Category: Financial Literacy and Money

You Need to Keep Your Technology Up to Date: Here’s Why

Three of the key focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurshp and Technology. A major component of running any successful business today is properly leveraging technology and making sure that it’s up to date. The following contributed post is thus entitled; You Need to Keep Your Technology Up to Date: Here’s Why.

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We all keep saying that technology is at the heart of every business – from your website to your business processes, technology keeps the world going round. But if this is really the case then why do so many businesses make do with ancient computers, outdated systems and lacking security systems?

The main reason is this: laziness. New technology might cost a lot but given the return on your investment, this shouldn’t be a stumbling block for most businesses. No, laziness is holding lots of businesses back but there are a few things that might get you out of your seat and into action!
You Don’t Have to Go It Alone

Though you might be worried at the prospect of new technology, any IT support company will be able to get you set up and running on a new system really quickly. They will also be able to offer you constant access to support so that if anything goes wrong, you will have someone to help fast.

Generally speaking, the latest technology is easier to fix up faster for 2 reasons: 1. it is already much faster than other technologies and 2. technology is always evolving and many programs are now updated regularly. This means that even if there is a problem, it is much more likely that a fix will be available.

If you want to keep your business open 24 hours a day, the right technology is crucial.

Increase Your Productivity

Technology has always been about increasing productivity by improving efficiency. From the first machines that took workers from their living rooms to the factory floor, technology has made work faster and cheaper to produce – no matter whether that is writing a blog or building a car. And with ever more creative technologies appearing on the market, you have a lot to take advantage of.

When it comes to upgrading your technology, you have 2 choices: to keep up with the crowd or to get ahead. Keeping up should be the bare minimum you do but getting ahead of the crowd could be the difference between being part of your industry and leading it. As any business owner knows, the more productive you are and the greater your efficiency, the better your reputation will be and the more likely you are to attract star talent – even better!

Impress Your Clients

It’s not just prospective job candidates who will be impressed by your use of technology – customers and clients are always looking for the companies who are pushing the boundaries of their industry. Even in businesses where you might think that technology would take a back seat, it can have a great impact – just consider the way that the internet has changed the retail industry.

The key is that your technology should be used to demonstrate to your clients that you aren’t just forward-thinking, but you are considering every aspect of their experience with you. The more innovative you are in finding technological solutions, the more impressive your business will look.

7 Things That Will Help You To Prevent Issues Within Your Organization

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. When running any organization, it’s important to know how to proactively keep everything running smoothly. What are some keys to doing so? The following contributed post is entitled, 7 Things That Will Help You To Prevent Issues Within Your Organization.

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Experiencing issues within your organization is never fun, and you want to be able to overcome them as quickly as possible so that you can learn from them. Learning from any issues that you do face is a must if you want to keep on moving forward.

Here, we have 7 things that can help you to prevent issues within your organization. They don’t mean that you won’t experience another issue ever, but they can help to reduce them and make them far easier to manage. Take a look and see what you can do:

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Write Out A Business Plan
If you don’t have a business plan, this is nothing but a pipedream. You don’t have to write a novel on your business, but you should be writing out specific objectives, strategies, financing, a sales and marketing plan, and a determination of the cash you need to get things done. This is one of the most important things you’ll do in the beginning.

Stay Flexible
Ok, so you spent some time writing a plan. This doesn’t mean you can’t stay flexible. You should stay flexible if you want things to work out! You need to be prepared to change, as so many things change quickly these days, whether you’re looking at your industry or marketing.

Don’t Let Your Ego Get the Better Of You
Having mentors and advisors is a good idea because you need people to bounce ideas off. Not only that, they will help you to achieve greater accomplishments, hold you accountable for what you are committing to do, and more. They can help you to look at things objectively when you are struggling to do so, too. Never let your ego get in the way.

Keep Track Religiously
Keep track of everything, and manage by the numbers. This will allow you to retain consistency and train your employees. Keeping track of everything is crucial, whether you’re a multi million pound business or a non profit. Looking into things that could then be improved based on what you have tracked will help you to grow, for example, IT support for nonprofits if your staff are currently struggling with issues.

Delegate Effectively
Although you want to avoid micromanaging them, you should be prepared to delegate to your employees when needed. This is one of the greatest things that an entrepreneur or business owner can learn to do. You can’t be a control freak, though, so bear this in mind.

Use Social Media
Social media is where it’s at for business marketing and finding customers, as well as relating to old customers and bringing them back. It’s super powerful and very cost efficient, but it takes time and some skill to figure out how to use it properly. It is about creating a community, so it could be a good idea to hire a social media manager to start this off for you.

Above all, make sure you have fun in business. You can survive if you stay passionate, have fun, and keep a positive can-do outlook.

The Journey Your Imports Must Make To Become Inventory

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. In today’s highly digitized and global world, commerce can easily take place between businesses in multiple countries. Part of this involves understanding how and where your products of interest are being shipped. The following contributed post is thus entitled; The Journey Your Imports Must Make To Become Inventory.

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The beauty of the modern business is that everything is inherently global. You might consider yourself as a humble ‘ma n’ pa’ shop but even you can and should take advantage of free markets. This is international trade that has taken off in every country whether advanced or even third world. Your humble pizza shop might be using mozzarella cheese that is home grown but you can import the best from Italy if you wish. And it’s not going to be wallet-busting either because aforementioned, everything is global nowadays. Businesses of all kinds look for other businesses in other countries to do business with non-stop. Striking a deal isn’t the that big of an issue if both parties are on the same page. You’re probably not the only one your import partner is contracted with. Many times wherever the best product is, there’s always a handful of businesses trying to use it, and almost none of them will ever have exclusivity to it. The real challenge isn’t in doing good business, it’s what you do with the imports when they arrive in the ports. Obviously, you need to formulate a tactful journey that will be cost-effective but also efficient; not to mention fast.

Unloading and loading at ports

When your imports arrive after their long arduous journey, the port companies will be raring to go. The entire ethos of a port imports company is to offload everything off the vessels as quickly as possible. However, some cargo ships will store their loads pertaining to how valuable the contents of their containers are. For example, it’s worse losing a container of jewelry than it is a container full of clothes. So many will stack their containers in a way that not only protects the best assets abroad but also makes them easier to unload when they hit port. It’s up to you to work with the port companies to find the best deal you can or rather, the cargo transport companies.

Okay, so it’s your turn to have your containers unloaded, what do you do? Well, you must have some kind of loading team that will identify products, different loads, locations where they must be sent and start to load up your transportation service. No doubt, that you will either have 18-wheeler trucks that will be transporting your goods or you will load up new containers so that they can be loaded onto a freight train. It depends on where your location is. Once the train has arrived at its station where it will offload containers, you need a new team to load the containers onto trucks. The end goal is to transport them quickly to the warehouse from which then, distribution can begin.

Where the warehouse comes in

Whatever kind of transport system you use, you’ll need to be ready to accept the imports at the warehouse. Just like the port offloading companies were ready and waiting to pounce into action and stay true to the saying of ‘time is money’, now your warehouse team need to do the same. Since you now have two categories of products, both the domestic and the imports could be separated when it comes to storage if you want them to be. Some businesses decide not to do this because it’s simpler for the storage and selection process for the employees. However, you might have a little trouble detecting when your imports are running low in storage. Counting inventory is difficult enough, and now that your imports are spread around can you always get an accurate number?

You should make a special day for the unloading of imports or rather, just make the warehouse managers and head of the storage department aware that new imports are arriving on a certain day. Bear in mind that you have most likely paid a lot for your imports, at least probably more than your domestic products, so great care needs to be taken when unloading them off the trucks. If your imports are particularly precious and cost a lot, you may want to use brand new containers such as those made by Equipment Management Services. They have brand new shipping containers that are made from better materials than previous generations, better usages of the total size and strong locking mechanisms. These containers can be put in a special part of the warehouse or just away from the other products so as to not mix domestic and import inventory together.

Acknowledge their presence

Once the products have arrived at the warehouse, they need to be acknowledged by the managers. They have travelled a long distance, maybe even thousands of miles across oceans, roads, highways and now they are here. So each item needs to be counted and accounted for by your managers. The reason why it’s such an urgent job is, because it’s not like you can just order a new batch of your imports and they’ll be with you in a day or two. Usually it takes a long time to get from your business partner, to your warehouse. It could take up to a week or more for example.

Thus, your managers now need to convert your imports into inventory. What products have you ordered, and how many? Did any get damaged on the way to your warehouse? If so, how much money did you lose in the process? Whose fault was it, your employees, port companies, the business partner? What are the different types of products you have ordered, and what in what kinds are they? For example, if you ordered a series of ceramic vases with the same design, how many are in the color blue, red or green? Once your managers and the head of the storage department has retrieved all this information, they can accurately log what the new inventory count is.

Becoming a business that has partners overseas is a very prestigious moment that you should enjoy. However, all the while your imports have not been sold, it’s money floating up in the air. You need a good and fast system to offload and load your products at the ports. Your transport to your warehouse needs to be able to make the journey quickly and keep the products safe from damage. Finally, your warehouse employees and managers need to unload the products and account the imports as inventory.

Business Safety 101: The Risk Areas In Any Organisation

Two of the key focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. In any business, employee safety is a major concern for production and simply keeping the doors open. What are the risk areas for organizations? The following contributed post is entitled; Business Safety 101: The Risk Areas In Any Organisation.

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Business owners around the world often find the safety measures they have to take within their company to be very frustrating. Even down to the smallest parts of your organisation, you have to keep a constant watch over your employees and customers, ensuring that they are always safe and secure. Of course, though, when you have loads of other work on your plate, it isn’t exactly easy to cover all of the areas which are important. To help you out with this, this post will be exploring some of the major safety concerns which a lot of businesses have to deal with, along with giving you some ideas to make it easier to manage this for yourself.

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Electricals

Everyone knows how dangerous electricity can be, with exposure to this element often causing death or serious injuries. Modern companies are filled with machines which use this resource, though, making it impossible to keep people away from it. Instead, to make sure that everyone is safe, having regular tests conducted on your electricals will often be mandatory. Failing to do this could result in huge fines if you get caught, and even worse consequences if someone actually gets hurt. To help with this, there are a lot of companies out there which will offer subscription services for their tests, making it possible to put the work into someone else’s capable hands.

Obstacles

Wires, boxes, and even wet floors all make for challenging obstacles in a business environment. Unlike at home, where these issues probably won’t matter so much, people in the workplace tend to have other things on their minds. This makes a cable going across the floors go from something to watch out for to a problem which could cost your company a fortune. To get around this, everyone working for you should be trained to put things away properly, along with being basic hazard awareness skills. Of course, along with this, you may have to modify your spaces a little bit to make sure that nothing is in the way.

Vehicles

A lot of companies have to use vehicles to get their work done, with this sort of resource being very useful for a huge range of different jobs. With so much that can go wrong on a machine like this, though, they can end up becoming very dangerous over time, making it crucial that you have regular tests performed to make sure that your fleet is up to standard. Along with this, resources like rubber coatings and safety tape can also be very useful, and you can read more here to figure out just how much they could help you. To make sure that no one is put into the line of fire, your drivers should have the proper training to operate a vehicle for business.

Hygiene

While some people are more fussy than others, there are very strict rules in most places which dictate how clean a business space has to be. When it comes to areas like toilets, this will be very important, with daily cleans being essential, and some companies choosing to go even further than this. Failing to follow the rules in this area could lead to employees or customers suffering with some nasty illnesses. If they are able to prove that your business is at fault, they will be able to take legal action, and this is never good for a growing company. Thankfully, there are loads of cleaning companies around which offer services which can handle all of this for you, ensuring that your place is always at its cleanest.

Air Quality

Hygiene goes beyond cleaning, though. Along with this, you also have to think about the risks which can’t be seen, like gases and pathogens in the air. The latter can be solved with simple air filters which will kill bacteria before they are able to get into the bodies of the people on your property. When it comes to gas, though, you will need to take some extra steps. Detectors can be great when it comes to noticing chemicals like carbon monoxide, giving you an early warning before levels become dangerous. Along with this, it could be worth having machines like your boiler checked to make sure that it isn’t going to start leaking any time soon.

Criminals

There will always be people who you want to keep out of your business, and risk is a big part of this. When it comes to an office, it should only be your employees and a select group of your clients which can gain access. Other people should have to go through an entry procedure, with electronic locks preventing them from gaining access to the wrong parts of the building. In public buildings, like stores, you may need to hire some security team members to keep things safe. Nowadays, there are loads of techy gadgets which can help with this, leaving you with no excuse for having a company which is unsafe.

The Buildings Themselves

When you’re focused on all of the small areas of business safety, it can be easy to ignore the areas which are right in your face. You buildings, for example, can pose a tremendous risk to employees and customers, and they don’t often make it obvious when they are having problems. Having a ceiling collapse could hurt people very badly, with loads of issues like this being common in older structures. To solve this, it will be worth having a surveyor to check the place every couple of years. While they may not find anything, they won’t miss anything, either, keeping your place free from risk.

This sort of field is one which a lot of business owners resent. It feels bad having to spend money just in case something goes wrong, and a lot of the rules you have to follow seem over the top. In reality, though, keeping people safe is a serious business. Some parts of the world pose more risks than others, but it will be worth doing as much as possible wherever you are.

10 Things To Teach Yourself To Make More Money

A key focus of my blog is Financial Literacy/Money. In the Rich Dad Poor Dad books, Robert T. Kiyosaki described two money problems; having too little money and then having too much money. Most people suffer the former. The following contributed post is thus entitled, 10 Things To Teach Yourself To Make More Money.

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Most people want to make more money, but they are unwilling to do anything about it. They stay in the same, dead end job for years on end – maybe they even climb the ladder a little bit. Very little happens with the money they are earning. Rather than going out there and improving their skills so that they can perhaps get a pay rise, land a better role within their company/outside of their company, or even start their own business, they just stay in their comfort zones and stick to what they know.

It’s true that change can be scary, but working on yourself will give you more knowledge and confidence, and these things can be extremely powerful when you want to make more money. So, what can you set out to teach yourself if this is what you want to do? Read on for 10 suggestions…

1. The Right Mindset
Having the right mindset before you set out to make any more money is key. Otherwise, you might make more money initially, but you may lose it. You might even struggle to see opportunities that are being presented to you.

Changing your old thinking patterns and getting into new, money positive patterns can be tough. After all, much of what we think has been ingrained into our subconscious from a very young age. However, with consistency, it’s possible! Read books, watch videos, go to seminars – do whatever you can to change your mindset around money. Figure out your limiting beliefs and work on your blocks. Then take action.

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2. Passive Income Techniques
Passive income allows you to make more money while you sleep. If you want to build real wealth over time, these techniques are key. Why? Because one day, you’re going to run out of time. You’re going to be unable to work as much as you once did. It makes sense that swapping time for money is no longer the best way of getting that cash! Passive income techniques include things like vlogging/blogging, writing ebooks, creating online courses, and starting simple businesses on sites like Amazon. Do your research and select one method to start with. This is a long game, so don’t be upset when you don’t become an overnight success.

3. Coding
Coding and programmers are in very high demand today. Anyone can learn the skills required, although they can be tough. You can take boot camps to learn programming languages in just a few months, and they will help you to get hired quickly. You can even find simple coding courses and help online. You can look at sites like Asap developers to begin your research and learn more about what you should be doing. There’s going to be something out there to suit every comfort level.

4. Writing
Writing is also a skill that anybody can develop, although you’ll need to practice every day. The more you practice, the better and faster you’ll get. You can also take courses online for this. These skills can be used both in a business of your own and in the workplace. They’ll help you whether you’re creating your own course, responding to an email, or writing a blog post.

5. Multiple Languages
Learning a language is something kids are fantastic at, because their brains are like sponges. However, as we get older, we can find it more difficult to let that language sink in. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try! There are free resources and apps that can help, as well as taking one to one classes or tuition to improve. This can prove beneficial in many jobs, and especially if you want to start a globally successful business.

6. Investing
Investing is one of the only true ways to build wealth over time. This is a fact. Saving money can help you when you have an emergency, but those savings are going to depreciate over time. Instead, making small investments while you teach yourself the lingo and the ropes will get you well on your way to having more wealth and a diverse portfolio. Again, this is a long game. You have to set it and forget it when investing your cash.

7. Graphic Design And Image Editing
Another skill that is valuable in today’s workplace. Many places need people with these skills for their websites. UI designers work to help improve the look and feel of websites and apps to make things easier for customers and consumers.

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8. Online Marketing
Every single business needs online marketing these days with these sheer number of people using the web to find things that they are looking for. You’ll learn all about SEO, PPC, social media, and more. It’s usually best if you pick one subject and roll with that for a while, however, Knowing these things will always make you a more valuable asset.

9. Public Speaking
Public speaking comes naturally to some people. Others can find it very difficult, and even terrifying. There will usually be a time in most employee’s careers where public speaking will be a must, such as making an announcement in office or speaking at a conference. Preparing or this now will take away any fears and reservations and ensure you knock it out of the park.

10. Social Media
Your social media skills might already be great – most people are on sites like Facebook and Instagram now, aren’t they? However, using these platforms professionally can be a huge bonus. This proves that you are technologically savvy and that you have excellent PR skills. If you work in any sort of marketing capacity, you need to prove that you are able to use social media effectively.
The above 10 skills are things that will help you to make more money, whether you’re trying to climb up the corporate ladder, ask for a pay raise, or get out of the rat race altogether and start your own business. Which will you start with, and how are you going to do it? Let us know!

Running a Business on the Road

Two key focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. With today’s technology, many businesses can now be run from the road and remotely the majority of the time. What are the keys to running a business on the road? The following contributed post is entitled; Running a Business on the Road.

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In the age of the internet, more and more people are finding themselves to be not as restricted by location as they once were. Many businesses can be run from anywhere in the world, and this is certainly an opportunity which more and more people are embracing. Obviously, this is not the same as running a traditional business, and you need to be prepared for this change in a number of different ways. Whether you are a digital nomad globetrotting around the planet or you are simply moving from place to place in your home country to meet clients, here are a few pieces of advice which can help you out.

Stay Disciplined with Your Office Hours

One of the great pleasures of working while you are on the road is the fact that you don’t have to submit to regular office hours. Even so, you need to stay disciplined with the times that you decide to work. Ideally, you should be sitting down on a regular basis to look at your calendar and work out when you will be travelling, when you will be working, and when you will be relaxing. Communicate with your clients well in advance to tell them. You need to ensure that your company is a professional enterprise and that you develop a solid reputation.

Choose Your Equipment and Suppliers Carefully

When you are choosing equipment, you will want to look at factors such as its portability and performance. And when you are selecting suppliers such as a phone provider, you should look carefully at their overall performance, roaming fees etc. Think about the other practical services which you may require relating to your vehicle, and check out providers such as New Era Fuels. Ultimately, your individual needs will depend very much on the type of business that you are running and how much travelling you are planning on doing.

Monitor Your Expenses

Just like running any other kind of business, you need to keep your expenses low and managed as much as possible. There are plenty of ways that you can cut them by looking at all the free services out there relating to software etc. When your location is changing on a regular basis, it can be very easy to overlook how much you are spending, but you need to monitor this to keep your business running smoothly for the longest possible time.

Stay Connected

It can be very easy to caught up in the lifestyle that you have built for yourself, but you need to remember to stay connected as much as possible. And the internet has provided more ways than ever to do this. Even if you only have once a day to respond to all your correspondence etc, make sure that you stay disciplined and up to date with this.

Super Simple Ways To Free Up More Money

A key focus of my blog is Financial Literacy/Money. A key aspect of Financial Literacy is understanding how to manage and minimize expenses. Decreasing your personal expenses is in a lot of ways similar to giving yourself a raise. The following contributed post is thus entitled; Super Simple Ways To Free Up More Money.

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Freeing up money in your life might sound like something you want to do, but you’re not sure where to begin. We’re here to tell you that there are probably numerous ways you haven’t even considered that will help you to free up more money! However, there’s one thing you need to do first: take a look at your relationship with money and figure out how you really feel about it. Many people like money, but they feel guilty or ashamed of wanting more of it. Some people openly admit that they don’t like money at all. If this is the case for you, how can you expect to have and keep more of it? It just won’t happen. Get yourself into a place where you can appreciate money and feel good about having it, and then start working on ways to free up money in your life. You’ll get far better results.

Now you’ve done that, read on for more suggestions!

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Switch Utility Suppliers
If you haven’t switched up your utility suppliers in years like many homeowners, now is the time to have a look and see if you could be getting a better deal elsewhere. Chances are, you’ve been paying far more than necessary for some time now! Check online for a better deal, then call your current suppliers and see if they will match or beat what you’ve found. If you do end up switching, the suppliers do all of the work for you!

Downgrade Your Phone
Do you really need the latest phone? There’s only so much we really need to do with them, and we spend a lot of time on them as it is – taking away from what’s truly important! Downgrading your phone could save you money and give you more time with the people you love.

Sell Items That Are A Big Drain On Your Finances
Take a look around your house and sell items you no longer use. Better yet, sell items that are a big drain on your finances. If you have a motorcycle that is mostly for show, you could sell it with the American Motorcycle Trading Company. Do you really want to keep the bike, keep the fuel topped up, pay for insurance and other maintenance costs, when you only really use it every now and again?

Shop At A Different Store And Always Take A List
Stop shopping at expensive stores when you can get the same items at a much lower price from a discounted store. Always take a list with you too, and never go hungry. You’ll save a fortune.

Track Every Expense
Track your expenses so you can see where your spending habits can be improved. You might be surprised at where a lot of your money is going.

Always Look For a Coupon Or Cashback
Never shop without looking for a coupon or using a cashback site. You could be wasting a ton of money – there are even apps to apply coupon codes for you these days!

Simple Ideas. Big Money

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. If you’re thinking about starting a new venture, it’s important to know what simple ideas you can you use to generate extra cashflow. The following contributed post is thus entitled; Simple Ideas. Big Money.

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Sometimes it’s the simple things in life that seem to make us happy. The things that we just can’t take our minds off, and the things that as soon as we think about them, we smile. But when it comes to business, the thought of a simple thing is few and far between. It would seem that pretty much everything is related to stress and confusion. Arguably, the time when this is at its highest is when we’re thinking of the idea to begin with. All your mind can think about is what might be involved with the process, how you can make more money, and all of the things that could possibly go wrong. So, what if we were to give you some simple ideas, that would make some big money. Ideas that wouldn’t require you to do much, but that you would get a lot out of? Well, you’ve come to the right place, because that’s exactly what we’re going to do for you!

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Farming Ideas

Ok, so this one is a little out of the box, and one that we think you might not have thought of before. But, if you were to go into the agricultural industry, you really could be set for life. Farming is not only fun, but highly profitable if you produce good quality produce that people are after. The main expenses you will have will come from your equipment, and the expenses of caring for any animals. You will need tractors, and you will need a lot of red diesel, which can easily be sourced from the internet as to save money. Once you figure out all of the logistics of how to rear animals, plant good quality produce, and maintain it all, you just need to figure out your sales points. Where is the best place to start? Farmers markets. It’s the easiest place to sell the produce, and you can easily make a name for yourself over the years. Enter competitions, grow a following, and reach out to supermarkets. Before you know it you could be a worldwide brand!

Food Ideas

Sticking to a good theme still, but being slightly different in terms of what you can do. If you’re thinking of setting up a food business, you have to consider the lucrative idea of going into the restaurant business. But don’t just set up your average pub, you need to go for something hip and interesting. One idea that we think will really capture the eyes of people is a healthy eating establishment. Put it next to the gym, and make your menu one that just can’t be beat in terms of creativity, and you should always be able to bring in the money. It has to be creative though, the funkier your make literally everything, the better you’re going to become.

Activity Based Ideas

Some people like to be active, some don’t, but who says this idea is out to encourage everyone to get sporty? This ideas is funky, as we’re going to suggest opening up your own indoor inflatable course. Adults and children could be catered for if you made it big enough, and it is so unique that people will always want to be a part of it. Definitely an idea worth doing if you’d like something easy to manage, and easy to maintain. You’d just have to make sure you’re highly focused on health and safety here.

Wide Load: Selling Large & Impractical Products Online

Two key focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Some businesses sell large products that don’t ship easily, and there are special considerations for these types of ventures. The following contributed post is thus entitled; Wide Load: Selling Large & Impractical Products.

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For a lot of businesses, being able to sell products online has made life much easier over the last few years. Without having to start a normal store, this process is a whole lot cheaper than it used to be, and this has opened the doors for loads of companies to get started. Of course, though, when your products are very large or hard to handle, the online trend can start to become a hindrance. You have no choice but to sell online, but will face challenges which simply don’t come with smaller products. To help with this, this post will be exploring some of the best ways to solve these issues before you get started.

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Communicating Size: Simply giving customers the measurements for your products won’t often be enough when it comes to showing them the size of your goods. People will feel worried about buying something which they aren’t sure if they have room for, though, making it important to look for new ways to convey the size of your goods. One of the best ways to achieve this is through photography. As long as you have a common item in the shot, like a magazine, it will be easy for your customers to tell the size of the piece you’re selling. This trick may sound simple, but it can have a huge positive impact on your sales.

Storing Goods: When a business is selling small products, storing a couple of boxes is usually all they will need to keep a good inventory available to their customers. Larger products will make this very hard, though. To solve this issue, having a slightly longer delivery time quite be well worth it, giving you the chance to either make or order in the products as you need them. While this may stop some people from buying, it will be significantly cheaper than paying for a warehouse to keep goods which may not sell.

Shipping Orders: Getting orders out into the world is another challenge which large product sellers will often face. Normal delivery companies won’t be able to help you, as their vehicles simply won’t be big enough. To save looking for this company and that, there are loads of marketplaces around the web for those who need to buy large item delivery, making it significantly easier to get goods out of the door. Not a lot of people know about this sort of service, leaving them to pay for private companies to do all of their shipping. This can cost a small fortune, and won’t often enable you to handle more than a single order at a time.

With all of this in mind, you should be feeling ready to get started on the process of selling large goods. While a task like this may be a challenge, there will always be ways to overcome it, making your life as a business owner much easier. Of course, though, you will need to do plenty of research, and you may even have to talk to a couple of companies along the way.

What Makes Business Computing Such A Challenge

Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. A key to operating most businesses today is keeping your Information Technology systems running optimally. The title of this contributed post is thus entitled; What Makes Business Computing Such A Challenge.

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It’s no secret that a lot of businesses struggle when it comes to the computers they have to use each day. These machines are the subject of a lot of frustration within a lot of companies, making it hard for people to do their jobs, while also presenting challenges which a lot of business owners never expected to face. Not a lot of people understand what makes these machines such a chore, though. Instead, they will simply harbour a dislike for them, often making it even harder to get to grips with the tasks they need to perform with them. What exactly makes this field so difficult, then?

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Unfortunately, while modern schools are often including computing in their standard work rotations, this wasn’t the case just a few years ago. People would go through education learning about all sorts of useful life skills, but would only use computers for tasks which related to other subjects, halting their chances to learn about the devices properly. As a result, a huge portion of the working population finds it hard to use computers. Even those who have to use them everyday will often only learn what they have to, leaving them to struggle when something happens which they don’t expect.

Of course, though, you don’t always have to wait for something to go wrong for a machine like this to throw you through a loop, as the software systems which businesses tend to use are always changing. Developers will rarely consider the impact an update will have on their wider user base. Instead, when they release something like this, it can often take weeks or even months for guides to be made which will teach you what you need to do. This presents more learning, along with forcing a lot of organisations to use IT consulting services just to figure out which versions they should be using. This makes it very hard for people to learn how to use software, especially when they already find it hard to use a computer.

On top of all of this, computers are generally seen as boring machines. People don’t want to dedicate themselves to learning something which they don’t enjoy, even if it is part of their job. This is a real issue, but most people won’t even notice it happening, as it simply makes the learning process a little bit harder. To solve this issue, companies have to work hard to create training programs which can actually engage their employees. Even if it means using tools like social media for context, it will be worth looking for creative ways to handle this task, as people won’t be willing to do it for themselves.

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In reality, most of the trouble which computers can cause for a company will be down to the users themselves. These machines will rarely go wrong without cause, and will be impossible to operate properly without the right learning, making it crucial that you take the right steps when it comes to conquering this challenge once and for all.