Contributed Posts – Page 139 – The Big Words Blog Site

How Can E-commerce Stores Reduce Their Costs

Three of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Technology. Much of today’s business is done via e-commerce. There are numerous benefits to doing business using e-commerce. The following contributed post is entitled, How Can E-commerce Stores Reduce Their Costs.

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When you’re in the e-commerce business, it’s not just important to reduce your costs to ensure they’re not too high — it’s necessary. While these types of businesses are relatively easy to get off the ground without having much money in the bank, as soon as you’re looking at reaching a level where you’re professional/it’s a full-time job/it’s providing a full income, it’ll be a case of spending money to make money. Fortunately, there are a few tried and tested ways to reduce costs and boost profits, as we see below.

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Reduce The Number of Returns

Making a sale is a cause for celebration, but only if it stays that way — if it gets returned to you, then that’s not a sale. That’s just one expensive journey for whatever it is that you’re selling. While you’ll be unlikely to reach a 0% return rate, there are things you can do to limit the number of returns coming your way. It all begins with your product pages. The more information there is on there, the less likely it will be that the customer will have an “oh, that’s it?” moment when it arrives. For clothes, don’t just put sizes — put the actual dimensions.

Get Finances In Order

There are many reasons why you should get your finances in order, one being that it can help save money in other ways. You’ll find it much easier to get better deals on just about everything if you have the paperwork that shows your finances are healthy, and that your business has staying power. There can be different costs for the same services, depending on the strength of the company — take a look at ‘what is high risk credit card processing?’ to get a better understanding of how. Once you’ve got your money in shape, you should see more favorable rates across the board, thus saving you money.

Repeat Customers

Many businesses are forever trying to bring new customers on board, but actually, it might be a better option to look at getting repeat custom from existing customers, rather than appealing to new people. It costs significantly less to market towards people who have used your website before, than it does to educate and entice new customers. These people have already used your service once — and they could be likely to use it again, too. In the process, you’ll have reduced your marketing budget, or at least used it more effectively.

Postage and Packaging

You’ve got to get your packages out there to your customers, but are you doing it in the most effective way possible? There are plenty of ways to package and ship your items, and if you’re offering this service for free, then it’s important that you find a system that doesn’t cost all that much. Take a look at using other companies from what you’re currently using. You can take this approach with all suppliers, actually — there might just be a cheaper way to get the same goods and services.

You Love Your Art, But How Do You Gain Fans Who Do Too?

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“At the very least, every artist wants an audience or some sort of recognition. Of course, that’s hard to achieve. You love your art, but how do you gain fans who do too?”

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The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and some of it’s key focuses are Art, Authors and Books, Blogging/Writing and Music/Entertainment. Whether it’s the cinematic media, music, the visual arts, or some sort of writing we all have some sort of creative genius inside of us. If we’re to make good on our talents and share them with other people, how do we create fans and supporters of our work? The following contributed post is entitled, You Love Your Art, But How Do You Gain Fans Who Do Too?

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If you’re struggling to create a career out of your artistic talents, then you’re not alone. There’s a reason that the idea of the struggling artist has become such a prevalent concept in pop culture. All artists struggle at some point; many of them struggle and suffer once they’ve become successful too. Still, it’s the price that many of us pay for the chance to share our innermost feelings and skills with the world. At the very least, every artist wants an audience or some sort of recognition. Of course, that’s hard to achieve. You love your art, but how do you gain fans who do too?

Find out what makes you unique

When Radiohead started out, they sounded similar to The Smiths and other big artists of the 80s. When J.K. Rowling first started the Harry Potter series, comparisons to Tolkien’s work were made frequently. Plenty of artists in all manner of creative industries have worn their influence on their sleeves. There’s nothing wrong with being similar to other successful artists. However, you just need to find out what makes you unique. Both of those artists ended up finding their own way. They defined themselves in a unique way, and that’s what attracted listeners. You need to know what you want as an artist. That’s how you’ll figure out your own personal brand.

The best way to find out what makes you unique is to keep creating. Instead of worrying about perfecting every single song you release or every single story you write, you should simply focus on finishing your work. Never stop creating. Even if you don’t like the finished product, you’ll have learned something. You can’t get better without practice. So, make sure you finish every creative project that you start. Fallen out of love with the song you started writing yesterday? It doesn’t matter. Wrap it up. Record it. Even if it sits in a private folder on your computer because you’re too embarrassed to release it, the point is that you’ll have improved simply by committing to finishing the project you started. Otherwise, how will you get closer and closer to creating that one fantastic song? After all, even Dave Grohl said that Nirvana sounded terrible when they first started making music in a garage.

Learn from other successful artists

Another great way to ensure that your art reaches people and captures their attention in the long run is to learn from other successful artists. Everybody has to make mistakes before they can succeed, but why not avoid such mistakes by learning from those who have already made them? You might want to read about Mateus Asato’s early years or explore the collaborative journey of painting partners like Marta Thoma Hall and Jeni Lila. You could learn some things that help you to find your own way to success.

Pursue a creative career

It’s not easy to get paid for your art, so you probably have to work to make money to afford your creative endeavours (and pay for your rent, of course). That’s why your career itself should be creative. You shouldn’t settle for a job you hate in an industry which doesn’t inspire you. By pursuing a career in a creative industry, it might lead to better things. If you’re an aspiring writer, then you could intern for a newspaper. If you’re an aspiring actor, then you could search for other jobs at theatres as you keep trying to make your big break. Pursue a creative career if you want to turn your artistic passion into a career too.

Benefits Of Self-Erecting Crane Hire For Businesses

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. In most modern countries, construction is a major business. Depending up what’s being built, a construction crane may be required. Thus, owing a crane for hire business could prove to be very lucrative. The following contributed post is entitled, Benefits Of Self-Erecting Crane Hire For Businesses.

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The majority of construction companies opt to hire canes rather than purchase them. This is of little surprise. After all, it proves to be much more cost-efficient to go down this route. Furthermore, the hassle is minimised because you do not have to deal with crane storage or maintenance either. In addition to this, when you consider the wealth of different construction tasks performed in the current day, you see why the same crane cannot be utilised for every task. For example, if you are in a busy and awkward setting you may require a mini crawler. Nevertheless, no matter what type of crane you purchase there is one quality you should always look out for and this is the ability to self-erect. Read on to discover the benefits you will reap if you opt to hire self-erecting cranes…

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• Small footprint – One of the main reasons businesses like utilising self-erecting cranes is because of the fact that they sit on a very small footprint. They also don’t need much when it comes to foundations either.
• Silent operation – In addition to this, most self-erecting cranes tend to run virtually silently. This is extremely beneficial when working in areas that have high populations. You will be able to get on with the task at hand whilst causing little disturbance to anyone in the area, especially those that are working as well.
• Fit into tricky spaces – Another way in which self-erecting cranes can make your task easier is because they have the capacity to fit into tight areas.
• Quick and easy mobilisation – Efficiency is enhanced dramatically because these types of cranes do not take very long to set up. In fact, most people find that they can have their crane working on-site within a mere one hour of its arrival. This ease of mobilisation is something which is highly sought after by companies today.
• Cost efficiency – Self-erecting cranes also present you with the possibility to lower costs as well. There are several ways in which this is the case. One example is the fact that you will take advantage of low siting costs. In addition to this, you don’t need to worry about any reinstatement costs either.
• Accuracy – These cranes present you with perfect accuracy via delivering materials to the exact spot required.
• Improved health and safety – Another benefit people tend to overlook is the fact that they will benefit from enhanced health and safety on their site. This is because there is a lot less manual handling involved in the operation of the equipment, making it much easier for your site safety plans. This is extremely important because as you know; it is your duty to ensure you provide a working environment which is as safe as it can possibly be.

To conclude, when you take these seven important benefits into consideration it is quite easy to see why so many construction companies opt to hire self-erecting cranes time and time again. There are no real disadvantages associated with going down this route.

4 Effective Tips For Dealing With Back Pain

One of the key focuses of my blog is Health and Wellness. One of the most debilitating chronic pains a person can deal with is back pain. Once you start having problems with back pain, it’s important to know how to manage it. The following contributed post is entitled, 4 Effective Tips For Dealing With Back Pain.

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Back pain is something that most people will deal with at some point in their lives, especially as they get older. It’s also a particular problem for people that work in an office because sitting down all day is not good for the muscles in your back. If left untreated, back pain will get a lot worse and eventually, it will affect your ability to go about your daily life. But you don’t need to let it get to that point because there are plenty of ways that you can deal with the pain and relieve it before it starts to get worse. These are the best ways to deal with back pain effectively.

Image From Pxhere

Don’t Self Diagnose

Self diagnosing is very common these days because it’s easy to put a few symptoms into an online search and get a load of results about serious health problems. But there’s a big danger with self diagnosing because it’s likely that you’ll convince yourself that you have a serious problem like a slipped disc or something and end up rushing to the hospital even though there isn’t really anything wrong, it’s just tight muscles.

If the pain is severe and you’re really worried about it, don’t go online and start looking through all of the potential problems that you might have, just get yourself to a back doctor and get a professional diagnosis. If there is something seriously wrong, they will be able to offer treatment. However, they might just tell you that you have tight muscles in your back and it’s nothing to worry about.

Keep Moving Around

One of the biggest mistakes that people make when they have back pain is that they stop moving around. They think that the pain will only get worse so they stop all activity but often, that isn’t the best thing to do. Inactivity is often the cause of the back pain, especially if you don’t move around at work very much, so sitting down and doing nothing is the worst thing that you can do. Try to stay active as long as it doesn’t cause you too much pain and you will see more improvement.

Heat And Ice

Heat and ice are both good ways to treat back pain depending on the cause. It may be muscle inflammation or swelling, in which case, the cold will help a lot. Try getting an ice pack and pressing it on the affected area for a while. In some cases, the pain is caused by tight muscles and if you apply a heat pack to the area, it will help to loosen the muscles up and work out some of those knots.

Stretches

Stretches are another great way to get rid of the knots in your back and loosen up your muscles. If you start doing daily back stretches you should find that the pain is lessened and your back doesn’t feel as tight. It’s a good idea to do these stretches even if you don’t feel any pain because it can help to prevent the problem in the first place.

Before you start diagnosing yourself with any serious health issues, you should try these simple methods for relieving back pain because usually, it’s just tight muscles and you can deal with it easily.

When Others Want You To Fail – Keep Yourself Focused

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success, and two key focuses are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Business in a lot of ways is competition and it’s critical to understand the keys to making your particular operations successful. Knowing what to do at the key junctures can pay big dividends later. The following contributed post is entitled, When Others Want You To Fail – Keep Yourself Focused.

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While it takes immense optimism and positivity to establish a brand and hope to develop a business from an idea – it can be that fervent competition makes certain markets anything but. Despite their size, Coca Cola would likely be quite content if other drinks manufacturers decided to close up shop. By default, as good business sense, it’s natural for other businesses to wish an end to your operation.

This can come from undercutting costs and taking a loss in order to outbid you in the market, corporate espionage, directly suggesting they are better than you in marketing, and a range of other tactics many of us see businesses pull all the time. However, as a small business, it’s unlikely your local area is going to be awash with this kind of trouble.

It’s worth keeping in mind how your strategy will evolve in this direction, though. Thankfully, there are many measures that anyone can put in place to ensure a better and more competent sense of business development – despite the hidden negative wishes of others. It’s all to do with refocusing. Let’s see what that might look like:

Refine Your Game Plan

Sticking to, or refining your game plan can be worthwhile from time to time. This is because in the intense measure of planning and development you’ve likely had to experience, it’s easy to get sidetracked, particularly if having to defend yourself from criticisms, or overcoming a failure of a launch. Going back to the most time-honored elements of your plan can be worthwhile, because then you can separate the wheat from the chaff and begin anew with the ideals that hold some value.

On top of that, becoming refocused and understanding what really matters can help you avoid the deep emotional turbulence you might feel when having to justify your business to others. This way, you’ll only have to justify it to yourself, and the results you focus on. Refocusing can be a great goal for any person’s headspace.

Use Professional Help

It can be that using professional help to get you to the next step can fuse your business acuity with the acumen of a professional service. This is especially worthwhile for those who might not have the deepest of business experience yet still want to gain professional results. For example, commercial buyers agents are often the best bet to utilize when hoping to find an incredible commercial property, one that keeps you focused on the task at hand and enables you to set up in the perfect environment.
Business consultants, lawyers, outsourced health and safety personnel, all of these might further help you isolate the issues that you might have previously experienced and help you refine your goals and set about committing to the straight and narrow. This can seem like an overly ambitious goal, but it’s incredibly worthwhile and deeply human to wish to revive immediately. If you can do that, you’ll be quite stunned as to the positive results you can achieve in this direction.

Set A New Standard

It can be hard to find comfort when being set against by all competition in the marketplace, but there’s no reason why you need to stoop to that level – and you might sometimes actually subvert that into something good. Like a prism taking light and showing multiple strands of color, you may be able to foster business goodwill by acting ethical to a fault.

For example, championing a new means of developing a product could seriously get you noticed, and can help you avoid the bad publicity associated with certain competition. Let’s bring this down to a humble level. It might be that the other cafes in your area are quite happy to use battery-farmed eggs and instant gravy or other forms of low-quality food. While it might eat into your profit margins, ensuring that you use the best of produce, that you take time with each coffee or meal served, and that you champion your branding in that direction can do something similar to killing with kindness – and that’s killing with better standards.

There’s almost no better revenge than ensuring your business is on the straight and narrow path, and focuses on making its output as good as possible. If you can do this, then setting a new standard becomes the exceptional norm.

With these tips, we hope you’re better able to keep your business focused and direct from its heart – no matter the social challenges that come your way.

Reasons Why Customers Don’t Trust Your Business

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Trust in business in key, especially the trust between you and your customers. Building your customers’ trust can be the difference between your business thriving or struggling which is why it’s critical that you maintain it. The following contributed post is entitled, Reasons Why Customers Don’t Trust Your Business.

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Being liked is important in the business world, but it is trust that will secure long-term loyalty. People are much more likely to buy from a brand that they trust, even if they don’t like them, than a brand that they like, but aren’t sure that they can trust. All companies strive to make a good first and lasting impression. The trouble is, good intentions don’t always work out the way that you planned. With that in mind, here are six reasons why customers don’t trust your business.

Products Differ From Descriptions
When marketing materials mislead consumers, whether it be intentionally or not, it can cause a lot of problems. After all, customers will have bought your products because of the promises that you made about them. If none of those promises can be kept, then a lot of people will have spent their money for nothing. Only promising what you’re sure you can deliver will prevent this issue.

Return Policies Are Complicated
Although purchasing a product that you don’t need isn’t an ideal situation, it is one that can be easily solved by a simple and prompt return policy. If a customer tries to return a product to you for a refund, and they find it to be a difficult process, it will result in a lack of trust. It may seem like a counterintuitive solution, but making it easy for customers to get their money back is helpful.

Only Cash Is Accepting
Making payments using a credit card offers a lot more protection than paying cash. This is why many consumers prefer it. Unless you’re a very small business, no customer is going to understand why they can’t pay with their card. Because of this, you should invest in credit card processing. This will make payments quicker and easier, as well as safer for everyone.

Extra Fees Sneak Up
Charging a late payment fee is an effective way to ensure that consumers make payments on time. That being said, this will only work if you warn customers about the charge. Although these fees might mean more money in your pocket, they will damage the relationships that you’ve built with your customers. Warning them about the fees, however, will show you care about them.

Lack Of Customer Reviews
A customer will always trust another more than they do you. This is why many people read reviews before they decide to make purchases. If you’re missing reviews on many of your products, it can put customers off from buying them. Providing an incentive, like a discount code or free gift, should be enough to convince buyers to leave reviews after making their purchase.

Complaints Are Always Ignored
Having no reviews can often be worse than receiving bad ones. After all, when you get bad feedback, you’re given an opportunity to respond to it. In this response, you can tell customers exactly how you intend to improve. The problem is, many businesses don’t bother to do this. Rather than ignoring your customers, you should talk to them, especially on social media.

Building trust with customers can be difficult, but breaking it is very easy. To avoid doing so, ensure that you don’t make any of the mistakes listed above.

3 Tips For Your Online Business

Three of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Technology. Most business is conducted online today. You online business strategy is there are part of your business that you have to keep sharp. The following contributed post is entitled, 3 Tips For Your Online Business.

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Whether you are just looking into starting up your online business, or you have been established for some time, these tips will stand you in good stead to make some savings both in terms of costs and time, and help to ensure that your business continues to thrive.

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Make the best use of technology

There are IT solutions to cover pretty much every conceivable area of your business nowadays, so do ensure that you make good use of them all.

As your business is run wholly online, this is an area that you simply have to invest in, and it might be worth getting an IT consultant involved. You need to maintain the highest levels of security and ensure that there is minimal downtime.

It is then worth using technology to assist you with the administration side of your business. Rather than having to run things manually or employ someone in-house to take tasks on, you will find you can get accounting software, payroll services such as CloudPay and bookkeeping apps that can take care of everything for you. These options will not only be speedy, but also highly effective, freeing you up to focus on your business.

Maximise your traffic from every source

Many an online business has been built on one primary source of traffic, and then has sadly crumbled as that source dried up.

Take the recent Instagram changes, where business profiles receive less exposure as an example. Businesses that gained most of their traffic and promotion via this social media channel have suffered significantly and are now scrambling to gain traction on other platforms or elsewhere.

As such, you need to be ensuring that you are covering as many bases as you possibly can with your marketing and lead generation. Online businesses can do very well from social media, but spread those efforts out more evenly. Utilise Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter equally and closely monitor all content to understand what you are best sharing.

You should also always work to maximise your SEO, as if done correctly, this can be relied upon to deliver long term traffic to your website. This will not rise and fall on current trends and you need not be reliant on social media platforms changing their algorithms.

Build a strong brand and reputation

You are battling amongst thousands, hundreds of thousands, of other online businesses within your sector. In order to succeed you have to stand out.

You need to focus on your branding and ensure that you are conveying all that you are about within your design, website and logos. People need to land on your website and instantly understand your product offering, and they need to recognise you when they stumble across you elsewhere on the internet. Strive for something unique and something that says what it is that you do.

You will then have to monitor what people are saying about your business online. Your business needs to have a good reputation so you will be seeking to receive excellent reviews and to be responding to any online feedback. Set up Google Alerts so that you are always aware of any fresh content written about you.

What You Should Keep in Your Car

The principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success. A key focus is Health/Wellness. Regardless of where you’re driving, there are a few select items that you always want to keep in your car. Doing so will assure yours and your passengers’ safety under most circumstances. The following contributed post is entitled, What You Should Keep in Your Car.

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Is your car filled with old receipts, dirty jumpers, empty drinks bottles, and food packaging that should have been in the bin a long time ago? Or, are you a super tidy car owner? Do you clean your car out every time you get home, and take it to be washed and vacuumed every few weeks? Most of us fall into one of these two camps. Your car is either very messy, so that you are ashamed to offer anyone a lift, or always clean and tidy and ready for guests. But, whichever camp you fall into, chances are your car is missing a few of the things that you should always have with you.

There are a few things that you should have with you in your car at all times. Things that could keep you safe in an accident, help you out if you get lost, or even save your life if you end up stuck somewhere. Let’s take a look at some of the things that you should always have in your car.

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Contact Numbers

Do you know What happens in a hit and run? Would you know who to call if you broke down? Or if you were involved in another accident? Have contact numbers like your breakdown service in your phone all the time in case you need them quickly.

A Map

You might use your phone or a satellite navigation system. These are great and exceptionally useful. But, they’re not always accurate, and cell signal still isn’t 100%. It’s a good idea to carry a map too, especially if you are traveling to somewhere new.

A Phone Charger

Your contact numbers are in your phone. Your map is on your phone. There’s a torch on your phone. If you have an accident, you might use your phone to photograph the damage. You might even use it to play music. What if your battery died? Take a car charger wherever you go, and you’ll never need to worry.

Water

If you breakdown or find yourself stuck waiting to be rescued, you can manage without most things. But not water. Take a bottle of water on all long journeys. Snacks and spare clothes are a good idea too, but at least take water.

A Basic Tool Kit

You’d be amazed at how much you can repair, or patch up enough to get to a garage yourself by the side of the road with just a basic tool kit and some car repair videos on YouTube. A first aid kit might come in handy too.

A Spare Tire

You should always have a spare tire, that’s pumped up and in good condition, or if you drive a newer car, an emergency repair kit, just in case. A jack can also be handy in case you need to change it yourself by the side of the road. It can also be a good idea to carry an air pump and pressure gauge. Sometimes just adding a little air is all that you need to be able to drive it to a garage, which can be a lot easier than trying to change it yourself.

3 Home Improvements The 21st-Century Landlord Should Make

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Real Estate is a major wealth-building tool. Landlords who own property must understand how to maintain and even upgrade their residential home properties in order to keep them up to code and also compete with other landlords. The following contributed post is entitled, 3 Home Improvements The 21st-Century Landlord Should Make.

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Nowadays, first-time homeowners are more likely to be in their 30s and sometimes even their 40s. Compared to our parents and grandparents, it makes no doubt that the real estate market has evolved dramatically. The price tag has increased tremendously, making it more challenging for buyers to secure the deposit and find an affordable mortgage. As a direct consequence, buy-to-let landlords find that their tenants are more likely to be interested in mid- to long-term tenancy agreements.

Indeed, the difficulty to enter the property market presents a valuable opportunity for landlords. As most tenants are keen to stay for several years, they also seek modern days comfort and facilities in their rented property. The shoe-box, dark property with a low rent doesn’t run the rental market anymore. Tenants want to feel at home, and they expect landlords to create a space that is fit for purpose.

Concrete floor

No tenant wants to look after the garden

The idyllic suburban house with a little garden is a home cliché that nobody cares about anymore. The truth is that your tenants work hard during the week to pay the bills and save money ahead of a deposit. They don’t have any time or interest in maintaining the garden. From lawn mowing to watering, a pretty garden requires a lot of effort – without mentioning money. Your tenants don’t want to spend their weekends clearing the lawn. They want to relax, and therefore, they prefer a front yard that is easy to manage. Consequently, it’s a good idea to work closely with concrete paving contractors to transform your yard into a smooth surface that can act as a cozy patio in summer. Additionally paving slabs are perfect as an impromptu parking space when your tenants receive guests.

Help your tenants save money on energy bills

Windows that let the cold air in and inadequate attic insulation have earned a place in the top ten worst rentals in history, but they are nothing modern tenants are ready to compromise. Indeed, your tenants have no desire of being cold in winter. Many know exactly what to check when they visit a property, and therefore, no landlord can afford to run rentals that waste energy. As most tenants will pay close attention to your windows, your heaters, and the overall temperature in the property, they will quickly spot any issue. But you can also provide additional support towards energy bill management by installing smart technology, which tenants can control with an app. Smart appliances and systems offer a compelling control argument for budget-focused tenants. If it seems as though this would be hard to take care of and that a lot could go wrong, you can hire property managers to deal with any potential issues for you, and you can just concentrate on keeping your tenants as happy as possible.

Give your tenants control

Switch the carpet for eco-friendly and easy-care solutions

What is the most common flooring solution? If you’re still thinking in terms of costs, you’re approaching the problem from the wrong angle. As a landlord, you need to consider flooring solutions that are easy to maintain – and therefore don’t require replacing each time you put your property back on the market. Concrete floors can be not only elegant, but they are durable, easy to clean, and non-traditional. Wood carpets share the same qualities and can be used for centuries!

Making your rental property appealing is all about putting your tenants’ needs first. Something else to consider that was not mentioned in this post is Attic Cleanup. Making sure the attic is suitable is another important aspect prospective tenants will ponder before moving into your property. Your tenants want something that is easy to manage, that provides great cost control, and that is durable – therefore, they don’t need to worry about it. From your curb appeal to your flooring solutions, it’s time to transform your rental.

Five No-nonsense Habits to Prevent Football Injuries

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and a key focus is Athletics/Sports. While “American Football” is king in the United States, the top sport in the rest of the world is “Football” also known as “Soccer”. Soccer requires a high level of fitness for the massive amounts of running needed to play the sport. As such, it’s important to know how to prevent common injuries. The following contributed post is entitled, Five No-nonsense Habits to Prevent Football Injuries.

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From pulled hamstrings to twisted ankles, sports injuries are a fact of life if you play football. Or are they? These tips will help you avoid minor niggles that take you out of the game for weeks at a time, as well as the more serious injuries that can put you on the bench for life.

Photo by Ben Weber on Unsplash

Get Checked Over By a Pro

If there’s an imbalance in your body—perhaps one of your hammies is tighter than the other, or you have more strength in one of your quads—you might be the last to know. We get so used to how it feels to be us that it can be difficult to identify imbalances in your own physique. A physiotherapy session at the start of the season is a great way to anticipate injuries you may be at risk of. Your physio will give you a program of exercises and practices designed to help you take steps to prevent what needn’t be inevitable.

Strreeeeaatch!

This is not a drill: a proper stretch after your game or training session is essential to preventing painful injuries. Everything from your tendons, to your muscles and ligaments, are susceptible to wear and tear. The more you stretch, the more flexible you become, the more likely you are to avoid sustaining serious injury when you change direction quickly or load weight on your joints.

Image Source: Pexels

Strength Training

Strength training—surprise, surprise—makes you stronger, which gives you finer muscular control. You’ll also find it easier to balance and feel more agile, both of which are crucial to preventing injury. Football is a fast-paced, contact sport which can be extremely taxing on the body. Strength conditioning is a great way to prepare the body for the demands of the game by building strength and agility.

Stay Fit

Don’t fall into the trap of letting yourself off the hook during the off-season. Ideally, you should try to stay in top shape throughout the year, but this may not be reasonable for everyone. The important thing is not to let your fitness drop to a point where you’ll need a boot-camp to whip you back into shape at the start of the season. The offseason is a good time to tend to any minor injuries you may have sustained over the last few months. Now that the pressure is off, you can invest time in rest (or doing those physio exercises you’ve been putting off all season).

Don’t Play Injured

This is a tough one for many footie enthusiasts. Who wants to sit a game out because of a twinging ankle or a slightly tender calf muscle? While it might be tempting to ignore a minor injury, you could do yourself way more damage by carelessly taking to the field. Be patient. Do what your physio has instructed you to do. You’ll thank yourself in a few weeks’ time when you’re running back on, injury-free.

Whether you’re a top-flight player or a five-a-sider, injury can ruin the fun. These tips will help you prevent minor and major injuries during the season and beyond.