Look for unneeded technology, unused subscriptions, ineffective marketing, and small items that should be purchased in bulk. Finding these unnecessary expenses is a great first step in the cost-cutting process. 2. Create a Budget More than half of small businesses did not create a budget in 2018. This is a staggering statistic considering financial problems are one of the most common reasons small businesses fail. Creating a company budget is a great way to avoid overspending, improve decision-making, identify problems before they happen, and plan for the future. 3. Allow Employees to Work Remotely Hiring a remote workforce can reduce overhead costs and the costs that come with absenteeism and tardiness. Remote employees also tend to be more productive, have a higher level of employee morale, and stay with the company longer than an in-house employee. With the right tools, like VoIP phones, conferencing software, and internal messaging systems, you can create a remote workforce that saves the company money while getting more done. If you are...
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When buying a home, Americans spend approximately 50% of their household income and earnings. When creating a new home for your family, you want to make sure it looks and functions the way you want it to. The right customizations can help you maximize your investment and make your home yours. Get creative! Keep reading to discover 12 innovative home building ideas you can use for your new home. With these tips, you can design a personal, unique space with your family’s needs in mind. Here are the 12 features to consider when building a new home! 1. Add a Secret Room Everyone always gets excited when they realize there’s a secret room hidden behind a bookshelf or paneled wall. We usually see these secret rooms in movies or on TV, but they’re not solely meant for fiction. When searching for cool home building ideas, consider adding a secret room. You can use a secret panel to hide your laundry room or a relaxing spa. You could also consider adding a hidden library, mini-movie theater, or a bar where you can entertain guests. When designing your new home, you might place the laundry room at the bottom of your to-do list. Thinking about where you place the laundry room can add convenience to your daily life. Consider placing your laundry room upstairs near the bedrooms. By placing the laundry room upstairs, you’ll have to worry about fewer trips up and downstairs. Placing the laundry room behind a secret door will also keep it out of mind until you need it. If you want a hidden space where you can relax and get away from the world, consider upgrading a bathroom into a spa instead. Tucking your spa behind a secret door will give you the privacy you need. When designing your spa, consider adding a: Soaking...
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Most internet users are familiar with what proxies do in general. But, private proxies are either shrouded in mystery or evoke only a vague understanding. Well, if you’re wondering “what is a private proxy, and how does it work?” we’ve got you covered. A private proxy, also known as a dedicated proxy, represents a unique internet protocol assigned to a single user. It differs from other types of proxies, such as residential, data center, and shared proxies. All traffic is routed via a designated endpoint and your identity is hidden from a destination web server. That’s why we talk about private proxies as intermediaries or middlemen. Owing to this unique role, they are popular both with business and private users. Read on to find out more about the nuts and bolts of private proxies. The Clandestine Way Private proxies use a dedicated IP address, which serves as an intermediary between the internet and a client. This is to say all requests have to go through the proxy. Such an arrangement has one key benefit: it protects the user’s anonymity. Namely, the proxy obfuscates the original IP address before executing a client’s request to access web resources. It essentially sends the request on your behalf without divulging any personal information. In practice, this means the IP address is different every time you utilize a service. Conversely, if you use a standard protocol, you telegraph your IP address to other websites. This allows them to keep track of your browsing activity. And you can rest assured that only a small fraction of public and free proxies are safe. Unlike private proxies, they don’t involve the authentication process. Hence, they may give away all manners of sensitive information. Think in terms of credit card details, usernames, passwords, etc. To make things worse, free...
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Computers are here to make our lives easier. They help us accomplish tasks rapidly and often, with much greater precision than a human can. But at times, computers can give us a headache. Often, the operating systems confuse us, and we don’t know how to navigate our way around them. Microsoft Windows is a great operating system. Windows 10 has become exceptionally popular. But even Windows 10 can, on occasion, confuse the user and slow down productivity and efficiency. So how do you alleviate this? We’ve put together these Microsoft support tips to help you stay productive while using Windows. Microsoft Support Tips You Should Know Use our guide below to optimize your experience with Microsoft Windows. If you run into issues with Windows, you should always seek the best technical support. A great option is Microsoft pay per incident for on-demand support. Here’s how to stay productive with Microsoft: 1. Virtual Desktop If you need to run many applications at once, you may feel stressed navigating through many windows on the interface. You’re looking for an efficient way to manage several tasks at once. A great option is through the Virtual Desktop. This feature creates as many ‘mini-desktops’ as you want in your taskbar. Then, one each desktop you can use different applications. For instance, on one desktop you can have documents open, on a second you can have presentations open, and on a third, you can have your web browser open. This makes it easier to toggle between desktop screens instead of having several applications open at once on a single desktop. All you have to do is go to Windows and click Ctrl + D to start! 2. Start Menu Sometimes, the start menu does not have everything you need to access in one go. We often waste time in navigating through the...
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These days you can create a professional-looking website for no cost except a few hours of your time. You can also spend tens of thousands of dollars crafting a totally customized website that is unique to your business needs. It’s best to know what your website cost estimates are as part of your overall business budget. So, should you go the cheapest route, the most expensive or something in between? Let’s go from the basic to the most complex needs and what you can expect to pay. The Free Hosting Option The most fundamental part of any website is its hosting. Hosting is basically the service that will store all of your website files and make them accessible to an internet browser. There are a ton of website template hosting services like Wix and Squarespace. These services are excellent if your website needs are basic to moderately complex. The main attraction to these services is that you can set up a whole site for free, but with many limitations. One of the main limitations is that you can’t connect your own domain, so your website address will look something like this: username.wixsite.com/siteaddress. You will also be limited to the most basic functions of the free templates available. Upgrading to a Premium Plan: Personally I recommend upgrading from a free plan to something that will at least allow you to connect your own domain name. People will take you a lot more seriously with a customized domain name and you’re probably going to want to expand beyond the free features at some stage. The cost of this is roughly $14-16 US per month. Domain Registration If at some stage you decide to host your own website you will still need to pay to register your own domain. The cost of this can vary from a few dollars to a few thousand depending on the TLD...
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Does your office have a problem with negativity? Disgruntled staff, awkward meetings, and zero water cooler chats? If so, you may need to change your company culture. What’s the meaning of culture? Simply, it’s the beliefs, knowledge, and behaviors of a certain group— in this case, your company. To improve your workplace, you may need to create a more positive culture at work. Read on to learn some of the best ways to make your workplace more optimistic, happy, and fun. 1. Consider Inclusivity in Everything You Do All workplace policies, activities, and materials should put inclusivity above all else. What does this mean? Inclusivity means that all employees, customers, stakeholders, and volunteers feel included in the company. Inclusivity means all people, regardless of age, background, race, gender, mental or physical disability, or lifestyle feel like they are valued by the company. Try to use non-gendered language in employee writings and HR policies and invest in diversity training. Also, encourage staff to celebrate their unique and diverse qualities and personalities. Creating cultures of inclusion can improve staff morale and make everyone feel safe, valued, and welcomed. 2. Encourage Communication All staff, regardless of seniority, should feel comfortable communicating their ideas, suggestions, concerns, and opinions. This means both casually around the office and formally in meetings. To have a positive employment culture, staff need to feel empowered and feel that their voice matters. Otherwise, it is easy for employees to feel like they don’t matter and aren’t valued by management. Help with this by encouraging open doors where staff feel they can call, email, or get in touch whenever needed. If necessary, create a channel where staff can give feedback anonymously. 3. Culture Starts From The Top If you are building a positive employee culture, all staff need to be on board. If...
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March 18, 2020MKV is a multimedia container format that includes video, audio, subtitles, and other metadata. If you want to extract subtitles from MKV, you can freely switch it on or off accordingly to the media player, such as KMPlayer and VLC Media Player. Below will introduce will introduce 2 MKV subtitle extractors for you and detail how to extract subtitles from MKV files using them. People extract subtitles from videos for different purposes. Extract the subtitles of a low-resolution video file, and then add them to a high-resolution version for getting a better visual experience. Separate subtitles from a video to practice listening. Extract the classic lines of a movie. The easiest way to extract subtitles from MKV, MP4, AVI, VOB or other videos as SRT, ASS formats is to get a versatile subtitle extractor that can cope with videos in different types of formats. If you are also searching for a way to add subtitles to videos, try MiniTool MovieMaker. After testing all kinds of subtitle extractors, I list 2 best MKV subtitle extractors and the specific steps on how to extract subtitles from MKV videos. Method 1: Extract Subtitles from MKV – MKVExtracGUI-2 MKVExtractorGUI-2 is the most popular MKV subtitle extractor to extract subtitles from MKV to ASS or SRT files. Apart from extracting subtitles, you can also use it to extract audio, chapters, and specific scenes into a separate file from the original video clip. Now let’s walk through easy steps to extract subtitles from MKV videos with this free MKV subtitle extractor. Step 1. Download, install and run MKVExtracGUI-2 on your computer. Step 2. Click the 3-dot icon to import your MKV file and then you will see several tracks of video, audio, and subtitles. Step 3. Check the box next to the subtitles you want...
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March 10, 2020When it comes to demolishing a house or other type of building, it is not going to be something that you are going to want to try to do yourself over the span of a couple of weekends. In fact, when it does come to demolishing your home or building, the best thing that you can actually do is to go out and find a professional demolition company to do the job for you. This is because they already have the knowledge, the training, the tools, and are going to know exactly what is required for just about any type of demolition situation. But if you live in Melbourne, where can you go to find the best house demolition company in the area? Here is everything that you will need to know in order to find the absolute best house demolition service in the entire Melbourne area. Start by Looking Online Unless you are in the construction field or the house flipping industry, there is a good chance that you are not going to know anybody who utilizes the services of a demolition company. With that being said, the best thing that you can do in order to find a demolition company near you is going to be by doing a simple online search. This will allow you to see which companies are in the Melbourne area, as well as give you a chance to look at reviews and find out a little bit about the company and their experience. Just remember that you want to read all of the reviews about that particular demolition company, as it will give you a great insight into what it is that you can expect as far as quality of work, honesty, and even the amount of customer service that you can expect...
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March 10, 2020When you are in the market for a new car, the last thing that you want to do is be denied or have to wait for a loan to go through. You did all of the research to find the used car that you want, went to the dealership (or however was selling the car) to check it out and test drive it, fell in love with the car as it’s the perfect one and you’ve been wanting it for a while now, but when you go to pay, the money from the loan has not gone through yet and you have to wait a few more days before you can officially call the car your own. Unfortunately, once the funds from the loan are released to you, you go back to the dealership only to find out that somebody else came in and bought the car while you were waiting for your loan. It is situations like this that you will have wished that you used a loan company that was able to get you approved almost instantly. Here is what you need to know about getting a loan for a used car. Make Sure They Can Approve You Quickly When you go to get a car loan from www.buttonwoodfinance.com.au, there is a good chance that you are already at the car dealership. So why would you want to wait for a used car loan to go through and have to wait to purchase your potentially new car? That is exactly why you are going to want to make sure that the used car loan company that you do decide to use is able to process your application and approve you right there on the spot, not 6 hours from now, and definitely not 3 days from now. So...
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March 10, 2020If you have a tree that needs to be removed in the Central Coast, you are going to want to find only the best tree removal professionals in the area. This is going to be because there is a lot that can potentially go wrong when removing a tree (the larger the tree that more problems that can potentially occur), meaning that you are more than likely going to want to leave the project to the professionals. You not only have to factor in the safety of not just yourself, but all of the people around you as well, you will also need to have the right tools to get the job done as well. So how are you supposed to find the best tree removal company in the Central Coast? Here are some tips to help you with search for the best tree removal company. Make Sure They Offer the Services That you Need While you may think that all tree removal specialists are created equal, they are not. While there are some companies who can do everything, other companies are going to specialize in certain areas, meaning that they will not be as experienced in other areas that are not their specialty. With that being said, it is going to be in your best interest to make sure that the company you do eventually hire is able to get your particular job done as quickly and cleanly as possible like Everwilling Trees. What to Expect from a Tree Removal Company? If you have never had to utilize the services of a tree removal company before, it can become a very scary thing for you, as you have no idea what to expect moving forwards. Here is what a tree removal service should be able to provide you with....
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March 10, 2020Since ages man has been trying to stick different types of metals together for various purposes. There have been several forms of welding that were used in the past to stick metals together. However, in the recent past, several types of newer techniques have been introduced to stick different metals together. These techniques come with their own set of pros and cons. What Do You Mean by Welding? When you talk about welding, it basically refers to a time-tested process of sculpting pieces of different materials or fabrication with the help of high temperatures. This high temperature was used to melt the materials, normally metals, and fuse them together. It is good for you to note that sometimes even pressure can be used for the same purpose. Welding is nothing like soldering or brazing that are lower temperature metal fusing techniques. These techniques do not melt the metals. A filler material is also used in the process of welding. As the name suggests, this material is used as a pool of molten materials that aid in the process of forming a strong bond between the base metals. Types of Welding In the world of metallurgy, welding has been used since ages. Blacksmiths used to perform forge welding as the only real usable technique. During the 19th century all of these techniques made way for newer and more advanced techniques such as oxyfuel welding and arc-welding that can be found at Fincon Installations. Some of the different types of welding techniques have been listed below. TIG – Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) MIG – Gas Metal arc Welding (GMAW) Energy Beam Welding (EBW) Stick – Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) Atomic Hydrogen Welding (AHW) Flux – Cored Arc Welding (FCAW) Plasma Arc Welding Gas Tungsten-Arc Welding Most Effecting Welding Technique Amongst...
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February 20, 2020There are different types of writing techniques that are rarely used in the expression of varied concepts. This article will explore the use of various writing techniques in the works of famous essayists that include Joan Didion, William Hazlitt, KC Cole and the 14th century Japanese Buddhist monk known as Yoshida Kenko. There is a thesis statement: Writing techniques such as cliché-busting, netting, the use of figurative language and portmanteau words, and thesaurus coping they challenge the common perception and use of different ideas in common literature. Cliché Busting Cliché-busting refers to the three-part practice of replacing an audience’s connection to fixed ideas with the aim of helping one’s readers to suggest new definitions of a given concept. Cliché-busting is typically used to specify that a certain cliché may have been so overused that it has even begun to be used outside of the right context. Moreover, this definition of cliché-busting has a limitation as it does not identify the fact that even if they may be overused, clichés retain the truth that makes it logical for them to be used on a regular basis in everyday speech. In KC Cole’s essay on Uncertainty, she observes: “Faith can be said to be certain; however, knowledge has always been known to be somewhat elusive. Some answers are like particles… everywhere and also nowhere…”. At the start of this statement, KC Cole acknowledges the certainty of faith. She then notes that knowledge has qualities that tend to be elusive. In her very next statement, though, she uses a cliché-buster by asserting that the answers of knowledge and faith are like particles in that they may be nowhere or everywhere. In stating this, she is admitting the fact that the cliché that the answers to questions concerning knowledge or faith can easily be...