There is a story of an American recession and a car dealership that struggled to sell the latest models. They sat on the dealer’s lot and few people visited.
The way the dealership solved the problem of declining sales was to figure out where the wealthy people hung out (golf clubs) and then to drive some vehicles over to where they were. They then offered free test drives to wealthy members of the golf club.
Subsequently, as the story goes (sourced from The Success Principles by Jack Canfield), sales went through the roof. The dealership ended up selling more than they did in a good economy.
Turning our attention to your startup or small business, how can you best sustain it in a challenging economic situation? Innovation not stagnation, is key.
Using Video Production to Drive Website Visitors
Much of the growth in search and activity online is going into video, not articles.
As the number of publishers of video content expands, so has the expectation of the audience for higher production values. This is difficult for one-person operations to deliver on but not small businesses with a team of people.
Simply put, companies that fail to embrace this marketing opportunity are restricting their growth and losing a chance to build their brand in the eyes of their potential customers.
Playing the Long Game with SEO
Search engine optimization is no longer a strategy that’s expected to bear fruit in a few weeks. It’s playing the long game. Or, at least, 3 to 12 months depending on the history of the site and what is trying to be achieved.
A sustained and carefully orchestrated SEO marketing plan isn’t something you should develop on your own or overnight. It requires careful review, planning strategy, and making realistic plans about what to expect and in what timeframe.
To get the best results from an innovative strategy, it’s best to hire a Las Vegas SEO agency that’s clued into what works today.
They can provide the experience and know-how to craft an appropriate plan for your SEO to deliver meaningful results.
Pay-per-click Advertising to Drive Immediate Traffic
We make the point of the market being verified and established first because trying to market to cold customers who not only don’t understand the offer too well.
But don’t even know whether they either want or need it, it’s going to be an uphill battle all the way.
However, when your market research is on-point and you’re ready to grow, then marketing directly makes sense to build momentum at a crucial time.
While it may have been possible to get this far in the business by making things up as you went along, that doesn’t continue to work successfully beyond a certain size.
A stronger game must be played to get healthier, sustainable outcomes for the long-term.
from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/business/how-can-seo-video-and-strategic-moves-help-to-sustain-a-business/
This pandemic may be altering your business practices. If your business is going to survive Covid19, you will want to prepare a virtual workforce. You will benefit from an effective communication hub and a VPS (Virtual Service Provider) that can be depended on. Your customers will appreciate knowing that you have a continuity plan. You may be doing some of these things already.
Transitioning To A Virtual Workforce
Provide a remote worksite policy that includes work expectations, safeguarding passwords and sensitive information, safety procedures, and a plan of action that should be readily available.
You will need information about the devices employees will be using to access corporate data. Some employees will need access to more files than others.
A flexible number needs to be chosen for the percentage of your employees who can work from home.
Provide your employees with a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to avoid the use of public services.
Remind your employees that they will need a secure work area with no visible passwords or open sensitive information.
Provide guest wifi so that unauthorized visitors will not see your protected data.
Create A Virtual Communication Center
Microsoft provides a feature called Remote Desktop. To use the Remote Desktop from a Windows computer.
Click the start button.
Click the word run.
Type “mstsc” and press enter.
Next to computer: Type in the IP address of your server.
Click connect.
You should see the Windows login prompt.
Now your employees should be able to access the same information from their computers that they had access to when they worked on site.
Check With Your Host Provider To Be Sure Your Website Is Ready
Request more capacity from your VPS hosting provider before you expect an increase of traffic. You may have to work out an agreement with your VPS to increase resources as needed. Don’t run at high capacity continually because even the best server’s resources could be minimalized.
Use a CDN. (Content Delivery Network) This allows your customers to quickly load static elements provided by your site from a server closer to them and protect your server from traffic spikes. A CDN will increase your site’s speed and made it easier to use. Systems sometimes fail so you should also use a load balancer toll that will allow you to utilize multiple servers where traffic is split at your discretion.
Compress Your Data When It Is Safe To Do So
Store your files, especially images, in small formats that can easily be downloaded by your visitors. Leverage caching plug-ins like WPS Super Cache or W3 Total Cache (by PHP and MYSQL) will deliver pages and posts as static files and greatly increase your servers’ ability to manage your traffic. Test your settings. Compression can cause problems if not configured correctly.
Scan and Study Your System
A good way to be prepared for traffic spikes is to have a system prepared ahead of time to warn you. Learn how and where visitors access your page. Use a real-time monitoring system and regularly check for backed up traffic. Keep records of high traffic days, times, and months. You will benefit from the patterns you may find. Any problem or concerns that you notice need immediate attention.
Keep Customers Informed And Reassure Them That You Have A Continuity Plan
During this pandemic, more people than ever are using online services. A few minutes of your time and personal contact can be very important. Keep customers informed of changes, especially of positive ones, and address the temporary effects of CoVid19.
Maintain What Your Customers Are Returning For
Getting prepared for doing most of your business online and then maintaining it will increase your workload. You may want to delegate some of it. Keep your website updated and moving. Whatever you were doing before the huge increase in traffic flow must have been working very well for your business.
from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/business/7-tips-for-business-continuity-during-covid-19/
In today’s current business climate, it is really difficult to run a business efficiently while also creating profits. Before, you were only dealing with your competitors in your local area, or in your country. Now the Internet has changed all that, and as well as competing with everyone else on the high street, you’re also competing with businesses all across the world. The whole geography of the business world has changed and if you want to keep up, you need to move along with it as well.
Invest in technology.
Customers nowadays, are extremely demanding and anything that they want, they want it yesterday, and they are not prepared to wait for it. Customer expectations are rising all the time, and so companies are now investing more in technology than they ever have. This new technology is being used on the factory floor and also in the warehousing, and these changes are all for the better. The warehouse is one of the most important pieces of the logistics puzzle and if you want to stay in business, then you need to improve the way that you receive things, how you store them, how you pick them up, and how you pack and ship.
Modern warehousing techniques.
A number of European logistics companies are turning to modern warehousing techniques to reduce costs and to speed up the whole process. They understand that the business world moves fast and changes almost on a daily basis, and if you want to keep up, then you need to make the necessary investments in technology. No one is saying that you have to reduce the amount of people currently working in your business, and jobs do not necessarily need to be lost. Adding technology to the workplace and to your warehousing, makes life better and easier for everyone. Once your staff is happy, you will find that productivity from them will also increase. The following are just some of the benefits of creating a smart warehouse for your business.
It boosts productivity – If your warehouse is fully automated, then all the processes within it are speeded up. Robots and other time-saving devices can be used to pick up, scan, and move products at a much faster and more efficient pace. Obviously, there will be people on hand to keep an eye on things and make sure that everything happens, as it should. This means that you can meet your customer’s needs faster and better, and so productivity will go up, and costs will come down. It’s a win-win situation for everyone. Staff get to learn about new technology and methods, and the customer is rewarded.
Reduction of human error – Due to the fact that you will be using all modern technology, the likelihood of human error creeping into your process is greatly reduced. Your fully automated warehouse will be operated by machines and technology that don’t get things wrong, unless they are programmed to do so by humans. Everything just moves along more smoothly, and you will find that your levels of efficiency will increase quite dramatically. This allows for a much faster logistical process and it has a knock-on effect throughout your whole business area.
Cost reduction – This improvement in your overall productivity and far less errors, means that you have customers who are more than satisfied and that should help to save money with regards to overall costs. Having a warehouse that is streamlined, will help to optimise your stock and overall shipping costs. We are not talking about savings of hundreds of pounds here, but we are talking about saving thousands of pounds, and that is an amount of money that just cannot be ignored. You would be irresponsible in your duties, not to look into a more efficient warehousing scenario where technology helps to save time and vast amounts of money.
Stay ahead of competitors – It is becoming increasingly harder to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to your closest competitors, but having a smart warehouse speeds up the entire supply chain, and this gives you a definitive edge over your competitors. You might actually find that your closest competitors have already invested in smart warehousing, and they may be pulling ahead of you quite soon. Now is the time to take action, and set up a smart warehousing facility to make sure that you could at least stay alongside them in the market.
The future is here and now.
The future of warehousing is looking very exciting, and currently we are using things like RFID technology to tell us the location of any item at any time, and it also keeps stock movements registered. We now have robots moving around the warehouse picking up products and then handling the materials, as well as drones flying around the warehouse scanning barcodes and counting our stock for us. The days of doing everything manually are long since gone, and if you drag your feet and refuse to embrace the technology that is now available to you, then you are sure be left behind in your competitors dust.
Now is the time, to make the necessary investment in modern warehousing techniques and if you are a key European logistics company, you really cannot ignore the advice that has been given to you here today. If you’re not sure where to get started, then you need to make an appointment with your nearest technical logistics provider, who is an expert in the logistics supply chain.
You will receive a high number of benefits when working with them, and they will do their utmost to make sure that your warehousing is current and technologically savvy. They not only deal with customers right here in the United Kingdom, but also with logistics and warehousing providers all across the European Union. Their knowledge is second to none, and they will make a very real and sudden impact on your business practices.
from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/technology/the-future-of-modern-warehousing-is-here-now/
One of the best ways for employees to communicate with each other is through personal interactions. Unfortunately, time spent in meetings is time that’s not used to generate revenue or create new business ideas.
It’s not necessarily the time spent during the meeting that creates inefficiency. It is the time employees spend organizing, traveling to, and waiting for in-person meetings. This is where conference calls can be beneficial.
What Is a Conference Call?
A conference call is a phone call that has three or more people. Conference calls make it possible for people in different geographic locations to meet together at a predetermined time via phone or VoIP to discuss urgent business where the input of multiple individuals is needed. Conference calls are key to the success of many businesses since it makes communication easier.
How Poor Conference Calls Can Hurt a Business
Poor conference calls, particularly poor audio quality, is a huge threat to productivity. A conference call that has bad audio quality can destroy a meeting, and it has a negative impact on the mental state of the people in the conference call.
One of the biggest problems with poor audio during a conference call is that it kills the concentration of all participants. According to some governmental regulatory organizations, background noise can raise a person’s stress level. It can cause migraines and increase the seriousness of stress-related health issues, like high blood pressure and coronary disease.
When a person is trying to focus, but their brain needs to sort through background noise, they may experience sensory overload that can flood their brain, causing it to release cortisol. This is a stress hormone that inhibits the function of the prefrontal cortex. It affects planning, reasoning, and impulse control. It’s clear to see the negative impact a poor conference call can have on employees, clients, and customers struggling to hear.
Fighting to Understand Coworkers’ Speech Minimizes Cognitive Functions
Studies done on elderly individuals who are experiencing hearing loss show that as their struggle to understand the speech of others increases, their brain’s ability to encode what they hear in the memory decreases. This is because struggling to hear what is being said draws on cognitive resources that would otherwise be used for memory.
Struggling to listen to a poor conference call can be classified as “effortful listening.” This type of listening is associated with pupil dilation and reduced cognitive performance.
Poor Audio Quality Leads to Brain Fatigue
The human brain has difficulty multitasking with hearing. The brain reacts first to the loudest input source. Poor conference calls can generate several negative audio issues, such as background, echo, or static. The brain has to focus on the most important source of sound. If your customers or employees feel exhausted after conference calls, they will have a negative impression of your business and brand.
Benefiting from Successful Conference Calls
High-quality conference calls lead to productive meetings and clear communication. Misunderstanding are avoided. When the audio of a calling bridge is clear and easy to understand, all participants walk away with a good impression of the individual or the business behind the call.
Your customers or employees may be reluctant to do conference calls because they think that they are difficult to set up or worry that they will miss pertinent information. However, using a calling bridge gets rid of those challenges. Calls are easy to set up, quality is clear, and everyone walks away from the meeting feeling like they were heard and were able to be heard.
from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/tech-and-gadgets/beginners-guide-to-conference-calls/
There are lots of good reasons to use an event management company to take care of your next event. Managing an event without professional help can be extremely stressful and time-consuming. It is a complex and sometimes pricey exercise that is better left to a business who knows exactly what they are doing. If you want your event to go off without a hitch, an event management team can help. It might be a crucial product introduction, or a special thank you to loyal customers, whatever the event, it is critical that things go smoothly, and with so much at stake, bringing in a professional event management specialist is a wise move.
Connections that Save You Money
One of the biggest benefits of using an event management specialist is having the opportunity to save time and money. If you work with a company who have plenty of experience in the industry, they’ll have all sorts of useful connections. These connections offer better prices and they get things done quicker than you would have imagined. Leading event management companies offer a wide range of professional services, from conference management to registration management to marketing and sponsorship. By outsourcing, you’ll save on cost and create time for other tasks. You probably have a long list of responsibilities, and by outsourcing the up and coming event, you can relax, knowing that things are being organised and the project is overseen by a pro. Without an event management specialist, you might have to assign an entire team to the event, which means another project would invariably suffer.
Tried & Tested
When you work with an established event management company, you are guaranteed success. They use formats that are tried and tested to ensure they create events that meet your specific requirements. They’ll be able to come up with a format that suits you, your audience and your budget. They’ll help to manage your budget and deliver a successful event, which will cement your already good reputation. Image counts for a lot, and when inviting valued clients and key partners to an event, it is critical that you portray the right image, which is why you need to call in an event management company, who arrange events for a living. You simply cannot afford to take any chances with a live event, as there is so much at stake, and bringing in the professionals assures the event will be a hit.
Creative Ideas
If you’ve never organised an event by yourself, you may be stuck when it comes to ideas. Running an event has a lot of responsibilities, you must be creative with event to ensure you attract your target audience. This can be quite difficult, especially if you’ve no experience with event management. The easiest way around this is to rely on a proven event management company. They’ll have plenty of suggestions to ensure your event is a success, plus they can run with your concept, if you have one. An experienced event planner would have a lot of great ideas regarding concepts and presentation ideas and they can help you create an event that will be remembered for all the right reasons. Be bold and plan something a little different for maximum impact and a professional event planner can help you to do just that.
All the Right Tools
Event management specialists use all the right tools to communicate with your attendees and attract interest in the event. They’ll come up with an array of cool ideas that get peoples interest in what you are planning to host. A professional company will make things more convenient by setting up things such as event websites and complimentary venue finding services. The trick is to make the event interactive and there are ways of achieving this, and using state of the art technology, you can livestream an event on social media, to reach a far greater audience. The possibilities are endless with the current level of technology, and, of course, you can have the event covered by a professional videographer, for use at a later date. You could, for example, send a DVD copy to all the attendees, which is a great way to cement the experience in their minds, and by discussing this with a professional event planner, you might be surprised at the many options on the table.
Professional Delivery
A lot of things can go wrong on the day of the event, that is why planning and execution are incredibly important. The timeline is created, allowing just enough time for each segment, plus there would be a QA section at the end, when attendees can ask questions. An event management team will hand out a detailed event plan for the day, which includes key information, such as:
Room usage
Delivery details
Staff responsibilities
The planner would have a copy of all the presentations on a memory stick and with a spare laptop in the wings, they are prepared for every eventuality. A rehearsal run by the MC is always a good idea, as this gives the manager a chance to see the event unfold in real time, and should there be any issues, they can be dealt with before the big day.
In addition, they’ll also have a well-briefed, professional team on duty to ensure everything is run like clockwork. This gives you the chance to focus on your guests.
There are a lot of factors to consider when organising and planning your own event. If you’ve never been involved in event planning, you could easily feel overwhelmed with the sheer number of tasks you are faced with. All planning and management assignments are so much easier when you hire a professional company who know exactly what they are doing.
If you would like to talk to an event management specialist, a Google search is the best place to start, and with the help of a professional, your event will be an instant hit!
from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/consulting/5-reasons-to-take-advantage-of-an-event-management-specialist/
European gambling market has seen a major overhaul on the most important markets in the past several years.
Countries have either stepped up their efforts to protect the gamblers the best way they can, or some have outright used their powers to lock the market and stop online gambling.
In many situations, this was due to repeated reports of punters not being able to control their gaming addictions which has created a call to action by the public.
Biggest movers in recent years have been Sweden and the United Kingdom. Both have tried to influence behavior of operators in relation to problem gamblers by setting up various rules and systems. Spain has also tightened the grip.
Germany has finally managed to unite its 16 Bundeslaender to come up with a joint pact on how to regulate the online gambling market after years of being in the grey zone.
Situation has also changed due to the recent outbreak which has forced players to stay at home. Many are worried this will result in spike of gambling by the general population.
Hence, many have to start to call for additional measures which will further complicate the regulatory landscape in Europe. Let’s review some of the recent moves and planned changes by the European gambling authorities.
United Kingdom
United Kingdom Gambling Commission has been pretty busy developing new ways to protect players from predatory practices.
It has not been limiting the deposit amounts, however, it has rolled out an extensive set of rules which describe the identification of problem gamblers.
It has also focused on KYC procedures and deeper inspection of customers’ sources of funds, especially trying to reduce the use of credit facilities in gambling.
It has also focused on commercial practices involving advertisements and bonus schemes. New rules make it obligatory to highlight terms and conditions for promotions to customers directly.
It’s important for players to understand how much money they can recover by winning beforehand.
Recently there has been a call of several MPs from the Parliament to the gaming companies directly involving reduction of daily betting limits to £50 in order to prevent damage in the time of lockdown.
However, there are no confirmations that this will be made into a temporary law.
Sweden
Swedish regulator Spelinspektionen has been much stricter, by directly determining the amounts players can deposit and wager. The goal of such measures was to directly influence availability of gambling to players in Sweden.
These rules were obligatory to all online casinos regulated by the Spelinspektionen. Further tax changes that have submitted operators to the Swedish tax regime have further dented the operating profits.
An unfortunate side-effect of this was growth in the black market casinos in Sweden. It is estimated that unlicensed casinos service about 30% of the market meanwhile.
Recently, there has been chatter that the Spelinspektionen is even thinking of completely shutting down online casino in the country or introducing some new rules. This might cause further expansion of unlicensed providers in the country.
Finland
Finland so far does not seem to plan to do major changes. In 2019 there were some moves by the public to influence policy makers to tighten the rules, but they have not been successful.
Local monopoly, Veikkaus is revamping its operations, especially when it comes to slot machines that they run across the country. They, however, do want to keep operating online slots.
Spain
End of February Spain introduced a new framework to gain more control over their gambling market. The measures have seen severe restrictions to online gambling advertisement.
Operators were allowed to use TV and radio to promote their brands only from 1 AM to 5 AM. New rules also planned the introduction of a ban on using public figures in ads.
Fast-forward to April, due to the situation Europe is facing, Spain has effectively decided to stop any advertisement on its territory. This is so far the most severe measure any regulator is taking.
In case others follow its suite, this could spell huge problems in the online gaming sector, which was already hit hard by the lack of sports events – effectively collapsing the betting market.
2020 isn’t half over yet and it is in many ways one of the most memorable years ever. True, many would like to forget it as soon as possible. There is fear that new measures introduced by the gambling authorities will bring the sector to its knees in this worst of times.
from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/entertainment/gaming-regulators-in-eu-mull-new-rules-for-2020/
Over six million small and medium-sized businesses in the US have issues with payroll taxes. So you see you’re not alone. With employees to pay, inventory to order, and keeping customers happy, it’s a juggling act.
With all the day to day operational things to deal with, thoughts of the IRS and tax codes take a back seat.
Keep things simple
Tax and coding need not be complicated if you know how to deal with it. Learn the mathematics behind it and the process is straightforward. Calculating payroll taxes with accuracy is critical.
Employee confidence in payroll will be high while IRS involvement, intervention, and auditing remain low.
Owners and administrators of small businesses now have options other than manual payroll calculation. Companies are moving away from manual calculation of payroll, in favor of an integrated hourly payroll app.
An app which integrates timekeeping and payroll functions frees up the time in the payroll management process. Less time spent on manual calculation means more time on other business critical tasks.
Before making a payroll run, even with timekeeping and payroll software, there are processes which need completing. Before a run, all employees should have completed the following documents:
· Form W-4: Employee’s Withholding Certificate
· State W-4 (as applicable)
· Direct Deposit Authorization Form
· Form I-9: Employment Eligibility Verification
The IRS Form W-4 should be complete and up to date. The employee should enter their name, social security number and their permanent address. This information is essential. This is key information required for an accurate federal income tax deduction.
The State W-4 is for calculating state and/or local income tax deductions. Some states have their own withholding forms, some do not. Up to date information is available at the Federation of Tax Administrators website.
The Direct Deposit Authorization Form is only required if an employee’s wages are to be paid directly to a bank account. If an employee is being paid in cash or paper check, then this will not be required.
Form I-9 should be completed by all new employees. It should be accompanied by a copy of their driver’s license and social security card, or a copy of their passport. Either way, they will need to prove their eligibility for work in the US.
Simple math
The calculation of payroll tax is simple if the math is known. It can be summed up in five steps as follows:
· Calculate gross pay – hourly rate x hours worked = gross pay
· Calculate tax withholding using local, state and federal tax tables
· Add everything together minus tax deduction and you have the net pay per employee
If you’re using a timekeeping and payroll app the process only needs to be set up once on the app. Calculations are then processed based on the start and finish times entered by the employee.
From week to week the tax withholding calculation is made. If the gross pay increases or decreases due to early finishes or overtime, the calculation is processed automatically.
Keeping on top of payroll and employee timekeeping can be integrated into a single process. Customers can be assured they are billed accurately for work undertaken.
Employees can see they are not being short-changed by employers. If you are audited by the IRS your records will be accurate and all taxes due paid.
from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/accounting-and-payroll/how-to-calculate-payroll-taxes-the-right-way/
The year 2020 started with a major global health emergency which was not expected to emerge. The novel coronavirus pandemic initially started in China with the country’s Hubei province of over 58 million people being the epicenter. The capital of the region Wuhan was the first major region globally to go under strict lockdown, with all movement within and in or out of the city suspended. Yet, today, the pandemic has spread across all continents with the number of infections nearing 3 million while almost 180,000 have died.
Not many people expected that the epidemic spread so fast in China would cover the entire planet. In response to the outbreak in Hubei and then across all of Mainland China, the vast majority of nations soon suspended direct flight services with the nation. However, unfortunately, this measure was too late and not sufficient to contain the spread of the virus.
COVID-19, as it was named later, first entered nations on the Asian continent, followed by the rest of the world. Soon, Europe reported its index case in Bordeaux, France, followed by Finland, Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom. Across the Atlantic, the United States also confirmed its first cases. However, the possibility is that the virus had already long spread across these nations.
Italy soon became the global epicenter of the pandemic as the virus spread at an enormous rate across the nation’s northern region of Lombardy. This area is the richest in Italy, home to the country’s financial, transportation and cultural center Milan. The area soon went under unprecedented lockdown, affecting the nation’s economy immensely. The country remains one of the most affected around the world with over 185,000 cases and 24,000 deaths reported.
Yet, the pandemic soon spread across all other nations, particularly in Europe and the Americas. Spain now is the frontline in Europe with over 200,000 confirmed infections, while the United Kingdom is expected to overtake many of the most affected nations in Europe. The British Prime-Minister Boris Johnson is still recovering from coronavirus after finally leaving the Intensive Care Unit of Thomas’ Hospital in central London.
Yet, the worst scenario can now be witnessed in the United States, which became at the top of the list of most affected countries overnight. Many believe that the government failed to respond to the crisis in time as president Donald Trump refused to introduce strict lockdown measures up until the very critical point. Nevertheless, the fact is that the world’s biggest economy is now threatened by the spread of the virus as it now counts over 800,000 coronavirus patients.
The pandemic’s impact on businesses
Perhaps, the biggest effect of the pandemic, after the human cost, is its detrimental consequences for the global economy. The impact it generates is simply unprecedented, as the world prepares to dive into the worst recession in almost a hundred years. Obviously, businesses small and big are highly affected by the virus. Millions of people have already lost their jobs since many companies are unable to sustain themselves anymore. Amid the economic downfall and almost non-existent demand on travel and leisure, WTI went under $0, possibly a devastating scenario for hundreds of US firms.
The pandemic is not as bad for some enterprises
Despite the unprecedented circumstances we live under, some businesses have found success amid the global pandemic. As for now, the vast majority of the global population is under lockdown or is highly affected by at least one COVID-19 measure locally or internationally. This massive change in how we live on a daily basis resulted in a growing demand for smart, remote technology. We have now realized that stopping the economy altogether will be exactly as devastating as the human cost we are witnessing.
Fortunately, the 21st century is full of opportunities we can utilize in an effort to boost the global economy. Staying does not mean being counterproductive as technology enables us to work or have fun while staying at home.
One of the first changes the global economy witnessed occurred within the gambling industry. Online casinos have been popular for quite some time now. However, as the world-famous gambling meccas, such as Monaco, Las Vegas, and Macau closed their doors to visitors, the digital gambling industry immediately started to flourish even further. Spinia.com online casino representatives say that the lockdown and ‘stay at home’ addresses by world leaders have affected even larger gambling platforms, such as theirs.
On the other hand, smaller and newly-emerged gambling start-ups are using a once in a lifetime opportunity to establish themselves within this growing market. Many believe that online gambling revenues will reach outstanding sums even in some more sophisticated or conservative nations at the end of 2020.
Online conferences: Zoom overtaking the world
No one knows when exactly will we get back to normal, but the majority of scientists suggest that it will not happen anytime soon. Moreover, they believe that our behavior and our way of life will have to change forever, even after the pandemic has faded away.
In this utterly rigid situation, many educational institutions and businesses are trying their best to keep on working, learning and teaching online. Zoom is the platform we all hear about these days. It makes international headlines and is used by leading institutions and government offices.
However, many forget that Zoom was not a major corporation and an easily-recognized brand prior to the pandemic. The startup that offers video conferencing was lagging far behind Skype and other competitors. Yet, it’s advanced features and easy access made Zoom the real star of the pandemic. Reuters have reported that the number of daily users exceeded 200 million in March while the same figure had reached the absolute maximum of 10 million before COVID-19 lockdown measures were implemented.
Besides, countless startups are doing well during the pandemic. They are benefiting from lockdown measures and strict regulations since many of them are focused on remote work. Therefore, the fact is the tech enterprises, especially those that can be put to good use during the global health crisis are not under a threat, but on the contrary, can gain profits, significance, and recognition during it.
from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/business-operations/what-startups-have-survived-the-pandemic/
Nowadays, starting a real estate business can be a very lucrative undertaking since it involves the buying, selling, and leasing of non-depreciable real estate properties for profit.
However, getting started with this venture requires a lot of considerations, which include the legal aspects of running a real estate business. As such, you definitely need to work with a real estate attorney to help you navigate the legal processes efficiently.
Here are a few reasons why you should hire an attorney if you want to start a real estate business:
Ensure Compliance With Your State’s Licensing Requirements
As mentioned, real estate properties are non-depreciable assets, which means that their price value increases over time. Since a large amount of money is involved in most real estate transactions, it has become a regulated industry today.
Because of this, it’s essential to check with your state about the licenses and other permits required before you can legally put up your real estate business. To do that, you need the help of an attorney who can guide you throughout the compliance process. With them on your side, understanding the licensing regulations in your state will be much easier on your end.
Determine The Legal Structure Of Your Business
Before you begin with the operations proper, you should decide which legal structure you want for your business. That’s why you should work with an attorney to help you determine the best structure for your startup company. After all, each legal structure comes with features and requirements that can impact your financial and legal risks.
Below are the business structures you can choose from:
Sole Proprietorship – This type of enterprise is owned and managed by one person. As such, it has no separate and distinct existence from the owner.
Partnership – This type of enterprise involves two or more people by which they agree to oversee the operations and share its profits and liabilities.
Corporation – This is an organization of a group of people authorized by the state and recognized by law to have a separate and distinct personality from the stockholders.
Limited Liability Company – This is a corporate structure by which the owners have no personal liability for the debts or obligations of the company.
Guide You In Every Real Estate Transaction
Again, starting and running a real estate business is never easy. Given the considerable amount of money involved, careful thought and due diligence are required when dealing with all real estate transactions. Fortunately, hiring an attorney can make every process easier, faster, and safer.
Below are the real estate dealings that require the assistance of an attorney:
Buying Real Estate Properties
When operating a real estate business, one of the things you should do is buying a real estate investment. In doing so, an attorney on your side can help review titles, deeds, and even the terms and conditions of the contracts.
For instance, if you have someone who can check the legal provisions of the sale contracts, you’re less likely to make poor decisions about buying real estate properties. Given their expertise and experience, they can quickly spot potential issues with the assets you’re dealing with and if it’s worthy of pursuing the transaction or not.
Moreover, they can provide you with some legal advice on processes involving a property transfer. This is especially true if you’re planning to buy properties belonging to a deceased estate, which in such a case, your attorney needs to check with the executor if they have a Grant of Probate or Letter of Administration. As a buyer of a deceased estate, your attorney can help explain what is probate and how it can affect your business and the entire buying process.
Selling Real Estate Properties
In addition to buying real estate properties, selling assets is another instance when you need the services of a legal professional. As an owner of a real estate business selling properties, you might face significant legal issues if the contract isn’t drafted correctly. That’s why hiring an attorney can go a long way in starting a real estate company.
Typically, lawyers who are experts in the real estate industry know the ins and outs of the business. They can make sure that the provisions in the contract are worded in a manner that protects you financially and legally in case the buyer discovers a problem with the property after the sale.
Also, if you have an attorney who can assist you, you can ensure protection against some buyers who tend to back out of deals at the last minute, causing financial damage to you as a seller.
Protection Of Assets
Having a real estate business requires asset protection as a significant consideration. Given the value and complexity of every real estate transaction, it’s crucial to have a good asset protection strategy in place.
To do this, you should work with an experienced attorney who can help protect the assets of your business against deterring lawsuits. By doing so, you can maximize profit out of your real estate business in the long run.
When You Don’t Know What To Do
Sometimes, starting a real estate business comes with a lot of challenges and confusion. This is especially true if you’re unfamiliar with the fundamentals of real estate transactions.
For example, you might be good at selling properties, but you might have no idea what to do to safeguard yourself from potential legal troubles.
Therefore, if you need someone who can help you make educated decisions and prevent lawsuits, having a real estate attorney on your side can make the process smoother and faster. Besides, it’s alright not to know everything about owning a real estate company.
Conclusion
Due to the complexity of real estate law, having a real estate attorney who can safeguard you from a significant financial loss can be a great idea. If you’re going to ask why you need an attorney when starting a real estate business, the information presented above can help answer that question.
Businesses are born everywhere whether they were begun as a side project to part of another company, started at a business forum, or even started at a college dormitory or home garage. It’s actually not as hard as you might think to keep a business running for as long as a whole year. But the period after that is when the honeymoon is usually over. You can run a sustainable business beyond that if you have a solid business plan and keep the following tips in mind.
Surround Yourself With The Right People
When forming a business, you can start out with your own work and even form the framework of what it might look like. But ultimately, you won’t be able to build it on your own because every business requires multiple people to run it. You will need to surround yourself with the kind of people who are knowledgeable and share the same kind of vision that you have for your business. For some entrepreneurs, they have built their companies with their friends or family on the team. But it will take being open to other ideas from people you may not know so well to help you grow to an advanced stage.
Know Your Human Resources Strategies
Every business whether small or large, is going to be implementing some kind of HR strategy even if they don’t have a separate department for it. This function is important for your business because this is where workplace policies are created and enforced, and employee hours and benefits are managed. Sometimes HR departments also oversee accounting and payroll services. Maybe you’re running a business but don’t know a whole lot about HR management, but there are other ways to manage it such as hiring a professional employer organization. As your business grows, there’s a lot of considerations for HR that have to be made.
Have A Plan And Budget For Marketing
Everything can be all set for your business to take off, but without having an actionable marketing plan you won’t get far. What’s difficult for business startups is that they often don’t have the capital to make it happen. The good news is small business loans are more available today than they’ve been in the past, and even if you don’t get approved for a lot of capital upfront, effective marketing can still be done. Also remember that you don’t need to stick to only one kind of marketing media. Some channels such as social media and other internet marketing are cheap compared to traditional media.
Make Sure Your Legal Bases Are Covered
There are many legal aspects to running a business from making sure no one is wrongfully terminated, to also making sure you’ve got the right insurance in case either customers or employees are covered in the event of bodily injury. But you also need to know how to register your business correctly and make sure you aren’t going to be hit with IRS penalties when it comes to tax filing. For these reasons, you should be prepared to hire an attorney or know a firm you can consult with who will guide you through your legal process. There are also online services that can offer you advice for fairly reasonable rates.
The bottom line to keeping your scrappy business going is to know the challenges that lie ahead and try to get out in front of them. It doesn’t take hundreds of thousands of dollars in capital to grow, but you do need to know how to find alternatives to covering fixed expenses when it is in short supply.
from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/business/tips-for-running-a-scrappy-business-startup/
Running a business has plenty of ups and downs and fostering loyalty from employees can be tricky when so much needs your attention to keep the business running smoothly.
However, your employees are the ones that will keep your business ticking and without hard-working, dedicated individuals it can be hard to grow and develop your company beyond a micro-entity.
When you find a good employee, you want to keep them and the best way to do this is speak to your employees about what they expect from long-term employment.
If you are trying to grow your staff force, the following can help to attract new employees and encourage them to stay with you for the foreseeable future.
Health Insurance Plan
Health insurance can supplement services available from public health care or in some developed countries (the USA) can provide peace of mind for your employees that their maladies and ill-health are going to be covered without needing to declare bankruptcy.
Health insurance can provide employees access to faster medical services and additionally, access to some services that aren’t available from public health care including advanced cancer treatments like proton beam therapy and specialist drugs.
Private medical insurance can be provided for the employed individual or extended to include family coverage (spouse and dependents).
Family coverage isn’t always practical for smaller businesses but can help find mature, experienced employees who are more likely to stay in return for good treatment and benefits.
Travel Allowance
Not everyone lives nearby to their work and those that live further away often give up more of their free time to ensure they are getting to work on time.
Providing travel allowance that covers fuel costs or pays for their public transport is an excellent way to encourage loyalty with your employees.
It lets them know that you appreciate what they might be giving up (more time with family, less time to enjoy hobbies) by covering the time that isn’t normally accommodated in the offered wage.
It’s one less concern for your staff and can provide peace of mind for staff that already have a lot of personal responsibilities to juggle.
Training and Skill Development
Most working individuals wish to develop their skills and abilities and by offering additional training and workshops for personal development this can help staff see that you also support their journey to be the best version of themselves.
Not only does offering training benefit employees and encourage loyalty but it can be greatly beneficial for the business and skills can be grown around internal workings to directly improve company practices.
Talk to your staff force about aspects of the business they wish to learn more about or if there are skills that an employee would like to learn and how they think certain skills or knowledge would benefit their work.
Bonus Schemes
Bonus schemes are considered one of the traditional ways of fostering employee loyalty and can be designed to help staff work towards personal and company goals.
Outline clearly in job opportunities that your company has a bonus scheme and talk to potential employees in interviews about how the scheme works to ensure they know what is expected for them and how they can move up to different salary levels within the company.
Everyone wants to feel like they can progress in their career and even when it might not be practical to move people up into higher job ranks, you can implement bonus schemes and salary brackets to ensure nobody becomes stagnant and unenthusiastic about their job.
Long-term employees bring many benefits to a business, they are a recognizable face for returning clients and their enthusiasm and excitement to do well helps the company to provide quality services.
Make sure to recognize and reward your loyal employees before it’s too late and you lose a dedicated employee that helped to encourage and inspire the rest of your staff force.
from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/human-resources/encouraging-loyalty-from-your-employees/
Finland might not be the biggest online casino market in the EU, however, according to the data by the Economist Intelligence Unit, it has one of the highest per capita spending for gambling in the world. This makes it one of the markets to watch.
As the regulations get tighter across the old continent, Finland also presents an opportunity for many operators since its special treatment of online gaming makes it one of the few countries where gamblers enjoy a lot of choice, especially online.
Fins are in Top When it Comes to Expenditure on Gambling
All this makes it even more worthwhile to take a peek at what will be determining the trends on the Finnish gambling market in 2020.
As mentioned, the data shows each Fin spends more than 500 EUR every month on some form of gambling: be it slot machines, lottery, betting, esports or classic casino games.
For operators is very important to understand which actions by the regulators might change this behavior. Another important factor is the endogenous trends of the market itself – which type of games are becoming more popular and which ones are not.
When it comes to the regulation in Finland, it seems that the country will most likely stay put and avoid introducing wide and sweeping changes to their gambling law.
This as Germany plans for 2021 or as its neighbor Sweden has been doing in the last couple of years. This actually does seem like a good decision. It’s important to protect the players.
However, what both of the aforementioned countries are doing wrong is introducing very strict controls that are creating an even larger black market online.
If the companies where people want to play aren’t regulated by any EU authority, then the idea of consumer protection can be cast out of the window. Restrictive regulatory regimes create such counterproductive situations where players flock to black operators.
Changes in the Position of the Local Monopoly
In Finland, local regulation is geared toward controlling the local monopoly for the benefit of the society. The idea is to regulate Veikkaus and transfer the profits to the community.
Many NGOs become eligible for these funds and do good with it. This does not stop Fins from playing in other online casinos.
They mostly choose EU based companies, which, in most cases, are regulated by the MGA in Malta, which also has pretty strict controls on what operators can do or aren’t supposed to be doing.
One new change that will be introduced for 2020 is coming from Veikkaus itself. They plan to increase their responsibility measures and protect the public better.
This has come after a series of backslash in 2019 where it was discovered that even some advertising by the government monopoly wasn’t conforming to the laws of the country.
Veikkhaus plans to reduce the number of physical gambling machines across Finland by 3500 – a move which will cost their bottom line more than 50 million EUR.
This might have broad-based impact on the market for the fact that many people still use these machines in bars and other establishment. In some cases, it pays to crush the alcohol-gambling addiction loop.
On the other hand, this might also trigger more people to try to find substitutes online. In this case, as the casino website www.mrcasinova.com/fi predicts, online casinos stand to gain from the change.
Google searches for EU casinos in Finland have been steadily growing in the last couple of months, not just because of this. One benefit of the Finnish system is that online casinos based on Malta are exempt from taxes.
To clarify this, players do not have to pay taxes for their winnings. This is another reason Fins are looking to place their money in European casinos that offer comparable safety, but a wider selection of games and payment methods than Veikkaus.
When it comes to gaming, gamification casinos, as well as casinos that offer pay n play feature, are still one of the most important trends in Finland.
Live casinos that are taking off in other countries still do not seem to interest Fins that much, possibly due to their by now legendary introverted nature and quietness.
from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/entertainment/changes-on-the-finnish-gaming-market-in-2020/
Online casinos have gone from being a novelty not too long ago to giving brick and mortar casinos a real run for their money.
The convenience they offer, but also the way the industry has found a way to reinvent itself year after year, is what has enabled them to keep attracting new players.
Today, you will find many players who have never stepped foot in an actual casino, and don’t intend to.
And with the exciting gameplay recent online casino games offer, it’s not difficult to understand why. Here are five recent and interesting innovations that have hit the world of online casinos lately.
The Rise of Cryptocurrency
Cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology have threatened to put the whole financial order upside down and change the way we interact with financial institutions.
While this has not happened yet, one area where they are making a significant impact is in online gambling.
One of the reasons why cryptos are so popular with online casino players is because they allow for a fast, secure, and anonymous way to transfer money.
Sounds like a dream for any online player, doesn’t it? Especially for those living in jurisdictions where online gambling is tightly regulated.
Virtual and Live Casinos
Online casinos have also done a great job of making the gameplay as immersive as possible for players. Virtual casinos and live dealer casinos are two examples.
Live dealer casinos use real dealers in games, which not only makes games more realistic but help reassure some traditionalists of the fairness of the games.
Even when there is no dealer present, recent games, like perfect blackjack by Playtech, for instance, do everything they can to reflect the traditional casino experience.
They do so while also adding their own twist to classic games in a way that would be difficult in a brick and mortar setting.
3D and Gamified Slots
Online slots have evolved greatly since their inception but are now often much more sophisticated than what you would find in your traditional casino. 3D slots have graphics that literally look like they’re jumping out of the screen.
Software providers like Playtech are doing everything they can to push the envelope and offer the best gaming experience to players. Many online slots now have video game aspects to them which add an element of skill to games that make them even more immersive.
Better Mobile Gaming
Many online casinos either had no mobile option, or a stripped-down version of their website that you could access through your phone or tablet. But these days, most online casinos are trying to please their mobile audiences and make games more mobile-friendly.
We’re seeing more complete online casino apps than ever before, which is coinciding with the release of more powerful phones on the market. The best casinos offer a flawless experience no matter the format.
Social Gambling
Social gambling is another very interesting development in the world of online casinos.
Most online casinos have always had some sort of chat option where players could interact with each other, but being able to integrate this with social media and feel like you actually know the people you’re playing against is adding a whole other dimension.
People can make, add, or invite friends to games and have a casino night from wherever they are. They can also choose to use social media communication tools as they do, which makes the experience even more communal.
Conclusion
The world of online gambling is constantly evolving, and there’s no telling where it will take us. One thing is for sure, and that’s that it’s showing no signs of slowing down and we can expect it to keep blowing us away for years to come.
from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/entertainment/5-recent-interesting-online-gaming-innovations/
You may face some struggles when it comes to fine-tuning and improving your app content. After you release an app, you will receive reviews from people suggesting ways to improve it. However, that can be difficult to manage, so some businesses use a content management system (CMS).
What is a CMS?
CMS is a software that you can get to easily make changes to your websites or apps. You can also use the software to design your own apps and websites without coding or design knowledge. This includes designing the apps from scratch or making adjustments as you go.
This happens by giving you access to an easy to adjust editor where you can quickly add text, change designs and make other adjustments to your website or app. It keeps things simple and straightforward so that you can make those changes easily. This way, people without extensive technical training can use it.
What It’s Used For
Many people and businesses use it to have someone else set up their apps. For example, if you run a business, you may not have the time to create an app on your own, so you hire someone familiar with the resource to do it. From here, they can teach someone else in your company about what they made and how they can use a mobile CMS to adjust it.
In short, businesses use it as a way to easily design their apps without design knowledge. From here, they can also make changes and keep track of the app through that same software. This simplifies the process and allows others to take control of it after someone else designs it.
The Benefits of It
People can easily learn how to use a mobile CMS and make the changes themselves. This makes it an excellent software for small businesses and a person that wants to create apps. They don’t need to drop tons of money just to create an app, so they can save money in the long run while creating any apps that their businesses may need.
Even if you do know how to design your own apps, this makes it so much easier. Instead of looking through lines of code and figuring out how to change it, you can use some easy clicks and typing to handle the process for you. This saves you time and resources in the long run.
Why Businesses Should Use CMS
Businesses need to save as much time as they can. The more time they spend on something, the less they can focus and change other parts of their business. This can cause them serious slowdown and prevent them from accomplishing other important goals. By taking advantage of a CMS, your employees can focus on other parts of the business.
If you run a small business, then you need to handle so many aspects of it. You don’t have time to take care of small adjustments to your app. On top of that, you may not have anyone specialized in app design, so having a software that makes the process simple will help you to remain focused on other parts of the business while taking care of it.
Conclusion
Make sure to look into a mobile CMS so that you can use the tools available to improve your app. You could run into issues if you always try to make changes and adjustments on your own, so use one of these systems to save yourself time, effort and money.
from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/tech-and-gadgets/advantages-of-managing-an-apps-content-using-a-cms/
Are you a budding entrepreneur? Looking to secure your website from frauds and brute attacks but you don’t know how, then look no further because the insights in this article are amazing.
If you’re a professional offering IT services via a website then this also will prove effective to you. First off, having a SSL certificate is the primary step towards securing your website.
This SSL certificate is especially useful if you have multiple websites you need covered. This is because it can cover multiple sites using just one certificate.
Let’s dive right in; here is a list of Do’s to ensure your website is full proof:
Implement a strong password policy
Using an alphanumeric string of characters to input and set passwords could prove effective especially in curbing hacking cases. Additionally, make the passwords as complex as possible because hackers tend to use highly advanced software to attack and crack login details.
In summary your password should contain uppercase and lowercase letters, numerals and at least one special character. Also should be at least 10 characters long. Set your systems this way and strive to maintain this policy.
Clean your website
Hackers look for the slightest loophole to attack and destroy, with this in mind, every app, plugin or just a skeleton database is a possible entry point for hackers.
So as the saying goes, prevention is better than cure. Always take measures to regularly clean files that are obsolete or just lying around for no reason in the website. This is a small but very effective tip.
Also office neatness is paramount, keep your workspace neat and always keep tabs on the goings on in the office to enable you be on top of everything.
Always update your software
Hackers are so good in what they do that sometimes we end up underestimating them. They can easily detect the slightest security flaw in your website and train their guns to exploit it and you will be on the losing end.
A simple practice such as updating your security software could go a long way to ensure the site is full proof. Additionally getting a Comodo SSL certificate and installing it in your site will do wonders for you. It’ll also add an extra security layer to your website so you can rest easy.
Encrypt your pages using SSL certificates
To break it down, SSL certificates encrypt the data shared between the server and the browser. This is useful because third party intruders are denied access to this flow of information.
So while setting up your website to render IT services use SSL certificate. For example, you can go with Comodo Wildcard SSL in case if you possess unlimited subdomains.
The SSL certificate allows sensitive information such as credit card and debit card information or just a client’s physical address to be kept safely.
The SSL certificate will prevent hackers from gaining access and also assure client information safety. Remember, the client comes first.
Use anti-malware software
Though this may sound a lot like a jargon, anti malware software actually works. They are so easy to use you don’t have to sweat about all the technicalities involved in setting up and utilization of the software.
They are many anti-malware software in the market, it’s overwhelming looking for the perfect one for you. They are categorized in two:
Paid
Free
Of course paid software’s are more efficient and have the ability to block ads and are often updated with many features. On the other hand, the free software is also effective and has been proven to work swiftly and effectively but with limited features.
Implement regular backups
Having a backup could be likened to a safety net in the circus. In that if the performer slips and fall they won’t be harmed.
Similarly, in the unfortunate event that you should be compromised, you have all your data kept safely that will enable you to resume operations as swiftly as humanly possible.
Essentially, a backup is a copy of your website data like content, databases and files. There are several ways of backing up your website. Here are several:
Use Word Press plugins – if you’re using this platform
Make use of backup services – this includes Sucuri or Codeguard
Use a web host
Lastly, always backup your data.
Look out for spammy links and comments
It’s always fun and games reading and replying to emails and comments of happy clients.
But not all comments of blogs and emails are with pure intentions, some are from bots, fake accounts and trolls who are just waiting for the opportune time for you’re to click on the link for them to attack.
So as much as you enjoy the love from happy clients always stay awake. Additionally, you can change your website’s settings so that you can manually accept and reply to comments before they are published on your site. This will provide you with the opportunity to erase any spam.
Get a good site developer
Ultimately site security falls squarely in your hands, right from conception of the idea to your first publication or in ecommerce stores, your first sale.
So get a well-qualified individual to set up your site to your specifications. Also, get a good hosting provider that will give you useful tips on how to run a website effectively.
Also, get yourself a wildcard SSL certificate that will not only safeguard your site but also optimize your site’s search engine rankings.
At last, there are endless tips to secure an IT service website and if you follow the above tips, you will create a secure environment in your IT service. Moreover, you should not ignore the importance of an SSL certificate that can take care of your website.
from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/cybersecurity/how-to-ensure-you-have-a-secure-it-services-website/
Freelance work can be very rewarding on personal and financial levels. Many people are already enjoying the benefits of working from home, as there are 57 million freelancers in the US alone.
If you’re thinking about choosing this career path, you’re also probably worried about how to find customers.
Expanding your customer base and actually keeping it that way can be hard for new and even experienced freelancers sometimes.
That’s why we’ve prepared a list of tips for freelancers who want to find loyal clients and earn a profit from the comfort of their own homes.
While there are a lot of freelancers out there, you don’t necessarily need to see them as your competition. Freelancers are usually tight-knit communities who offer help and support to each other, and they can be of real help to you, especially while you’re still starting out.
Find a community of freelancers in your field. You can do this through social media, networking events, and associations.
Make new connections and explain that you are new in the world of freelance and ask for advice and guidance. Find out how they started their careers and you’ll surely hear a lot of useful advice.
Write the perfect proposal
One of the biggest hurdles you will face as a freelance worker is convincing a client you’re perfect for the job.
You make a better impression than all of your competitors and convince the client that you are the best person for the job. The only way you can do that is by writing the perfect proposal.
Here is how you can write one that will stand out among an inbox full of other proposals.
Have a captivating opening line
A good opening line is strong and impresses the client from the moment they start reading your proposal and shows you did research before sending your message.
Use the opening line to explain what makes you qualified for the job in a confident way, without being arrogant.
Make sure your potential employer sees that you are ready to be committed toward the project and are ready to invest time and effort into it.
Show off all your strengths
Even though you have a lot of different and useful skills, you don’t need all of them for every job. Learn how to show off your strengths and highlight specific talents based on the needs of a client.
Don’t focus on skills that are irrelevant to the job, as they will be nothing more than a waste of space.
Keep your proposals as short as possible by listing only two of three of your strengths that are related to the job and elaborate on them to show off your expertise.
Include important past projects
When you only have a few jobs under your belt, you need to include all of them in your proposals. But after you’ve done more jobs, make sure to pick only the most impressive ones to put in your proposal.
The client won’t be impressed by just any project, you need to showcase those that paint you as an expert in your field.
Have a visually appealing layout
Without a good and visually appealing layout, the first impression clients make probably won’t be a positive one. Most employers won’t even look at your proposal if it has a sloppy and disorganized layout.
If you want to avoid this mistake and impress your potential clients, you can use a proposal template.
There are a lot of great freelance job websites that can help you start off your career, and you can use this guide to learn more about them. After you decide which websites work best for your skillset and field, create profiles and start browsing freelance jobs.
Keep in mind that everyone needs to start somewhere. You probably won’t be making as much money as you want in the beginning and that’s normal – you need to prove yourself before you can ask for high rates. Start with low rates you’ll raise over time.
Bid on as many projects as you can and accept all job offers that come from trusted clients. Don’t boast too much about your skills at the beginning, but focus on how you can solve your client’s problems.
You need to do this until you expand your network and you can be selective about the project you choose.
If you don’t already have a LinkedIn profile, you need to create one right away. LinkedIn is the most popular social network for anyone who is in business.
When we look at LinkedIn statistics, we can see that the platform has 675 million monthly users and 30 million companies.
Keep in mind that most clients look at the LinkedIn profiles of freelancers before they hire them, so an up-to-date profile is a necessity if you want potential clients to take you seriously. There are certain things your LinkedIn profile needs, and they include:
A good profile picture. Make sure to use a professional-looking picture, and if you don’t have one, take one with professional clothes against a solid background.
A noticeable headline. Since LinkedIn search results are based on headlines, include your job and field of expertise in your headline.
An impressive summary. Your summary allows you to delve deeper into who you are, so use it to impress people with your skills and talents.
Work experience. Include all past work that shows off your experience and expertise and your current role as a freelancer that will show potential clients you are free for new projects.
And don’t forget that LinkedIn is a great place where you can find new clients and they can find you, so always be active on this platform as well as regular freelance job websites.
After you’ve paid your dues by working on any projects you could find, it’s time to think about your ideal clients. Figure out who you want to work for by asking yourself these questions:
What kind of problem does my ideal customer have?
Where will my ideal client look for solutions to that problem?
How can I persuade them I am the best person for their job?
When you have the answers to all of those questions, you can start to source out your prospects. Research companies and individuals that fit the description of your ideal client for a couple of days to decide whether they fit all of your criteria. If they do, make a formal introduction.
Even though you will face rejection, don’t let that discourage you from applying to jobs. Even if a company or a client doesn’t hire you, they will still remember your name.
While you might not be the best person for their current opening position, you could still be perfect for a future job with them.
Word of mouth is a powerful tool that can help you locate new clients. Referral programs are a popular method of finding clients, with 33% of freelancers using it.
When you have enough faithful clients, you can use them to expand your customer base even further thanks to positive references.
Start a referral program where you will offer your clients certain benefits if they recommend you to people they know.
This incentive can encourage your clients to share your services with their friends and acquaintances, which will earn you new clients and new business.
Some incentives you can offer to clients who bring in a certain number of referrals include free hours or small projects.
As for the new clients, you can offer 15% off the first project for every referred client, a free planning session, or a free extended consultation.
Set up a reward system
A rewards program has a similar purpose to the referral program, and that is to reward your loyal and repeat customers. Even if a loyal client doesn’t bring in new business, they still deserve a reward for their loyalty and repeat business.
One of the most popular choices for a reward system is the retainer system for long term clients. This means you offer discounts who sign a retainer contract for a longer period of time (such as 6 months or 1 year), instead of singing a new contract every month.
This type of arrangement is beneficial for both parties. You as the freelancer will have a more stable and predictable cash flow, while the client will save money in the long run.
Final thoughts
More and more people are saying goodbye to old-fashioned desk jobs and joining millions of other freelancers in working from home.
The only thing that worries most freelancers is how to find enough customers, but if you apply all the tips you’ve just read about, you won’t need to worry at all.
from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/business/top-7-freelancer-tips-for-expanding-your-customer-base-and-keeping-them-around/
Are you looking for some ways to get an additional income after college classes? Check out the excellent selection of some business ideas for students. Grab any of them and try to start a business now!
Ideas for Bloggers
Do you like spending all the free time online and sharing your thoughts with followers? Turn a hobby into a strong business with ease. Engage people by posting captivating shots or publishing new articles and receive a reward.
Video Creation
Do you enjoy creating videos that collect a significant amount of views on YouTube, this idea is perfect for you! Briefly, it is simple! Just analyze competitors in your niche and explore some tips on how to create the best videos. After this, you can begin creating videos and making them available online.
Once, your video-channel gets a particular quantity of views. You can participate in the Google Partner program and get money by showing commercials in your videos. It’s amazing!
Moreover, the Internet brings the possibility to perform live streams and collect donations online. It is a great option that foresees the ability to play video games and earn money at the same time.
Blog on Social Media
Do you have thousands of likes under your posts on Instagram or Facebook? If so, you can start offering cooperation to other bloggers or businesses.
Simply, keep your audience updated and publish promoted posts a few times a week to get income! For starters, check out this guide and discover great tools for bloggers.
Ideas for Tech-Savvy Students
Do you like computers and know how to set up Linux or Windows software? If yes, it’s about time to try yourself in a tech niche! Scroll down and find some small business ideas that will help you to earn money by using your computer skills.
Tech Support
Doubtless, there are a lot of users in your area who need help with their computers, printers, or cell phones. Are experienced enough to resolve common tech-related problems?
If so, it will be easy to earn money for you! For instance, you can provide both online and offline help upon a request.
Web Development Firm
Do you like coding? Try to complete some orders on freelance platforms! Moreover, you can create software products like website templates or plugins for content management systems.
The online platforms that sell digital products and share the revenue upon a sale will help you to run a business with no effort.
After all, you can create your website developing company. Consequently, you’ll be the only one who manages and completes orders!
App Developing Agency
The app development niche is a fast-growing industry. Check the future of mobile applications here. Due to this fact, you can try yourself into the app or game development.
If you have a great idea, there is nothing complicated! Just create an application and upload it to the App Store or Play Market.
For example, you can develop an application that will help those students who are always asking their friends on “who can do my homework for me?”
Ideas for Handy Teenagers
Some students have a great talent to create catchy things by themselves. If you are one of them, you can start using your crafting skills to get income.
Create Garden Decorations
Homeowners like enhancing their lawns with alluring things that attract attention. Do not miss a chance to launch a successful garden decoration business.
For starters, you need to craft some models or ornaments. After this, start selling them online or create a local corner shop. Also, you can offer lawn care services to your consumers. This guide will be helpful to those who want to start a gardening business.
Craft Clothes
Everyone wears clothes. However, almost anyone wants to look unequal. If you’re good at creating catchy apparel, this is the best business to start in college for you!
Moreover, you can obtain custom offers and craft clothes for special events.
Ideas for Responsible Students
Some spheres require honest and reliable workers. If you don’t like to let people down, you may grab any of the ideas below and start earning money.
Pet Sitting
Almost all pets need 24/7 care. Unfortunately, pet owners cannot bring their favorites to a voyage or business trip. Become a savior and get an additional income! It is super easy! Just take care of animals and have a great time!
Child Caretaking
Help parents to allocate some time for visiting a doctor, doing sports, etc. It is simple! Taking care of kids is an excellent idea if you are a cheerful person who knows how to interact with children. It’s the best business to start with little money!
Ideas for Hard Working Learners
If you work hard and achieve excellent results in study or sports, do not hesitate to use your skills to get money. All the ideas in this chapter are simple and easy. However, they can help you to start a successful business.
Coaching
If you have particular skills or knowledge, you can share them and earn money! Both online and offline tutoring services are highly required. Try a teaching role and help people to gain their skills or improve their knowledge. It’s as easy as ABC.
Student Help Services
Doubtless, it is challenging to be an excellent student. A lot of learners need help with writing essays. If you are good at creating breathtaking assignments, you can offer college papers help. Rescue your mates helping them to boost their grades and receive your reward!
For sure, running a business is a complicated process. It requires a lot of effort and problem-solving skills. Therefore, try to turn your hobby into a business and earn money by doing your favorite things.
After all, I want to wish you success and good luck!
from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/small-business-advice/small-business-ideas-for-college-students/
In addition to the severe cost of human health and life, the novel coronavirus, or more formally referred to as COVID-19, has wreaked cultural and economic havoc across the globe. For the restaurant industry, it has become a tsunami of stress, anxiety, and transformation. The intrinsically linked network of restaurant chains, mom and pop shops, chefs, and independent farmers that have exhilarated tastebuds and palate is now shattered.
Matthew Delsignore, a sushi chef and active voice within the food community, has witnessed the abrupt change firsthand. In this article, Mr. Delsignore discusses how the cuisine world and its working professionals are adapting to the pandemic as well as potential long-term repercussions.
Devastating Data
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 5 million people work in the foodservice industry or related jobs. Full-service restaurants, limited eating venues, specialty food services as well as drinking (alcoholic beverages) places fall under the food services umbrella.
Thus far, every major city within the U.S. has experienced a significant drop in restaurant patronage. Booking Holdings, the parent company of OpenTable, a popular online restaurant reservation service, reported that seated dining had plummeted 98% compared to the same time last year.
Furthermore, financial analysts estimate that of the one million-plus restaurants across America, as many as 20% could permanently shut their doors due to the outbreak. Independent businesses are at particularly high-risk.
Takeout is King
Per the data above, as a result of stay-at-home orders across the nation in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus, dining out is a faint dream of yesterday. Though, due to the expansion and maturity of the online and mobile prepared food ordering and delivery marketplace in recent years, restaurants have found a life support opportunity.
Most restaurants are operating with a skeleton crew to abide by social distancing guidelines in addition to economic factors. Yet, the pressure to persevere in these uncertain times is substantial. Employers are either retraining employees to deliver meals or relying on the tech of Grubhub and Ubereats to retain patronage. Either way, the fate of the industry strays on a knife’s edge as the landscape has been forever changed.
Food is a necessity of life, but so easily taken for granted. As service workers clock in for the front line to ensure their local communities are fed, public perception of their value as working professionals may permanently change for the better.
In light of the situation, workers, industry leaders, as well as politicians have argued for a living wage, paid sick leave, health benefits, and even hazard pay. Naturally, not every business is in a position to meet these humane demands, but giant corporations can no longer turn a deaf ear.
Darden, the parent company of Olive Garden and Yard House, implemented sick leave for its restaurant workers after facing criticism for its out-dated policies. Still, CEOs may view this as an interim solution for a short-term problem. However, once the economy stabilizes and a sense of normalcy is restored, it may be difficult to dismantle these essential benefits.
Cultural Impact
Restaurants represent more than a vacation from sweating over the stove. Dining out is a cultural experience that impresses upon us the joys and beauty of life. For example, in Japan’s demanding work culture, izakayas (pubs or taverns) provide a much-needed stress-free environment where people can express themselves. But the fact remains a future where restaurants safely reopen looks drastically different from what people remember.
The underlying buzz that gives voice to the restaurant’s atmosphere may diminish due to social distancing measures and temperature checks before being seated at a table. Though, as a society, we can hope that the path forward allows us to retain a flicker of the excitement and decadence that once existed between customers and their local food communities.
About Matthew Delsignore:
Matthew Delsignore is an expert in the restaurant business, particularly specializing in Asian cuisine. A position of a sushi chef at a new establishment allowed Matthew Robert Delsignore to share not only his love of food but also his knowledge of the industry. He is best known for his work ethic and enthusiasm, combined with a passion for fitness.
from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/lifestyle/chef-matthew-delsignore-reviews-changes-in-the-restaurant-industry-due-to-covid-19/
