Author: anwaryusef

Anwar Y. Dunbar is a Regulatory Scientist. Being a naturally curious person, he is also a student of all things. He earned his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Michigan and his Bachelor’s Degree in General Biology from Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU). Prior to starting the Big Words Blog Site, Anwar published and contributed to numerous research articles in competitive scientific journals reporting on his research from graduate school and postdoctoral years. After falling in love with writing, he contributed to the now defunct Examiner.com, and the Edvocate where he regularly wrote about: Education-related stories/topics, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), Financial Literacy; as well as conducted interviews with notable individuals such as actor and author Hill Harper. Having many influences, one of his most notable heroes is author, intellectual and speaker, Malcolm Gladwell, author of books including Outliers and David and Goliath. Anwar has his hands in many, many activities. In addition to writing, Anwar actively mentors youth, works to spread awareness of STEM careers, serves on the Board of Directors of the Friends of the David M. Brown Arlington Planetarium, serves as Treasurer for the JCSU Washington, DC Alumni Chapter, and is active in the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace Ministry at the Alfred Street Baptist Church. He also tutors in the subjects of biology, chemistry and physics. Along with his multi-talented older brother Amahl Dunbar (designer of the Big Words logos, inventor and a plethora of other things), Anwar is a “Fanboy” and really enjoys Science-Fiction and Superhero movies including but not restricted to Captain America Civil War, Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Prometheus. He is a proud native of Buffalo, NY.

Mother’s Day 2020: What Mom Taught Me That Helped Me Through The Coronavirus Pandemic

A Quick Plug

Hello. Thank you for clicking on this link and I hope you enjoy this essay. Writing a book was the genesis of me blogging and becoming a video content creator. I am close to publishing part one of my book project entitled, The Engineers: A Western New York Basketball Story. Please consider visiting the page to learn more about the project and see promotional content I’ve created surrounding the project. And now on to our feature presentation.

Mother’s Day Blog Posts

Those of you who have read my content know that I’ve written blog posts for Mother’s Day since starting the Big Words Blog Site. As per usual, the links to my previous Mother’s Day pieces will be shared at the end of this piece. I thought of this piece, while driving back from New York State’s Capital Region as I was recently checking on my father. My Mom is quite cautious and wanted me to shelter in place as much as possible, but following her example, it was important for me to check on my old man during this Coronavirus/Covid-19 Crisis/Pandemic.

Before I get into the messages in this piece which I hope to keep short (by my standards), I want to tell any readers that while our country is looking to reopen shortly, and while infections by the Coronavirus are expected to fall off during the warm weather months, beware of a second wave. It’s predicted that when the cold winter months return, infections will as well. This blog post in some ways may in fact serve as a survival guide for some people who were unprepared for this first tsunami, and it may be helpful should there be future lockdowns and quarantines.

Important Health and Life Habits for the Pandemic

So in terms of Mother’s Day, as I drove back to Washington, DC recently, it occurred to me that my mother imparted some valuable nuggets in my life that helped me survive over the last two months since our country went into this lockdown. Among them are:

• The Ability to Cook: In previous Mother’s Day blog posts, I discussed the home that my mother created for us. A part of that was the meals she prepared for us, ALL of which were prepared with her hands from scratch. Her ability to cook along with my natural curiosity resulted in my ability to cook. I often jokingly tell people that at an early age, I was in the kitchen trying to figure out how she made those scrambled eggs. In addition to picking up recipes of all kinds over the years, from other people and from cookbooks like those from Emeril Lagasse, there are quite a few of Mom’s recipes that I took with me when I left the house. There are secrets that I’m still collecting today, such as most recently how to steam the green beans and onions with enough flavor and succulence at the time of consumption. I’m saying all of this to say that when the lockdown started, I already knew how to cook, so I didn’t severely feel the bite of not being able to eat out. The ability to prepare your own food is a critical skill and if there is in fact a lull in the infections, I would encourage people to learn how to prepare as much of your own food possible. Also learn to prepare healthy foods that you can eat for days at a time and even store for later. That said, I’ve learned that not everyone can eat leftovers, but we learned to do so. Finally, cooking at home also saves you money and stretches your dollars out time-wise.

• Personal Health: In addition to cooking, Mom was big on vitamins and even natural herbs and remedies. Likewise, as I was leaving Buffalo as our country was going deeper into the lockdown, she strongly encouraged me to start regularly taking Vitamin D which has therapeutic benefits for our immune systems. As I’ve been quarantining, I have in fact made Vitamin D a regular part of my daily diet and now Vitamin C as well. I shot videos on my science and technology YouTube channel about the benefits of both vitamins. Please check out those videos and my channel.

• Education, Writing and Building: I give my mother a lot of credit for the blogging platform you’re reading this post on right now. Both parents stressed education at an early age, but it was my mother who insisted that me and my brother learn how word process with proper form at an early age. We also had a computer in the house when we were young, so she saw the wave of the future coming in the early- to mid-1980s. Social distancing and quarantining isn’t natural for human beings and hasn’t always been pleasant at times, but I’ve been fortunate to be able to be keep myself busy and my mind occupied, writing and publishing content. Just as my mother was able to turn her writing abilities into a business, I have as well, which I’ll describe shortly via written content here on the Big Words Blog Site and on my Big Discussions76 YouTube channel.

• The Importance of Faith and Spirituality: Faith and spirituality can be a polarizing topic these days, but no matter how much you have or what you believe, it’s important to have it. Mom was always big on faith. When I go home to Buffalo, I try my best to get myself out of bed on Sunday mornings to attend her church’s services. Just before the lockdown set in, I was at home in Buffalo for two and a half weeks and I attended the last church service at the Mount Olive Baptist Church in Buffalo where the members, like most churches, were able to gather for the last time in a while. Before releasing the congregation, the Pastor read Psalm 91 to us, which was very, very powerful for what was taking place at the time. That scripture is now forever etched into my memory.

Closing Thoughts

So, as I have lots and lots to do, I’m going to stop this here. In the Black community we sometimes dwell on what we didn’t have when we were growing up . We can inevitably get caught looking at what our peers had within our community and in other ethnic groups/cultures. It’s natural in a way, but it’s also important to acknowledge what you were given from your parent or guardian. What did your mother teach that helped you through this challenging time? What might you use if this crisis or another one comes back around?

Oh by the way, fortunately I was able to craft this Mother’s Day blog post pretty quickly and concisely. Right on schedule, Father’s Day is coming up next month and I’ve thought of another really good money-related story involving my father and me which involves a very, very important lesson, so look for it. And in closing, Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers out there.

The Big Words LLC Newsletter

For the next phase of my writing journey, I’m starting a monthly newsletter for my writing and video content creation company, the Big Words LLC. In it, I plan to share inspirational words, pieces from this blog and my first blog, and select videos from my four YouTube channels. Finally, I will share updates for my book project The Engineers: A Western New York Basketball Story. Your personal information and privacy will be protected. Click this link and register using the sign-up button at the bottom of the announcement. If there is some issue signing up using the link provided, you can also email me at bwllcnl@gmail.com . Best Regards.

The Importance Of Making Expansion Plans For Your Business

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Once you start your business, if it’s successful, you will eventually have to think about expansion. The following contributed post is entitled, The Importance Of Making Expansion Plans For Your Business.

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If you are a regular reader around here then you may have noticed that the three main topics of my blog are money, business/entrepreneurship and health/wellness.

In this day and age there are many aspects to consider when starting up your own business. You can run a successful start-up company from the comfort of your home which may then lead to needing to expand.

A lot of people start their own businesses through sheer desperation at being that unhappy in their current 9-5 job, that they make a leap of faith in starting their own venture. For some people it may have been something they had considered for a very long time before building up the courage and confidence to take the decision to quit their average job and take control of their future as an entrepreneur.

Not only is starting your own business a little daunting to say the least, but quitting your current job can be a very stressful thing, especially if you have dependents and commitments whether it be a mortgage, loan or your rent.

However, before making the decision to jump straight in, it’s important to understand that timing is everything. You need to make sure that you have all of your affairs in place for your new venture before deciding to take out the safety net that is your regular guaranteed income.

The absolute first thing to make sure of is to be confident that you know your business will work. You need to know where your business will fit into the market and you need to have made a plan to progress once you get there.

A business plan is a must, without one your business will probably fail before you have even properly started. A well thought out business plan will help you to maintain a company direction, to spot potential pitfalls before they arise and to set realistic business targets.

Depending on the type of business you go into, part of your business plan may involve future proofing your business with the possibility to expand out of your home office or shared business space.

Shared business spaces are really popular and they are invaluable with start ups where there may be limited funding. They aren’t a long term solution though and this needs to be considered – which leads back to your business plan.

Expansion of your business should be a very important part of your business plan, these could include:

1. Adding to your existing line of goods and services

2. Targeting your existing customer base to sell more products

3. Look for a new customer base to add to your existing one

4. Discover new sales channels

5. Merge with another business or acquire them

Well established high street businesses are turning to opening online stores to help strengthen their core business and this is where start ups hold the advantage. There will become a point where you will master the online store or online services and will need to look into expansion in the form of bricks and mortar, an office and/or warehouse to help future your business growth.

The type of space you will need will depend solely on the type of business you run. For an online services only business, a business space without the need for storage is relatively easy to come by. As a start up, running an office from a residential premise is widely accepted providing you follow the guidelines set out by your local government.

There are some major advantages to having a residential space as your office. However, the disadvantages quickly start to add up as and when your business starts to grow. Client meetings at your home ‘office’ may put potential new clients off as it is not the most professional look to hold a meeting in your house. As with most residential places, parking is also as adequate as you would find in a commercial space.

However if you are a start up with ‘movement of goods’, then this will then turn your residential premise into a commercial premise. This means you will then require approvals and licences from your local government and authorities. If your business is deemed as being commercial this could also impose additional property tax on your residential address, even water and electricity bills could incur additional fees based on being a commercial space.

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This is why part of your business plan should include the possibility of expansion of your business through the need for a commercial office space.

When thinking about the type of commercial space needed to run your business, it is also a good idea to think about the maintenance and upkeep costs associated with having a commercial space and who this falls to to maintain.

Depending on the size of your space, this could have huge financial implications with your yearly costs. Most residential properties use asphalt shingles, whereas commercial properties will vary greatly in the materials used.

Without being a trades worker, you will struggle to identify all of the hidden costs associated with your space so it is best to choose skilled companies who can take on the hard work for you which will help to bring down on your maintenance costs.

For example, choosing the right commercial roof repair can impact how much you spend or save per year. Pick the right company and they can help you to reduce your yearly costs through using the best energy saving materials.

The key to success in any expansion is to recognize what your limitations are. This is specific to you and your business. Long before you make any firm decision, plan a worst-case scenario of how much the expansion will cost and how many resources it will take to get to that point.
If a business tries to grow too quickly, it can lead to failure. Which makes it so important to plan carefully for the day you’ll expand and only make the move once you’re sure you have the resources to handle it.

Little-Known Techniques You Can Use To Better Market Your Business

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Marketing is a critical piece to your business. While many business owners have good ideas and services, marketing doesn’t necessarily come easy. The following contributed post is entitled, Little-Known Techniques You Can Use To Better Market Your Business.

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Marketing your business can seem like a massive challenge sometimes. Getting the word out about what you do is tricky in a world where millions of other people are doing the same thing.

There are, however, a bunch of little-known marketing tricks that you can use to swing things in your favor. Mostly your competitors don’t know about these, so it often pays to use them whenever you can. But what are they? And how can you deploy them successfully to improve your business?

Referral Programs

If you want to build your audience fast, you’ll want to launch a referral program.

The idea here is to get your customers to market your business for you.

This strategy has two main advantages: it costs very little compared to traditional advertising, and it helps get around any branding issues. Prospective customers are much more likely to trust the opinions of their peers than they are any official marketing messages from you.

All you need to do is get a hardcore of customers who are entirely loyal to you and your brand. Startups, in particular, often generate a loyal base of people who are willing to stick with them through thick and thin. It is these people you want to target. Provide them with a kickback for every customer that they sign up and then wait for the revenue to start flowing.

QR Code Embeds

Pixabay – CC0 License

Digital marketing is a great tool, but it is not the only way to get the word out about your business. You have many other options.

Modern companies, for instance, still like to use direct mail. It tends to have higher open rates and more impact than traditional email marketing, making it highly worthwhile, even in today’s business environment.

Providing links to your business website through flyers you send out in the post sounds impossible, but it is not. All you need to do is use QR codes.

QR codes are essentially two-dimensional barcodes that can contain a vast amount of information. What’s more, most modern smartphones can read these codes. Thus, you can send out correspondence in the post with printed codes, have your customers scan them with their mobile devices, and then forward them to the relevant product, service, video, or article online.

Finding the best QR code generator can be a challenge, but there are plenty of options out there.

Make Your Beta Exclusive

If you’re a company that develops software, you might want to offer an exclusive beta. This marketing method allows you to attract the type of people who are most likely to want to sign up for your full service in the future. Plus, they can provide you with valuable feedback on the current state of your technology.

Give Away Stickers

Pixabay – CC0 License

Giving away stickers might seem like a ridiculous way to market your business, but it is highly effective. People naturally love stickers because it reminds them of their childhood. Plus, both you and they can put them in places where they will give your brand a lot of exposure.

3 Useful Household Gadgets That Can Improve Your Life

A key focus of my blog is Technology. As the years go on, there will be more and more new and novel technologies that will have the potential to improve our lives. Some will be created for used in your homes. The following contributed post is entitled, 3 Useful Household Gadgets That Can Improve Your Life.

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Image Link (CC0 License)

There’s a lot to love about technology. In so many ways, technology has made our lives better. For me, one of the key ideas behind this is that we have so much accessible technology these days. What I mean is that we can bring gadgets and tech into our homes with ease. A lot of the tech that we use has actually been around for ages. The government, top scientists, military – all the people in charge – had access to it before us. It’s just that the technology was too advanced to make it to the consumer market.

Now, we’re at a stage where loads of incredible tech is available to us. As an example of what I mean, let’s look at some highly useful household gadgets that can improve your life:

Biometric security locks

Biometric technology is something we used to see in the movies. People would walk through top-security buildings and need to scan their fingerprint or retina to open a door. Nowadays, you can adopt this approach at home!

That’s right, a biometric lock for your door can easily be installed. It adds a new layer of security to your home, making it harder for anyone to break in. Some people use this on front doors, but you can use it to secure your home office or garage.

Weather stations

Who’d have thought that you can literally run your own weather station at home? There are gadgets out there that tell you all you need to know about the weather. You can place them outside, pair them with weather station cameras for added security, and get all the info sent to an app. The precise temperature is detailed, as is the barometric pressure, humidity, wind speed, and so on.

How does this improve your life? Well, it allows for more accurate planning around the weather. If you’re doing activities that are weather-affected – like fishing or gardening – then this tells you some vital info. Likewise, some people who suffer from hayfever can use weather stations to get a view of the pollen count.

Robot cleaner

We’ve not quite reached the stage where C3PO-esque robots are doing tasks around our home. However, we do have little robot cleaners that cleverly hoover up dirt and dust. They use motion sensor technology combine with artificial intelligence to know where to clean. Plus, they’re small and affordable, which is always good to see in a household gadget.

It’s clear how this gadget improves your life! Spend less time cleaning your home and let this little robot do it for you. Thus, you maintain a clean and tidy home without exerting lots of effort.

There are three examples here of household gadgets that improve aspects of your life. All three of these have been around for a while now. So, who knows what the next stage of household gadgets will bring. AI is a massive thing at the moment, which is why things like Alexa are so popular. If I were to make a prediction, I’d say that households can expect advancements in AI gadgets over the coming decade.

The Most Important Tests You Should Give Potential Employees

Two of the focuses of my blog are Organizational and Management Discussions and Career Discussions. One of the most important decisions you can make as an employer, running or managing an organization/business is choosing the right employees. How do you properly vet potential employees? The following guest post is entitled, The Most Important Tests You Should Give Potential Employees.

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Finding the right employee to hire is essential for building a company that can perform effectively and have a trusted network within that can gear it toward progress and innovation. Often, the downfall of businesses that would otherwise be successful comes at the hands of poor management and bad hires who take away from the company in one way or another. While you can find ways to root out these offenders, the best course of action is to avoid hiring them in the first place.

A vital tool in finding the best individuals who can contribute to the workforce is by conducting a test (or a number of them) before employment. With platforms like Aptitude that create comprehensive online assessments for potential hires, it all comes down to what specific sectors you want to filter.

• Integrity

This factor is an essential one when figuring out the character of the individuals you will be bringing into your workspace. Employee theft and fraud have been on the rise in recent years, with the statistics showing alarming numbers. In general, companies lose 5% of their revenue to fraud annually, over 50% of employees have stolen company equipment or supplies at least once, and around a fourth of workers falsify their work hours.

Sifting out these potential threats from even getting into your business is the first step that should be taken. It necessitates a complete test of responsibility, trustworthiness, compliance, and transparency.

• Skill

Part of your screening, of course, needs to accurately show how reliable a person may be with designated tasks and performing well in their role. A survey of job interviewees revealed that the majority of candidates lie or manipulate parts of the truth to make them seem like the most viable choice for the position. Within this, 60% of those lie about their skills, saying they have proficiency in programs and services that they don’t have that level of mastery with.

To accurately assess their actual abilities, you can’t merely base it off of references and job history. You should provide a monitored test that can be timed and directly hits skills that should be appropriate for getting the desired spot.

• Personality

Although this factor is more important for titles that place the worker in charge of a team or department, it’s generally essential to figure out their work ethics and how well they can adapt to the environment in your business. A study of employees and their work habits revealed that, on average, more than eight hours a week are spent slacking off and doing other non-work related tasks on company hours.

Allowing this type of mindset in your workforce can affect productivity levels significantly and end up costing you crucial time and money. Testing this early on can also give you insights on how to best engage your employees and get them working efficiently.

Once you’ve covered all these markers, you can be more assured that you are getting the best fit for your business and that you can focus on operations.

Clever Ways You Can Manage Your Money During Covid-19

Two of the focuses of my blog are Current Events and Financial Literacy/Money. The Coronavirus/Covid-19 Crisis/Pandemic has created money-related challenges that have never been seen before by Baby Boomers, Generation-Xers and Millennials. As such, many of us need to be creative about how we handle our money. The following contributed post is entitled, Clever Ways You Can Manage Your Money During Covid-19.

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The majority of the country is facing the difficulties that have come with the enforced lockdown due to Covid-19. But, this time also gives us the opportunity to find ways to manage our finances a little better.

Try to make the best of this time to come out the other side more financially strong and enable yourself to have benefits that could last a lifetime.

Photo by Pixabay from Pexels

Make the best of this short time to come out financially stronger and give you benefits that will last a lifetime.

Divide Up a Monthly Budget

It’s important now more than ever to live by a budget, it might seem easier to just plod along, but this is when you find yourself living payday to payday. A great way to divide up your monthly budget is to us the 50/30/20 rule.

50% – Use 50% of your salary for the things that you need, such as food, rent, education, travel, etc.
30%- Ise 30% on the things that you want, such as eating out, non-food shopping, and travel not for work.
20%- Then you should use 20% for safe investments and debts such as savings and any long-standing debts that could affect your credit rating.

You need to carefully analyze what you need and want, but you should also consider cutting down on the things you want if you have substantial debts to pay.

Have A Look At Any Income You May Be Missing Out On

If you’re struggling financially then now is a great time to be looking at any options you have to help increase your income. It might be that you are one of the many people who have lost their main income or have experienced a drop in income and now need some support. There are many government help schemes to help various people, whether you’ve become unemployed, lost self-employed wages, or are a business owner there is something for the majority of people. You could also use this time to look into any money you may be owed from things such as waiting for a payout from an accident claim, it may be possible to use settlement loans as a way to tie you over until the payout, or maybe you’re owed money from a refund of something you have purchased, it’s now time to chase any of these to ensure you’re financially stable.

Have A Look At Unused Memberships

Have a look at the monthly/annual memberships that you are paying for. It could the Gy, a social club or maybe even places like theme parks or zoos. The chances are you’re unable to use these at the moment and it could be a while before things are back to normal and you can utilize them again. This means you could be paying for something that you’re not going to use, which is a waste of valuable income. Cancelling these in the short term could help to top up your income in a much needed time.

You should remember that this difficult time will go away at some point in time. It’s a good idea to use this short time to try and come out financially stronger than you were before, this is going to benefit you in the long-term too, especially if you stick to it. Have you made financial changes due to Covid-19? Please share them in the comments below.

Advice On Borrowing Money Because Of Losses Due To COVID-19

Two of the focuses of my blog are Current Events and Financial Literacy/Money. The Coronavirus/COVID-19 Crisis/Pandemic has thrown many people’s personal finances into chaos. One avenue for managing this economic hardship is borrowing which can actually confound matters. The following contributed post is entitled, Advice On Borrowing Money Because Of Losses Due To COVID-19.

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If you are thinking about borrowing money, you need to do so with a great amount of care. This is especially the case during the current pandemic. However, a lot of people have found themselves in a position where they need to borrow money. This is especially the case for those that are not eligible for government assistance. In this blog post, we will talk you through some options that are available, as well as providing some advice. It is important to be aware that there is no one singular borrowing solution that is great for everyone. You need to make sure you can always make the repayments, otherwise, you could find yourself in a much bigger cycle of debt.

Unfortunately, the need to borrow money is something most people experience. If you don’t have rich grandparents or generous friends, the only other option is to borrow money from a financial institution or a lending company. Nonetheless, there have been many horror stories of individuals who have taken out a payday loan for example, and then struggled to make the monumental repayments. If you are borrowing money you have to be extremely careful regarding the path you go down.

A credit union is the best place to start
The best place to begin when it comes to borrowing money because of losses you have incurred during COVID-19 is with a credit union. Joining a credit union means that you will essentially be part of a community whereby people are encouraged to save, and lenders lend to other members when they are in need.

There is no guarantee that joining a credit union is going to be an option for you. You will only be able to secure a loan if you are a member. There are a lot of credit unions that are going to require you to save first before you can opt to take out a loan. However, this is not always going to be the case, so it is certainly worth looking at the different credit unions that are out there and seeing whether you will be accepted into any of them.

If you can’t join a credit union, what about a loan secured against your vehicle?
There are many loans to choose from, however, car logbook loans are popular with a lot of people to help them through the COVID-19 financial strain. One of the best things about a logbook loan is the fact that almost everyone can apply. This does not mean everyone will be approved, however, it does mean that there is hope for those with a bad credit history. If you wish to take out a logbook loan you will need to be over the age of 18-years-old, the car must be in your name, and it must be paid for in full. In addition to this, you have to show that you are going to be able to make the repayments. Nonetheless, credit history checks are not always carried out, and therefore if you have a bad history you needn’t be fearful. There is every chance that you may be accepted if you meet the other criteria put in place.

In addition to this, if you take out this type of loan you will still have access to your vehicle. A lot of people worry that they have to hand over their car until they have paid the money back. This is definitely not the case. The only time the company can take your vehicle is if you fail to meet the terms that have been outlined in the contract. Otherwise, you can continue to live life as normal.

A lot of people like car logbook loans because of the easy application process. If you were to borrow money from a bank, for example, it is likely that you would experience an extremely segmented process. You would have to hand over one document, then come back and fill out several forms, then you will be asked for further documents, then you will need to wait for something to be checked, and so on and so forth. It seems to be never-ending. However, with a logbook loan you are usually only required to fill out an application form online and you will be informed of everything you need to provide prior to doing so.

Last but not least, this article would not be complete without mentioning the amount of money you can borrow and the repayment terms put in place. Flexibility is undoubtedly the name of the game when it comes to this type of lending. There are so many companies offering logbook loans and therefore you are assured to find a loan that fits in with your circumstances and your needs. In addition to this, you only borrow what you need. This lessens the risk of you experiencing any difficulty when paying back the cash.

What happens if you have a bad credit history?
Let’s clarify the fact that there are criteria in place you will need to meet when applying for any type of loan. A lot of people have a tendency to assume that anyone with bad credit will not be accepted, but this is not the case. Nevertheless, what makes some of the online loan companies different from traditional lenders is the fact that they do not consider your credit rating first and foremost. If you were to apply for a loan from a bank, for example, you would need a good credit rating to get past the first stage. However, some online lenders are more bothered about the current monetary situation you find yourself in, rather than any mistakes you have made in the past.

They want to know that you are going to have the ability to make the repayments every month, and this is why they want to see that you have a regular income coming in. This is their main priority. This does not mean that your credit rating won’t be considered; some direct lenders will conduct a credit check as well. Nonetheless, this does not necessarily mean that your bad credit rating is going to hold you back. There is every chance that you will be approved if you show the lender you are someone trustworthy to lend to.

5 Items That Every Serious Angler Should Add To Their Fishing Arsenal

Two key focuses of my blog are Athletics and Sports and Health/Wellness. A very popular sport that people participate in for both competition and for relaxation is fishing. If you’re going to go fishing, it’s critical to have the proper equipment. The following contributed post is entitled, 5 Items That Every Serious Angler Should Add To Their Fishing Arsenal.

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Pixabay CC0 License

Fishing can be enjoyed by anybody of any experience level. When you are serious about your angling endeavors, though, you should go the extra mile to get better results and boost your enjoyment. A few simple purchases can make all the difference.

When done well, fishing is great for your health. Here’s how to ensure that your next adventure is the one you love most.

1| Quality Reels

All items within your fishing setup are important. Still, nothing matches the significance of your reel. A premium reel, such as a KastKing Royale Legend, prevents casting problems as well as tangles and snapped lines during battles. Conversely, a bad reel will leave you spending a large percentage of your time will be spent fixing faults and setting up new tackle. If there’s only one item where paying a little extra will serve you well for years to come, this is it.

2| A Suitable Watch

One of the great things about fishing is that you can switch off from the world of social media and emails. While the hours can pass you by in the blink of an eye, you don’t want to lose track of the time. This is especially true when entering timed competitions or you want to try out several bays during a session. A diving watch is the best option as they can withstand extreme weather, water, and low light conditions. Compared to checking a smartphone, it’s a far easier way to monitor the length of a battle.

3| Footwear

Whether you’re freshwater fishing or sea fishing, your feet will get wet. At least, they will if you are serious about getting the best haul. The right choice of waterproof waders will provide a solid platform. However, some moisture is likely to find its way into your footwear, even when combined with a fishing wetsuit. Therefore, thicker socks are ideal. Otherwise, the damp can cause a lot of discomfort and cause chills. Even with the right facilities, a towel and spare socks are priceless.

4| Fish Finder

Not all fishing trips can be as productive as others. Nonetheless, you do not want to limit your hopes of success before you’ve even started. A GPS fish finder gives you the chance to scout out the most densely populated areas of the lake, stream, or body of water. Aside from actually providing an edge, it gives you a motivational boost. After all, nothing cripples your enthusiasm like a slow start and doubts as to whether any fish are around. This simple device removes those concerns entirely.

5| Underwater Camera

Fishing is a great way to get away from the stresses of modern life. Still, you may wish to capture the moments either for personal or commercial reasons. An underwater camera that allows you to shoot film, as well as still images, enables you to gain a whole new perspective. Whether it’s to impress friends or share your adventures online isn’t overly important. It’s probably not a gadget that’s needed for casual anglers. But anyone that wants to record their experiences or study their skills should take note.

How To Help During Covid-19

A key focus of my blog is Current Events. During this Coronavirus/Covid-19 Crisis/Pandemic, people have found themselves in a myriad of positions. Some people are struggling while others are flourishing and there those in between. If you’re in position to help someone, it’s worth considering. The following contributed post is entitled, How To Help During Covid-19.

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The current global pandemic has made things very hard for a lot of people. People have lost jobs, may have lost loved ones, are struggling to manage to stay at home, or may just be finding the news cycle upsetting and stressful. If you’re lucky enough to be in a position to do so, you might be looking for ways to help others. Here are some ideas to offer help.

Image – free for commercial use

Raise Money

There are lots of charities who need help now. You could support a charity funding medical research, supporting those who have lost their income, or buying essential safety equipment for key workers. You could make a donation, buy a fund-raising item like COVID 19 bracelets, or fund-raise yourself. Get sponsored to walk laps of your garden, do a virtual marathon on your running machine, or if you’re crafty, make items to sell to raise money.

Help Your Neighbors

They say that charity begins at home, so if you’re looking for ways to help, start by looking at who might benefit from help on your street. You might have elderly or vulnerable neighbors who would appreciate someone dropping off some groceries to save them from having to go out and risk contact with someone who is ill. Does your neighbor have small children they’re struggling to entertain at home? If you have spare craft supplies or old toys your children don’t want anymore, you could make a gift of them to give them something new to do. Perhaps you have lots of books you won’t read again that someone would appreciate while they can’t go out much. Even just offering a listening ear (in a safe way) could help a lot. Set up a Facebook or WhatsApp group for your street where people can post offers of spare things or the time they have to donate, or can ask for any help they need. Put a note through people’s doors to offer your services if you’re able to help. Even if people don’t take you up on the offer, they’ll feel better knowing help is available if they need it.

Reach Out

A lot of people are finding this pandemic very stressful and upsetting. If you have friends who you think will be finding things hard, reach out to them. Perhaps you know they struggle with health anxiety, or you know they live alone and will be lonely while we shouldn’t be going out. Send messages, arrange online calls, phone them, send letters or any other communication method that appeals to you. Reaching out to someone will make you both feel better. You can both talk and get your worries off your chest, and you can both feel better for having some communication with another person. Why not set-up a virtual happy hour for you and your friends to meet online, share a drink, talk as you would normally, and just enjoy each other’s company. Keeping some semblance of normality in this way can make everyone feel better.

Top 5 Reasons Why Efficiency is Vital Within Your Business

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. No matter what kind of business you’re running, increasing its efficiencies will maximize its productivity and profits. The following contributed post is entitled, Top 5 Reasons Why Efficiency is Vital Within Your Business.

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Photo by fauxels from Pexels

No matter what industry you’re in, you should always ensure that you’re promoting efficiency within your workplace. A part of your business that you shouldn’t neglect, there are so many long term benefits that come with improving it.

Now, there are so many ways that you can do this, from investing in employee training to implementing new processes and utilizing updated software solutions (e.g if you’re within the oil industry, Petrobase.io’s services could prove to be invaluable).

But what are the benefits that you can take advantage of? To ensure that you’re in the know, here are 5 reasons why you should start boosting the efficiency within your business:

It Will Increase Profitability

One of the most prominent reasons why efficiency is essential within your business is that it brings with it the opportunity for higher ROI. When your workers start to become more efficient and you’ve changed your processes so that it’s less expensive to produce goods/services, you’ll start to see your profits increase – something that all businesses want to achieve.

Higher Productivity = Improved Customer Service

When productivity is improved, you’ll start to see your customer service ratings increasing by the minute. Recognizing that they are getting more time and attention, they will always opt for your business over others.

It’s simple, once the systems within your business run faster and smoother, they start to feel the benefit – something that will help your business to thrive in the long term.

It Will Improve Communication

Within any business, the employees are the most valuable assets. So it’s a good idea to invest in systems that make their roles as simple as possible. Once they have the materials and equipment, they will be happier in their jobs – an element that’s crucial to lowering employee turnover.

By promoting efficiency in all aspects of your business, you’ll start to notice that the communication flows effortlessly between all levels of the hierarchy. And one way that you can do this is by welcoming an open door policy. This will also help to boost morale and make the workplace far more productive.

It Helps to Save Time

Whether you run a small business or a large organization, you’ll often feel as though there aren’t enough hours in the day. And this is often felt across your business. However, a lot of this is taken up by time-wasting activities – such as unproductive meetings or out-of-date systems.

To ensure that this doesn’t continue, implement steps within your business to make it more efficient. You’ll then start to see that time is saved and that productivity increases.

It Creates a Healthy Work Environment

If your business is years behind your competitors, you’ll not only be limiting the amount of profit that you could receive, but the work environment could be taking a hit. To guarantee this doesn’t happen, you need to save time when you can, make processes straightforward, put morale as a priority, etc. From this, you’ll be able to create the best possible workplace for everyone.

Final Thoughts

So, those are 5 of the top reasons why efficiency is vital within your business. Something that you should continuously try to improve, it will ensure that your business is competitive, profitable and that your employees are proud to work for you.