Setting Up a New Business Doesn’t Have to Be Scary

You’ve finally done it and taken the plunge and started up your very own business. It’s stressful, daunting, scary but also hugely exciting. It doesn’t have to be a sink or swim situation, there are lots of people and places that can help you set sail on the ship of success! Not sure why the nautical theme has presented itself, but it’s a great analogy so let’s flow with it.

Lifting the anchor

It is a long and exhaustive progress to get your own business of the ground, but you know the long hours, sleepless nights and hard work will pay off in the end. You are your own boss! What you say goes, and it brings a huge sense of achievement to be able to see something you’ve created start to succeed. It’s no good to have gone through all this effort and then suddenly let the panic creep in and sap your confidence. It would be like buying a brand-new boat ready to sail off into the horizon and then leaving it moored with the anchor still down. In order to succeed with your new venture, one day you’re going to have to lift that anchor up and sail off into the unknown.

There will be challenges, undoubtedly, but believe in yourself! You’ve worked for this and you’re prepared for it, even if you don’t feel like it.

Full speed ahead

So, you’ve set sail and like a true professional business owner, you’re working through the challenges and difficult times that come with running a successful business. There will be times when you doubt yourself and what you’ve done, wishing you could go back to the cosy office job you had. Then you remember grumpy Graham from two cubicles down and realise that the freedom of being your own boss and choosing who you work with is worth the stressful moments. Once you’ve become familiar with how your business is running, sorted out the teething problems and got to grips with the logistics, it really is full speed ahead. You must consider all elements of what makes a good business a thriving business and able to keep up with the market. Considering elements such as target markets, sales targets as well as digital marketing like SEO (check out Portland SEO Expert to help you) can be beneficial in getting your business noticed.

Plain sailing from here

Once you’ve mastered the art of developing and expanding your business and relishing in the success, you mustn’t get complacent. New businesses require a lot of hard work, especially when they’re in their infancy. With your time, effort and continued determination to do well and adapt to the challenges you will face, your new business will soon be the business. If you expand your knowledge to your employees and pass on your experience, your business will continue to grow and develop and your vision. Even in stormy seas, the ships that make it through are the ones that have a captain who believes in its ability to do so.

A Small Business Doesn't Have To Stay Small Forever

Every new business is a small business, but that’s the way to some stay for the entirety of their lives. But why would you want this? Just because you started out small, doesn’t mean that’s the way it has got to stay.

I understand that trying to make it big is intimidating. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in, there’s going to be one massive company dominating the market. Rather than fearing them, tackle them head-on and maybe one day your company could be the one dominating the market. If this is what you want, here’s how you can slowly start transitioning from a small business to a larger one.

Size Counts

Size matters, with anything in life. But with business, size is everything. A company should grow and grow, both in profits, team size, office space etc.

When you first start out, you’ll most likely be running your business from your own home. If you’re still doing this, then it is time to get your own office space so your business can actually move forward. All you need to do is have a browse through websites such as offices.net, and see what small offices they have available for you.

The next step is slowly increasing the members of your team, and I mean slowly. One of the main reasons why so many people mess up is because they try and do things too fast. If you’re employing someone you’re giving them a livelihood. The last thing you want to do is have this taken away. When you have the profits and need the help, take the leap. 

Smooth Processes

Internal processes can be an absolute nightmare to manage. Things go wrong left, right and center, and some businesses just never have smooth internal processes. So, find a way that you can streamline things. If you have a production line, then I highly recommend you use software to track progress.

If at different points of the production line you have a quality checker who inputs information into software that is available if you have a mooch round on the internet, you’ll then be able to see what product is where. You can then check for any delays, and solve issues as they come in. It’s much more effective and easy to manage than relying on word of mouth. That’s where things can get really confusing.

Constant Improvements

You should always be looking for ways to improve. From the way that you run your company, to the way your customers view you. There’s always something that can be improved, so don’t be fooled into thinking you’re running the perfect business. Make sure you’re doing things such as internal company questionnaires to see your employees views, and market research to see what your customers would change about your products or services. I highly recommend Expert Secrets by Russell Brunson for help in making improvements in your business. 

So, do you feel as though you can expand your business now?

Keeping It Clean! Getting People To Pull Their Weight In The Office

If you move away from your home and decide to rent an office for your business, there are always a lot of things you’ll realise. One of the things you are likely to notice is that people are messy. Not everyone will put the coffee lid back, or wash their spoons… and often working in a space with a bunch of messy people can be irritating. To ensure that the office stays clean and hygienic, here are some of the things you can do to make sure everyone plays their part this year.

Make A Rota

An office cleaning rota can be the best idea you have ever had for your business, and when it comes to making sure things stay clean all week long, there is nothing more motivating than a rota where everyone has to pitch in. You can choose a different person each day to take 10 minutes at the end of the day to clean up dirty dishes and make sure the space is bleached. This will allow you to keep on top of the mess and it will lessen the risk of illness spreading through the office.

Set Out Time

If you always seem to struggle with keeping your desk tidy and clean throughout the year, the easiest way to ensure that you do is to schedule 10-15 minutes each week for the whole office to clean their desk and throw away any paper they no longer need. It is a small amount of time relatively out of the week and it can make a massive difference to the organisation as well as the productivity of the office.

Organise The Office

If you want people to keep their stuff clean and tidy, you need to put some effort into making the office more organised for them! This can include having in and out trays for projects, having a place for mail to be delivered to, and it can also include colour coding finance, marketing and project files for easy access when people need it. Little things like this can make a big difference and they can make the process of keeping the office clean much easier.

Hire Cleaners

Cleaners can be the best thing you bring into your office and they will make the process of keeping it clean much easier. Often office cleaning services will do tasks such as vacuuming, mopping cleaning the windows and bathrooms, but they may not touch the kitchen, which is why you will still need to have a rota for this. With less work to do, your employees should have no problem maintaining the office.

Provide Supplies

The easiest way to ensure that people pull their weight and clean up their own mess in the office is to provide cleaning supplies in the office. This will include things like disinfectant wipes, bleach, gloves, sponges and a multi purpose cleaner. Having all of these things in the office means that people have no excuse when they have spilt something or made a mess!

Sensational Staff: Simple Ways to Keep Your Workforce Happy

building a freelance business

You might be the genius behind your business, but your staff are extremely important too. You can't run things alone, not if you want to continue to expand and grow and so you need fantastic workers who can fulfil each role and do their work to the highest standard. Your workforce are what literally make your entire venture work, and so not only do you need the right people but you need to be keeping them happy too. Here’s how you can go about it.

Allow them to work from home

You might not be able to have a completely remote workforce, for whatever reason you might need staff in the office for at least some of the time. However, are there days when your employees could just as easily be working from the comfort of their homes? Providing all of their daily work gets done then this won't affect you or your productivity, but could make them much happier. With no commute and the opportunity to have pyjama days now and again this could really be something that employees approve of. Now that so much of business is being conducted in the cloud, it’s easier than ever to allow your staff to work remotely, even if just some of the time. You just need to ensure you have the right programs, for example you will need to decide between Google Drive vs. Drop Box. You will need to migrate your data and documents online, as well as programs like Office 360 to ensure everything is streamlined. Once all of your software is in the cloud, essentially staff can work from anywhere in the world since data sharing is easy and can be done securely and to any computer.

Provide them with a good office

If you do have staff working in your office, even if it’s just some of the time, then the space should be up to scratch. Have it deep cleaned and redecorated, and update the lighting and window treatments so that if feels bright and makes the most of the natural daylight. Add living plants which have been shown to boost productivity and mood in the workplace. Make sure they have the equipment and right technology to do their job to their best standard.

Listen to them

This sounds like such a simple thing but it’s so important. Listening to your employees can make them feel happier and more valuable to you and your company. These people are very important to your business and you want to know that they are valued and respected, so as well as getting to know them you should really listen to what they have to say. Whether it’s a comment, query or complaint, make sure this is dealt with efficiently. When your staff feel comfortable speaking to you, chances are you’ll hear about any issues that you’re unaware of far more quickly. Maybe something isn't working in your business, but it’s flown under your radar since you’re managing things from the top. Perhaps there’s workplace bullying or harassment going on. The quicker this is brought to your attention and resolved, the quicker productivity will return.

How To Boost Your Business’s Sustainability In 2018

There’s no doubt about it, when you launched your business you expected it to last a lifetime. Why wouldn’t you? After putting hours and hours of work and a large sum of money into your venture, you probably feel that you’ve built a business that has every chance of long-term success. However, if you haven’t taken sustainability seriously, then you are missing a trick.

The modern business landscape is continually evolving, with sustainability becoming more vital than ever when it comes to business success. Consumers don’t want to support businesses that fail to support the environment, which is why ensuring that your business is sustainable as possible is crucial for your success.

Concerned that your business lacks sustainability? Don’t panic - the information below can help you to quickly and simply change that.

Paperless is key

Going paperless is a great first step to make. Not only does being paper-free make your business more sustainable, but it also has the potential to make running certain areas of your business easier, and it may also help you to cut costs. Plus, when you use paper, you spend around one-third of each working day attempting to locate specific documents. Whereas, if you choose to take advantage of modern technology and utilize resources like the cloud for storage purposes, you should find it easier to locate documents that you require, saving you time.

Take advantage of tech

Smart technology has changed how businesses run. It has overhauled the business sector and made running a business from anywhere a much easier task. When it comes to business sustainability, taking advantage of the right technology is vital, which is why if you’re not sure how to utilize this tech or how to decide what tech to use, strategic technology consulting could be highly beneficial for you and your business.

Use energy efficient technologies

It might not be practical to get rid of all your office equipment right now and replace it with more energy efficient pieces of technology. However, when the time comes for an office upgrade, ensure that you are upgrading to tech that’s designed to be more sustainable and uses less energy. It might cost more to purchase but in the long run, it will save you a large sum of money, and it will ensure that your venture is as sustainable as possible. Of course, the little things you can do now include swapping to eco-friendly light bulbs and adding water caps to your taps to reduce water use.

Advertise your ‘greenness’

If you are going green to boost your business’s sustainability to help increase the size of your customer base, then you need to ensure that you advertise your ‘greenness’. Because if you don’t tell people that your business has gone green, they won’t know, and then these changes will be for nothing (except to help the EARTH!). Perhaps you could run a social media campaign all about green businesses and why these are the brands that consumers should be supporting?

Keen to give your business’s sustainability a boost in 2018? The above tips should help you to do that effectively.

Innovative Ways to Incorporate a Culture of Cybersecurity into Your Business

Guest article by Kim Del Fierro, VP of Marketing for Area 1 Security Cybersecurity is a prevalent issue that’s received increased attention in many companies lately. And no wonder, since it’s continuously been a hot topic brought to the spotlight by the significant data breaches of the past few years.

The good news is that there are plenty of solutions that can help stop cyber criminals in their tracks. The bad news is that many companies don’t take the necessary precautions because they lack proper cybersecurity practices. That leaves them wide open to all sorts of malicious attacks. In prevention, businesses should first build a security culture from within, while ensuring they retain a strong security partner from outside the organization. Here are three steps to creating a culture of cybersecurity.

Aim to Disrupt

If your company’s security culture is at a low level, you’ll need to put in extra effort to change it for the better. That means you’ll have to be disruptive and work on improving the existing cybersecurity mindset of every individual you employ. The ultimate goal of this process is to give the power of knowledge to your employees and spread awareness of the common cybersecurity issues. Without awareness, it’s pointless to hold employees accountable for maintaining security. Humans will always be the weakest link in any system, but that doesn’t mean you should give up on cybersecurity education.

Engage Employees through Education

You can make sure your employees will go through the cybersecurity education process smoothly by making it engaging. Want to teach them all about Business Email Compromise (BEC) and Email Account Compromise (EAC) scams and how to recognize them? Don’t settle for a PowerPoint presentation they’re sure to forget next month.

Instead, make sure they have something to do while they learn —such as organize a competition or let them try getting into the hackers’ shoes. That way, your employees will have a better understanding of what they need to do to maintain security. By helping them learn actively, you will ensure that the knowledge they acquire lasts. No matter how strong your training, remember that it is never foolproof.

Invest to See a Return

Everything you invest in to improve your company’s cybersecurity practices should pay off down the line. If it doesn’t, then it’s ineffective. However, some things are always worth an investment. For example, creating a secure development lifecycle (SDL) is likely to have good ROI. An SDL will cover all the activities you need to perform for each system or software release, which can improve the effectiveness of your cybersecurity practices.

On the other hand, using services that prevent threats from ever reaching you can be even more beneficial. This primarily holds true for forms of attack that traditional defenses, such as firewall and antivirus, can’t stop. Phishing is the cause of 95 percent of data breaches, and with Area 1 Security’s Area 1 Horizon Anti-Phishing Service, you can be sure that any email, web, and network phishing attacks will stop before they become a problem.

We’ve reached the point where cybersecurity has to become an intrinsic part of all business processes. The organizations that fail to make it so eventually find their weaknesses exploited by cybercriminals. To prevent this, build a security culture within your organization and invest in solutions that can minimize or stop threats completely.

7 Ways to Improve Your Human Resources

If you would like to make your human resources more effective, you don’t have to spend a fortune on advisers and professional services. Whatever makes sense for your company and works for your staff might not be applicable to other businesses. It is your responsibility to figure out what your employees want and align their personal aspirations and career goals with your own corporate interest. While this might be easier said than done, you will find a few pointers below to help you get started.

Attract the Right Talent

First of all, you need to make sure that you attract the right people in your business. You need to have specific job descriptions, expectations, and benchmarks, so you can find people who will take your business to the next level instead of holding it back. Most conflicts at the workplace are a result of misunderstanding, so communicating your goals, your mission and value, as well as your expectations will help you choose the people who want to work with you and who you want to work with. You can also check out a few recruitment blog articles to find out how you can engage with your future employees.  

Make Them Take Responsibility

It is also crucial that you develop a responsible corporate culture. Do not accept employees blaming each other, and make sure that everyone pulls their weight in the office. For this, you will need to set clear expectations and have clearly defined role descriptions. Instead of focusing on the rights only, you will also have to add a list of responsibilities for each job description. For example, you can prevent the marketing department blaming the sales team for the lack of conversion if you define each one’s individual responsibility.

Focus on Collaboration

One of the things that can take your business further than you can imagine is a culture of collaboration. You need to nurture relationships in the office and work on team building. This will improve the communication in the workplace and help you manage your staff better. Whether you choose to have morning meetings, or set up teams to work on strategies together, you will be able to see results  fast.

Knowledge Sharing Culture

Apart from collaboration, you will also have to make sure that everyone is happy to share information and knowledge. This will increase your organizational knowledge and competency, and give you a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Make sure that your teams share data and insight, and different departments’ representatives listen to each other, so they can brainstorm various ideas and solutions together.

Training and Development

If you would like to empower your workforce, you will also need to have an attractive training and development package. Whether you are choosing to do this in-house, offering coaching and on-the-job training, or outsource the different modules, you have to align the goals with your individual employees’ career aspiration. Use your monthly reviews to find out more about their goals and their challenges, so you can support them to the best of your abilities.

Perks

Employees are in the job for the money, according to some people. But there are certainly more benefits of having a stable job than getting paid. Non-fiscal perks, such as early finish when hitting the target, health club access, and unlimited food can be some of the most powerful perks. However, the secret is listening to what your employees really want. Some of them might want childcare vouchers, while others would love to have a car scheme. Tailor the employee perks to individual needs, and you will have a loyal and productive workforce.

Recognition and Peer Reviews

It is often hard to tell your employees that they are underperforming or delivering praise. This is why you need to be as impersonal and rational when rating your workers as possible. You don’t want them to think that you are prejudiced. This is where peer reviews come handy. You can base your monthly or quarterly appraisals on peer reviews, customer ratings, and data instead of individual suggestions and views. Don’t forget to recognize those who are delivering beyond expectations, and give them some formal recognition, such as a promotion or additional benefits.

 Knowledge Sharing Culture 

Apart from collaboration, you will also have to make sure that everyone is happy to share information and knowledge. This will increase your organizational knowledge and competency, and give you a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Make sure that your teams share data and insight, and different departments’ representatives listen to each other, so they can brainstorm various ideas and solutions together. This can also be assisted by the use of appropriate utilities that aim to help your team collaborate on a wider scale, such as with education ERP software that allows for better administration, even of public institutions.

If you would like to manage your human resources effectively, it is important that you engage with your employees and understand their needs. Once you know what they are looking for in their job, you can align their preferences and goals with your company’s, so you can work together on shared visions and missions.

BYOD: Is It A Realistic (And Secure) Productivity Method In Business?

It is normal for any developing business has considerable IT problems from time to time. From the common PC problems that we are all very familiar with, all the way through to the most sophisticated of modern viruses and malware, the headwork an IT team undergoes to fix these is strenuous to say the least.

When it comes to finding the most suitable methods for a business to maintain its productivity, one of the most common options right now is the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) method. Now, the idea behind BYOD is straightforward enough. It's having your staff bring their own devices into work and use them, which saves you considerable costs. But, is BYOD a realistic security method?

The Implications of BYOD

In having BYOD, as your predominant method of working, the bearing it has on the business does yield many positives, which we’ll go into later. But the major issues with BYOD relate to many of the inconsistencies any startup company is ubiquitous with. Firstly, as every workforce becomes more and more reliant on smartphones and mobile devices to do their work, this creates a plethora of problems with regards to data leakage.

Overall, mobile phones and tablets are notoriously weak when it comes to it attacks. Many businesses have learnt the hard way with this, and now many companies don't provide devices to their employees.

Another considerable challenge in BYOD is the mixing of data. As many employees will use personal data and business data on the same device, this begs the question, is there a suitable way to patrol this? Because personal and business data is being mixed, there can be a sense of opening the floodgates on both sides.

Malware from personal website surfing can infiltrate the business aspects of the device, and vice versa. On top of this, the regular patch updates mobile devices need can prove to be frustrating for any business, especially if these patches are so regular. This is why businesses need to implement more stringent policies and procedures to keep every aspect of their business safe.

When you add into the mix the work involved in patching the software, as well as integrating it into the IT infrastructure to make it compliant with the BYOD processes, this adds another layer of concerns. However, penetration testing is an approach every business should undertake so they can sort out any specific vulnerabilities.

The Positives

Why this all may sound doom and gloom, the positives of the BYOD approach to work means a flexible and dynamic approach to working. Flexibility is a demand by employees now, not a luxury. The BYOD approach means that as employees can use their devices from anywhere and at any time, they are still in keeping with the business as a whole.

More and more employees are demanding the option to work from home, and remote working is a capability that every business needs to integrate, or run the risk of losing employees to another, younger and more vibrant business. In keeping on top of the employee happiness game, the access to remote working capabilities means a lot, especially to Millennial and Generation Y employees.

But, it's not just all one-sided in favor of the employee. The notion of autonomy in the workplace gives a sense of control back to the employee, which has a positive bearing on you as the entrepreneur and leader. Because so many employees are happier in using their own devices, their productivity is automatically improved.

And while the impact of the mobile device is seen across the boards, because the biggest way of gaining custom and business now is via app development, this gives employees a ground floor perspective on proceedings. When hiring a software development company to create these devices for your customers, creating business related apps for your employees to use on and off site can mean a stronger sense of cohesion.

And while the mobile device is the most commonly used device in the world, surely it's now time for everybody to jump on this bandwagon, and not rely on static computers? While it's an additional effort for your CIOs to make significant changes to the IT infrastructure, it's beneficial to implement penetration testing and make a comprehensive policy and procedure document so that the systems can be upscaled accordingly.

Is It Really Effective?

From the perspective of the employer, the notions of compliance and privacy are two things that are thrown into this array as far as mobile devices are concerned. You are running the risk of going into surveillance territory if you are keen on monitoring your employees’ working progress.

While systems on computers onsite are par for the course when it comes to monitoring progress and metrics, this is an ethical gray area when you consider the idea of monitoring your employees through their phones. Do you actually have the right to monitor their phones if you see something questionable, or can you feel you have the right to wipe data from their device?

The other side of the coin is that with your employees using their own devices, it's a free for all with what they want to use on their own phone. This can mean an increase in employee downtime, but now, as so many employees are reticent to give work related devices to their employees, in a bid to save money; this is par for the course. The way to solve this would be good old-fashioned reinforcement of work ethics and encouraging employees to manage their own time in an efficient manner.

On the face of it, Bring Your Own Device is a perfect addition to any workplace. But on the other hand, the impacts from a technological and security based view point throws up a lot of quibbles. BYOD, much like any other new system integration, requires comprehensive patrolling, but also requires appropriate regulation. So, this is nothing different in comparison to all the other process is out there. But with BYOD, the difference is that you are putting the onus onto the employee. This could mean better results, or worse, as far as productivity is concerned. It's your choice.

Agile Methodology in Large Enterprises

As companies get bigger, implementing Agile (a software development methodology) becomes even more challenging. This, however, does not imply that it is not possible. There are bigger companies that have implemented Agile, like IBM, which has made them even more successful. But as usual, we have some practitioners and pundits who are of the opinion that the Agile methodology can work in large enterprises, while others issue caveats. Those who have successfully scaled Agile in their organizations say that the three crucial things that can help you implement this method in large enterprises with little difficulty is your process, tools, and discipline. Bigger companies are faced with even bigger problems, and as such, they do not have the liberty of tolerating sloppy practices. While some people argue that scaling Agile in large enterprises is impossible, those who have successfully implemented it say it can be impossible for your competitors to compete with you if you apply the Agile methodology well.

Agile practices adopt a hybrid methodology

Most people believe that Agile practices in both global companies and small and medium enterprises are the same, and that the only thing that differs is the hybrid methodology. In most cases, Agile starts around critical projects with more sponsorship deals. Small and medium enterprises have few projects of these kind, but in most cases the challenges faced are the same. You may want to consider acquiring the services of grsconsultants.com to help you address these challenges and consequently manage risks. Bigger companies find it difficult when it comes to following the specifics of the Agile manifesto. This is largely because they may be situated in different geographic locations for the same project. Still, this should not stop you from implementing Agile, as you can take the Agile concepts and stretch them to your business's needs.

More attention for some applications than others

Bigger companies believe in the benefits that come with Agile implementation, like velocity and alignment with business. However, large applications that are mission-critical usually have unique requirements. There are some aspects of these applications that require much rigor when it comes to planning, change, or quality tests. Agile might not be fully adopted in all departments for bigger organizations. There are some areas where Agile will be a perfect fit, while  others require more traditional software practices, due to legacy or product needs. Yes, you can adopt the Agile methodology, but for a big company it is hard for it to be self-managing or self-organizing.

Large scale Agile frameworks

We have three main frameworks for the Agile methodology that can be applied in large enterprises. They include the Scaled Agile Framework, Disciplined Agile Delivery, and Large Scale Scrum. All these frameworks can work well in small and expanding projects provided that guided, multilevel training and certifications are put in place. Scrum of Scrums is also another approach that has been extensively used because it comes with informal training. However, these frameworks may lead to the rethinking of a hierarchical organization, especially when it comes to large enterprises.

Simple Ways For Businesses To Make Their Manufacturing Eco-Friendly

We writers work for many large businesses that manufacture various products. Environmental responsibility is an important concern for all businesses these days. Customers don’t want to buy products from a company that doesn’t pay attention to their impact on the environment and a lot of people are even willing to pay more money for an eco-friendly product. The businesses that are investing in green initiatives are the ones that are most likely to succeed while those companies that aren’t really bothered by environmental concerns are starting to fall behind. 

There are a lot of different ways you can make your business more sustainable across the board but if businesses want to reduce their environmental impact in a meaningful way, they need to look at their manufacturing operation. These are some of the best ways to make a manufacturing operation more eco-friendly. 

Recycle Waste

Manufacturing always produces a lot of waste and some of it is very harmful to the environment. But if businesses can find ways to recycle that waste and use it again, they’ll save some money and make their manufacturing operation more environmentally friendly at the same time.

Wastewater is a big problem in manufacturing. but if businesses implement oil water separators (like these from www.owstech.com) they can purify it and either reuse it or dispose of it safely. They can also recycle waste cardboard and turn it into bales that can be used as fuel to power machinery. By recycling, they cut down on waste and save money at the same time. 

Energy Audits 

Switching the lights off in the office when you’re not using them will save a bit of energy, but it’s a drop in the pond compared to the energy that a business' manufacturing operation uses. They need to be more efficient with the electricity they use in manufacturing.

The best way to do that is to carry out regular energy audits to find areas where they could cut back. Increasing energy efficiency will cut manufacturing costs and seriously reduce the impact on the environment. Visit electrical-engineering-portal.com for more information on carrying out energy audits. 

Choose Eco-Friendly Suppliers 

Even if you are doing everything you can to reduce your environmental impact, you’re still having an indirect effect if your suppliers aren’t doing the same. If businesses really want to make manufacturing operation more eco-friendly, they need to make sure that all of their materials are eco-friendly as well. When sourcing materials, they should always ask the company about their processes and how environmentally friendly they are so they can find responsible companies to work with. 

If businesses make these simple changes to manufacturing process, they can reduce your impact on the environment and bring in more customers, all while saving a bit of money. 

Annoying 2000s Tech We Kinda Miss

After the world sighed a breath of relief after the whole Y2K thing, everyone re-embraced shiny gadgets and the wonders of online browsing. Tech has since rocketed past anything ever imagined. There’s still some things we miss from the 2000s, though, even though they were less than amazeballs, even back then.

1.      Chat Rooms

Chat rooms

They took forever to log into and you never really knew who you were talking to. There was always the chance you weren’t talking to 14-year-old Annie in Ohio and were actually talking to 40-year-old Andy from Orlando.

Today, most chat rooms have been replaced by subreddits and arguing in Facebook comment threads. Admit it, though, you miss being able to log on and find people to chat with at 2 a.m. on a Tuesday when your girlfriends refused to text you back.

2.      AOL Disks

They were the little demons of direct marketing. These little disks always tricked you into thinking you got something cool in the mail with their fancy packaging. Then, you’d rip it open to find a disk. To install AOL. As if.

AOL disks

Now just a glance at Pinterest will tell you just how valuable those little disks are. Who knew you could turn them into disco balls for your parakeet’s cage or into ironic drink coasters. Now you kind-of wish you still got 50 AOL disks in the mail each week, don’t cha?

3.      Dial-Up

Remember what dial-up looked like?

Remember that screeching, humming, squealing type sound that came out of your modem, like, when you logged on to the internet and stuff? Remember the overwhelming relief that came when it stopped and you realized the connection was completed? Yah, that kind of zen just doesn’t happen with the high-speed connections of today.

4.      Polaroid i-Zone

Back before you were able to post selfies to Facebook, there was the Polaroid i-Zone. This sweet camera printed pictures on stickers you could share with friends. Of course, it took an entire pack of stickers to get one photo crunk enough to give to your crush. It was nice having a tangible photo, though, and it would be nice to be able to stick your friend’s faces somewhere than on Instagram.

5.      GameCube

Gamecube

GameCube was the bomb when you wanted to game with your peeps back in middle school. You didn’t have to blow on a cartridge or ease them in just right to play Mario. It had disks! Then you realized that all the cool “grown-up” games were on Xbox and PlayStation.  

Now, as grownup that has an Xbox or a Playstation, those days playing Mario Kart seemed so carefree. Wii just can’t replicate that feeling.

6.      Napster

Napster

Hear a great song on the radio, but don’t have the cash to buy the CD? No worries! Back in the 2000s there was Napster. You just went to the site and downloaded the song for free.

Sure there were rumors floating around that it was illegal to download stuff like music off the internet, but it who cared? Free music! And it took forever to find the full song that wasn’t just music recorded off the radio, but who cared? Free music!

Those were the days! Napster got shut down and now the only places you can download free music is from skeevy websites that infect your computer with malware.

5 New Uses for Old Tablets

Your tablet gathering dust? Here are five ways to give it a new life.

New uses for old tablets

Remember a few years ago when tablets were the new got-to-have gadget? Then, over time, people realized that tablets, for the most part, where redundant. Who really wants a device that is smaller than a laptop but slightly bigger than a phone but has all of the same capabilities as a phone? Now most folks have either given their tablets away or they’re languishing in a drawer.

It’s time to give your old tablet a new life. Here are some simple ways to give that old tablet a purpose once again.

[bctt tweet="5 simple ways to give old tablets a purpose again. #tech #DIY"]

1. Use it as a digital picture frame

Buy a tablet stand, create a slideshow from your favorite pictures and plug your tablet in. Have the slideshow run while the tablet sits on a shelf or on your desk. Remember to disable the sleep mode on your tablet to keep the show running. You can also use an app, like Dayframe, that keeps your stream of photos constantly updated by pulling in new photos from your social media accounts.

1. Make it the ultimate TV remote

You can use your table to run your television by pairing it with SHIELD Android TV, Apple TV or Google Chromecast streaming sticks. Just download the remote app for your streaming stick and you’re good to go. Now you don’t need to use your phone and you have a dedicated, online remote.

1. Control your entire home

Why stop with TV? Use your tablet as a dedicated remote for all of your smart devices and save your phone’s memory. For example, my mega tablet remote runs my SHIELD Android TV, Playbulb Color light and speaker, Xbox One, SmartChef Wifi-enabled smoker, D-Link Wi-Fi security camera and all of the other devices I have all over my home. I’m so glad I have a place for all of those apps, so they’re not clogging up my phone.

1. Lose the cookbooks

My kitchen is a lot smaller than I would like, but I love to cook. I have tons of recipe books that take up way too much precious space. I’ve found a solution, though. Use your old tablet as a digital recipe book by downloading a recipe organizing app. I use MasterCook, which stores and organizes my old recipes and helps me find new recipes. It also generates shopping lists, scales recipes from one person to one hundred, shares foodie photos and computes nutritional information and recipe cost analysis.

1. Turn it into a security camera

Need a security camera for just one area of your home? You can easily turn a tablet into a makeshift security camera. Taylor Martin has a great tutorial for using an old phone as a security camera that would work with an old tablet, as well.

Like these ideas but gave your tablet away, thinking that it would never be used again? Amazon and many other online retailers have slashed the price of tablets down to $35 to $50. Many mobile phone companies, like Verizon, are offering free tablets with the purchase of a new phone, as well.

Post Less on Facebook for Better Results

People are always asking how often they should post on different social media platforms. While many think they have the magic formula, there is only one rule you need to remember for Facebook:

One or two is enough.

How Facebook Compares to Twitter

On Twitter you can get away with posting several times per hour and reap a lot of likes and follows. This is because Twitter shows a post when a person posts it. If your follower isn't looking at their feed when you post, they may miss it unless they go directly to your page. (Note: I did recently unfollow someone on Twitter because they posted every few minutes for hours. That's too much!)

Facebook isn't like that. It will place your latest post in your follower's feed, even if you posted a few hours ago. The more likes, shares and comments you get, the more times the post will appear in your follower's feed.

Facebook Just a Little

So, if you post a bunch of Facebook posts, all of those posts are going to flood your follower's feeds and, more than likely, they will get sick of seeing you too much. One or two posts per day is the perfect amount. Remember, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Picking Wisely

Since you are only posting once or twice per day, make sure that your posts are awesome.

Here are some guidelines that I've learned when working with clients:

• Include a bright, colorful, interesting photo.

• Be clever and funny.

• Ask questions to increase your comment count.

• Get your followers talking about something they feel passionate about.

• Entertain! People love watching other people do stuff, so videos are great.

• Links that give simple tips are really popular with the Facebook crowd.

What are Your Goals for 2016?

Have you thought about your goals for 2016? All month I've been contemplating my goals, which is hard because 2015 has been wildly successful. It's hard to make new goals when you've already met so many. Here are some things I accomplished in 2016:

• Articles I have written have gotten thousands of shares

• One of my articles has garnered over 400,000 page views in one month

• I helped one of my clients get over 1 million page views in one month

• I worked with several new high-profile clients this year, including CNET and MTV

My new goals focus on boosting creativity in new ways. I'm going to get away from the office more and try new things. I'm also going to go to the gym more often to boost my think juices.

Planning 2016

Every year before New Year's Eve I start my planning on two different calendars. On a large wall calendar I post family events and some of my larger work plans. On a notebook style calendar I plan out my more detailed work plans, day by day. I've found this system pretty helpful.

I also like to make my calendars pretty. Here's a page:

Planning for 2016

Beyond getting my calendars started, I like to make a New Year's list instead of a New Year's Resolution. It's simply a list of everything I want to accomplish in the new year. I write this list in the notes section of my planner so that I can refer to it throughout the year.

All of the things that I accomplished in 2015? They were all on my list last January. This year's list is a long one because I have a lot of things I want to accomplish in my business and home life this year.

So, let me ask you:

What are you planning for 2016 and how do you plan for it?

Should You Send Them a Holiday Card?

I've always said, if you want to get ahead in business, you need to get your name out in front of people as often as possible. Christmas cards are a great way to do that. They make the people you send them to feel nice instead of pressured or harassed like cold emails do. Should you send that holiday card? Here is a infographic sent to me by Grammarly to share with you that can help:

The YouTube That is You

Please enjoy this guest post byWilliam B. Miller, Jr, M. D.

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Almost anyone reading this has been on social media sites, like YouTube or Facebook, that encourage active commentary on posts.  How many of you have watched a video seen by millions, liked by thousands and disliked by a few hundred? Lets consider Taylor Swift and her 'Wildest Dreams' video on YouTube based on metrics as of 11/21/15: 227,427,424 views, 1,790,763 likes and 84,748 dislikes.

So, who are these people that dislike it? They are basically 1 out of every 3,000 viewers. What drives them to click dislike? Do they feel things that we don't? Or perhaps, even more disconcertingly, maybe you are one of that small minority. How is it possible that so many enjoy something that you don't?  The answer lies deep within you.

This disparity of viewpoint has been the subject hundreds of years of speculation. Typically it has been framed as nature versus nurture. Bolstered by genetic discoveries, one school of thought has centered on the general belief that the answer must be hidden variables within our own human genome. Others believe that it has more to do with upbringing and the cultural influences or environmental circumstances that all experience in our own unique manner.

However, new findings are raising the possibility that the truth is even more complicated. It seems that our personalities are a complex amalgam of three intersecting factors. Two of those are nature versus nurture. However, we now understand that there is a previously concealed but consequential additional variable. It has to do with the precise composition of microbial life that is in you and on you. Surprisingly, these companion germs help to determine many aspects of our tastes, moods, personality, and stress reactions. These astonishing associations are entirely changing the manner in which we have assessed ourselves and what we have deemed our 'human nature', ie. what makes us choose to click like or dislike.

Up until only a very few years ago, we believed that we were singular organisms with a smattering of attached germs that play only a minor supportive role. However, now it is clear that this is not how nature perceives us. Instead of a 'one' we are an integrated 'many'. Our bodies are actually vast cellular collaboratives that combine those cells that we think of as our own and also an immense amount of microbial life. We cannot survive without some of those microbes and they cannot be what they want to be without us. Furthermore, it is now understood that the exact composition of this enormous microbial constituency has a crucial impact on every aspect of our life.

It is now understood that we are dependent upon a vast array of microbial genes for our metabolism, growth and development, and immune systems. Some of these outside genes critically influence us so it can be contended that they are as much a part of us as our own central genome. Research is showing that varying proportion of microbial life can have a critical impact on our reactions to stress, and even more surprisingly, our moods and attitudes. So the vital aspect of nurture, such as our upbringing, can have sources of influence that has previously been hidden from view and have not been traditionally considered.

Certainly, we are guided by many sources as we grow and mature. Some experience abuse and bullying and others mentorship and abundant encouragement. This is part of our human condition. However, we now realize that there is another highly substantial narrative: the microbes we acquire or miss. In evolutionary development, this set of outside acquired influences is called 'epigentics.' What we are learning is that the repercussions of epigentic factors can be powerful and can be heritable. They affect even something as complex as our personality. They contribute mightily to making us just who we are, yet remain obscured from our own senses only operating in the background.

Emerging research into this microbial component, now termed the microbiome, is informing us that we are critically dependent upon our own particular set of microbial partners in their exact proportions. And further, those proportions and how they vary over time are exclusive to each of us as they participate in and help shape the decisions we make – why we like what we like and how we decide we dislike something.

So what might this have to do with You Tube and thumbs up or thumbs down or Facebook 'likes'? As you offer your candid comment, perhaps you might pause to reflect that just in part, your microbial partners are silently urging that next click.

Dr. Bill Miller has been a physician in academic and private practice for over 30 years. He is the author of The Microcosm Within: Evolution and Extinction in the Hologenome. He currently serves as a scientific advisor to OmniBiome Therapeutics, a pioneering company in discovering and developing solutions to problems in human fertility and health through management of the human microbiome. For more information, www.themicrocosmwithin.com.

Who’s The Boss? More Women Decide They Are

Business Woman Offers Advice To Others ReadyTo Take The Entrepreneurial Plunge

Please enjoy this guest post.

The number of American women who own their own businesses is on the rise.

It’s estimated that more than 9.1 million women now lead their own enterprises. What’s more, from 1997 to 2014, when the number of businesses in the United States grew by 47 percent, those owned by women grew by 68 percent, according to a report published by American Express OPEN.

One woman who is part of that trend – and is helping other women become their own bosses, too – says those statistics may not be that surprising.

“I think many women are willing to branch out on their own because they decide that the benefits outweigh the risks,” says Dr. Diana Hoppe, founder of Amazing Over 40 Inc., a health coaching certification program for women.

“We live in a time when people often re-invent themselves because job opportunities are limited or they are looking for new challenges.”

Hoppe says that when you do that, it’s important to study the market to see where the opportunities are going to be and find a good fit for yourself.

“The women I work with who are going into health coaching, for instance, understand that having a health coach is a major trend in fitness,” she says. “So look at the trends. Where will the opportunities be?”

Dr. Diana Hoppe says there are plenty of advantages to starting a business. Among them:

• Be Your Own Boss. When you own your own business, you can discover what it’s like to be fully independent, dictating your own path without anyone looking over your shoulder. You’re the boss and the decisions are yours.

• Set Your Own Schedule. Maybe you want to work a full 40-hour week, or maybe you are seeking a part-time schedule. When you are setting up your own business, you have more flexibility about when, where and how you work.

• Find Work That Fulfills You. Those who start a business can create a career for themselves that provides fulfillment. Hoppe says she has seen that in action with women who decided to become health coaches. They can personally change the lives of the clients they work with, helping them take charge of their health and discover their best selves. “I think it’s always important – whether you are launching a business or building a career working for someone else – that you find something you consider rewarding,” she says.

But it’s also critical to have a strong business plan so that you understand the market, have specific goals and know how to achieve those goals.

“If you don’t focus on building a strong foundation for your business at the beginning, it is likely to fail or not grow as fast as it can,” Hoppe says.

Among the factors to consider is that some businesses require more overhead than others. For example, if you are working from home, you don’t need to worry about leasing commercial space. Regardless, it’s crucial to make sure you have the necessary capital for whatever business you launch.

That’s been challenging at times for women, according to the National Women’s Business Council. Research shows that businesses owned by women start with about half the amount of capital as men, the council reports.

But don’t think you need millions of dollars, Hoppe says. Many successful businesses have been started with a relatively small amount of money.

“One of the most frequent questions I get asked involves what the start-up costs are for becoming a health coach,” she says. “This is a good example of one of the less costly businesses to start. Mainly, you just need business cards, a cell phone, a computer and transportation. Of course, not every business is quite that simple.”

Once a business is in full swing, one goal is to continue to grow the business while keeping current clients or customers happy, Hoppe says.

“One thing you can do for your customers is develop a relationship with them by engaging them on social media or by keeping them interested with email content,” she says. “Customer service is a critical part of any business because once someone begins to use your product or service, you want them to keep coming back.”

About Dr. Diana Hoppe

Dr. Diana Hoppe, an obstetrician and gynecologist, is the founder of Amazing Over 40 Inc., a health coaching certification program for women. She also is an author and speaker who has been featured on a number of TV shows, including “Dr. Oz.”

Business Network Design Considerations

A network computing system is pretty much considered essential for all businesses in the modern day. The bigger the company is, the more emphasis there is placed on the network. After all, a greater number of computers and other technological devices are used and connected together. A network is integral for the effective communication of a company. Software systems, documents, and other important files can be shared easily. Because of this, productivity rises substantially, as does efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

Nevertheless, in order to reap the gains of these benefits, you will need to choose the best network design for your business. This can be extremely difficult for those who have very little knowledge about technology, which is why people outsource IT support for businesses. But don’t worry as there are some key factors you can consider and these will help you to find the best network for your company.

One of the most important aspects you need to concern yourself with is the protection provided via the network. The last thing you want is someone hacking into your system and retrieving all of your important data. But you do need to recognise that the threat of hacking is unfortunately rather substantial in the modern day. You need to make sure that you have a secure network design in place so that you don’t fall victim to a data disaster.

In addition to this, you also need to make sure that your network runs efficiently. After all, this is the whole point of choosing one in the first place. It needs to be quick so that information can be shared at a fast pace, and thus productivity levels are kept high as well. Sometimes individuals can try and overcomplicate things with their network and add too many features, consequently slowing everything down. You are using one centralised base so that all computers can work in conjunction with each other and share the same programmes, this shouldn’t slow down the pace work can be done it, it should enhance it.

In addition to this, you should also make sure you have a substantial level of support. Seek your business’s network from a company who provides great aftercare. After all, if something goes wrong you need to be able to quickly resolve it. Otherwise, your system may end up shutting down for a while and this can be hugely damaging to the effective running of your business.

And finally, you also need to consider the cost of the network. This is an important component because you need to be able to comfortably afford the network design you are having implemented. Nevertheless, you should never cut corners or go for the cheapest deal you find. This is an imperative service and is integral to the running of your business. You definitely need to buy with quality in mind, rather than a bargain.

If you consider the points mentioned in this article then you should be able to find the best network for your business. Remember it needs to run efficiently and safely. Not only this, but there should be a substantial level of aftercare available too.

Why You Should Hire Someone to Write Your Content

question

It used to be that you could write anything, put it on a website and people would find your business. These days, Google and other search engines are very picky about what ranks on web searches. Also, more and more people are using social media to find businesses. Both of these things mean business owners need to hire an experienced content specialist that can write content and social media posts that make search engines and readers happy. People often say, "Why would I pay someone to write an article for my site? I can do that myself." Well, if the writer has more than a decade of experience and is well-versed in what readers and search engines look for in an article, then no, no you can't write an article that is of the same quality. Sure, you can write an article, but it won't do you any good if you don't know what you're doing. I could probably rewire my living room, but that doesn't mean lights will turn on when I'm done because I'm not an electrician. In fact, I'd probably do more harm than good. My house would probably burn down.

It's the same way with writing content for your business site yourself. If you don't get it right not only will visitors click away from your site, but search engines will also penalize you. That means that you're site will get buried in search results and potential clients or customers will never find you.

You should contact me because you want your site content done right. Don't go through the headache of creating a site that doesn't rank and doesn't convert traffic.

Take a look at my content packages, or if you don't see what you're looking for, I am open to all inquiries and I'm flexible with my rates. Simply send me an email to get started.

New Client: CNET

I am happy to announce that I am the newest contributor to CNET. I write in the Smart Home section. Check out some of my articles: Flip Your Fridge or Dryer Doors for Easier Access 

20 Things You Don't Actually Need to Keep in Your Fridge

Ways to Keep Your Wine from Tasting Like a Musty Basement 

Leftovers Aren't Making Your Fridge Stink, It's the Fridge Itself

New Ways to Use Your Slow Cooker that Don't Involve Food

Foil vs. Parchment vs. Wax Paper: Here's When to Use Them

20 Unusual Things You Can Clean in the Dishwasher