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.

The Importance of Language In Business

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. In any of life’s arenas, language and communication is critical. In business it can be the difference between profit and loss. The following contributed post is thus entitled; The Importance of Language In Business.

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Clearly, language is something that we all use every day, and it is an incredibly powerful tool which has to be mastered for many other essentials to take place. In the world of business, it is no different, and that is something which is worth considering if you are aiming to make sure that your business is as successful as possible. If you can find a way to master language in its many uses throughout a business, you will find that it makes a positive difference to how well your business is doing, so that is definitely something to consider. For that, you will need to be aware of all the ways in which language crops up in your business, and how it affects it too. Let’s take a look at that now, to get a little clearer on it.

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Communication In The Office

You need to have clear communication in your offices if you are to hope for an efficient and expedient workplace, and this is something that a lot of managers are constantly trying to work on and improve. The fact is that the better the communication in the workplace, the more likely it is that things will go to plan. It is only when there is miscommunication and misunderstanding that real problems arise, so mastering communication in the workplace is hugely important. How can we do this, exactly? One powerful way might be to host regular training sessions in which employees learn how best to communicate with one another in the office. You might be surprised at how much of a difference this can make, and it is certainly something you will want to consider if you are hoping to improve how well your workplace works on a daily basis.

Expanding Overseas

One of the trickier forms of language in business is when you are expanding overseas and you need to speak with people who speak other languages. Unless you happen to be proficient in a common language, it is going to be a challenge to get any real communication underway – and that can affect the nature and effectiveness of your business massively. Fortunately, there are a number of solutions to consider. You can, for instance, communicate via email or direct messaging and simply translate one another’s messages – to translate your own before sending. But such online translation tools are rarely accurate, and you might be better off using a professional translation service – see these Para Plus translations reviews for an example of that.

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Text & Its Shortcomings

When you have to communicate with anyone merely by text – for instance, online or via email – you might be aware of some of the less favorable aspects of having to do that. We have all had experience of being misinterpreted or having our tone misconstrued, and when this happens in a business setting it can have disastrous results. On these occasions, it’s best to switch to voice instead. You might find that this allows for a much more effective and expedient communication, with less worry.

Managing Your Employees’ Workflow

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and two key focuses are Business/Entrepreneurship and Career Discussions. When one transitions over employer/manager/supervisor, they now become responsible for managing the work of others. This is a skill and a task all. The following contributed post is thus entitled; Managing Your Employees’ Workflow.

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When you become an employer, you take on a whole host of responsibility over your employers. At the end of the day, you are making money from their efforts and they are helping to build your dreams. So, the least that you can do is manage them effectively so that their working days are as comfortable and positive as possible! One area that tends to go relatively neglected when it comes to managing employees is monitoring and adjusting their work schedule. Here’s a little information on the subject!

The Importance of Workflow Management

Workflow management is extremely important for your business’ progression as well as your employees. It is essentially a means of ensuring that employees know what they need to do in order to keep your business moving forward and a means of ensuring that this happens. You should provide your employees with set projects so that they know what tasks they need to undertake and how long they have to do this. Most of us will do this anyway. However, you also need to remember to let employees know why they are working towards this objective and what they are likely to do once the project is completed. This gives them more of a sense of purpose. They will see where their work is heading and they will feel that they are working towards something rather than simply completing tasks and checking boxes. If you’d like to learn more about this, you can find out more on the subject through Umlaut.

Conducting Regular Check Ups

It is important to maintain regular contact with your staff. Try to arrange meetings part way through projects to ensure that everyone knows what they are supposed to be doing and to see how they are progressing. This will provide you with the opportunity to ensure all work is being carried out as you hoped and also gives employees the opportunity to raise any queries or concerns. If you fail to do this, problems will generally be kept quiet and you may come to the deadline of a project only to find that it needs to be extended or altered due to problems that could have been confronted and cleared up earlier.

Meeting Employees’ Personal Needs

It is also a good idea to have one to one meeting with employees to check whether their personal circumstances have changed. Health complaints or personal problems could mean that you may need to reduce particular employees’ workflow for their wellbeing. Improvements in personal conditions could mean you can increase their responsibilities.

These are just a few of the basics when it comes to managing your employees’ workflow. Make sure to look further into the subject to ensure that everyone is working effectively and comfortably!

The Relevance of Revision: Prepare Better For Your Next Exam

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and a key focus is General Education. Most high achieving students have a specific set of keys they follow to excel which low achieving students don’t. Understanding and incorporating these keys will generate better results for both high school and college students. The title of the following contributed post is thus entitled, The Relevance of Revision: Prepare Better For Your Next Exam.

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When you think about the student lifestyle, it’s probably a vision of fun and relaxation that comes to mind. You roll out of bed late, attend a couple of seminars and then hit the pubs and clubs with your friends- what could be stressful about that? However, the reality of being a student in any capacity is much different. Particularly towards the ends of terms and during exam season when coursework and exams are looming over your head. It’s incredibly stressful as there’s so much pressure involved. All of the time, money and effort you’ve spent learning a subject all comes down to how well you perform in these set tests. If you find that you’re just not good at exams, don’t stress as there are things that can be done. If you go about it in the right way, you can walk into your exams knowing that you’ve put the work in and all of the information and knowledge is in your head. Here’s how you can go about it.

Attend all of your lectures and seminars
If you want to to well in your exams, it makes sense that you’ll attend all of the lessons, lectures and seminars throughout the year. This allows you to learn each topic in depth and ensure you fully understand it. As a student, it’s easy to miss lectures- too much alcohol the night before, staying up too late or just being lazy can have you thinking ‘I’ll miss this one and catch up.’ The trouble is, when you come to revise, you end up having to teach yourself the entire topic. If the work is complex then you might struggle doing this, and it generally adds a lot of stress and extra time to your revision schedule. Make sure that you’re attending all of the set classes, if you do find that you’re stuck or not following, arrange a session with your tutor or at least send them an email asking them to answer the questions that you have. If you skim over it, it will only come back to bite you later on, everything you’re being taught in the course could be on the exam so you need to know it. One way to make sure you’re really getting the most out of your lect

Get as much one-to-one help as you can
If your tutor is offering one-to-one sessions to answer students questions or running smaller study groups then take advantage of this. In larger lectures there are so many other people in there that you don’t always get the chance to ask everything that you need to know. In smaller groups, you and others can ask questions and also learn from each other. Your tutor is likely to be very busy, but if you are able to squeeze in any time with them it can be highly beneficial, even if it’s just a few minutes to answer your questions after a lecture.

Set up student study sessions
Speaking of smaller student study groups, if these don’t already exist at your college or university then why not set something up? Thanks to social media it’s easy to connect with your classmates, you could always set up a group with a time and date and invite people to join. There will be places in the university you could go, or you could go to a coffee shop or even a cafe and set yourselves up in one corner. It’s a chance for you to test yourselves, talk through different topics and can even help you to settle your nerves if you know there are others in the same boat as you. Set up flash cards and challenge each other, compare notes and generally get as clued up as you can about the topics on the exam. Whether it’s a group of three or a group of twenty, these kinds of sessions could really help you all.

Create a revision timetable
One of the most important things about revising is spending enough time covering each topic. One of the best ways to do this is to draw up a revision timetable- and stick to it. Work out how many topics you have, and how long you have until the exam. Then you can split up the time, and then divide up each topic however you see fit. In some tests such as the IAS exam, it will be made up of a number of parts, so you’ll need to make sure you’re prepared for each section. You can read more about this online. It’s crucial that you’re realistic in your timetable, you still need time each day to relax, socialise and do other things outside of revision so that you don’t end up completely burned out. But on the other hand, everything needs to be covered properly or you’ll end up cramming and stressing at the last minute.

Minimise distractions
When you have something unpleasant that needs to be done (namely, revise for exams) it’s easy to find any way you can to avoid this. You might not even realise you’re doing it, but end up putting other tasks before your revision. Some people even end up doing tasks they’d normally avoid (such as cleaning or laundry!) as in their minds, it’s better than revising. Minimise distractions, go to your study area and make a note of the time. Turn off the tv and your phone, and use a browser that isn’t’ logged into any social media to avoid you mindlessly clicking on it. Study for the amount of time you’ve decided without anything else taking your mind off it.

Keep stress down
Finally, revising in a highly stressed state isn’t going to benefit you. Exams are stressful, but you need to find ways to cope and manage things. Take a hot bath each evening, meditate or exercise. With a clear head you’ll find things go in and stay there much more easily. Which is exactly what you want when you’re revising!

Where Your Business Is Wasting Time And What To Do About It

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success. Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Arguably our most valuable resource is time and the same is true for your business enterprise. It’s thus valuable to maximize time and not waste it. The following contributed post is entitled; Where Your Business Is Wasting Time And What To Do About It.

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Do you realize that your business could actually be wasting an inordinate amount of time? If you’re not actively making sure your business is being as productive as possible and making the most of time and other resources you have available, you might really struggle to make your business a success.

Below, we’re going to discuss why your business is wasting time and what you can do about it. Take a look and you’ll change your business for the better:

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You’re Still Doing Reports That Are No Longer Necessary
There’s a tendency in both public and private sector businesses to do reports more often than necessary. Compiling these reports is without question one of the biggest wastes of time and resources. Not only is time wasted when they are created, but by even looking at them and discussing them!

Using Social Media Too Often
You do need to use social media as a business, but if it isn’t being used properly then it’s just a huge waste of time. One specific mistake often made is that companies aren’t looking at the analytics of their social media promotion – if you’re not looking at this how will you ever know if it’s working? Algorithm changes are something you need to take into account too. This means analytics and data reporting are essential. Hiring a social media manager who has got to grips with all of this will be a huge help.

Not Updating Your Outdated Processes
Just because something worked when you started business 10 years ago doesn’t mean that it needs to be done in the same way today. If this is your attitude then you probably have a ton of outdated processes that need to be updated. There are likely all kinds of software and machinery that can help you to become more productive and efficient; letting computers take control of workflow management can save time, increase efficiency, and more.

You’re Not Outsourcing Correctly
Outsourcing correctly is imperative to your business. Business IT Consulting for example, can help your business to save a ton of time, as well as a fortune in terms of saved downtime. With the right partners you can make your business far more efficient. You have to get rid of the urge to keep everything in house, as this is never the most effective thing to do!

Communicating Too Much
If employees are always communicating by email or chat, it can be a waste of everybody’s time. Encouraging open communication is a must, but there’s a difference between communicating productively and communicating all day without really getting anything done. Make sure they know the difference. You shouldn’t micromanage or ban them from talking, but they should know how to do so effectively.

Are you wasting time in your business any of the above ways? What are you going to do about it? Leave your own thoughts below. Thanks for reading!

I still don’t have a car in 2018: A story about playing financial chess

“Most successful people operate off a healthy fear of failure!”

Three of the principles of my blog are: Creating Ecosystems of Success, Wealth Building and Long-Term Thought. Hell, I’ll also pull in both Creative and Critical Thought. As we’re riding into December of 2018, I’ve wondered what to write next. A friend of mine who runs her own magazine and has her own audience suggested that I write something about budgeting. I do intend to do that, but my mind thought back to something I wrote on the Examiner several years ago which will serve as a nice prelude to budgeting. It involves several important considerations when budgeting, and it might admittedly ‘trigger’ some people, but try to keep in mind the overarching messages.

I originally published a series called, You Still Don’t Have a Car Yet? around 2012. It was inspired by a question from a lady friend who went to my church and whom I briefly dated. We bumped into each other again one Sunday and she was surprised that I still didn’t have a car after getting rid of my old Saturn SL2 which was on its last leg. I heard in her voice that there was more to her question – something I’d experience again in the future.

Now, driving is expensive. It’s by no means cheap to get on the road. You have to undergo a series of driving lessons with a professional to ensure you have a proper license and don’t face issues revolving around Complaint Fraudulent License/ID down the line. When you get a car, it costs. On top of the original outlay, you need to make sure you can afford fuel, maintenance, tax, insurance and more. Upgrading really does require a lot of thought and financial commitment.

It’s a topic that never gets old, and instead of resurrecting and republishing the entire series, I’m simply going to pull out its main points and discuss why I still don’t own a vehicle six years later. Keep in mind that this piece was written from the perspective of a single man (due to life circumstances), and your life may be different. I hope you enjoy it and that it inspires discussion in your own circles. So, let’s dive in.

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My personal finances crashed and hit rock bottom right around 2011 – two years into my federal science career. I started my career with very little savings based upon my educational path and life circumstances. I was still a new homeowner and just paid out my entire $8,500 “Obama Tax Credit” for a condominium project I didn’t know about before closing – the first of many ‘assessments’ over the years which ended up equaling the price of a brand-new car. I also tried my hand in the investing world, at one point trying to do too many things at once, both money- and time-wise. The result was getting into a debt hole of greater than $20,000 on top of my student loan and other bills.

Around that time, I was fortunate that two friends shared Dave Ramsey’s “Financial Peace University (FPU)” with me and over the course of the next five to six years, they invited me to help teach the class with them at our church. I was also fortunate that I met a mentor who ‘adopted’ me into his group of proteges. He was very strong-willed and had a business background. He both taught me and stayed on me about some important aspects of money including: understanding what a ‘Net Worth’ is, saving into my retirement account and getting my ‘Matching Contribution’, and understanding the ‘Law of Compounding Interest’.

Now armed with this new information, it started guiding my decision making. FPU is admittedly just one of many financial programs out there, and it works very well. There are several others, but for the sake of my familiarity with it I’ll discuss it. A major pillar of it is budgeting – numerically think about your ‘needs’ and ‘wants’ with the aim of getting out of debt, building up an ‘Emergency Fund’ and then positioning yourself to stay ‘liquid’, invest, and give. To get a feel for why this important, I’ll once again refer you to back to Ylan Q. Mui’s 2016 article from the Washington Post entitled; The shocking number of Americans who can’t cover a $400 expense.

This is a good place to introduce the concept of ‘Cash Flow’. Cash flow is simply the amount of money you have left over once all your monthly bills and obligations are paid. The greater your expenses and debts are, the less cash flow you’ll have. The less they are, the greater your cashflow will be and the more life choices you’ll have. You’ll probably also have a healthier state of mind and body as financial stress can impact your overall quality of life.

When I looked at my budget in 2012, I sought to identify where I was trying to go in life and then what my needs and wants were. I wanted to live in a place of abundance, and I didn’t ever want to feel the shackles of debt again. I also didn’t want to be in position to have to ask relatives or friends for financial help ever again. Finally, I wanted to go that next step where I had an emergency fund, where I could get some investments, and lastly where I could help others – giving back to my alma maters for example.

While there were quite a few surprises in my condominium complex, it was a smart buy because it was right next to the metro. As such owning a car became less of a priority. Let’s unpack that a little bit. Keep in mind that I’m not telling anyone that they should get rid their car.

For you it might be something else and this would admittedly my approach may not work in cities like: Atlanta, Buffalo and Charlotte. In any case when I looked at my budget, getting rid of my car meant getting rid of: car insurance, gas charges, upkeep and maintenance, having to renew the vehicle’s registration, and any other associated costs. The state of Virginia charges personal property taxes on vehicles for example.

Yes, it was strange at first not having a car in my parking space and not being able to jump in a vehicle and drive off whenever I wanted to. As I describe later though I adjusted. It was a ‘trade off’ as the great Dr. Thomas Sowell says – giving up something in the short-term for what I saw as a greater gain in the long-term. I included the game of Chess in the title because like this, winning that game involves an understanding of the value of the pieces in your army, and in some cases, sacrificing your lesser pieces early on to ultimately win the game.

Let’s move on to some other important concepts. Among the things I learned from Robert T. Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad Poor Dad books were the concepts of ‘Assets’ and ‘Liabilities’. Under Robert’s definitions, assets are things that put money in your pocket every month, while liabilities are things that take money out of your pocket every month.

One of the things he described in his books under liabilities was cars. Was he saying not to buy cars? No, but he was encouraging his readers to look at finances in alternative ways – in this case while cars are symbols of power for some people, they also ultimately take money out of our pockets.

Speaking of which, something that’s been documented in numerous books and which wasn’t explained to me early on was that brand-new cars depreciate significantly as soon as you drive them off the lot. This is something I pondered as I decided to get rid of my car and not immediately get another one. I also realized that I was never really a ‘car guy’ meaning that I never really fantasized or obsessed over them. In fact, I got to a point where saw them as ‘necessary evils’ in a way which were put here to keep us dependent on the energy and auto industries, and at the mercy of those running them.

I’d like to now introduce the concept of ‘Minimalism’. Though this was always a part of my nature, I didn’t know what exactly it was though I had been called both ‘cheap’ and ‘frugal’ in my lifetime. Minimalism is basically the practice of getting what you need, and not wastefully looking to consume more. I credit writer and YouTube content creator Aaron Clarey for the term because I first heard it from him – something he encourages – something which goes against the grain of most of our society. If you’re in the mood for a laugh, his video content on culture and economics are both very funny and insightful.

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“If you live right next to the metro, why would you own car?” I’m going to say something controversial here. I’ve gotten this reaction from a certain group of people. It’s the same group of people who are content to eat soup and sandwiches according to my Dad as described in my piece entitled; Challenging Misconceptions in Wealth, Income and Privilege. I’ve gotten the ‘side-eye’ from another group of people, and for the single guys reading this, I’ll just say that many ladies frown upon a man who doesn’t own a car. Interestingly the other more important aspects I described above usually don’t come up in conversations about why I don’t own one.

I’ve also been ‘clowned’ about it in some instances. When you’re doing something like this, knowing in your heart why you’re doing it, and keeping your goals in mind is very, very critical when someone challenges you. Oh, and if you’ve thought it out and it’s working, don’t argue with anyone over it. It’s not worth it. This is an instance where even in adulthood, being the leader of your own life and not caving into peer pressure is key.

How does one get by without owning a car? Well again it helps to live right next door to a metro system. My first year of college at SUNY Brockport, I was amazed by the number of classmates from New York City who didn’t have their driver’s licenses. Where they were from, they just didn’t need them and openly admitted that.

Once I got rid of my car, I now noticed that there were quite a few other people in the Washington, DC metro area using “Zipcars”. Then within the last couple of years ‘ride share’ programs and ‘apps’ like “Uber” and “Lyft” became prevalent. Admittedly if you need to go to an area that’s further out, it usually requires some planning – maybe using a Zipcar, or maybe just renting one, but again you must keep your overarching goals in mind.

Again, it’s a tradeoff. There’s a definite convenience to getting in your car whenever you want to and zipping off some place, and that’s what you’re paying for when you own one unless of course it’s giving you some sort of social prestige or personal confidence boost. How much is that convenience worth to you?

So in summary, again I’m not telling anyone what they should do with their lives. I chose to make a tradeoff (a car and certain people) with specific goals in mind. Now that I had a grasp on money and finance as described above, my new ‘drivers’ (no pun intended) were:

• To become ‘financially peaceful’ and to build wealth;
• To be able to handle all the costs associated with homeownership – something I stumbled into which came with its own set of financial costs and surprises and;
• To maximize my cashflow so that I could save, invest and to be able to give.

In terms of giving, we often think about giving to our churches and alma maters but sometimes there are other needs. A fellow alumnus from Johnson C. Smith University recently needed to raise money to buy winter clothes for the students at his school in Grand Rapids, MI. Because of some of the personal choices I’d made, I was easily able to support his effort and help the kids in his community stay warm this winter.

Again, major components to all of this are long-term thought, and budgeting which I’m going to cover shortly in its own blog post. Another important piece is being a secure individual, following the beat of your own drummer and not being peer pressured into keeping up with other people’s thoughts of what’s acceptable for your life. The other piece is being malleable and willing to continue to learn more information and applying it to your life.

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I’m going to end this post with some quotes. The opening quote for this piece is from the popular and outspoken sports talk show host Colin Cowherd who weaves life parables into his sports commentary. This one involves our personal drivers and motivations. “My investing advice to the average individual, is don’t be average,” is a quote that has stayed with me from Robert Kiyosaki’s books. It involves thinking outside of the box and doing the opposite of the crowd.

Dave Ramsey’s famous quote is, “We’re going to live like no one else, so later we can live like no one else!” It involves making temporary sacrifices for greater gains later. Finally, one of the content creators on a YouTube show I regularly watch often says to, “Keep your savings high, and your overhead low!” I think you get the picture. What are your motivations and where are trying to go in your life?

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog post. If you enjoyed this one, you might also enjoy:

• Your Net Worth, Your Gross Salary, and what they mean
• A look at the Law of Compounding Interest and why you should care
• My personal experience with Dave Ramsey’s Debt Snowball revisited
• The difference between being cheap and frugal
• We should’ve bought Facebook and Bitcoin stock: An Investing and technology story
• Challenging misconceptions and stereotypes in class, household income, wealth and privilege

If you’ve found value here and think it would benefit others, please share it and or leave a comment. To receive all of the most up to date content from the Big Words Blog Site, subscribe using the subscription box in the right-hand column in this post and throughout the site, or by adding the link to my RSS feed to your feedreader. Please visit my YouTube channel entitled, Big Discussions76. Lastly follow me on Twitter at @BWArePowerful, on Instagram at @anwaryusef76, and at the Big Words Blog Site Facebook page. While my main areas of focus are Education, STEM and Financial Literacy, there are other blogs/sites I endorse which can be found on that particular page of my site.

Interface: Creating A Computer Literate Team

Three of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Technology. In today’s digital age, computer literacy is critical to working on any staff in any organization. It therefore becomes very important to create a computer literate team. The following contributed post is thus entitled; Interface: Creating A Computer Literate Team.

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As time goes on, computers are playing an increasingly central role in the work which businesses have to do. With most of the data your company uses being stored on machines like this, and all of the software you need to do your job having to have them to run, it’s impossible to avoid filling your offices and back rooms with devices like this. Of course, though, it isn’t enough to simply have the hardware. Along with this, you also need to have a team of people who all have the skills to do their jobs. To help you in achieving this goal, this post will be exploring the steps which have to be taken to make someone computer literate.

Learning

This all hard to start with some learning, as these sorts of machines aren’t exactly easy to use when you first get started. Thankfully, there are loads of companies out there offering basic computer courses in a range of different topics. This makes it possible to tailor the learning your employees go through to the work which it will be applied to when all is said and done. There aren’t many fields out there which allow you to be so specific.

Practice

Practice is important when it comes to learning anything, and technology is no exception. If your employees don’t have computers at home, they need a chance to have some fun and explore them properly while they are at work. Nothing is scarier than the unknown, and this can quickly be wiped away once your team all know how they’re supposed to do their jobs. Of course, this is the same with most of the tools your company uses.

Confidence

It’s easy to become worried about using computers when you’re told that viruses are dangerous, files can be lost, and the machines are fragile. While all of this is true, though, it doesn’t mean that they will break when you’re using them for normal jobs. It’s worth working hard to make sure that your employees have the right skills when it comes to computers, but it’s also crucial that they feel confident enough to use them.

Support

Finally, as the last area to consider, it’s time to think about the support your teams can get while they are working. There is nothing which boosts confidence more than knowing that you have a professional waiting to give you a hand whenever you need it, and outsourced IT support has become a huge market because of it. Of course, though, you need to read plenty of reviews before choosing a company like this, as they will all offer different levels of service.

With all of this in mind, you should be feeling ready to get started on the time you put into building a computer literate team for your business. A lot of companies struggle in this area, finding it hard to know where to turn when their teams are bad with these machines. Of course, though, this never has to be the case, especially when you’re willing to put some time into making it better.

7 Checks To Make Before You Launch Your Startup

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. When launching your startup company, there were couple of things to keep in mind. Seven of the of them are discussed in this contributed post which is entitled; 7 Checks To Make Before You Launch Your Startup.

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Before you launch your startup, you need to make sure you have everything in place. Below, we have 7 checks you should make before launch, so that you can ensure everything is ready to go – yourself included. Take a look and see if there’s anything else you need to do to succeed:

1. Have You Checked Out The Competition Thoroughly Enough?
Researching your competitors thoroughly is a must. You want to know exactly what they are doing and how you can differentiate yourself from them. If you don’t know as much as possible about them, you won’t know if you’re offering something viable and different enough to get people to come to you instead.

2. Have You Put Enough Thought Into Funding?
Funding should be your number one concern at the beginning of your business. You need to make sure you have enough cash to start, get through those agonizing first few months where you’re drumming up business, and keep you going if you need equipment, or an emergency crops up. You can get funding from friends, family, banks, peer to peer lending – whatever works for you. Make sure you put enough thought into it.

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3. Is Your Premises Ready To Go?
You need to make sure your premises is suitable and ready to go before you launch, whether you’re starting from your bedroom or your office. Do you have everything you need, such as the right equipment and a strong internet connection? Perhaps you need to change and update a few things with the right kind of piping before you can get things done there. Make sure you triple check everything.

4. Have You Sought Out Advice From Experts And Mentors?
Make sure you seek out experts and mentors in the industry and ask them for advice. At the very least, watch their YouTube videos, read their blogs, and listen to their podcasts. Really educate yourself on what it’s going to take to make this work.

5. Have You Found The Right Marketing Agency?
Sorry, but you’re not going to be able to do your marketing yourself. It’s smart to want to save money in the beginning, but doing so in marketing will likely only hinder you. Having a professional company that has proven results do it for you will give you peace of mind and allow you to spend more time doing what you’re good at.

6. Have You Put Together A Business Plan?
You should always have a business plan before you launch your business. Putting one together is far easier these days, as there’s tons of advice and templates online that can help you.

7. Have You Got The Right People Around You?
Making sure you have the right people around you is key. This goes for employees, lawyers, accountants, financial advisors, and even friends and family – the people you have around you will make a huge difference to your success. Cut out toxic people and make sure you do your research before bringing anybody on board.

Make Sure You’re Focusing On What Matters In Your Business: Here’s How

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“If you’re a business owner, something you really need to get to grips with is focusing on what truly matters.”

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Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. In any business enterprise, it’s important to know which aspects to focus on to ensure that your operations stay open and grow. The following contributed post is thus entitled, Make Sure You’re Focusing On What Matters In Your Business: Here’s How.

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If you’re a business owner, something you really need to get to grips with is focusing on what truly matters. If you put too much focus on things that won’t make all that much difference to your business, the trivial things, you’re going to run into problems at some point. Here, we’re going to discuss how you can focus on what really matters. Read on to learn more and make sure you’re getting this right…

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Simplify Things

If you want to focus on what truly matters in your business, you’re going to need to simplify things as best you can. The majority of businesses start from a simple idea or solution to an everyday problem. Simplicity is best, so make sure your main intention is to keep your business simple as you grow and discuss concepts. If your business becomes too complicated, it can easily become too expensive. These types of ideas are also far more difficult to both market and to implement. Simply narrow your focus and things should become clearer for you. All you need to do is find out how you can deliver a simple, high-quality product or service, and then go from there.

Once you have an idea of this, you can begin looking into ways to make your business processes even easier. You can invest in apps and software, such as http://www.designdocs.com/pricing to enable better project management and collaboration, which will always improve the way you do things and allow everybody to focus on what’s important.

Don’t Focus On The Product – Focus On The Market

Don’t focus too much on your product in order to get those sales in. You need to focus on the market more so than you do this. Never, ever fail to take into consideration the market you’re looking to impress with the product. If there isn’t a market for your product, it won’t matter how innovative or revolutionary it is. You must focus on niches if you want to be as successful as possible.

Make Sure You Have A Strong Support Team

Establishing a strong support team right from the beginning is crucial – you’re unlikely going to be able to run a business all by yourself. They don’t have to be business partners either, so don’t panic. They can just be family and friends. They can be mentors. All they have to do is be people who can help you when you’re experiencing a tough decision or even a crisis.

Focus On Generating Income As Soon As You Can

There’s no denying that cash flow is one of the most important things in business, and the best thing a newly established brand can do is focus on it. Start generating cash as soon as you can, whether you decide to take pre-orders, or even deposits for your product/service.

Pay attention to your core competencies

As a business owner, it is easy to get carried away in various tasks, especially if you’re now starting. However, this may leave little room for your business’s core competencies, which can propel it forward. For instance, you need strategic marketing if you are to attract your target market. Plus it’s not safe to leave your trade secrets to strangers, as you may lose to your competition. So make sure you focus on your core competencies. This means outsourcing some work to third-party firms and influencers. For instance, if you are a sports organizer, professionals like Mike Golub can handle your ticket sales and publicity.

There are many unimportant things you can focus on as a business owner, so you need to be able to narrow your focus when it matters and keep your attention there.

Taking Care of Your Small Business’ IT

Three of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Technology. Most businesses today utilize some form of Information Technology (IT) and it’s thus critical to manage that component of your organization. The following contributed post is thus entitled; Taking Care of Your Small Business’ IT.

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As a society we are making more and more use of technology in our day to day lives. We use smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktop computers to undertake a whole variety of tasks – from conducting research to watching shows and films, shopping, socialising, and more. So, it’s not all too surprising that small businesses are following suit. Technology makes our working lives easier and more convenient in the same way that it does our personal lives. However, when you begin to incorporate more technology into the workplace, you’re going to have to do more in order to maintain it and keep everything up and running. Here are a few steps that you can take to achieve this!

IT Support

Seeing as small businesses are becoming increasingly reliant on the use of technology, having some sort of IT support is now a necessity. IT support provided by reliable companies like Dyrand Systems will ensure that there are plenty of adequately trained individuals at hand who can monitor your small business’ tech (preventing problems from occurring in the first place) and can help to rectify any problems that may manage to develop down the line. This is much better than the reactive approach that many small business owners tend to take towards software issues – you don’t want to wait until something has already gone wrong before finding someone to fix it. Generally speaking, outsourcing is best for small businesses. It’s not until you begin to expand into a much larger company that you should give serious thought to developing an in-house IT department.

Upgrade Your Devices

It’s pretty common for individuals working for small businesses to become frustrated with their devices. Older devices, no matter how well they are maintained, simply succumb to the test of time eventually. Whether this is physically (as they begin to require more regular repairs and part replacements) or in terms of falling behind in comparison to new innovations in the tech world. It’s generally best to upgrade every once in awhile when your tech becomes outdated. This will ensure that you and staff are working with up to date devices and can be as productive as possible.

Upgrade Your Software

A cheaper option than upgrading your devices, and an option that you need to engage with much more regularly, is to upgrade your software. The majority of us tend to click “ignore” or “remind me later” when offered software updates. This is an understandable bad habit – when we log on, we tend to have something to do and will postpone delays. However, it’s important to upgrade your software when you get a spare moment. This will, again, keep everything up to date and current, maximising your potential productivity.

These are just a few different steps that you might want to take into consideration when it comes to keeping all of your tech up and running. Following them can really simplify multiple areas of your life!

Why Appointment Reminders Can Be Beneficial Can Be Beneficial For Your Business

Three of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Technology. When running any business enterprise, keeping appointments and deadlines with staff and partners is key. The following contributed post is thus entitled; Why Appointment Reminders Can Be Beneficial Can Be Beneficial For Your Business.

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With people leading busier lives than ever, it’s really easy for things to fall through the cracks, and for your clients, that might mean a forgotten appointment or two. This not only wastes your time, but it stops other people who might have needed that appointment accessing your services, and will more than likely cost you money that you are unlikely to recuperate. It is beneficial to both you and your clients that you have appointment reminder systems in place.

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1. You can redeploy resources

When you send out confirmations and reminders of appointments and don’t receive a reply, or you receive a response stating that the client will not be coming to the scheduled appointment, you can plan ahead and make the most of the time and resources. Perhaps you have a waiting list and are able to offer the time slot to someone else who needs it? If not, you can direct your staff to other tasks that need doing, or rearrange their working hours for that day. Knowing in advance means less sitting about waiting and more action.

2. You can decrease waiting times

If a client turns up even a few minutes late for an appointment, it can have a knock-on effect for the rest of the day. The next person is delayed, and the next person and so on, and before you know it, that five minutes delay has turned into an hour. No one likes waiting, and it is a sure fire way to annoy your customers. Sending an appointment reminder means they are more likely to turn up on time, and you can even customise them to request that they turn up a few minutes early, if required.

3. People like to be reminded

Studies have shown that people prefer to receive some type of digital reminder regarding their scheduled appointments. A text message is a perfect way of doing this – most of us carry our mobile phones around with us and check them regularly. It means that their day is not disrupted by phone calls from you. They also prefer the ability to reschedule their appointments if they are not able to make them. It is also perfectly safe to send reminders via text, as long as they do not contain any confidential or sensitive information.

4. You can understand your customers better

If you have a customer who repeatedly misses appointments or cancels them at the very last minute, you can keep a record of this. With this information, you can begin to build a picture and try to understand why this happens, and what you can do to prevent it. Are you booking appointments too far in advance? Are you reminding them at the right time?

Digital reminders are an excellent resource for businesses who are focused on customer service. By making the most of your time, documenting appointment habits and building a relationship with your clients, you and your staff will be able to focus on growing your business and maximizing profit.