Category: Contributed Posts

4 Tips For Businesses Throwing a Fundraiser

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. There are any number of reasons for your business to throw a fundraiser. Fundraisers are good ways to raise awareness of issues and help those in need. The following contributed post is entitled, 4 Tips For Businesses Throwing a Fundraiser.

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Entrepreneurship is a great way to take your career in your own hands and make a living for yourself on your own terms. It’s also an opportunity to rewrite the rules and work towards a better, more equitable and more sustainable form of capitalism. Business owners get to shape the economy and reverse the fundamental inequalities like wage repression, racial inequality and gender pay gaps that are still sadly rife in the world of business. It’s also a great opportunity to use your brand to do good for charitable causes in ways that might not be possible for you as an individual.

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When you throw fundraising events as part of your business operations, it can be hugely beneficial for you and your cause. It can demonstrate your sense of Corporate Social Responsibility to your local community and the world at large. It can also be a huge morale booster for employees and help them feel that they are a part of something special.

Here are some tips to help you throw a fundraiser for the ages…

Choose a cause that resonates

While the choice of cause is, of course, up to you, you’ll find that you have more success with a cause that resonates with your community and your workforce. If you have a number of causes that matter to you personally, you might benefit from holding a poll on your social media feed and encouraging your employees and / or customers to vote for the one that matters the most to them.

Add a touch of class

A fundraiser is all about the cause… but it’s also about finding ways to add value to your brand. Thus, any effort you make to add class and prestige to your brand should be embraced. Whether you choose to throw a chic cocktail party, a lavish charity ball or even get in touch with casino equipment suppliers to help people game their way to charitable giving is up to you. But adding a touch of class will add to the sense of occasion and elevate your brand.

Build awareness and hype through your content marketing

With so many causes worthy of our attention it can be hard to get people to consider donating to your cause at the expense of all others. However, your content marketing allows you a valuable storytelling opportunity to help your cause better resonate with your following. Focus on the personal stories of the people you’re trying to help and focus on the good that people’s donations will do.

People are likely to be all the more generous when they know for sure that their donation will make a tangible difference.

Make donations easy and accessible

However you choose to hold your fundraiser, it’s imperative to make it easy for people to donate, whether they attend or not. As well as taking cash donations at the door, you should also make it easy to pay through Paypal or contactless payment via their credit card, debit card or mobile device.

Get it right, and you’ll be able to do some good for a worthy cause while also increasing your business’ ethical standing.

Getting Started On Your Entrepreneurial Journey

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. One of the most exciting and fulfilling anyone can do is set off on their own and become a business owner. While it has potential perils, it also has potential rewards. The following contributed post is entitled, Getting Started On Your Entrepreneurial Journey.

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If the arrival of a new year has prompted you to think about changing career or given you the confidence to think about setting up your own business, you might be experiencing a mixture of emotions. Going it alone can be daunting, but it’s also a hugely exciting proposition. If you’re preparing to take your first foray into the world of entrepreneurialism, here are some steps to take today.

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Figure out what you want to do
If you want to become your own boss, the options are endless, but some avenues may be much better suited to you than others. Some people will go into the process of thinking about setting up a business knowing exactly what they want to do, while others will be exploring different possibilities and conjuring up ideas. If you haven’t already got a set idea in mind, it’s beneficial to focus on your skills and talents, to use your experience and to indulge passions and interests. You can utilize transferable skills to get started with something you already have knowledge and understanding of, for example, providing consulting services or tutoring or mentoring, or you could undertake additional training to offer something different. Training is also incredibly beneficial for learning how to run a business effectively and efficiently. If you’re used to pitching to buyers, teaching kids or providing massage therapy, for example, you might not be au fait with managing books and filing tax returns.

Consider your options
There are various options open to you when it comes to being your own boss. You could go freelance, set up your own business or take over a franchise. If you have experience in accounting or you’ve managed your own tax returns for a long time, for example, you could learn how to open a tax office. If you’re a caterer by trade, you could investigate the possibility of managing your own restaurant or cafe franchise. Alternatively, if you want total control, establishing your own venture may be a more appealing prospect. If this is the route you’re keen to go down, and you’ve found your niche, the next step is to draw up a thorough business plan, secure the finances you need and research the market. For those who are eager to try freelancing, it’s important to establish and make use of contact networks and to take steps to get your name out there. Market your services using professional social media platforms, email marketing and SEO. It’s also a great idea to drop flyers through doors if you’re looking to attract a local audience.

Research
Research is vital when setting up a new business, switching to self-employment or taking over the reins of an existing venture. Get to know your market, define your ideal customer, analyze the competition and use the information you gather to market your business, establish price points and create an impactful USP.

If you’ve decided to go it alone, and you’re ready to start your entrepreneurial journey, hopefully, this guide will point you in the right direction.

Building Your Own Office

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. In the initials stages of your business, you want to rent or lease space. Once you’re in for a while though and your operations have stabilized, you might also consider building your own office space. The following contributed post is entitled, Building Your Own Office.

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One of the most exciting things you can do in business is to get to the point where you are building your own office. That probably means that things are going pretty well, that you are ready to expand and take on new challenges and responsibilities as a company, and that is always a good position to be in. Of course, building an office does itself have a number of challenges which you are going to have to be aware of and try to overcome. But as we should discover in this article, they are relatively straightforward in theory at least, even if not always in practice, to get through. Let’s take a look at some of the ins and out of building your own office.

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Choosing Your Spot Well

The location that you choose to build your office on is going to have an effect on the end result. For one thing, it affects the cost of building – as you are going to need to purchase the ground that your office is built upon, and that will depend mostly upon location. It will also have an effect on what kind of reputation your business ultimately has. If you are keen on a strong reputation, a city centre address might be important for you for the prestige that it brings. However, you might instead have other priorities, meaning that you can choose to find a cheaper spot to go. It’s all about compromising and working out what really matters to you, so that you can hopefully make the right decision and end up in a good spot for your business.

Finding Cheap Materials

You are also going to have to think about getting hold of the right kind of supplies for the projects, and that is something that is not always as easy as you might hope. It often means that you are going to need to shop around quite a lot, perhaps even attending auctions for some of the bigger items. However, once you find a good source, you can be sure that this is going to be one less headache that you need to worry about. Finding good quality and affordable construction products will mean that you are going to be able to build your own office much more successfully indeed, so that is something that you will want to think about from the very start.

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Getting The Staff

Of course, the quality of the construction staff is another hugely important thing, and you will need to make sure that they are going to be that perfect balance between cost and quality. If you go too cheap, you might end up being disappointed, whereas if you spend a lot of money on them, you might not feel it was quite worth it. Going for somewhere in the middle is very often a safe bet, and it should mean that you are going to get staff who can do the job well but without breaking your bank. Be prepared to look around for a while before you find a team who comes with the right kind of recommendations.

Timing

You should bear in mind that this kind of construction process is always going to cause some kind of disturbance for your business, and as such it will be necessary to time it so that it causes as little of a disturbance as possible. That matter of timing is not something that comes easily to everyone, but it is going to be essential if you hope to actually make it all worthwhile. Try not to do this at a time which is going to be particularly busy for your business, as that is only going to cause damage that might take years to fix, and clearly that’s a far from ideal situation. But if you time it well, it should all go much more smoothly and to plan than you would imagine.

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Budgeting

As long as you manage to budget the whole thing effectively, it will have less of a direct impact on your business and its future. It is also going to mean that you don’t have to stress too much about what happens financially in the quarter or the year after the fact. Budgeting is essential to the success of the project and the future success of the business, so make sure that you are not overlooking this at all in any way. As long as you budget well, all will be well, and the project will be successful.

Why Your Business Should Be Flexing Its Green Credentials

Three of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and STEM. For your business itself and for the environment, making your business ‘green’ can have multiple benefits. Many aspects of running a green business are easy to implement. The following contributed post is entitled, Why Your Business Should Be Flexing Its Green Credentials.

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With Greta Thunberg taking on the mantle of climate change warrior and championing the future protection of the planet, more and more businesses are taking their corporate environmental responsibilities more seriously. You might want to get in on the action. If your office is wasting paper, you are sick of seeing computer monitors forever on standby, and you are concerned about your water usage, it’s time to make your business more eco-aware. This doesn’t have to cost you money, and can actually save you cash by making your venture more efficient and relevant to the twenty first century. Read on to discover how you can be successful and flexing your green credentials.

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Water

It doesn’t matter whether you are an office based startup or whether your business is more practical, such as a street food van or a smallholding, you can always find ways to manage your water usage more effectively. Outside, this could be something as simple as installing flumes on a smallholding. If you produce crops or food in an organic way, you can manage your irrigation systems more efficiently. If you are an office based entity, you may be more concerned about how many times the kettle is boiled on coffee breaks. Make sure you have posters up, detailing the importance of water preservation. If every staff member is more conscious of their environmental impact, you can be more environmentally aware as a corporate entity.

Paper

Death by paper is a concern of many businesses. The advent of cloud based storage has made paper reduction all that more easy. You no longer have to print off email after email, only to shred it within minutes after a meeting. Instead, you can now head onto the cloud, download the needed document and utilize a Sharepoint style package to show your team. Printouts are no longer a go-to way of distributing information. Ensure that you limit your paper usage. Doing this will limit your carbon footprint and help you to do your bit to protect the world’s rainforests. If you do need to use paper, counteract this by contributing to a tree planting scheme. This may have a financial impact, but customers are more savvy with who they choose to do business with. They will be more inclined to pay more for a product or service from a company that is conscious of their environmental impact rather than one that doesn’t care.

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Cars

If you have a staff team that commutes to work using their gas guzzling cars, set up a car sharing scheme. Even better, consider a subsidized cycle to work scheme, encouraging your staff team to whip on their helmets and get healthier. This can result in a team with a boosted morale as well as decreasing the carbon monoxide that your company produces. If you have company cars, ensure that you opt for hybrids. These may cost more initially but the running costs will be infinitely lower.

Don’t be too insular when considering your business aims and motivations. Take a bigger world view and take your corporate responsibility seriously when flexing your green credential muscles.

What Kind Of Masters Is For You?

Three of the focuses of my blog are Career Discussions, General Education and Professional/Skills. Many careers require education beyond the bachelor’s level. As such, many individuals pursue Masters degrees. Choosing the right degree is important as it will affect your career long-term. The following contributed post is entitled, What Kind Of Masters Is For You?

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When you’re looking at finishing college, or you’re thinking of further your education, you may find that you’re considering getting your master’s. However, the most important question of all, is often what should you study? Sometimes, it’s easy to work out – you may find that you want to follow your major. But it isn’t all that easy. Sometimes, you need some inspiration. Here are some great options to contend with.

Business

To start with, you may find that you could consider getting your Master’s in Business Administration. An MBA can be really handy for a lot of people that want to either move into the business field or get a professional career in the future. Whether this is right after a bachelors or not.

Education

Another really great idea is education. Sometimes, you just want to think about the way that you can further your intellectual career or shape a future generation. If you’re passionate about one topic in particular, then this could be the route for you.

Political Management

Then, we also have political management. This could be a really great master’s field for a number of candidates. There can be a huge benefit to a number of different industries and professionals, not just politics itself. These can include social media manager, attorney, intelligence analyst, public affairs specialist, marketing specialist, and communications director.

For more information on the master’s in political management, just take a look at the infographic below.


Infographic Design By George Washington University

Tips To Help Sell A Home Quickly

Two of the key focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. For many people, their primary residence is their greatest investment. As with all investments, it’s important understand how to resell your home and as expediently as possible. The following contributed post is entitled, Tips To Help Sell A Home Quickly.

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Selling your home can be a whirlwind, but it can also be something that takes a lot of time and effort to make successful. Whenever you are selling a property, you want to be able to do it efficiently and with the best results. So here are some tips to help sell a home quickly.

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Think About First Impressions

First impressions are something that really matters, and when it comes to selling a home, you want to do everything you can so that they leave that property with wanting to sign on the dotted line. Create an environment that makes the buyer want to live in your home right there and then. Display some flowers in the living space and set up the dining table with all your nice cutlery and crockery. Make sure the property smells nice and that there’s lots of natural light shining through. Think about curb appeal and ensuring everything is pruned and trimmed nicely when it comes to the outdoor space. The more you do as the owner, the better you have of securing offers on the home.

Declutter Your Home

Decluttering is essential even before you go letting a photographer into your home to take photos. Whether your home is in Griffith Park or tucked away down an unfamiliar street, a messy home isn’t going to be enjoyable to view. Try to remove everything that’s causing a mess or creating a problem area in your home, and that might be obstructing a view of your property. Whether that’s toys thrown in a pile in a corner or clunky furniture leaning haphazardly against a window or door frame. Declutter and organize your home so that it’s functional for people to walk around freely and without discomfort.

Choose The Right Agents

The agents you pick will influence how quickly you sell your property. You want to make sure that they are familiar with the type of property you have and that they have potential buyers lined up to view the property as soon as possible. The longer it stays on the market, the more dangerous that can be for the value of your home. So choose your agent wisely and don’t be too quick to jump into a partnership unless you are really sure that they are the right match for you.

Be Careful With Your Price

The price you set for your home is important because if you set it too high, then you might not get anyone who is interested. If you set it too low, you could end up missing out yourself on a good deal. Try to discuss your prices with the agents and be sure to do some research in the surrounding area. Look at what you may or may not be in competition with. Set a reasonable amount and know what your lowest would be in terms of asking price.

Selling a home quickly isn’t always something that’s achieved, but with these tips, you can give yourself the best chance possible.

How To Be More Successful In Your Job Search

Two key focuses of my blog are Career Discussions and Professional Development and Skills. Searching for a job can be one of the more difficult things you can ever do. There are keys to increasing your chances of finding the job (s) you want. The following contributed post is entitled, How To Be More Successful In Your Job Search.

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Going back into the world of recruitment can be a process and so much so that many of us will remain in a job we’ve lost a passion for. The idea of going through the process that involves securing a job can be tiring to just think about, but it has to be done when you are no longer feeling the role is for you. Here are some tips on how to be more successful in your job search.

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Look Again At Your Resume

Your resume carries a lot of weight when it comes to the very beginning of your application. A job can have many individuals who will apply, and it’s usually someone’s job to filter through the resumes. It’s important that yours stands out, and you may find that the current state of it can be improved. Take a look at your resume again and try to make improvements where possible. It could be that there are a few grammatical errors that need fixing or that you’ve missed out some skills that are vital for the role that you’re applying for. Try to do what you can to sell yourself in the best way, and hopefully, you’ll secure yourself an interview.

Seek Professional Guidance

There are a lot of resources and avenues that you can explore and take advantage of in order to give yourself the best opportunities. Nowadays, you have plenty of websites like Cornerstone Medical who will help in doing a lot of the work for you. By grouping all types of jobs under one website, it makes for much easier navigation. When you’re exploring a new career path, it’s good to seek professional advice and guidance where you can. Those who are in the current role you’re applying for or have done it previously can let you know what was needed or what can be done to improve your chances.

Be Detailed In Your Applications

Applications are where it really counts, and although resumes are important to work on, the application as a whole needs detail. Sometimes you may be required to write a cover letter or answer some initial questions as part of the vetting process. These may be put in place to weed out individuals who are simply not right for the role or don’t have the experience to answer such questions.

Work On Your Interview Technique

Interviews can be a very nerve-racking process, but they are what’s standing between you and the potential job offer. If you find that your interview technique needs improving or sometimes you lack confidence in what you’re trying to get across, practice. Practice makes perfect after all, and if you can give yourself plenty of prep time, then you are likely to walk into that interview, feeling more confident.

Not every role that you apply for is something you’ll suit, and sometimes the company is not the right fit for you. Be detailed in your application process, ask for help, and always work on your conversational skills to give yourself the best chance.

Ways To Add Value To Your Life

A key focus of my blog is Health and Wellness. There are numerous ways to add value and quality to your life. We typically think value as strictly physical health, but there are other aspects too. The following contributed post is entitled, Ways To Add Value To Your Life.

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A life lived with regrets and what if’s, isn’t one that you want for yourself or those around you. Life is simply too short for these feelings, and so you should have an attitude of living life to the fullest. Here are some ways that you can add more value to your life.

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Learn From Others For Inspiration

We learn and grow from others around us. The people we choose to spend our time with matters and can have an influence over what we do in our lifetime. One of the ways you can add value is by finding those who can inspire and provide you with that positivity in life that you need to excel. Motivational speaking agencies for athletes is one way of being able to gather knowledge and to be inspired by those who may possess that advice you need in life to do more of something or to live your life differently. Focus on those who will help bring you up rather than put you down. There are so many available resources out there that can do just that, motivational speaking being one of them.

Do What You Enjoy Doing

Doing what you enjoy in life seems like the most obvious thing, right? However, you’d be surprised at just how many people will do things because others have recommended it or that they don’t actually like but feel like they need to because of who they hang around with or their lifestyle choices. Start to look for things that provide you with more enjoyment or maybe you are lacking that enjoyment in parts of your life. There is so much to take advantage of, and so you are the only person that’s standing in the way of doing something more.

Travel More

Traveling the world is a great way to add value to your life. You can learn so much about the world we live in by making the effort to explore more of it in your lifetime. Most of us will have a bucket list, a selection of places that are a must-see in our lifetime, and that might differ in length. Look at your own and think about those places you want to travel to. Make it a priority to see and do more within a year, rather than doing it every few years. Making that time to travel and to save the money is all worthwhile.

Have A Career You Are Passionate About

A career that you’re passionate about is certainly one that many people try to achieve. After all, you will work the majority of your lifetime, so it’s good to enjoy it most of the time. If you find something that you truly love doing, it’ll never feel like work. If you find yourself feeling less than passionate about your job, then it’s worth considering what else is out there and whether a change is needed.

Everyone’s life deserves to have value, and to improve your experience of life, it’s important to live it to the fullest. So do more where you can!

Signs that Stress is Having an Impact on your Health

A key focus of my blog is Health and Wellness. Stress is a known killer and can have numerous negative effects on your health. Understanding the signs is critical as it can prevent you from getting seriously sick. The following contributed post is entitled, Signs that Stress is Having an Impact on your Health.

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If you are under a great deal of pressure at work, then you may find that you are unable to focus on anything else. Over time this can really take its toll on your body and this is the last thing that you need when you already have so much going on. If you want to help yourself here, then there are a few things that you can do.

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Insomnia

Have you ever found it difficult to fall asleep? This is even the case if you are tired at night. Either way, you might have insomnia. It may be that your body is all out of fuel and stress is the only thing keeping you going. Having trouble actually staying asleep is also your body’s way of telling you that something needs to change. If you are having a really hard time sleeping, then it’s a good idea for you to talk with your doctor as they will be able to give you the support you need to get a consistent sleeping pattern.

Not Being Able to Lose Weight

If you are finding it hard to lose the weight that you have gained, then this is your body’s way of trying to tell you something. There is no exact science to dieting, but it may be that you are dieting in an unhealthy way or one that is not suited to your bodily needs. If you just can’t find a solution, then it’s a good idea for you to talk to your doctor to see if they can do anything to analyse your weight problem while also finding out of stress is to blame.

Digestive system

When you are under stress, your liver will produce additional blood sugar. This will give you a boost of energy. This ultimately means that you are more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes. Sometimes you may also feel inclined to reach for junk food in order to give yourself that rush, which can rot your teeth. If you have problems with your teeth then you may be able to get same day dental crowns but at the end of the day, you need to deal with the source of the problem. There are a few ways that you can do this, such as by reaching for carrot sticks instead of sweets or even by trying to avoid junk food altogether so that you can take better care of your dental and digestive health.

Central Nervous System

Your central nervous system is essentially in charge of your fight or flight responses. In the brain, the hypothalamus will get the ball rolling and this will tell the adrenal gland to release stress hormones. These hormones will increase your heartbeat and it will also send blood to the areas that need it the most. When the source of the fear has gone, the hypothalamus then needs to tell everything else to go back to normal. If this doesn’t happen the stress can continue, and in some instances it can lead to certain behaviours.

How To Entice a New Target Market Quickly

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. A key to being successful at business is identifying and capturing new target markets. Doing so will give you the leg up on your competition and assure continued growth. The following contributed post is entitled, How To Entice a New Target Market Quickly.

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Now that you’ve got your business off the ground, it’s time to start thinking about branching out. You cannot expect to grow your business without making some changes to your branding, products and services. You will face many challenges as a business owner and expansion is one of those hurdles you need to power through strategically. Enticing a whole new target market without losing focus is tricky, but it can be done relatively quickly. Follow some of the advice below and you will soon have a whole new branch for your business.

Try a Rebrand

If you want to appeal to a brand new demographic, now is the perfect time to rebrand. Corporate Rebranding is very common in businesses who want to extend their reach. It mostly comes in the form of change in visuals like the logo, font and color scheme. This can seem like an overwhelming concept at first, but a professional will be able to guide you in the right direction.

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Expand Your Product Range

Now would be the perfect time to expand the range of products or services you offer. A rebrand often comes with a soft launch for a new product or service, so now is the ideal moment to start working on a new range that appeals to your new target market.

Alter Your Website

Updating your website might seem like a daunting task, especially when it took so long to put together in the first place. However, your website is the key to your success in sales and customer retention. If you’re branching out to a new group of people, you need to tweak your website to reflect their needs and preferences. Speak to a professional web designer and you will soon have an updated website that suits your new brand.

Carry Out Market Research

Are you certain that your new idea is going to work seamlessly? Obviously, nobody can ever be 100% sure, but you can carry out plenty of market research to give yourself greater confidence in your new product or service. When it comes to market research, you need to be thorough. Reach out to a wide number of people and use a variety of platforms to carry out your research. Questionnaires, social media polls and email marketing works very well for primary market research. This way you will gauge honest feedback on your new ideas so that you can grow your business confidently.

So now you need to put your new plan into place. With a little bit of patience and persistence you will be able to attract a whole new target audience and retain your current consumers too. As soon as you get to this point in your business you know you are onto something special; not every entrepreneur can reach the point of expansion for their company. Adapt each concept appropriately and always keep your new target audience in mind. Soon enough you will draw in the right type of people for the new branch of your business.