Monthly Archives: April 2018

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Personalized Gifts for Stationery Addicts

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We all have that person in our lives who love kitschy pieces of stationery. Unicorn and mermaid theme just swept the globe in a big way. However, sometimes when it comes to gifting, sometimes it is nice to get them something a bit more special. You’ll find some seriously cool ideas below.

Get a plain notebook and print some scrabble style letters off. Write the name of your intended recipient, their course number, a special message or even a memorable date on the front. This is thoughtful and doesn’t take long or cost a lot either. Some glue and hour or so is all it will take.

If you don’t trust your creative flair, you can find many sites online that produce and sell some beautiful notebooks. From the trendy marble design to ultra cool Superheros you can be sure to find one for every taste.

Stickers! A super simple way to give someone the gift of personalization of anything they like. Although decals like this were something many people left behind in the 80s and 90s, they’ve had a massive surge in popularity over the last few years and are once again something the cool kids have, find a custom sticker maker and get designing.

Image from RawPixel

Pens and Pencils. If you know an artist or designer, their pens and pencils will be a much loved and used item, getting something personalized to them is a nice gesture and also very useful. You can get graphite and mixed color pencils for a couple of dollars online. If you want to get something a bit more fancy, search for high end/luxury personalized pens and you are going to find something gorgeous and meaningful.

Perhaps you know someone who writes a blog or has a website. Often online spaces can get a bit neglected and end up with stray HTML coding, broken widgets and a standard theme. If you know that they would love to spruce up their internet space but aren’t sure where to look, hit up Fivver, Upwork, Creative Market and Envato to see if you can snap up a designer or a theme with a lot of options for them. At first glance, this might not seem personalized. However, it is allowing them a lot more control over their internet space and with a lot of options they can tailor it to what they want. Lovely.

Thank you cards. When birthdays and Christmas/The Festive Season roll around, having personalized note cards allows the recipient to write a note and not have to sign each one – if they don’t want to.

To go with the note cards, envelopes with initials embossed are a lovely idea.

If you happen to have a friend who is starting up a business or already has something running, you can find things like invoice sheets, car decals, banners and business cards online too.

The idea behind giving someone something personalized is that it has a little bit more thought and effort involved. While getting any gift is a special moment, you can elevate it with a few extra dollars and some time.

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Has Your Car Got Curb Appeal? Steps To Take Before You Sell

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Are you thinking of selling your car? Whether you’re keen to sell privately or you’re hoping to get a good price at a dealership, it’s essential to ensure that your vehicle looks the business. We often associate curb appeal with houses, but if you’ve got a motor for sale outside your home, you want it to turn heads for all the right reasons. Here are some simple steps to take before you place that advert or visit local dealers.

Image from https://www.flickr.com/photos/hugo90/4589529343

Clean and polish

There’s nothing more off-putting for a potential buyer than a dirty car that’s full of wrappers, cartons, and other random bits of trash. Think about what you would want to see if you were the customer looking for a new car. Clean and polish the exterior and vacuum the interior. Hang a new air freshener on the mirror to provide a pleasant odor, and remove any rubbish. If there are stains on the fabric seats, clean them with soapy water. If you’ve got leather seats, wipe them clean. Giving the car a wash can make a massive difference to its aesthetic appeal, and it will also make it look like the car has been loved and well looked-after.

Removing scratches

It’s very common for cars, especially old ones, to have scrapes and scratches. If you’re getting ready to sell your car, investigate minor and deep key scratch removal techniques and try and make your car look as pristine as possible. Scratches can affect the value of the car, as well as its visual appeal.

Check the tires

If you’re on the lookout for a new car, you’re not going to be very impressed if you turn up and see a vehicle on the driveway with flat or worn tires. You don’t need to replace the tires if they’re in good condition, but if there are obvious signs of wear and tear or the air pressure looks low, it’s worth taking action. Pump up the tires and replace damaged parts before you make arrangements for potential buyers to come and visit.

Take a good photograph

Many of us are influenced by images when it comes to buying products, including cars. A blurred, low-quality photo could put buyers off before they’ve taken the opportunity to read your amazing description and learn more about the car. The photo is really important, as this is what most people will look at first. Choose a bright day, try and avoid capturing any other objects in the foreground or background, and use a filter to enhance the quality of the shot.

Picture courtesy of https://www.flickr.com/photos/mcerasoli/5919070550

Are you looking for a new car? Do you want or need to sell your current vehicle before starting your search for a replacement? Before you place an advert in an auto magazine, put a sign up in the window or visit dealers, follow these steps to ensure your car looks as good as possible. If your car is shiny and clean with tires that are in perfect condition, you stand a much better chance of selling it for the price you want.

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The Realities of Growing Your At-Home Business Into a Fully-Fledged Company

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Have you ever wanted to turn your at-home business into something a lot large, more lucrative and ultimately more profitable? Don’t worry, you aren’t alone.

Growing your at-home business and giving it a much-needed boost can be a fantastic way to dip your feet into the waters of big-league entrepreneurship, but it also comes with a lot of responsibility and could even change the way that you see your business.

There are a couple of realities that you’ll need to cope with and understand when attempting to turn your humble startup into a fully fledged company. In this article, we’ll be discussing a couple of those points in order to make it easier for you to understand and ultimately decide whether you want to grow your business or not.

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You’ll take on a different role in the company

You may be a hands-on person right now that takes care of everything from the production of your product to the customer service, but if you plan to grow your business then you’ll ultimately need to take on a different role in your company. Entrepreneurs tend to take on a more managerial role that focuses on macro decisions rather than focusing on finer details.

You might lose your passion for your craft

Let’s face it, the more serious you take your passions the more likely you’ll lose interest in them. There’s a huge difference between what is considered a good product and what is considered a desirable one, and this is especially true for creative industries and passions. If you’re going to grow into a more serious business, then you need to understand that you have to appeal to your audience instead of simply doing whatever you want.

You’ll have to start thinking about large-scale operations

Whether it’s planning 3rd party logistics, expanding your production line or even opening several retail store locations, you’ll need to start thinking about long-term decisions that will assist in your growth. This can be a huge departure from what you’re used to if you only made small-scale decisions, so it does take a bit of practice to get used to.

You can’t work alone anymore

People often find it difficult to manage employees especially if they’ve been working on their own for most of their business life. You need to understand that in order to grow your company and have it become more profitable, you need to trust your employees with their tasks and you have to stop micromanaging everything they do. Working alone just isn’t possible when you want to grow into a fully fledged company, so start thinking about how you can make use of your staff for the best growth and efficiency.

Growing your business can be a daunting prospect, but as long as you accept these realities and understand how they can affect your company, you’ll have a much easier time garnering the respect and attention you need in order to transform your at-home business into a larger company.

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Road Trip Hacks for the Ride of Your Life

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There’s nothing like a good old-fashioned road trip to really make you feel alive and ensure that you appreciate the world around you that little bit more. However, you can make that amazing road trip even more amazing with a few simple hacks that will make it the ride of your life.

Here are some of those hacks that will make your next road trip that bit more amazing:

Have Your Car Serviced

AAA says that the vast majority of vehicle breakdowns could be prevented by having the vehicle serviced before heading out on a trip. So, if you do nothing else, be sure to take your car in and have the oil changed and the tires, brakes and battery checked. This will help to ensure that you don’t end up stranded in the middle of nowhere when you should be having a great time exploring the local attractions.

Make a Flexible Plan

One of the best things about going out on the open road is the sense of freedom it brings, which is why you shouldn’t make any strict plans about where you’re going and when. That being said, it does make sense to do a little light planning, so that you have a rough idea of the direction you’re going in and how long you can afford to stop off at all those lovely roadside attractions if you want to make it as far as your planned final destination in the time you have available for you. So plan a little, but allow for the odd whim or the occasional wild night, too.

Forget Researching Your Road Stops

If you want to be truly exhilarated when you’re on the road, don’t go online and look up every single roadside attraction, museum and diner on your route. That will take away the spontaneity of the experience and ruin those amazing discoveries that you make when you’re out on the road, stopping when you feel like it and looking around.  When you don’t research the local attractions, you’re much more likely to stumble on those obscure and unusual sights that make road trips so much more exciting that other trips.

Download the iExit App

If you’re going to be driving on the major interstates and highways along your route, do yourself a real favor and download the iExit app which will let you know about the upcoming exits, gas stations, hotels, attractions and other amenities on your route.

Upgrade Your Stereo

Road trips and great music go hand in hand, so as well as compiling a playlist of all your favorite driving songs and the favorite driving songs as any of your buddies who are coming along with the ride, unless you already have a great car stereo, get on to Stereo Champ and find a new improved model. You’ll have so much more fun singing along as you take in the view when your jams aren’t muffled and you can hear them loud and clear.

Pack Light

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A lot of roadtrippers pack quite heavily because they aren’t restrained by baggage limits. However, it’s far more fun to pack light, so that you have plenty of trunk space to collect little souvenirs along the way. You’ll have so much fun seeking them out, and you’ll enjoy the constant reminders of your best trip ever when you get back home.

Pack Non-Essentials First

While we’re on the subject of packing, it’s a very good idea to pack non-essential items first. Why? Simply because you will need them less often and that means that you won’t have to keep messing up your luggage as you search for them. The items you’ll only need at your final destination should be packed first, with the stuff you’ll be using daily being packed on top for ultimate efficiency.

Take a Gas Card

If you don’t already have a gas card, it makes perfect sense to get one ahead of your road trip because you are going to be burning a lot of rubber and spending a lot of money on gas. If you have a card, you’ll be able to earn lots of points, free fuel, grocery discounts and even cash back on any hotels that you book into and that means you’ll be able to have more fun with your road trip budget than you might otherwise have been able to.

Visit Sitorsquat.com

Keeping clean and maintaining a good level of hygiene can be much more difficult when you’re on the road, so the last thing you want is to end up having to clean up or use the bathroom in a restroom that is dirty. If you visit sitorsquat.com, you can avoid this by checking out the bathrooms on your route that are cleanest and which ones are best avoided. What a relief!

Invest in a Multi-Outlet Adapter

If you’re going to be taking your phone, a GPS, kindle and a whole host of other gadgets and you don’t want you and your road trip buddies to end up fighting over the outlet, then it would be very smart of you to invest in a multi-outlet adapter ahead of your trip, so you can all stay connected all the time.

Take Time to Talk

One of the best things about being on the road is that you have a unique opportunity to mingle with lots of people in lots of parts of the country. You shouldn’t waste this by only speaking to your travel companions, and you should resolve to start a conversation with as many people as you can. Not only will you make lots of new friends, but you’ll get the skinny on the best places to eat, the hidden attractions that visitors don’t know about and the best bars (if you’re not driving). You’ll also get to hear some interesting stories and see more of the culture outside of your own hometown.

These hacks might be simple, but they will make your next road trip the best one of your life if you use them.

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Finding Success Out Of Someone Else’s

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One of the hardest times during the building of a business comes right at the very start. Figuring out exactly what you would like to be doing with your time, how you would like to do it, and where the funding to get started will come from can feel like an impossible task. During this stage, a lot of people give up, and this is where most business ventures will come to die, wasting loads of potential. This is a shame, though, as it simple doesn’t have to be this way.

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Instead, if you’re willing to follow the beat of someone else’s drum, using a path which has already proven to be successful for others could be a great way to go. There are loads of ways to approach this, with the options to have making it very easy to choose something which will float your boat, while also being able to make you some money. To help you out, this post will be exploring some of the best ways to use existing success to fuel your new company.

Investment: Getting started with your own business can be a very overwhelming process. With all of the decisions and choices you have to make without any experience, a lot of people buckle under the pressure here, and won’t be able to take their work all the way to completion. Instead, it could best to have someone else handle all of this work for you, and it isn’t too hard to find someone willing to do it.

There are loads of people out there with a burning passion for business and their own ideas. If you’re able to find someone like this, with an idea which you are confident in, you will be able to start looking into the idea of helping to fund them. There are loads of websites out there which are designed to help you with this, making it easy to find an option which appeals to you. Of course, you have to make sure that this is a company you can put your heart into.

Taking a route like this isn’t always a sure thing, though. You will have to put a huge amount of trust into someone else, relying on them to use your money correctly to boost your company. Along with this, you won’t have full control of the business, and may not even be able to help with making the big decisions. For a lot of people, this won’t feel right, and you might want to look for an option which leaves you in full ownership of the company.

Franchising: As one of the best ways to do this, franchising is one of the most popular ways to start a new business. Instead of coming up with your own idea and branding for it, you will pay an existing organisation to let you use theirs. A lot of fast food places operate like this, with small owners being supported by a wider network of professionals. This can make it nice and easy to avoid the early stages of struggling to set up your brand.

Getting started with something like this is the main selling point which comes with it. Once you’ve looked through the available FranNet Franchises for sale, you will start to get an idea of the business you’d like to run. With an option chosen, you will be provided with everything you need to kick off the business, and can start to make money almost as soon as the paperwork is signed. This will make it a lot easier to manage the branding and products your business uses.

Every option has one or two downsides, though, and franchises aren’t any exception. These sorts of business opportunities are never cheap, as the people selling them have had to work incredibly hard to build them up. While this is fair, it can make it very hard to get started, holding people back when they go down this route. To help you out with this part of the job, a lot of lending organizations are very open to these ventures and might be able to help you.

A Model: Finally, as the last option to consider, it’s time to think about a broader approach. Instead of using someone else’s idea, you could look at the business model they use, and try to find a way to apply it to your own company. A great example of this is subscription services. Over the last few years, these products have gained a lot of popularity, and this has led to more and more companies offering them, working to take their piece of the pie.

Finding a model like this which will work is as much about creativity as it is about research. When you find a model which could work for you, adapting it to meet the needs of your company could be hard. To help with this, a business advisor will be able to tell you if they think your idea is good, while also providing you with some common paths to take on the way. You just have to make sure that you’re choosing a model which has proven to be very successful.

Like the other options in this list, this route isn’t exactly perfect. While you will be using a model which has worked for another type of company, you could be going into unchartered waters for a business like your own. This can make it hard to feel confident in the work you’re doing. Along with this, some people will find that following another model will be hard without a lot of adaptation, at which point the successful element may have been unintentionally removed.

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Hopefully, with all of this in mind, you will be in a much better position to start working on your next business. Using someone else’s success to drive your own is a method which has been used for thousands of years. Of course, though, nowadays, this sort of approach is more than just handy, and can save you a huge amount of time and money.

 

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If Someone Collapsed, Would You Know What to Do?

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Most of us like to think that if the situation called for it, we’d be a hero. We’d rush across the road to save an elderly lady, we’d run into a burning building to save a baby. However in the moment when something bad happens, many of us respond in the same way. We’re crippled with fear or panic. We’re only human after all. When someone collapses, it’s usually a race against the clock. A heart attack, stroke, allergic reaction or other issue could mean that the longer the person is unconscious the less chance they have of making a proper recovery later on. For this reason it’s worth having some knowledge, some idea what to do if someone nearby collapses suddenly.

Keep Safe

The first thing to think about when someone collapses is keeping yourself and others around you safe. Creating further danger and injury will do no one any good and create more pressure for the emergency services. Stay out of roads, be wary of structural damage. If for example something has fallen and hit their head, make sure the area is now safe and you’re not in danger of it happening again. Another thing to be wary of is electricity. If a person has collapsed due to electric shock, touching them could cause you to be shocked. Keep your wits about you, and make sure you’re not going to make the situation worse before jumping in to help.

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Checking Response

When someone collapses, you should immediately check if they are able to respond. Ask if they can hear you, you could ask simple questions such as if they are able to speak and if not, if they can wiggle their fingers and toes. If they remain unconscious, check their airways and breathing. Put them into the recovery position which will keep their airway open.

Call for Help

While you are checking for response, you or someone else should be calling the emergency services. If someone has been unconscious, even for a short time they should be checked out by a medical professional. If you’re in a location that’s difficult for a regular ambulance to reach, medical flight transport can get them to hospital in the shortest time possible. This is of course essential when it could be a life or death matter. Dial for an ambulance right away, speak clearly and give your location. Be prepared to follow instructions and administer CPR if the emergency services operator on the phone tells you what to do. If you have a defibrillator nearby (these are often found in public places) you may be asked to use this.

Sometimes collapsing isn’t too much of a cause for concern. Fainting sometimes happens, and there could be lots of reasons why. Many aren’t serious. However you should never take a chance, call the emergency services and let them check the person over. It could literally save their lives. It’s important to remain calm, take precautions and follow the instructions of the professionals.

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5 Ultimate Ways To Give Your Home-Based Business A Boost

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When it comes to running a business from home, it’s often very easy for you to think that you have to do things on a small scale. After all, you’re not a huge corporation, so why should you get to do things big? Well, it’s also important for you to remember that every business starts somewhere. While you may not think that you’re in the best position to create a successful business, you’ve always got the potential to do it. Because many successful businesses are built from home. And if you want to build your own empire, you’re going to want to make sure that you give your current setup a bit of a boost. But what’s going to help you to do that?

Branding

First of all, you’re going to want to take an objective look at your brand in terms of your image. If you don’t currently have one, then that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Instead, you need to create a brand for yourself that will allow you to project the right image of your business out into the world. From design, colors, and fonts, to the language you use, make sure that you’re harnessing your brand and making the right impression.

A Social Expert

You know that social media and having an online presence is important, but you may not know the best way to create that for yourself. However, that doesn’t mean you have to go without. Instead, bring in a social media expert to do this for you, and get the results you want.

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Efficient Systems

However, you’re not just going to want to focus on the things that can be seen from an outside perspective. Because at the same time, you also have to make sure that your internal operations are given a bit of a boost. You’ll find that efficient systems and cloud solutions and services for business will help you here. When you set up ways of doing things and have the most efficient services to help you, you’ll be able to give your business a boost.

Productivity Software

But having some great systems in place is just half the battle. They’ll really transform the way you do business, but you actually have to get working on them in order for that to happen. If you find that productivity is an issue for you, then productivity products and software for business will also be a massive help. Because as much as your image or social profile can give you a boost, an increase in your execution and output can often do more.

Some Good PR

And finally, never underestimate the power of good old-fashioned PR. Right now, you might be a small business that nobody knows about, but it doesn’t have to say that way for long. In fact, with your new branding and social pushes in place, getting some good PR in place could be perfectly well timed. You’ll often find that when your business starts to crop up in the media a bit more, all three work well together to give your business the boost that it’s been needing.

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The Practical Side To Living On Three Or More Floors

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When it comes to buying your dream house, space is always going to be a big and important consideration. Because we all want to make sure that the property we pick to be the base of our homes is somewhere that is going to facilitate our lifestyles. Yes, design and style matters, but when you’re trying to find the perfect place, you have to be practical. This is often the reason that many of us choose to live in houses with lots of floors. Single or double story homes can often come with enough space if you have the square footage, but sometimes space can be limited, so we tend to go up rather than out. However, when you’re living on three, four, or more floors, there are some key practical considerations to take in to make your life a little easier.

Layout

First of all, you’re going to want to get your head around the layout. Whether you’re moving into a place that is already done for you or you’re looking to renovate, when you’re living across a range of floors, you need to work with a layout that suits your lifestyle. A lot of the time, you won’t find that your living space or your kitchen is on the same floor. But that can be okay. Splitting your main living areas can work out as long as your bedrooms are well located. This can be essential when you have small children and want to ensure that your rooms are close to each other. Sometimes, you’ll want to rejig the layout to make sure it works a little better for your family’s lifestyle.

Space

From here, you then need to make sure that you’re utilizing as much of the space as possible. If your home does have the basement and attic converted, you’ll want to make use of them. However, if they aren’t currently converted, it’s often a smart idea to do this so that you can create more space on all floors. This is also a great way of adding on bedrooms.

Movement

Of course, for a lot of people, living across three or more floors can be a concern in terms of moving through the house. Minimizing stair usage, installing dumbwaiter installation services by Lift Works, or a full lift itself, can be a smart solution here. If you have issues with mobility, this can be a way of reducing the amount of movement or heavy lifting you have to do between floors.

Storage

You also have to get pretty smart with your storage too. When you’re spread across a range of floors but limited by your square footage width wise, you’ll need smart storage ideas by Apartment Therapy to really maximize your space.

Outside Space

Another concern is also your outside space. We’re mainly looking at homes that are compact, and won’t necessarily have acres of space. As with your interiors, you’re going to want to think about doing a lot with your small space. Limiting grass and opting for a tidy outside lounging or dining area can be the best way to make the most of the space you have.

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Is It Time You Made A Difference?

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Many of us wish we could do more to help, but what’s stopping you? Doing your bit to make a difference doesn’t have to mean giving up your time or money – there are things you can do every day that can help make the world a better place.

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While you might not have lots of money to donate or you have little free time, there are still some great things you can do that will make more of a difference than you realize.

Learn about some of the ways you can help make a difference with the suggestions below.

Start recycling

Recycling is something that everyone should be doing to try and improve the earth. The amount of waste we produce could be having a serious impact on the environment, so it’s up to us to change our habits. There are some simple ways to recycle that will just become a part of your daily routine over time, helping you to do your part without much effort.

Reduce your use of plastic

The use of plastic is something that has been getting a lot of media attention lately, and it’s time to start thinking about ways you can use less of it every day. Simple solutions for reducing plastic waste include refusing plastic straws and using bags made from paper or recyclable material. Even chewing gum can have an impact on the environment, so switch to breath mints as a way to freshen your breath instead.

Donate regularly

You can donate money regularly using an advanced payment or PayPal payment to help your favorite charities. If you tend to waste $5 a month on something like buying magazines, why not switch to reading online and giving your money to charity instead? When you set up a regular transaction for charitable donations, you won’t notice the money leaving your account each month.

Give blood

If your health allows you, giving blood can be a very rewarding thing to do with your time. You can donate blood at Red Cross centers which are located all over the country. There are some restrictions you’ll need to keep an eye on, but otherwise, a regular blood donation can really help those in need. If you were to need a blood transfusion in the future, you’d realize how much of a big deal it is that people give their time so generously to help others in emergency medical situations.

Have a clear out

A clear out of your home can help you to donate unwanted goods to others, instead of having them take up space. Clothes, in particular, are good to donate, as they can go to goodwill and charities to benefit those who need them. Clear out your closet and divide your items into things that can be donated, and those that can be recycled. You’ll find that there are many initiatives out there from clothing stores and other organizations who will recycle clothes of any quality – using them to help people in need. Reduce the amount of clutter in your closet by having a ‘one in, one out’ policy that only lets you put a new item in when you get rid of another.

Join social initiatives

There are plenty of fantastic social initiatives out there that you can get involved in to help you make a difference. Many of these initiatives require little effort, but you’d be surprised at the impact they can make on people’s lives. You can read more about the work that MyPostcard do to help others, using what is typically a commercial app to do some good to help others. There are great stories of companies who are doing amazing things to help others, so make sure you take the time to check them out and get involved if you can.

Celebrate awareness days

It might feel like there’s a ‘national something day’ happening every day, but there are some awareness days that are more important to note than others. Days such as World Water Day, World Autism Awareness Day, etc. are important to note, and you could do your bit by spreading the word. A simple tweet or Facebook post is all it takes to help spread the message and encourage others to stop and think.

Volunteer your time

While you might not be able to commit to weekly or even monthly volunteering, there are some things you can do to help offer your time to others. Whether it’s helping children to learn to read, visiting the elderly or volunteering at soup kitchens – there are things you can do when you’ve got the time to help others. You could even look a little closer to home and help those in your community – a neighbor who’s unable to walk their dog or needs help with some yard work could greatly appreciate your offer of help.

Become a virtual volunteer

If volunteering in your community isn’t something you’re interested in or you feel there are other ways you could offer your time, why not become a virtual volunteer instead? If you have digital skills, in particular, you can help with creating social media content, blogs, website copy and other tasks that can help charities and other projects get their work out there. Making the most of your skills to help others can be a worthwhile experience, and is also something you can put on your resume to help you with future job opportunities.

With so many great ways to help others, you should look at the different ways that you can use your time to make a difference. There are plenty of ways to find happiness in helping others that can help make a change in you, as well as the world. Helping others is a great lesson to teach your children too, so if you can find time as a family to spend time volunteering or doing something good for the environment, you’ll help them develop into conscientious citizens. Volunteer your time and help make a difference.  

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Is a Tech Career Realistic For You?

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Whether you’ve just left college and want to explore career options or you simply feel like it’s time for a change for you in your career, the tech industry is an enticing prospect. We hear a lot about Silicon Valley, but tech jobs aren’t confined to that area. They can be found in pretty much every corner of the globe, so no matter where you are, a tech career could be a real possibility for you.

The question is, do you really want a tech career? Is it the right destination for you right now? It’s very possible that this is the right fit for you, but there are some things that you should give some thought to before you actually make your final decision. You don’t want to be in a position of making a big decision like this only to later realise that it’s not the right fit for you at all. There should be no rush when making these kinds of calls.

We’ve prepared some information and things for you to consider before you push towards a career in tech. Read on and enlighten yourself, before making a fully informed decision.

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Consider Your Background

Your background doesn’t have to stop you from seeking out a career in tech. Plenty of people are leaving jobs in unrelated sectors in order take up tech positions, so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to do the same. You should definitely think about your related and transferable skills that you developed over time working in your previous position. It could help you to clinch that first role if you’re clever about it.

Learn About the Available Careers in Tech

There are so many different niche areas of tech, and that’s something that should definitely play to your advantage. When you’re able to look at many different areas that you could be interested in, you will see how limitless the tech landscape really is. Companies like Global App Testing work on the mobile side of things. But you could go into AI, medical tech or a million other different options that are out there.

Find What Really Excites You

If you’re making a big career change, you want this to be something that you can stick with and be passionate about for the rest of your working life. That’s why it’s important to find the tech niche that really gets you excited. If you find that, you will have found the job that’s right for you. There’s nothing better than being able to get out of bed each day excited for the day ahead because of your passion for the job you do.

Speak to People in the Industry

If you’re still not exactly sure about whether a career in tech is right for you, you should think about talking to people who are already working in the industry. They should be able to give you the inside track on what it’s like to actually work in that kind of setting and how it might be for you when you decide to eventually get involved. They’ll tell you things that no amount of other research would have been able to turn up.

Compare Pay Scales

Many people worry about making a career change because they don’t want to end up earning less than they’re currently earning. This is perfectly understandable, and it’s something that you should definitely be giving some thought to if you haven’t done so already. Compare the pay scales of the role you’re in and the role you want to take up. You might have to work for a few years before you match your pay from the previous job. Are you prepared for that?

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Don’t Assume You Need to be a Coder

When some people think of tech jobs, they immediately think of people sitting at desks furiously typing out code. Sure, that might be one side of what tech careers look like, but it’s not the reality for the vast majority of tech careers. So you definitely don’t need to know how to right code in order to build a career in this industry.

Remember That This Industry Has a Future Where Others Don’t Necessarily

One of the things that you should think about are your future job prospects. Because of trends like automation, many jobs that exist right now will simply not be there in the future. However, if you get involved in the tech industry, you can be sure that the job you’re doing will have a real future because this is an industry that is only on the up right now. It makes sense to jump on board sooner rather than later.

Never Stop Learning

If there’s a particular niche of tech that you’re really interested in, it makes sense for you to keep learning about it. Your transition into this industry will be so much smoother and easier if you’re able to build your knowledge before starting the job. Sure, it can be daunting and difficult but you’re going to have to show intent if you want anyone to hire you in a job you’ve never really done before.

Make Contacts and Clinch the Job You Want

It’s a good idea to start making contacts in the industry if you’re serious about switching to it. Once you know people inside the kinds of companies you want it eventually work for, you can learn about opportunities that might be coming up in the future. You know what they say, it’s not what you know but who you know. When the time does come for you to start applying for positions, grab the opportunity with both hands.

Tech careers are not particularly hard to come by these days. They’re more prevalent than ever and the number of them is increasing all the time. It’s all down to the fact that technology organises our lives on a day to day basis; there’s no getting away from it. If you want to get in on this, you shouldn’t hesitate to find the right tech career for you.

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