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.

How To Maintain Your Office Building

Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. If you’re running a business that involves an office setting, one of your considerations should be maintaining your office building. The following contributed post is entitled, How To Maintain Your Office Building.

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As a business owner, one of the most important things that you can do for both yourself and your employees is to maintain your office building. Even if you only rent the space and you don’t own the space outright, you need to make sure that it’s safe, comfortable, and a worthy environment in which to work. Would you want to see a broken, rundown office with no outdoor space to go to? Of course, you wouldn’t! A poorly maintained commercial building doesn’t offer much in the way of confidence about your business. This is especially true if you own the building itself. You want to be able to invest your time and efforts in your business, but you can only do that if you feel comfortable in the first place. You can’t expect your employees to feel comfortable if you don’t, either!

We are not just going to talk about how to maintain the actual office building in this article. We are going to talk about how you can maintain the grounds, too. Companies like McConnell and Associates are there to help you when it comes to ground surfacing and the ground work outside, and if you are looking to create an outdoor eating area or an outdoor social space, this is one of the best things that you could do for the morale of your employees. You want to make sure that they feel comfortable in every area of the office. Below, we’ve got some of the best tips that you need to maintain your office building and the surrounding area so customers, clients, employees and yourself want to be there.

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● Don’t wait around on office repairs. If you care about maintenance in your office building, then you should care about making sure that property damage is not a long-term thing. Even the smallest damaged area in your building can cause a range of problems, and your employees will never feel at ease inside a building that looks unsafe. Clients would also judge you on face value, and if you want to make a good impression, fix it up now.
● Keep an eye out for leaks. One of the best ways to maintain your office building is to ensure that there are no leaks in your plumbing. If you notice any leaking going on, you have to get it fixed as soon as you notice it. If everybody who works with you is trying to look out for these kinds of things, there are lots of issues that could be nipped in the bud before they become too big. Sure, you would call a plumber to come and actually fix things for you, but you should make sure that you are on top of these issues that happen as they occur.
● Hire the right people. When it comes to office maintenance, you don’t have to do it yourself. It is perfectly reasonable to outsource the maintenance and cleaning and care of your office. The building on the inside needs security, a janitor to maintain the flooring, a cleaner to maintain all the fixtures and fittings – there are many people that make up the team that will help you to maintain your office building. On the outside, you’ll need the right contractors and plumbers, electricians and carpenters on speed dial to come and make any changes or repairs as they are needed. Proper building maintenance ensures that your building doesn’t feel old and rundown too quickly. Let’s not forget this will be quite a lot of footfall traffic in and out of the building, so you want to make sure that the building looks great.
● Keep on top of upgrades. An office building that was bought 10 years ago, will need some upgrades to keep it looking as good as it did at the start. A dollar earned is a dollar saved or so they say, but it doesn’t hold true when it comes to property maintenance. You don’t want to cut too many corners here – your property relies on you to keep it going. Any foundation issues, cracks in the plaster of the walls, cracks in the car park outside because the ground has been used so much by different cars – all of these need to be looked into. Keep on top of the upgrades, and you create a comfortable working environment for all.

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● Make sure that you hire a good security team. A big part of maintaining your office building is going to be keeping it secure. From the security you’re going to need at the perimeter, to the security that you need at the front desk, you need to make sure that the access points to the building are secure. If you have a lot of employees, or clients going in and out of the building, it makes sense to have the right measures in place to keep intruders or people without an appointment away. It may feel like you’re going overboard from time to time, but knowing who is going in and out of the building is a safety issue. What if you have guests in the building and the fire alarm goes off? What if there are clients coming up the stairs, but there has been a security breach inside? Safety is important, and maintaining your office building is much easier when you know you have eyes on the ground while you’re busy running your business.
● Perform regular HVAC and boiler maintenance. Whether you have a boiler, an air conditioning system, a heating system or integrated elevators of your building, all of these things need to be maintained to keep your office building working well. It stands to reason that when you have a lot of people in the building you need that elevator working, and you need to make sure that people are at the right temperature. When you perform regular maintenance on these items, you can ensure optimal working conditions at all times. Nobody wants to work somewhere where the management of the building doesn’t care about comfort and safety. Not only will you make sure that there are no issues with your elevators or your HVAC, you’re not going to have to worry about your employees being disgruntled at the way you’re handling things.
● Get some good reviews on cleaners. Maintaining your office building includes the internal cleaning of the building. This means that you need to hear about the cleaning companies local to you and about their reputations. The people occupying the building don’t extend just to your employees. You have visitors and clients coming in and out, too. People leave rubbish behind and that’s unavoidable but it does mean that you need to address this every single day. The only appropriate and correct solution for this is to hire a good cleaning company who will be able to maintain a clean working environment for your building and given that we’ve just come through a pandemic – and are still going through it – you want to know that the building itself is somewhere clean and hygienic for people to work. An uncluttered and organized office space is somewhere that people will want to spend time, and while you can definitely offer a hybrid working environment, a good cleaning company will help.

Maintaining your office building helps you to maintain your reputation as a provider and business that cares about employees. Have a little pride – make sure that your workspace reflects your brand values!

Advice To Live By If You Want To Be Happy & Healthy

A key focus of my blog is Health/Wellness. Being happy and healthy is not a given. You have be deliberate and know the keys to live this way in our increasingly fast paced and stressful world. The following contributed post is entitled, Advice To Live By If You Want To Be Happy & Healthy.

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Feeling out of sorts and overwhelmed all the time isn’t a way to live. In this case, you may not be reaching your full potential or letting others see the best side of you.

If you’re ready for a change in a positive direction then you’ve come to the right place to learn more. Review some advice to live by if you want to be happy and healthy and not let external events and obstacles you’re facing get you down for too long. There are steps you can take to improve your situation, mood, and wellbeing so that you can begin living each day to the fullest.

Get Regular Exercise

Exercise is a great way to stay fit and will boost your mental health. There are so many benefits to working out that you should make it a part of your daily routine if possible. If you want to be happy and healthy then commit to getting regular exercise and your heart rate up by challenging yourself physically.

Limit Your Alcohol & Sugar Intake

Drinking a lot of alcohol and consuming sweets and sugar will leave you feeling sluggish and unmotivated. Ideally, you should focus on limiting your alcohol and sugar intake if you want to look and feel great. If you’re struggling to cut back on your drinking then you may want to look into getting help. There are many different causes of addiction to be aware of and reasons why you may be drinking or finding it hard to stop. You’ll be much happier and healthier when you’re in control of these substances.

Make Time for Yourself

Another piece of advice to live by if you want to be happy and healthy is to take more time for yourself. Rearrange your schedule and learn to say no to others so you can do more of what you love. Make yourself a priority and indulge in self-care activities that make you feel good and that put a smile on your face.

Get Enough Sleep

Not getting enough sleep may be leaving you feeling moody and depleting your energy levels. If you want to be happy and healthy then make it a point to get enough sleep each night. Create a relaxing and soothing bedroom to sleep in and find a calming bedtime routine that will set you up for falling asleep quickly and staying asleep. You can try marijuana or gummies to aid relaxation and sleep if that’s something you’ve been struggling with. The best delta 9 gummies can help you get better sleep each night.

Avoid News & Technology Overdose

Too much news and always being connected to your devices may be making you feel anxious. Avoid news and technology overdose if you want to be happy and healthy and free up some time in your schedule to do other activities. For example, maybe you can spend time in nature or meet up with a friend instead of scrolling through your social media feed.

Manage Your Stress

Stress can lead to many health issues both mental and physical. It’s in your best interest to manage your stress proactively if you want to be happy and healthy. This is one piece of advice you should take to heart and work on if you want to feel more relaxed and be able to concentrate better.

Does Your Storefront Need Updating?

Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. If you’re running a brick and mortar store, you always need to be conscious if your store’s appearance. The following contributed post is entitled, Does Your Storefront Need Updating?

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Storefronts need to be regularly maintained and updated to keep them looking attractive. Fail to update your storefront and you could find that you lose customers. Below are just some of the signs that your storefront needs updating.

Non-inclusive entrance

Can wheelchair users or people with mobility issues easily use your entrance? If not, this could be the first thing to consider rectifying. An inclusive entrance should not have stairs unless there is also a ramp or a lift. The door should also not be too heavy to push open (alternatively you could place a button that allows people to open the door or call for assistance).

Cheap/damaged signage

Your signage needs to be high quality and kept in good condition. Consider how old your sign is and whether it needs to be updated. Some old signs may just need cleaning or repainting to rejuvenate them. Others may benefit from being completely replaced. Explore different types of signage including plastic signage and illuminated signage to find the best option for your store.

Faded paintwork

Exterior paint can start to peel and fade after time. This could result in your store looking worn and tired. Consider hiring an exterior painter to add a new coat of paint so that your storefront looks brand new again. You could even consider taking the opportunity to change your storefront’s color – a change in color is certain to make people notice your store.

Poor lighting

Exterior lighting can help to make your store look more attractive early in the morning or in the evening (especially in the winter months when daylight hours are shorter). It can also be a useful security feature – burglars are less likely to target a store that is illuminated at night as they’re more likely to be seen while doing it. Consider comparing different forms of exterior lighting. If you don’t want to pay for permanent lighting, consider motion sensing lighting.

An uninviting window display

Your window display needs to grab people’s attention. If it doesn’t, you could lose out on customers (particularly during busy shopping periods such as the leadup to xmas when people are looking for inspiration). There are a few different ways in which you can create an inviting window display. First, consider what are your most eye-catching products. These could be your most popular products or your most unusual ones. Second, make sure to advertise your best deals with large window signage. Incredible discounts and prices can help to lure customers in. Thirdly, make sure that you’re constantly changing things up every season. After a few months, people will get used to seeing the same window display, so make sure to regularly change it in order to hold people’s attention.

Top Tips For Workplace Wellness

Two focuses of my blog are Health/Wellness and Workplace Discussions. No matter which workplace you work in, you want to ensure that you’re well when you’re there as you likely spend the majority of your day there. The following contributed post is entitled, Top Tips For Workplace Wellness.

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Wellbeing is one of the most important things in life, and since we spend so much of our lives in the workplace, it follows that workplace wellbeing is an important factor. If you encounter stress, tension, or injuries in your workplace, you need to pay attention to the aches and pains today.

Choose Healthy Snacks

Whether you work in a company office or an office in your home, it’s easy to get carried away with snacks, especially if your work is mechanical. When you are working on autopilot, you might split your attention with something to eat while you type or talk through your headset.

There’s good news: you don’t have to give up your snacks at work if they help you to stay productive, but if you don’t want to gain extra weight at the same time, you need some healthy snack alternatives. Nuts are a great option because they are filling, convenient, and snackable.

Drink Adequate Water

Drinking water is a practice it’s easy to forget about, but if you suffer from fatigue in your workplace or experience an afternoon dip, you could benefit from more water in your diet. Water is useful for keeping you alert and avoiding fatigue which helps you to be more productive.

If you want to feel less tired at work and perform better, try to drink eight to ten glasses per day, this translates into around 16 ounces of water three times a day. You can buy a 16-ounce bottle to refill 3 times a day or boost your water intake by eating fruits such as oranges and grapes.

Integrate Micro Workouts

We all know that exercise is a great way to improve our health and productivity, but it’s difficult to integrate exercise into our busy working lives. If you find that you are too busy in your work and family life to head to the gym, consider micro workouts as an alternative throughout the day.

A micro workout is a short workout that increases your heart rate and burns some calories without requiring a trip to the gym. If you only have a half-hour break, you can spend 15 minutes doing some simple yoga moves to change your physical posture and reenergize you for work.

Look After Personal Wellbeing

If you work in an office or on-site, you might encounter some health and safety issues. Most workplaces give you some health and safety training to prepare you for any hazards you might encounter; still, a situation might occur that you haven’t been trained for, and you’re injured.

If you happen to be injured in your workplace, you should be eligible for a personal injury claim. So if you have recently been injured or you think you are eligible for a historic claim against your employers, contact The Law Offices of David L. Hood to talk to an expert about your case.

Relieve Workplace Tension

According to some sources, we will spend up to 50% of our waking lives chained to the office desk, so it’s important that we are comfortable and that we look after our health and wellbeing. If you work at a desk in an office or home, you might suffer from tension in your neck and back.

To avoid tension neck syndrome, make sure you are sitting straight in your chair; also, make sure your chair is adjusted to the right height and ergonomically designed. Over time you will experience neck aches, so make sure you stand now and then and perform some stretches.

Confront Eyestrain

The condition of your eyes is also a concern, especially since you are spending long periods in front of a blue screen. Eyestrain can result in fatigue, difficulty focusing, and a sensitivity to light; it can also deteriorate your eyes over time and increase the need for glasses or contact lenses.

With a few simple measures, you can avoid eyestrain and put off your need for glasses. Make sure you are sitting one arm’s length from the computer screen; you should be able to read the text on the screen without squinting. If you squint, you can always increase the size of the text.

Use Holidays Wisely

Another enemy to productivity and wellbeing is stress; this is very common in the workplace as pressure is placed on workers to meet deadlines and perform to a high standard. Stress is something that needs to be managed daily, but you also need to use your holidays wisely to ensure you are properly rested and in the best headspace to perform well in your job.

Top Tips To Improve Patient Satisfaction At Your Clinic

Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. A healthcare clinic is in itself a business. In this instance patients are customers and you must figure out how to make and keep them happy. The following contributed post is entitled, Top Tips To Improve Patient Satisfaction At Your Clinic.

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Running a healthcare business can present many challenges and is more complicated to manage than a regular business venture. While a positive customer experience is crucial for every business, it is even more vital when you run a healthcare setting. To ensure that your patients continue coming back to your clinic for their treatment, you need to provide an exceptional level of care, high standards of treatment and make their experience as seamless as possible. Achieving each of these aims requires a multi-faceted approach. Read on to discover tips that could help you improve the patient experience at your healthcare clinic.

Create a Welcoming Environment

Healthcare settings can trigger anxiety in many people, and for some, their fear can be so extreme that they refuse to seek treatment. Clinical settings can cause anxiety even in patients that do not have an intense fear of hospitals, so being aware of this is crucial to provide the best possible patient experience. Creating a relaxing, welcoming environment for your patients is a great way to put them at ease the moment they walk through the entrance of the building. This calming atmosphere can be achieved by using soft, natural lighting instead of harsh artificial lights and decorating in a calming color scheme. These may seem like small, superficial changes, but they can have a significant, positive impact on your patients.

Utilize Technology

Technology plays an increasingly crucial role in today’s healthcare, so making the best use of it in your clinic provides you with the opportunity to be at the forefront of this emerging area. One of the main benefits of healthcare technology is its ability to transform the patient experience. One of the most popular developments in healthcare is telemedicine. This technology makes it much easier for clinics to deliver high-quality healthcare conveniently and efficiently to patients. For patients, telehealth enables them to speak to a healthcare professional more quickly and access the treatment they need faster. Telehealth is especially useful for patients with limited mobility or other conditions that may make it difficult for them to attend the clinic in person. For medical staff, telemedicine enables them to share results and information with other healthcare professionals in real-time regardless of physical distance. Sharing information quickly helps improve the patient experience further, leading to a faster diagnosis and fewer delays in treatment.

Continually Train Employees

Continually training your employees is crucial to provide your patients with the best possible experience every time they visit your clinic. Communication between your clinic and your patients provides a vital role in providing a positive patient experience. To achieve patient satisfaction, your patients need to feel they are treated with respect and dignity by your team. So, striving to achieve the best standards of care from the moment your patients schedule an appointment and right through their journey of care with your clinic is vital. Ensuring every team member, from front desk staff to medical professionals, delivers a consistently high level of patient satisfaction is critical.

How To Protect Your Health In The Office

Two focuses of my blog are Health/Wellness and Workplace Discussions. Depending upon the workplace, there can be hazards and dangers involved no matter how miniscule. Protecting your health is thus of the utmost importance. The following contributed post is entitled, How To Protect Your Health In The Office.

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Working in an office may seem like an easy option compared to jobs that involve lots of physical activity. However, sitting at a desk for hours every day and looking at a screen can be bad for your health and wellbeing. While physical jobs such as construction and working in a factory may present more of an immediate risk to health with an increased chance of injuries, office work brings its own risks; they are just in a more subtle form.

Protecting your health should always be a priority regardless of the industry you work in and the type of job you have. Good health is precious but often taken for granted, so actively looking for ways to take the best care of your health and wellbeing is essential, even when at work. Here are some of the ways you can help to protect your health when you work in a desk job:

Take Care of Your Eyes

Eye strain is a common problem experienced by people that spend much of their time looking at screens. Looking at a screen all day can take its toll on your eyes, leaving them feeling sore, tired, and itchy. Experiencing discomfort in your eyes can impact your productivity and may continue even when you are away from the office. Luckily, you can make office work easier on your eyes. Having your eyes checked regularly is crucial when you work in an office. An eye exam could help detect any underlying issues causing you discomfort, such as undiagnosed chronic uveitis or other eye conditions and ensure you receive treatment promptly.

You may find it helpful to adjust the brightness of your screen, as lowering the brightness level can help reduce eye strain.

Look After Your Posture

Sitting down all day can cause your posture to become hunched, which can be exacerbated if you feel tense and stressed. When at your desk for long periods, you may notice pain and stiffness in your neck and lower back.

Taking care of your posture and strengthening your core can help to alleviate some of the stiffness and discomfort associated with working at a desk throughout the day. Getting up and moving away from your desk frequently should help ease any pain caused by long periods of sitting. It is also helpful to adjust your desk set up to sit in a position that encourages good posture. Adjusting the height of your screen, keeping your mouse closer to you, and using a chair with back support can all help.

Make Time for Breaks

One of the most beneficial things you can do to protect your health in the office is to take regular breaks. Rest breaks are the best way to avoid the stiffness caused by sitting in one place for too long and will also ease the eye strain caused by looking at a screen for long periods. So, stepping outside and taking a lunch break doesn’t just break up the day; it also protects your health.

The Need For Speed In Your Business Transactions

Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. When you’re running a business, you want to your transaction speeds to be both efficient and fast. The following contributed post is entitled, The Need For Speed In Your Business Transactions.

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With consumer attention spans now believed to be at an all-time low of eight seconds, marketers face more challenges in both gaining and retaining interest than ever before. This has facilitated major company focuses on everything from website load times to the speed of customer service. However, one area that doesn’t receive half as much attention is the need for increasingly fast payment processing.

Admittedly, while they might not appear in many how-to guides, fast transactions aren’t an altogether new business focus. In fact, a focus on speeding up the payment process at both ends is a driving force for various new and emerging technologies and is playing a major role in the impact of blockchain on businesses, and even the introduction of recent updates like same-day ACH. That said, with many companies continuing to overlook the benefits on offer, faster transaction times are too often falling under the radar, leaving consumers frustrate and keeping businesses from feeling a range of benefits, the most pressing of which we’ll discuss here.

#1 – Simplified consumer journeys

Complications in everything from payment methods to completion processes are a driving cause of shopping cart abandonment, and complex payment processing times can also cost significant custom. This is especially true as more companies invest in immediate solutions, and can lead to both lost custom, and time frames that provide far too much scope for changed minds. Competitively-led, real-time payment methods close that gap for doubt with immediately processed payments, or at least payments that can clear in less than the standard 3-5 working days. This can significantly increase both a company’s chances at successful sales, and the trust created through increased satisfaction/results that consumers can immediately rely on.

#2 – Always-available payments

While most companies can now at least accept payments at any time of day or night, the need to wait for bank opening hours or the processing of invoicing during office hours can still limit 24/7 availability. This is inevitably frustrating for consumers who expect in-the-moment results and is something that institution-free transaction methods like blockchains can altogether eliminate. Instead, even late-night or early-morning shoppers will be able to get online, make a payment, and rest easy that their money will go straight out of their account. This ensures service as they need it, and financial management that largely takes care of itself.

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#3 – Increasing company understanding of cash flow

From a company-first perspective, faster transactions also provide real-time accounts that never have to make space for pending transactions which can too easily be forgotten. Instead, faster payments ensure up-to-date account balances at all times, making it easier to protect your financial future with the most accurate possible profit reports, as well as enabling the scheduling of payments that you can meet far more quickly than you would if you were continually waiting around for outstanding fees.

There’s a need for speed in everything you do across your business right now, and you can rest assured that payments will increasingly fall within that expectation.

Better Ways To Secure Your Business

Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. One of the key aspects of your business is its security. You always want to think of ways to secure it. The following contributed post is entitled, Better Ways To Secure Your Business.

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There are many business risks your company can face. Whether it’s struggling to balance a budget or attract customers, there is always something you must do to keep things running smoothly. Another common business risk is security and safety. Without proper measures, your business exposes itself to hacks and breaches, as well as theft or even hazards that could impact your customers and employees. So, how do you secure your business to make sure none of these issues hinder your growth?

Protect Your Data

As almost everything is done online in the modern world, protecting your company and customer data is essential. The best-prepared businesses will have robust cybersecurity measures to ward off third-party threads and minimize the risk of a breach.

However, even the best cybersecurity is not always enough. Companies should also provide employee training to teach them how to recognize phishing scams that could put their information at risk. Establishing policies that encourage employees to change their passwords regularly (even if this is autogenerated) will also enhance your company’s cybersecurity.

Reinforce The Office

If you still rely on an office, it must be reinforced, safe, and secure for anyone who spends time there. Many businesses still require a dedicated workplace to store files, or simply because employees cannot complete their tasks from home.

Safety elements are essential for keeping your business secure and protecting everyone in the building. Regular check and maintenance for elevators is a must, while commercial roofing contractors can also repair or upgrade your roof to prevent issues such as water or storm damage from impacting the workday.

Identify Risk Areas

Your business should also identify common risk areas that could impact your business. These risk factors can include everything from everyday office hazards, such as cables or wet floors. But, you should also consider dangers like aggressive customers or even aggressive employees.

Background checks can minimize the risk of hiring people who do not fit your company culture and put others at risk. In retail settings, you should also think about theft, especially during busy periods where your security team is stretched too thin. Understanding the primary risk areas will allow you to take proactive steps to prevent them from impacting your business.

Establish ID Cards

If your business deals with sensitive information, you must make sure that only authorized individuals can gain access to the property. Many companies use appointments to determine whether someone should be on the premises, but you can take this a step further, too.

An ID card system will only allow those with the relevant credentials to enter the building or at least sensitive areas of the building. As sensitive information is stored in administrative areas, supplying ID cards will ensure that others cannot gain access. Should anyone leave your organization, make sure you collect their ID card upon leaving to prevent them from returning.

Secured

A secure business will thrive in a variety of situations. As long as you remember to put protective measures in place across the board, you can make the progress you have always wanted for your company, whether establishing yourself or looking for growth opportunities.

The Power Of Obsessing Over Your Brand

Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. A major part of your business is its branding. Your branding can be the difference between your business flourishing or languishing. The following contributed post is entitled, The Power Of Obsessing Over Your Brand.

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The most successful people in the world are almost always the most obsessive. They don’t think about the money or the fame or their own superstardom. Instead, they just fixate on the task in front of them, whatever it is.

Take Kobe Bryant, for instance. He spent countless hours practicing in private, trying to improve his skills. It took years of dedication and commitment to the cause but, eventually, he got the hang of it.

The same is true of Elon Musk. The man hasn’t taken a break in more than two decades and, instead, is totally committed to what he does and loves.

Being obsessive about your branding isn’t a bad thing. In fact, it could be the very thing that saves you from going the way of 90 percent of businesses and failing within the first ten years.

Here’s why obsession matters:

It Gives You Courage

When you’re obsessed with something, courage comes quite naturally. It’s not that you don’t feel fear: that’s always there. Instead, it’s more that you can see the value in what you are doing and all the fear you experience is worth it.

It Encourages Innovation

Steve Jobs, James Dyson and Richard Branson all spent countless hours toying with concepts and creating brand ideas. In fact, issues to do with work and building a better world rarely left their minds.

The reason for this was obsession. They were able to innovate and come up with new things because they couldn’t take their minds off what they were doing. For them, it was imperative that they succeed in their quest and build a better world for themselves and everyone else.

It Harnesses Your Energy

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Trying to build a world-class business isn’t possible if you feel apathetic about it. You might be able to maintain a facade for a couple of weeks, but eventually your lack of interest will spread to other team members and the company will fail.

When you are obsessed, though, you begin to generate your own energy. All of a sudden, people want to work alongside you and everyone tries to get the job done. There’s a general belief that you can overcome any challenges that get in your way.

It Compels You To Get Help

When you’re obsessed over your brand, your ego is the last thing on your mind. Instead, all you care about is whether your baby succeeds. When you’re in this state, you’re much more likely to get the help you need.

Toni Marino, a marketing agency, gets businesses coming to them all the time looking for technical brand help and online outreach. Obsessed leaders understand their boundaries and when they need to go to professionals for the sake of their brand.

It Beats Talent

Lastly, securing talent in today’s labor market is a tremendous challenge. The best people are already hard at work in firms, or asking for ridiculously high salaries.

Obsession, though, is a way out of this. When people become utterly fixated on something, their natural genius comes to the fore.

How To Optimize Your Website: Tips And Tricks

A key focus of my blog is Technology. If you have a website, you want to optimize it so that it’s achieving your intended goals for it. The following contributed post is entitled, How To Optimize Your Website: Tips And Tricks.

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Does your website need a spring clean as well as your home? There’s never a bad time to look over your website optimization and make some changes. Changes can include technical modifications to your website as well as changes to best practices. Below you can find some helpful tips and tricks to optimize your website and start ranking higher on the search results.

Optimize Images

Larger images require longer loading times; this is a metric used by the search engine to ascertain the quality of the site and rank it. So if you want to make your website rank higher in search engines, reduce the number of images on your website, or reduce their size overall.

The reason the search engine cares about loading times is that it impacts the user experience. The user experience is a high priority for search engines moving forward, so consider the loading times of your site. You can also reduce image sizes on your site using a favicon.

Optimize Code

HTML is the markup code that’s used to code the images, themes, and documents on your website. If your HTML code is not clean and well-written, it can affect your search engine ranking. That’s one reason you should never copy and paste documents from the internet.

If you don’t know much about HTML, then enlist the help of a coding specialist to organize your HTML and optimize it for search engines. The way you present content on your website is also a reading factor; for instance, whitespace helps make content readable for humans, not bots.

Use Text, not Image

Maybe you have a great idea for an image header on your website but choose a text header instead. Text renders much faster than an image, meaning that your website loading times are faster – website themes are fine, but again, simpler is better and ensures the codes in neat.

That said, your website doesn’t have to be free from images altogether. If you are including images on the web pages, make sure they are a suitable size – you can resize images using an HTML scaling tool. Also, consider including keywords in the image code to improve your SEO.

Optimize Keywords

Keywords are the way that internet users find your website, engage with your content, and convert. Keywords come in two forms; you have short-tail keywords and long-term keywords. Short-term keywords are high-value keywords; they are words that everyone is searching for.

Longtail keywords are the best way to optimize your website. There is less competition for longtail keywords because fewer people are searching for them; the upside is that these keywords lead to more conversions and engagement because searches are more specific.

Grow Backlinks

When a search engine sees that your website is rated by other websites in the domain, it’s news this as a sign of quality and ranks it more highly on the SERPs. This is a bit like a word-of-mouth recommendation; other websites point to your site and say check this out for more information.

So how do you acquire backlinks to grow your business? One way is to focus on high-quality content that offers quality information in your domain. This should be standard practice. Another way is to guest post on other websites or offer testimonials to other users in exchange for a link.

Focus on Users

When it comes to website optimization, we need to work with the nature of the search engine. While the search engine algorithm is often changing, some things remain the same consistently. A focus on users is at the heart of the search engine interest, and it has some rules to follow.

The search engine expects us to offer the best possible content to audiences, create a positive user experience on the website, and prioritize content that offers specific value. All of this adds up to a better experience for your target audience, so first, understand your target audience.

Create Content

Needless to say, you need to create content for your website – this is usually in the form of a blog that offers content specific to your domain. Create content that is useful to your target audience, relevant to your domain, and contains all of the right keywords and best layouts.

Remember, longtail keywords can be better for directing the right customers to your website. If you run a translation business, for instance, it’s more likely your customers will be searching for longtail keywords related to translation subjects so that you can reach a relevant audience.