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How to Raise Capital for Your Business

Owning and operating a business is a daunting task and one in which many small business owners have failed simply because they weren’t adept in the world of finance. They knew their industry inside and out but never seemed to understand business finance. Perhaps if they’d known about the availability of getting an online finance degree, they could have resolved issues as they arose. The key point is that no matter how expert you are in your line of work and how great your products or services are, you may be doomed to failure even before you launch if you don’t understand how to raise capital for your business, especially at startup.

The Difference between Failure and Success

Before looking at ways to raise capital for your business, let’s take a look at why the difference between failure and success is having an aptitude for finance. This isn’t necessarily something you were born with, although some people seem to have emerged from the womb with a financial head on their shoulders. Others need to study and may even be willing to study hard enough to earn an online master of science in finance degree. It is all well and good to raise capital, but unless you also understand the mechanics of repaying loans timely or selling shares without losing a majority stakeholder, you can be in for a world of trouble.

Suggested Ways to Raise Capital

There are many ways in which to raise capital for your business, but all may not be right for you. For example, if you want a small business loan to build a structure, you might want to go to a bank. On the other hand, if you are looking for money to keep you afloat while you are waiting for clients to pay you for invoices you’ve sent, there may be totally different ways of raising the money you need.

Some of the ways in which to raise capital for your business include:

  • Traditional loans from banks
  • Angel investors
  • Friends and family
  • Venture capitalists
  • Funding from personal assets

While there are several other ways to fund your business, it’s good to remember that in the end, you need to pay back any capital in one way or another. Sometimes it’s a loan that needs to be repaid and other times it’s a share of the profits going forward, as when selling shares or repaying investors with a percentage, not quite in the way shares would work.

One thing which can’t be overemphasized is the need to understand the financial side of running a business. You may be the very best at what you do but if you can’t handle financial affairs, your business may soon fail – and at the point of losing everything you’ve worked so very hard for. Armed with the right tools, you can handle the financial side of your business, but that might mean taking a few courses or getting an advanced degree.

Finances are nothing to play with when running a business, so get it straight and you will succeed.

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Three Top Tips for Finding a Long-Lost Friend

Over time, everybody makes friends – however, it’s not always easy to keep in touch with some of your best friends from earlier in life. It’s not uncommon for people to lose touch with some of their best friends from school and college as life takes them in different directions and they focus on their careers, families, and life goals. However, the good news is that today, it’s easier than ever to find old friends that you want to catch up with. Perhaps you have an old school friend who you haven’t seen for years and are wondering how they are doing, or maybe you’ve lost touch with your old college roommate and haven’t been able to find any contact details for them. Here’s what you can do to get back in touch with an old friend.

Tip #1. Try Mutual Friends

If you are still in touch with any mutual friends of the two of you, they could be your ticket to finally seeing and talking to your old friend again. Maybe you are trying to find somebody that you attended high school with and is now living abroad, and who lives close to another friend who may still be keeping in touch with them.

Tip #2. Search on Social Media

When it comes to finding long lost friends, social media is a key tool. Thanks to massive social networks such as Facebook, with millions of members worldwide, you can easily find friends that you have lost touch with years ago by simply typing their name in the search bar, as long as they are signed up with a profile that anyone can find. However, don’t despair if you can’t find your friend on social media. You may be able to find other friends who can help you get in touch or family members who will be more than happy to pass your message and contact details along to them. Don’t forget to check other social networks such as Twitter or Instagram, too.

Tip #3. Try White Pages

If you are no longer in touch with any mutual friends and are having no luck with results when searching for your old friend on social media, then searching for your old friend can become a little bit trickier. However, don’t worry, as all hope is not lost – there are still some options that you can consider. Before social media, people would search white pages and look in the phone book to find contact details for individuals, and it’s still possible to do that today. The good news is that instead of combing through everyone’s number in a paper phone book, the process has become much easier, as you can conduct your search online. Check out the California white pages, which can help you get back in touch with any old friends you have lost touch with in the most densely populated U.S state.

Did our tips help you in your search for your friend? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.

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Office Chairs with Arms vs. Office Chairs without Arms

When it comes to office chairs, there are many different types available. From super comfortable executive chairs that look as good as they feel through to colourful stackable office chairs that are ideal for small workplaces, there are many different options for people to choose from. However, all of these chair types can be divided into two distinct groups: office chairs with arms and office chairs without arms. Whether you choose to select a model with arms or without will come down to a number of factors. This article will discuss the pros and cons of arm equipped and armless chairs so you have the knowledge necessary to make the right choice when it comes time to buy new office chairs.

 

Office Chairs without Arms

The majority of office workers around the world use office chairs without arms, and the main reason for this is money. Office chairs without arms require less material to make and therefore cost less to manufacture. These manufacturing savings are passed onto the consumer, resulting in office chairs that are very affordable. But while serious savings are the main benefit offered by office chairs without arms, you shouldn’t discount the fact that some people simply prefer to sit in an armless chair. Aesthetics should also be taken into account. Armless office chairs are much sleeker looking in appearance and may better suit an office with a minimalist aesthetic.

Due to the fact that they cost less than their arm equipped counterparts, armless chairs are a great choice for offices and workplaces that are on a tight budget. One more factor to take into account is the size of the chair. Office chairs without arms take up less space than those that have arms, and this can be very important, especially if your office is low on space and you need the furniture to take up as little room as possible. Armless office chairs are also great for use with desks, as there won’t be armrests getting in the way.

Office Chairs with Arms

Office chairs with arms are comfortable and provide users with a place to rest their arms when they’re not typing or carrying out other tasks. More expensive chair types such as executive chairs and ergonomic chairs often feature arms and are usually favoured by businesses that have a little more to spend on office furniture.

Office chairs with arms come in a range of styles, sizes and colours, and most are able to have their arms removed if needed. This can be beneficial if you’re new to the world of arm equipped chairs and decide that you prefer not to have them after all.

In Conclusion

Ultimately, there’s no right or wrong choice when it comes to choosing between armed and armless chairs. Office chairs with arms have a list of benefits just as office chairs without arms do, so the choice will come down to personal preference and the amount of money you have available to spend.

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How Net Neutrality Affects Small Businesses

The FCC has caused a major stir in the internet community by announcing rollbacks to net neutrality rules. Net neutrality in simple terms means that internet service providers should not create “fast lanes” for websites that pay for such. The main idea behind the concept of net neutrality is that ISPs should ensure equal access to all websites that are online.

What Does it Mean if Current Net Neutrality Rules are Rolled Back?

Rolling back net neutrality rules as the current FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has suggested would allow certain cable companies to limit speeds for particular websites or online content. For example, Comcast or Verizon could demand that only websites that pay a certain fee can load in under 3 seconds on user’s browsers. This type of data capping was prohibited under the Common Carrier law established under the Obama administration. Pai has advocated for allowing ISPs to control site load speed as they like. So how does net neutrality rules affect small businesses? Read below to find out.

Small Businesses May have to Suffer Slow Loading Sites

If such fast or slow lanes were created for sites and content, then small businesses would be immensely impacted. For example, an ISP could demand websites to pay $10,000 (theoretically) to make sure the mobile version of the site loads in under 2 seconds. Businesses know the importance of site speed for customer retention. Mobile site speeds are especially important because it affects SEO as well. If the small business is unable to pay this fee, then the company will end up with slow loading pages. That’s as good as killing digital business, explains experts with the consultancy firm Corporate Business Solutions.

Small Businesses May Lose Level Playing Ground if Net Neutrality Rules are Eliminated

Now let’s consider who can pay that $10,000 fee for fast loading websites. That would be the biggest brand names with major capital. For example, Amazon can pay that fee and make sure the famous e-store is easily accessible to all customers, while a small, local specialty e-store may struggle to pay the insane fees. This essentially means that small businesses would lose out to big players.

The advent of e-commerce essentially leveled the playing ground between big retail brands and smaller companies. E-commerce platforms don’t charge shelf fees. Therefore, many small businesses were able to find niche audiences online without stifling fees. Rolling back net neutrality rules would mean that small businesses lose this advantage. It would fundamentally change how the internet works in a manner that negatively affects small businesses.

In essence, eliminating net neutrality rules would be catastrophic to most small businesses. It would particularly affect brands that sell products through gadgets and smartphones. It would affect both sales and marketing efforts as well. If net neutrality rules are rolled back, businesses should get ready to do commerce in an uneven field where companies with money have better access to customers. Small business owners can still get politically active and stop the rollback. In case it goes through, companies should prepare for the worst with the help of professionals like CBS consultants.

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How Can One Impress During a Skype Interview?

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In a technologically advanced society, Skype interviews are becoming more commonplace. Many hiring managers offering jobs for CPA professionals choose to interview potential candidates over Skype to save time. Chicago accounting recruiters also rely on Skype calls to vet potential job candidates. Long-distance interviews are especially popular for international or telecommuting positions. Here are a few tips Beacon Resources recommends for impressing a hiring manager during a Skype interview.

1. Tidy Up

Just because you’re interviewing from your home doesn’t mean your surroundings should look slovenly or unprofessional. While your interviewer will be focused primarily on you, he or she will still be able to see everything within camera view. Make the best impression possible by preparing your surroundings. If necessary, move your computer or laptop to an area with a clean, decluttered background. Remove any personal items like financial papers, photographs and other belongings from view. It’s best to keep the area as clutter-free as possible.

2. Dress Professionally

You may feel silly dressing up in professional attire at home, but you’ll look silly during your interview if you don’t. Act as if you’re preparing for an in-person interview by dressing appropriately, showering and freshening up. Studies show that you’re more likely to feel confident and act professional if you dress the part. This includes wearing dress pants or a skirt, even if the interviewer can’t see your bottom half.

3. Be Prepared

Keep your resume, cover letter and any other documentation you might need close by when you interview. It’s best to have it right there on your desk so you don’t have to get up and retrieve it during the Skype call. You should also recruit family members or friends to help you conduct mock interviews. The more questions you’re prepared to answer professionally, the more confident you will be.

While long-distance interviews can help you feel more comfortable, don’t allow your familiar surroundings to make you too relaxed. Keep this tips in mind and make a good impression during your upcoming Skype interviews with Chicago accounting recruiters.

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Online Reputation Management Company, How Your Business Can Benefit

Whether your business operates online or not, it is vital that you are investing in boosting your company’s online presence. The internet is fast becoming the new high street and consumers all over the world are heading online to discover products, services and companies who can offer them in their local area. This means that you have a great opportunity for additional exposure for your business when you invest in creating a strong online presence. There are many areas of investment when doing this such as digital marketing and online practices, and there is also the important aspect of hiring an online reputation management company to ensure that your online rep is positive and truthful. Let’s take a look at how your company can benefit from hiring such a service.

Understanding Your Reputation

I’m sure that if you asked most businesses what their online reputation was like, they either wouldn’t be able to tell you or they would guess that it is in good shape. Very often however, there are negative stories and comments floating about the internet about your company, and the majority may not even be true. When you enlist the support of a reputation management company, you will instantly be able to understand what kind of reputation you have online, and how you can go about protecting or repairing it.

Removing Links

If your company has had links or partnerships with individuals or businesses who have been found to be doing things in an unlawful or unethical way, it is very possible that your company has been tarred with the same brush because of these links. In such a situation, your reputation management company will be able to get to work on severing ties with the people in question, and ensuring that your company is not considered in the same bracket. It would be unfair for your company to be treated negatively simply because of the mistakes of another, and so investing in reputation management for this kind of situation is really the best bet.

Avoiding Attacks

Because of the freedom of the internet, it is not uncommon for an ex-employee or a competitor to leave nasty reviews, or write negative comments across social media about who you are and what you do. IF you don’t have a reputation management company on your side during these times, you may not even know what is being said about you and so that is the first reason why you should hire a firm like that. The second reason in these situations is so that they can remove, hide or bury the kinds of falsehoods which are said about your business, and ensure that people don’t see a negative picture which has been inaccurately painted about your business.

Ultimately the idea of a reputation management company is protecting and preserving you positive reputation, so that you can find more customers, and ultimately make more sales.

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Enterprise Innovation Software and How it Can Greatly Help Your Business

There are all kinds of software out there which are available to business owners in order to solve certain business-related issues with there may be. It can be difficult therefore, for business owners to select which is the best type of software solution for their needs, and which most merits their investment.

One area of business that everyone should pay close attention to is innovation as without this, businesses can be easily left behind by the competition. To interlink both of these subjects then, here is exactly what benefits you will get from enterprise innovation software, and why your business should use it.

How It Works

The essence of idea management software is that you are able to share ideas and innovation around the work force be it local or global. Through the use of this software, you can easily connect with everyone within your team, and share ideas, innovations, business proposals and much more. The use of the software cuts out many needs for phone calls and meetings, so that you can take action far quicker.

Passionate Employees

Because of the way that the innovation software works, you can use it to encourage all of your workers to come forward with any ideas which they may have, either general ideas or problem specific ideas. This encouragement of the work force, aside from being able to give you some great ides to move forward with, will greatly boost the morale of your staff. The idea that your employees know that there is a portal where they will be listened to when it comes to their ideas, is a great way to motivate them and incite passion.

Speedy Sharing

One of the biggest benefits of this software is the speed in which you can pass detailed information about innovative ideas around your team. The ability to share such deep information at speed is why so many people are jumping on to this kind of software.

Fact Based Problem Solving

When you have an issue within the business that you need a solution to, you can do a call to action on the software, detailing exactly what issue you need to be fixed and encourage others to come forward with a reply. The beauty of this kind of problem solving is not only that you can dig into the minds of your team to find as solution, but you can present the problem in high detail, to multiple people, in one fell swoop.

New Ideas

This portal can not only be used to encourage specific ideas from your team, it can also be used by your team to present just about any innovative thought which they have had to you. The key to success in business is about innovation and a smart leader knows when the right time is to listen to the best ideas. This software solution lays it all out for business leaders and allows them to seek innovation from within.

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How to Spot a Military Imposter

(Image Credit: MaxPixel.com)

Many men and women bravely serve the United States Armed Forces, today and in years gone by. However, that is a growing and troubling phenomenon of people who have never served in the military claiming that they are veterans or that they are currently active duty military. The term used for this type of duplicitous and despicable practice is called stolen valor. People do this for many reasons, none of which are honorable in the least.

Why Are People Impersonating Members of the Military?

Let’s look at some of the reasons there seem to be more and more people today pretending that they were or are in the military. One of the reasons is because it tends to put people at ease when they are dealing with someone from the military who is in uniform. People expect them to be honest, so when someone says they are collecting money for a charity, for example, people are more likely to donate. Of course, with these impersonators, the only place that money is going is into their pocket.

Some people are looking for discounts, and they will even go so far as to create fraudulent military ID cards. They use these cards to help with other types of scams, as well.

There are others who set out to meet people online, supposedly for the purpose of looking for a romance. They speak with the other party over the web, and then they start to tell their sob story, talking about how they aren’t going to be able to make it home for leave or that they need to have some money to get out of a bad situation because they haven’t been paid yet.

ArmyWife101.com offers information on this type of military catfishing to help people stay safe when they are dealing with supposed service members on the Internet. It is important to verify everything, and never send money to someone who claims they need it to get home from a combat zone. The military pays for this transportation.

How Can You Tell the Imposters Apart?

Sometimes, these military imposters are not just online. Sometimes you will see them in person. They might be at a parade, walking through a store, or asking for donations for a “charity”, for example. Maybe they are sitting next to you in a bar and they start talking. How do you know who is telling the truth?

There are several things you can look for and listen for to help identify imposters, according to some information collected by experts on Military1.com. First, you can listen for the way they speak. Do they know the correct terminology and jargon for their branch of service and their rating or job in the service?

Do they know the right bases, forts, or camps that they should know based on the stories they are trying to tell? Do they claim to be in military intelligence or Special Forces? Do they understand rank? Do the medals and awards they are wearing add up for their service? Are they wearing the uniform correctly?

Many people in the military can spot the fakes without too much trouble. However, civilians do not always have the knowledge needed. Always be careful and verify any stories that sound fishy.

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What Is The Process Of Becoming A GDW Member?

Green Door West has not only an outstanding selection of products, but they make it  easy for you to enjoy the benefits of being a member. When you are looking for medical cannabis, or just to refill your snack shelf, they will have the products that meet your everyday needs and budget.

Green Door West Makes Life Easy for New Members

Green Door West leads marijuana delivery in Los Angeles due to its outstanding customer service and delivery guidelines. They have delivery from 10 am to 10 pm in Los Angeles and Orange County. The products from Green Door West are grown by vegan horticulturists.

When you need a prompt Cannabis delivery business, Green Door West will take the guesswork out of becoming a member. You simply need a marijuana medical delivery card and you can get verified by the staff at Green Door West immediately. All you need is to order $60 worth of products, and you can enjoy free delivery.

Green Door West – Built to Meet the Needs of Any Customer

There are simple steps you need to do when you are ready to order products from Green Door West.

  1. You will want to get verified, which means you upload your doctor’s recommendation and government issued ID. You can get a doctor’s recommendation on Green Door West’s website if necessary.
  2. You can shop with ease from Green Door West’s organic and vegan menu that includes the most tested and popular products on the market. Once you have put in your order, you will receive a text that allows you to track the exact location of your driver during the delivery process.

When you are looking for a reliable marijuana delivery service in Los Angeles, Green Door West should be your first and only option. Green Door West makes it easy for you to join their service, and quickly access their extensive line of products. They also have the delivery area that covers a wide variety of neighborhoods.

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What Skills You Need To Work For Jeunesse Global

There are a hg number of ways in which you can make money from home to supplement or wholly replace your income. Around 4 years ago this was exactly the kind of opportunity that I was looking for and a friend of mine was working for a company called Jeunesse Global. This firm sells the most amazing beauty and skincare products and their business model is much like that of Avon or Ann Summers. The idea when working for Jeunesse is that you sell to clients, and then seek to enlist your very own team of sellers. There are some big profits to be made when working in this field, but you must have the skills to be able to do that. Let’s take a look at what kind of skills you will require if you want to make good money selling Jeunesse products.

Ability to Sell

Before you can even start thinking about putting a team together, you must ahem cut your teeth in the selling side of these products. In order to be a good sales person you must be outgoing, convincing, have great communication skills and more importantly, always be looking to upsell your customers. The bread and butter of working with Jeunesse is selling and if you can do this, you’ll be on the way to making much more money.

Spotting Talent

Getting people to sell for you and with you is not just about asking any Tom, Dick or Harry to work with you, it is about getting the right people in place. Bear in mind that once someone starts selling as part of your team, they will be responsible for the commissions which you make, and you will also need to spend time with them to help them improve. With this in mind, it is vital that the people in your team are the right people for the job.

Organisational Skills

One must be highly organised if they are going to sell for Jeunesse as there is a huge amount going on at all times. When someone places their order you’ll have to look after the admin, deliver products when they arrive and be able to manage how you plan to make future sales. Once you do have a team under you, the need for organisation is even higher and managing your team and your business takes a great deal of time and attention.

Ambition

The business model that companies like Jeunesse have really make it easy for their workers to reach the top and i you are looking to make good money from this business, you will need ambition. Some people are happy selling but if you are looking to make a good living, the key is to put together a large team of sales people that you can trust to keep bringing in results. Don’t rest on your laurels, you need to keep striving, keep building the team and keep standards high if you want to  be successful with this company.

A Million Lives

Travelling in all its glory is fun and exhilarating but sometimes you might want to find some information on where to go, what to see and how to go about it from someone other than the go-to websites, especially when it comes to travel hacking and the coolest, most useful ways to get the most out of your next adventure.

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