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.

Common Problems Faced by Business Owners

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Starting and maintaining a business is the hardest journey many people will embark upon. Regardless of the type of business, there are common challenges for business owners. The following contributed post is entitled, Common Problems Faced by Business Owners.

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In the end, it’s worth it. That’s what a lot of business owners say. The path to the top might be long, but ultimately, if it’s successful, then they can look back on the blood, sweat, and tears with something akin to fondness. Indeed, it’s these challenges that many business owners embrace; the graft is one of the primary reasons for starting a business. Still, that doesn’t make them any easier to navigate. Fortunately, it’s unusual for a problem to come from nowhere, and to be radically different from the problems experienced by other business owners. There are a bunch of common problems, and since they’re common, newbies to the game can read up on them before launching their own venture. Below, we take a look at some of the recurring issues, as well as offer advice on how they can be overcome.

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Will it Work?

Business owners tend to jump between a level of confidence that’s getting close to arrogance, and fearing that nothing will go right. If setting up a company was guaranteed to be successful, then wouldn’t everyone do it? Part of starting a business is understanding that there’s an element of risk involved. Indeed, that’s more or less the entire game. You can’t win big rewards if you’re not risking anything, right? So there will always be doubts about whether it’s going to work — nothing is guaranteed. However, you can calculate the risk that you’re taking by conducting as much research beforehand as possible. This will form part of the market research segment of your business plan development, which will tell you whether there’s a demand for what you’re going to offer to the public.

Finding Time and Space

You’ve got the idea for the business, but ideas only take you so far. It’s the actual sitting down and getting down to work component that’ll make the biggest difference. Since you’re a new venture, however, this could prove to be a challenge. When you have a regular job, you have a complete office and scheduled hours. When you’re doing your own thing, you don’t. As such, it’s recommended that you figure out where and when you’re going to work as soon as possible. You’ll find that it’s much easier to make progress when you’re able to work productively, which is something that having an office space — be it in the home, rented office, or a working space — and scheduled working hours will allow.

Financial Matters

You’re in business in order to ultimately make money, but that could take some time. To get things going, you’ll need to spend money first. Finding the funds to get your company off the ground and knowing how to budget will be two of the biggest challenges that you face in the early days. It’s sometimes recommended to take a money management course, or to outsource all of your company’s financial matters to a third-party company. There are a lot of companies that end up failing not because they didn’t offer good products or services, but because they ran into cash-flow problems from which they couldn’t recover.

Unexpected Costs

You can’t prevent yourself from making fundamental business errors that result in poor company finances. If you read up and understand the best practices, then you can safeguard your venture against cash-flow problems and other financial issues that can derail success. But some financial hits you just can’t see coming. For example, if your office is affected by a natural disaster, or you’re the victim of an elaborate break-in. There are some things you can do to protect yourself against them happening, but not all that much — sometimes, you’re just unlucky. What is in your control is how ready you are to absorb the hit. Look at getting commercial insurance from Krywolt, and you’ll have a level of coverage that’ll mean a natural disaster doesn’t have to mean disaster for your business. It’s all about preparing for the worst. You’ll hope it doesn’t happen, but at least you’ll know that you’ll be ready if it does.

Winning Customer Trust

There’s no shortage of companies out there, and, alas, not all of them are as upstanding or as noble as they should be. Additionally, you’ve got the fact that customers, for various reasons, generally prefer to give their custom to the businesses that they already know. If you’re going to win customers, then you need to win their trust. It won’t just be given. There are multiple ways you can do this. You can, first, deliver what you say you’ll deliver; there’s no value in promising the world if you can’t provide it. You’ll also want to have all the staples of a trustworthy company, including strong branding, a robust online presence, and so on.

Online Reviews

Online customer reviews are both a blessing and a curse. They have, overall, had a positive impact on the business world, since they’ve given a voice to customers that were previously voiceless. However, we all know that there’s a dark side to reviews. Customers can have ridiculous demands and, when they’re not met, take their anger out on a company by posting negative comments online. And this is a problem for companies, especially smaller ones, for whom reviews are mightily important. You can help protect yourself by actively managing your reviews. Whenever one is posted, whether it’s positive or negative, look at responding. It’ll show that you care about the customer experience.

Big Business Threats

They say that it has never been easier to start a business. But we’re also living in an age when big business is king. No matter what type of business you’re running, you’ll find that there is a much larger company offering the same services or products. It’s a David versus Goliath situation. It’s important to remember that your smaller stature can work to your advantage. Try as they might, huge corporations will never be able to offer the same level of boutique service and care that small, independent outfits can.

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Maintaining Commitment

It’s not easy running a business. It can feel like you’re forever walking uphill, and it’s normal that it will get a little tiring from time to time. There’ll be times when it feels like you’re at the bottom of a pit. You’ll see a rope offering the way out, which is the equivalent of giving up on your business. Don’t take it! Life and work can’t be positive all the time. You’re going to go through tough periods. It’s the business owners who are able to carry on working hard even when times are tough that go on to become successful in the long term.

And Energy

Even when things are going well, it’s important that you’re protecting yourself against another common problem that business owners face: low energy levels. Take care to ensure that you’re looking after yourself and getting enough rest. It’s tempting to think that you’ll be doing right by your business by working twelve hour days, but this isn’t the case. If you’re working so much, then all you’re doing is draining your energy. You’ll find that the way you’re working isn’t sustainable. As such, have a cut off time each day, and force yourself to take a vacation every now and again. You’ll be able to achieve much more if you’ve got plenty of energy to spare.

Finding Staff

You may be able to start your business just by yourself. But eventually, there’ll come a point when you’re not able to run things alone. You’ll need to bring other people on board if you’re going to sufficiently grow. Alas, this is often more difficult than it sounds, and especially if you haven’t been involved in a hiring process before. Before going through the process for your company, it’s recommended that you look up the best hiring processes. Also, don’t forget to factor in your intuition — you’re going to be working closely with this person, so it’s important that you have good vibes.

Crowded Marketplace

You have to feel kind of sorry for a small business that brings an innovative product or service to the table. Within no time at all, there are a million and one imitators. If you’re finding any level of success, then you can rest assured that there will be others who want to get the same kind of business set up. You can’t prevent this from happening; all you can do is do the best for your company as possible. Quality will always stand out!

Changing Economy

Sometimes, a company can think they’re doing brilliant, wonderful things, and then in the space of a few months, everything has fallen apart. What happened? The economy shifted. Your success depends on you and your ideas, but never forget that it’s part of a broader system. And if that system isn’t doing as well as it used to, then your business is going to suffer. The best thing you can do is to assess the risk and put as many safety nets in place as possible.

Planning On Increasing The Load In Your Warehouse

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Depending upon the type of business you’re running, you may have to manage warehouse storage space. If warehouses are a part of your business, it’s important to understand how to properly manage and use them. The following contributed post is entitled, Planning On Increasing The Load In Your Warehouse.

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Warehouse expansions are rare, they usually only occur when a business wants to stay in a particular location. It’s also rare to have enough money to buy a new warehouse and build it right next to the existing one you already have. This is because you have to get planning permission, you must then buy the land, and then finally get to building the warehouse. But what if you don’t really need a whole new warehouse? When you simply need a little more space, then expansion on your bought and paid for land is the right decision. But how do you go about expanding a warehouse? What if you could do more than just expand in size but expand in capability? This is when you should start thinking vertically instead of horizontally.

‘Strong man’ pallets

Instead of buying more pallets for your storage needs, how about just strengthening your current racks? You can have racks strengthened with extra support so they can lift more. This can be done after pallet racking inspections which can determine how much more your current racks can hold and if they can be improved. You may need to install brand new racks that have been designed to do just that. But, it’s also a good idea to check to see if you are obeying the weight limits of your pallet racks currently. If one rack fails and collapses, it’s going to create a domino effect whereby the surrounding racks will also collapse. Therefore, if you’re looking to expand in storage weight and capacity, perform an inspection first.

Copy and paste?

Warehouses are incredibly straightforward and yet when you get into the nitty-gritty details, they are also very complex. If you’re looking to merely expand your current warehouse in the same shape, design and capability, then you may need to look at a ‘copy and paste’ expansion idea. This will mean that one wall is knocked down and your warehouse just gets elongated. But it’s not just about length, various doors and safety measures will have to be carried through into the new space. You may also want to expand a part of your warehouse where the most modern designs and features are in place. It’s common for warehouses to be updated and modernized but only in square blocks. So, decide carefully which part you wish to expand.

Heavy-duty machines

Pallet trucks have improved in design just like any other part of the warehouse. You may want to consider heavy-duty electric pallet trucks rather than those that are used by hand. It not only speeds up the work, but it means you can lift and transport more items across your warehouse with fewer risks. Be mindful that you are also training your staff to use these modern machines before implementing them en masse.

Warehouses can be expanded in size but first, look at how you could improve the functionality of the machines and equipment. Pallet racks are the bread and butter of any warehouse, they should be able to hold as much weight as possible.

Finding the Confidence to Start Your First Business

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Once you conceive the idea, it can be scary to actually put the rubber to the road and start your own business. Somewhere though you must find the confidence to start it. The following contributed post is entitled, Finding the Confidence to Start Your First Business.

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Most of us know or at least know of people that have started their own businesses. Some of these are small home-based businesses that just make a little pocket money to support a full-time income as an employee. Others are more substantial businesses that support a family and mean that their owners no longer need another income source. Some people make money with a company doing what they have spent their whole careers doing, just for themselves. Others have found ways to make money from their hobbies or from doing things that they love. Some people start one business, and that’s what they do until they retire. Others start multiple companies, selling them when they are worth it, moving on to the next great idea. There’s no one way to start a business, and you might know people that have tried all different things. And you might be jealous of all of them.

Starting a business is a risk. Giving up a career, a full-time income, the security of employment, and the safety of doing what you have always done is tough. You might watch jealously as your friends and colleagues go it alone, wishing that you had the confidence to do the same. Well, here are some tips to help you to find that confidence.

Make a Plan

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You know that you want to start a business, but what do you want to do? Having a vague idea is excellent, but the more you know about your business, the more confident you will feel when it comes to actually starting it. Make a business plan. Think about premises, suppliers, marketing, costs, and prices. Ask yourself if you could work at home, or if you’d need a workspace? Plan as much as possible, and try to identify any problems that you may have before they crop up.

Find the Right Help

You can, of course, do it all for yourself. But, things often work out better when we have help. You might want to take on an assistant or someone to handle admin. You might need someone to help with packaging and shipping or a social media manager. You can find detailed information here on managed IT support services, which can protect your business, as well as pushing it forward. Think about the help that you need to get your business off the ground and take your time to find the right people.

Know Your Strengths and Weaknesses

Sometimes, knowing what help you need is more about knowing what you are good at than what your business needs. If your background is in marketing, you might not need any help here (unless you hated it and are keen for a change) ask yourself what you are good at, take confidence from your experience, knowledge, and strengths, and know that help is available for the rest.

Minimize the Risks

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A big part of having the confidence to start is knowing that the risks are as small as possible. You might want to wait until your family is in a strong financial position or until you have saved enjoy to survive with a limited income. You could consider starting your business as a side hustle around your job. There are plenty of ways to start a business with limited risk.

Home Renovation Preparation Tips

A key focus of my blog is Financial Literacy/Money. One of the biggest investments any of us will make is our home. One way people increase the values of their homes is through home renovations. Renovations are tricky in that sometimes they can add value, while others don’t. The following contributed post is entitled, Home Renovation Preparation Tips.

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Planning for a home renovation can be a really exciting but daunting prospect. Once you have decided what you’re going to do – loft conversion, garden overhauls, kitchen makeover or maybe a full conservatory and extension – it is time to get down to the details.

With the proper planning, you can trim the fat on the budget and get exactly what you want.

Photo by Nolan Issac on Unsplash

Budget

Everything should start with how much you have to spend. Significant renovations can wolf a lot of cash – even more, if they run over the time, you had allocated. It is often the case that people will take a loan to cover the cost of the renovation, in which case you’ll need to carefully factor in repayment to your monthly budget for the duration of the loan.

Scope

Once you have decided on the budget, you can start working out what is realistic. If you have 1000 to spend, then you might have to be content with repainting and some new furniture rather than a whole extension build.

Consider what the most critical parts of the project for you are. Is it just giving a quick makeover or do you need the extra cupboards? With everything item that gets added to your ‘must-haves’, more money will be eaten in the budget too. You will need to consider your construction site preparation also, because the more you have done in advance, the more likely it is your contractor can hit the ground running – saving time and money.

Materials

Long before you speak to a contractor, you should have an idea of the materials that you want and do as much research as you can about if those materials are actually going to work. Because while you might want a particular type of wood, there might be an issue with sourcing, importing or the suitability for what you had in mind. So you can write the ideal material down, and then add some alternatives that you would be happy with too. It also pays to find the most budget materials too. So if you have to reduce the spend somewhere, you will already have a clear idea of where that could happen.

DIY

Beware of suddenly thinking you can do 50% of the job yourself just to save money. There will be some things that you can do. The finishing touches, cleaning and smaller jobs are almost certainly no problem. But unless you are in the trade or you are a professional, then the chances are you are going to be better leaving it to people who do it for a living. It can be worse if you think you can tackle a job yourself, don’t hire the appropriate people – only to find you can’t, and someone needs to be called in asap.

Hire Well

Get references and ask to see examples of work too. Ideally, you will have lined up a few different companies to interview and make sure that you talk them through what you are thinking, and let them talk about how they would do it and the time frame. Watch out for any work that seems too low priced or if they are cutting weeks of the projected timeline.

Finally, you will need to mentally prepare yourself for weeks on end that there will be noise and mess while the work is being done. People often underestimate how much of an impact home renovation work takes.

Computer Network Security Tips

Three of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Technology. Pretty much every business today uses some sort of computer network. As such the security of your network is absolutely critical. The following contributed post is entitled, Computer Network Security Tips.

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Most companies have a computer network that is shared amongst employees to offer helpful collaboration and access to important files. When planning to open a business or make changes to a current one, the network should be a focus of your interest.

Today we want to take a look at computer networks and think about helpful tips you can use for effective working as a business. Whether you filter out spam, use Managed Services or restrict access to your network, there are many ways to ensure the safety of your data.

Seal the doors

The most crucial thing to think about in terms of your network is the entry point. Think of your network as a house. The easiest way for a hacker to gain entry to your network is through the doors and windows, and this is the first thing you need to protect. Make sure to explore your network and find any weaknesses or entry points that could be used by hackers. Once you have identified these areas you can fix them and make them stronger.

Think on a device basis

When thinking about the safety of your network, it is important for you to consider every device that houses a gateway to the network. If you have a large business, there will likely be many computers and laptops that have access to the network. Weaknesses can lie in every device and a hacker might take advantage of a singular device. This is why you should install antivirus software on every single device that has access to the network. This will provide a protective cushion and ensure the safety of your network.

Eradicate spam

Spam emails seem to be the norm these days. Since the early 2000’s people have tried to scam others by sending emails with the deception of being from someone else. Of course, as technology has advanced and we have become more savvy, hackers have also increased their ability. This is why it is important for you to filter spam and create blocks and rules for any and all emails that aren’t from a known source. As a business it is also important to educate staff, especially older staff, to not click on links or open attachments they don’t recognise.

Passwords

A good password is one of the best weapons you can have when it comes to security. If your aim is to keep the business safe and the network secure, it is crucial for you to choose strong passwords and ensure that everyone in your company does the same. A strong password should contain letters, numbers and special characters. For extra support, make sure that your workers change their password every 3 months to reduce the risk of them being hacked.

Restrict Full Access

Did you know you can change the access each individual has to your network? If you have a network that shares files such as invoices and employee information, it is a good idea to restrict certain parts of the network to only allow authorised personnel. This is a good way to keep your network safe and always ensure that data stays in safe hands.

3 Issues The Modern Person Faces, And 3 Ways To Overcome Them

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and a key focus is Health and Wellness. There are unique challenges and issues that adults face today that they didn’t face 10-20 years ago. These issues fall into several categories, and there are solutions for overcoming them. The following contributed post is entitled, 3 Issues The Modern Person Faces, And 3 Ways To Overcome Them.

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It’s not easy being an adult in the modern world. It feels like every day new issues sprout seemingly out of nowhere. Living like this means that it’s impossible to steady the ship, as even when you think things are going well, you’re hit by a wave of distress and uncertainty.

When this happens, it’s easy to feel disheartened. It feels like no matter what you do, you can never escape the reality of adulthood and life in general. However, while you may not be the person to make The Big Change (and you don’t need to be), you can work towards making life a little easier for you and those around you.

The Problem: The Right Track

Most of you will have noticed the world seems different from what it was ten or even just five years ago. A study in March revealed the majority of nations feel their country is going in the wrong direction, and are concerned about the future.

The Solution: Start Small

While you won’t be able to run for President immediately, you don’t need to. Instead, start small and look into how to support your local community. For most places, all it takes is a little bit of action to improve the attitudes and situation for the better. Instead of sitting around wishing things weren’t so fractured, be the one to try and repair it. You never know the influence you might have on others to do the same.

The Problem: No Time For Anything

Part of staying positive about life and the future is being able to separate your personal and professional life. If you feel like you don’t have time to blow off steam, here’s how to work something out.

The Solution: Moderate Your Down Time

We should work to live not live to work, and so finding time to take a break from the daily grind is essential. It doesn’t matter if it’s indulging in creativity or lazing in front of the TV, we all need an outlet. Start by switching off your work-related devices when you leave the office and, if you find yourself easily distracted with your phone, placing it out of reach so you can indulge without that niggling feeling of checking social media for ‘just 5 minutes’.

The Problem: Personal Injury, Poor Health, and Fees

In countries where healthcare is not a right, all it takes is one accident to wreak havoc on your finances, your professional situation, and your home life. But while it’s not ideal, it doesn’t need to be the end of the world.

The Solution: Get Advice and Get Help

There’s not much you can do after the injury or illness, but you can prepare for how you will overcome it and deal with the fallout. Seek professional advice for the best available treatment, and then, if necessary, research services such as the Eric Palacios & Associates Law Firm can offer expert advice for what to do after suffering a personal injury and hopefully ease any fears about payment and job security.

Working It Out

Nobody is expecting you to solve everything overnight, but understanding where and how you can overcome the issues you face will ease your anxiety and allow you to tackle the problems with more confidence and determination.

3 Places Where Branding Really Matters

Two of the principles of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Properly branding your business is today’s world is critical to your success. As such it’s important to understand where to you place you branding so that it’s most effective. The following contributed post is entitled, 3 Places Where Branding Really Matters.

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In business, you of course need to make sure at all times that you are fully focused on your branding if you are to be successful. It is only with good branding that you can expect the business to be successful and to retain its reputation in the industry you are working in, so it is hugely important to make sure that you are focused on this as best as you can be. As it happens, there are a few places in particular where it turns out that branding is especially important, either because it is so powerful to utilize those places or because it is essential to use them for your business for some reason or another. In this post, we will take a look at some of these places where branding really matters, so that you can much more readily make the most of it.

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Your Offices

This is one that a lot of businesses fail to consider, and yet if you do it right it can be an especially powerful one that you might want to think about. Your offices offer you a wonderful chance to be able to utilize and promote your branding, and if you can make use of this you will find that it really does make a huge difference to your business’ chances of success overall. The best way to go about doing this is to obtain signage supplies from Eurotech and then get to work on building displays outside your offices with your business’ branding plastered all over them. This will ensure that you are able to much more easily brand your business, even if you feel that it might be challenging to get it right.

Social Media

It’s hard to think of marketing these days without focusing on social media to at least some degree. Your social media is likely to be important and central for many reasons, but one of the main ones is that it is where all the people are. So how your business appears there is very much how it appears in the minds of your customers and the public more generally. If you want to be able to make this work out okay, you need to ensure that you are branding well on social media. That will absolutely lead to a much more successful marketing venture in general, so it’s definitely worth the effort.

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Product Packaging

The packaging of your products is hugely important for many reasons, and one of the main ones is that it is actually a powerful opportunity for you to be able to advertise your wares and promote your business generally, as well as advertising the specific product itself of course. With the right product packaging, you can expect it to do wonders for your branding, so this is absolutely something that you are going to want to think about as best as you can. If you can get this right, you will find that you are going to be able to expect huge improvements generally.

5 Things To Be Sure Of As An Employer

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and a key focus is Career Discussions. As an employer, you often have competitors and have to make sure that you’re doing everything you can do to attract and retain quality employees. Failure to attract and retain the right employees will make the completion of your mission that much harder. The following contributed post is entitled, 5 Things To Be Sure Of As An Employer.

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When you’re an employer, there are many things that you have to consider. Sure, you have a business to run, but you also need to be certain that you’re following all of the right guidelines, and keeping your staff as happy as possible. Striking a balance here can be difficult, but there are some things that you should keep in mind if you want to be a great boss with a happy team of employees behind you. We’ve noted down 5 of them here.

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#1: That you pay well

One of the first things to be sure of as an employer is that you’re paying your staff at least the minimum wage. However, going above and beyond this will really help you to retain the right team members, and you’ll find that they have a lot more respect for you if you pay them a fair amount for what they’re doing. Lift them up, and you’ll find that they lift your company up as a result.

#2: That you look after health and safety risks

The health of your employees is integral to your business, and your staff should never feel like their safety is being compromised as a result of your laziness or lack of concern. Whether you’re keeping risks to a minimum or sharing information, for example, pages like what is an ankle sprain – and what should you know? you should be doing all that you can to make them feel safe.

#3: That you respect them

With great power comes great responsibility. That’s what Spider-Man said, anyway. And it’s true; if you let your status as a business owner get to your head and think that you can start disrespecting your staff as a result, then you’re not going to be very well-liked. Sure, you may not see this as a problem, but when your employees move to a company with a better boss, you’ll be sorry!

#4: That you door is open

Being approachable is also important if you want to have happy staff members, because you don’t want to end up with problems just because they feel that they can’t talk to you. Encourage them to bring new ideas to you, and make yourself as open and friendly as possible. This will help with any issues, but will also improve your business when you all work together in an open environment.

#5: That you don’t overload them

Sure, you hire your staff on the understanding that they’re going to do a certain amount of work for you. However, don’t overload them with tasks, and don’t make them work through lunch hours or demand excessive amounts of overtime. Your team are only human just like you are, and they don’t owe you a mental or physical burnout just because you want to get things done quicker!

So, if you want to be a great employer, then keep these 5 things in mind. You’ll have happy staff who are contributing amazing things to your company, and you’ll all benefit as a result!

4 Ways To Ensure Patient Safety In Your Medical Business

Three of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Health/Wellness. When working in patient care, you’re holding people’s lives in your hands. If and when your medical gets a reputation for being unsafe, it could be difficult to recover. The following contributed post is entitled, 4 Ways To Ensure Patient Safety In Your Medical Business.

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When you run a healthcare business, patients are literally putting their life in your hands in some cases. You have a responsibility to protect your patients, and if you don’t do that, your business is likely to fail. If patients are not safe in your practice and they experience complications with their treatment, that has a big impact on your business and you will struggle to find any new patients. If complications arise because of a mistake on your part, you could even end up in legal trouble. Patient safety should always be your first priority as a medical business, and you should do anything you can to improve it. These are some of the best ways that you can improve patient safety in your medical business.

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Work-Life Balance

Work-life balance is a big problem in most industries. People are working longer hours and increasingly taking their work home with them, and that means that a lot of people burn themselves out. It has a big impact on productivity, which is an issue for all businesses, but poor work-life balance can be dangerous in the medical industry. If you are going to keep patients safe, it’s important that you eliminate human error in your business, because that can lead to mistakes. When people are not getting enough rest, they will not have full concentration, and that can lead to some dangerous mistakes when working on patients. If you find that you are stretched, you may need to hire some more employees to ensure that people are not working long hours all the time.

Monitoring Systems

Investing in technology is vital to success in the medical business, but if you have a limited budget, you should direct it towards monitoring systems. If you invest in the right patient monitoring systems, like pulse oximeters (like these at Medtronic.com), temperature sensors, and heart rate monitors, it’s easier to manage patient care. You can monitor their condition in real time and ensure that they are seen to immediately if there is an issue.

Infection Control

Infection control is absolutely vital if you want to keep patients safe. When you have a lot of patients that are in a vulnerable state, infection can spread quickly and it can be incredibly dangerous. Basic precautions like hygiene are important, so make sure that you give your employees extensive training in this area. It’s also important that you are following proper procedure when sterilizing equipment and administering injections, so you can reduce the chance of blood infections.

Improve Communication

Miscommunication can be fatal in the healthcare business. If your employees are not communicating the needs of their patients to one another effectively, it’s so much easier for people to make mistakes and administer the wrong treatments. If symptoms are not communicated properly and records are not thorough, that could also lead to a misdiagnosis for patients. In some cases, giving the wrong treatment due to a misdiagnosis could be dangerous. That’s why it’s important that you find ways to improve communication and avoid these mistakes.

If you do not prioritize patient safety, you are putting lives at risk, so it’s important that you follow this advice and make sure that all of your patients are receiving the best possible care.

A full-time income on part-time hours revisited part two: Motivations for joining the business

“When my job told me that I’d have to go back to school to get another degree in order to get a promotion, I didn’t want to do that!”

This is part two of my series entitled, A full-time income on part-time hours revisited. Part one of this series introduced Multi-Level Network Marketing businesses (MLMs). Part two will discuss the motivations of people who join these types of businesses.

“Bruce, I want to ask your opinion about a business informational meeting I recently attended. This group helps people get out of their financial debt, but they also aggressively recruit more people into their business,” I said in a discussion with talk show host Bruce Williams in 2007. “It sounds like I could make a lot of money if I join. It also sounds like pretty hefty commitment time-wise, one that I’m not sure that I can fulfill in tandem with my scientific research.”

“What you just described sounds like a Multi-Level Network Marketing company,” Bruce casually commented in his burly, grandfatherly voice. Bruce Williams’ talk show covered a range of topics including politics, current events, economics (personal finance and business), as well as life’s daily issues. “Look guy, I don’t know what it is that they’re selling, but I think you’ll be better off focusing your time and attention to launching your career in science!”

Everyone’s motivation for going into to business is to make money. Unfortunately, not everyone can cook, invent a social media site that will change the world, create a new operating system, or buy a McDonald’s franchise, coincidentally the one franchise often referenced in the Rich Dad Poor Dad books and in Network Marketing informational meetings. It’s not uncommon at a meeting to hear, “McDonald’s may not make the best hamburger, but they are the model franchise,” or something similar. Many also state that, “McDonald’s isn’t in the business of fast food, they’re in the business of real estate,” or something to that effect.

Likewise, Multi-Level Network Marking businesses offer the opportunity to start a business with only a little money down (usually $100-$500), and the potential to make more money than one could ever make on their job through generation of ‘passive residual incomes’. At least that’s how they’re sold. In terms of making money in your sleep which passive income empowers you to do, who wouldn’t want to do that? By the way, business models that are already set up and only require you to buy into them are called ‘turnkey businesses’. Michael E. Gerber has written several books about this, the most popular is entitled, The E-Myth.

The thought of making passive residual incomes is very enticing for people who understand what it is and represents. Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad Poor Dad books were my first introduction to this powerful concept, and I recommend at least reading his first two books. The second is entitled, Cashflow Quadrant. Robert’s books also introduced me to the idea of making money ‘exponentially’ instead of ‘linearly’.

Whatever your venture is, the more passive income you can earn, the closer you come to financial freedom. This is the perfect segue into the time factor. What also gets people’s mouths salivating is the potential to not have to punch a clock, go to an office, and answer to a supervisor. These businesses are also seen as ways of circumventing battling for promotions every year and having to work your way up the corporate ladder as they say. As Robert Kiyosaki says in his books, and as many people have personally experienced, promotions often don’t result in significantly more income for various reasons.

Personally, people have multiple reasons for joining. Some people who have held traditional jobs and careers, eventually sour on a life of having to “climb the corporate ladder” as described above. Some sour on having to be chosen for promotions which often results in more responsibility but not necessarily significantly more take home pay. Others have reached middle age and don’t see themselves being able to retire on what they’ve saved or haven’t saved.

“When my job told me that I’d have to go back to school to get another degree in order to get a promotion, I didn’t want to do that. This business is allowing me to make larger sums of income than my job could ever offer and save for my retirement,” the speaker at a meeting said. Finally, others don’t like the idea of having to go back to school to get more degrees in order to qualify for promotions in their respective organization.

And those are just educated people. Some people haven’t gone very far school-wise for any number of reasons and don’t have the potential to ascend in any job long-term. These businesses thus represent a fast track to wealth which can bypass a traditional education.

“My mother who is deaf and some of her friends weren’t very educated and they saw the business as one of the only ways they could make good money,” a friend shared with me. Her mother got involved in a home-based business that sold water purifiers and they had to go door to door to sell them.

In general, these businesses are ways for people to:

• Achieve financial independence
• Have more control over their lives
• Bypass the traditional paradigm of working for someone else to make money – trading money for time every day

While the benefits of joining like this type of enterprise seem to be limitless, what happens when you pay your entrance fee and sign on the dotted line? And when one does join, what are the actual rigors and expectations? These questions will be addressed in part three of this series.

Thank you for reading this blog post. If you enjoyed this piece, you might also enjoy:

• Are you getting your Matching Contribution? A discussion on saving for retirement
• A look at the Law of Compounding Interest and why you should care
• Your Net Worth, your Gross Salary, and what they mean
• Is there power in budgeting your money?
• I still don’t have a car in 2018: A story about playing financial chess
• We should’ve bought Facebook and Bitcoin stock: An investing story

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