Monthly Archives: August 2018

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Data Compliance For Businesses The Non-Facebook Way

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Leading corporations should lead the way in the industry. Instead, they set terrible examples for the little people underneath. From Facebook to Uber, dozens of massive corporations have been found guilty of immorally using personal data. By storing it and selling, or leaking it and not telling the public, they have benefited immensely.

SMEs can’t do the same thing because a data audit will happen before you can say Cambridge Analytica. Unfortunately, it’s one rule of them and another for us. The little fish have to make sure they comply, which isn’t easy when the rules are complicated. The good news is this post has a handful of tips for your information.

Outsource With Care

The easiest way to comply is to hire a specialist to take care of your needs. Whether it’s medical or technical, the right company can bear the burden of the responsibility. Take a look at https://www.nahs.co/services/managed-hipaa-compliance/ for more. However, telling a select panel that your outsourcer was to blame isn’t an excuse, which is why you need to keep in constant communication. Ask them what they are doing to combat this and how they secure personal info in the first place. Talk to your peers and get recommendations, and never judge solely based on price.

Understand Your Data

One reason businesses are blasé about data is that they don’t understand its importance. After all, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. When there is a lack of understanding, the info isn’t secured as tightly as it should be and a leak occurs. The easiest way to avoid this scenario is to learn about sensitive info. What constitutes safeguarding and what is widely available? Obviously, credit card info needs encrypting, and addresses and phone numbers may fall into this category too. It depends on the settings a user decides on when they land on the site. Always consider their wishes.

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Purge The Server

Not every piece of data is worth keeping. Some of it is old and of no use to the company. Or, it may have nothing to do with what you are trying to accomplish. Still, businesses store them on their servers just in case. Before the storm, that was fine but now it’s a bad move. The last thing you want to do is get into trouble over stats which are useless, so purge them from the servers. Because you understand your stores, it shouldn’t be tricky to figure out what is pointless.

Stay Updated

Things happen, and they do so in different locations around the world. Take the General Data Protection Regulation policies in Europe. In a bid to tighten up how companies handle personal information, the EU has outlined new regulations. American businesses may think this has nothing to do with them, but they’d be wrong. Anyone from Europe who lands on your website has a right to privacy under the GDPR Act. Https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/25/ has more on the impacts. Keep your finger on the pulse by staying updated and adapting to new laws.

Do you think you can navigate these choppy waters without sinking?

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Sink Your Teeth Into A New Industry

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Are you looking for a new business opportunity? Perhaps, you’re just eager to explore a fresh career? You might want to consider diving into the food industry. This world is filled to the brim with delicious, delightful possibilities that are sure to tantalize your taste buds and perhaps provide the joy that has been missing from your life. Not to mention a boatload of profits! So, let’s explore some of the possibilities and discover whether any could be the right decision for you.

Baking From Home

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We’ll start small. Do you love baking? Perhaps you have been known to create the perfect birthday cake for your kids or even for complete strangers. It might be time to consider turning this into a full career and opening a little bakery company. You won’t have to immediately buy a shop. Instead, you can prepare these and sell them from home, perhaps setting up a small delivery system. You might also want to think about appearing at local events such as bake sales and fairs or fetes. Once you start to find a demand, you can begin to consider growing your business in different directions. You might start with one type of bake good such as birthday cakes and slowly grow, perhaps even hiring employees. It could even be a family business with the kids helping out at the weekend. You can read more about family businesses on https:///reports/future-family-business.

Food Production

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Certainly, this is a much larger enterprise, but it could be an interesting adventure to go on. To do this, you’re going to need to invest in a factory or a production location. As such, you will almost certainly be looking at taking out a business loan.

When you run a factory, any factory, cost cutting and keeping processes efficient must be a top priority. If this isn’t kept as a number one concern, then the costs will quickly balloon out of control, and you don’t want. It’s a recipe for disaster. Luckily, this is all about the setup and the systems you put in place. Sites like https://iscsales.com/liquid-filtration/, provide liquid filtration systems that can be used to filter liquid chocolate leading to a reduction in the waste of liquid products and downtime. This is just one example.

The Restaurant Dream

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Finally, you might consider setting up your own restaurant. Believe it or not, the most important part of this business possibility is definitely the real estate. You need to make sure that you are buying in a place where people want to go. It has to be somewhere with demand because it’s far more difficult to grow and build interest from scratch. In other words, don’t set up in the middle of nowhere unless you see great potential. Once you have bought the property, kit it out and make it look fantastic. There are companies that will do this for you and ensure that your restaurant does look absolutely incredible.

Once you have handled the presentation, consider content and for restaurants that means the food. Look on the job market, hiring some great chefs to lead food preparation in your kitchen. We’ve missed out some technical details such as getting your restaurant approved and rated but this is just to give you a taster of a great business opportunity.

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Don’t Let The Line Go Dead With This Advice

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“Hello, sir. I was just wondering… hello. Is there anyone there?”

All you can hear is the sound of a dead phone line and it’s because of a missed deadline. As soon as the business makes a promise and doesn’t deliver, the clients bounce quicker than you can blink. They aren’t prepared to put their reputation on the line; plus, there are dozens of businesses that will provide a similar service.

They can afford a mistake, but you can’t which is why you should never let your aim err. If you find this a difficult target to hit, then below are a handful of tips which will help.

Create Alerts

It sounds simple, and it is in the grand scheme of things. But, nothing is straightforward when the human ego is involved. Believe it or not, some bosses don’t create alerts or write things down because they trust their memory implicitly. It’s a source of pride, yet it costs them thousands in revenue when it fails. If this sounds familiar, take the ego out of the situation with a Google apps integration system. An experienced hand such as ClearFuze Networks will install the service and keep you up to date. Set them a couple of days in advance to keep your finger on the pulse.

Add Liability

People are productive when they know they will get blamed for a failure. Because no one wants to be the reason the company suffers, they’ll work extra hard. Yes, it’s a little exploitative yet it’s basic psychology anyone can use to their advantage. You can do this by including a tracker in the team’s everyday work, and Teamweek has five of the best. Not only does this tell everyone the time frames, but it shows them their job. So, if there is a break in the chain, you and the whole office can apportion blame. Leaders prefer the carrot but the stick works too.

Have A Contingency Plan

The truth is that things will happen and they will set you back but the clock will keep ticking. In these scenarios, it’s essential to have a plan B, C, D and E all the way through to Z to give yourself some breathing space. Then, you can limit the damage and still produce a quality product or service on time. There are lots of options, but the easiest one is not to promise the world. If you can complete a job in two days, say it takes three. The client will be impressed when you deliver early.

Define Definitions

A specific date isn’t a clear enough definition. You should also set out what you expect from your employees on a daily basis from an output perspective. By doing this, nothing will get lost in translation when there is an important deadline to hit. Put it in writing and post the document on the website so that they can refer back to it. Also, check in with them to make sure they’re not getting behind. Asking them to reply to an email is a simple yet effective to know they have read the T’s & C’s.

Can you use this advice to deal with one deadline at a time?

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Relaxing Retirement: Putting Your Feet Up

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Most people dread getting old because they think they’ll stop living and start waiting for what’s coming to all of us. So after all of your life working hard and finding it difficult to really find some spare time for yourself, now is the time you decide to sulk? It should be a great experience and thoroughly rewarding to not only be financially secure and set for the rest of your life, but no longer have any professional obligations. There’s no boss texting you to get that report done, there’s no angry client that is blaming you for something someone else did and you don’t have to wake up early in the morning every day. Retirement should be about relaxation, taking care of yourself, pampering and putting your feet up. However, two things seem to take hold that ruins the experience and they both go hand in hand. On the one side, you have to stay in shape or remain healthy at least, but you also want to have a someone do things you are no longer willing to do or can do. So how can your everyday routine life become a little easier now that you’re in your armchair taking things slow?

Nurse with senior woman in wheelchair at home.

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A personal nurse

The older you get the more precious your own health becomes. No doubt that you want to stay independent for as long as you are physically able to remain. But you must be willing to accept that eventually, age will catch up with you are you can’t do the things you were doing as part of a normal day. Your children are off doing their own thing as they should be, so that leaves the option of either selling the home and moving to a smaller property, perhaps a bungalow to keep the layout simple, or getting a personal nurse that can help you around the home. Take a look at the features of the https://spectrumhealthcare.com/senior-care. The nurse will come directly to the home, and perform tasks such as bathing, washing up dishes, doing the laundry and ironing, as well as cooking you meals and generally just taking care of things you can’t. You get to put your feet up while the nurse not only works in your home but becomes a friend.

Designed for wellness

We buy generic sofas and chairs for our homes because they cost less than an intricate designer item. This means that although they are generally comfortable, they’re not really suited for your health concerns. However, furniture that is orthopedic will be for soothing your back pain away. That’s what we’ll be doing when we get old; a lot of sitting down. As start to get progressively less and less active, the worse thing we can do is buy furniture for our homes that isn’t designed for us. With this concept and aim in mind, you can sit and lie down for extended periods of time without worrying about pressure building up in your joints.

Retirement always brings up questions about your health. It’s only natural as you get older and less active. Doing the chores around the house sure would be quicker with a companion to help out. Since you will be lounging more often, buy furniture that doesn’t become painful after a while.

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Awareness Is The Greatest Weapon Against Cancer

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Cancer is on the rise. That’s scary news, but the good news is that people are catching it earlier and doctors are treating it better, so more people are surviving a diagnosis than ever before. Here, we’re going to look at how staying aware can help you not only get an earlier diagnosis and improve your chances but can also reduce your risks of getting the diagnosis in the first place.

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Maintain a healthy lifestyle

It seems like easy advice, but one of the reasons that rates of cancer are on the rise is because of changes in lifestyle habits. From how we treat our body to what we put in it and what we surround it with. There are several steps to reduce your risk of cancer worth taking. Obesity is a risk factor in many types of cancer, including breast, colon, kidney, and pancreatic cancer, so maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, and eating a healthy diet are all key. Alcohol, cigarettes, and exposure to the sun are as highly risky as they have always been, so avoiding them (or at least exercising some moderation) is crucial, too.

Keep an eye out

One of the biggest concerns of all cancer awareness campaigns is encouraging people to practice self-screening more often. Men and women alike are at risk of breast cancer, for instance, so you should check yourself for new lumps regularly. Similarly, men should check themselves for testicular cancer after a warm shower, feeling for any changes when the body is relaxed. If you have new lumps anywhere, not just in these key areas, you should see the doctor. Subcutaneous tumors (lumps under the skin) are not always cancerous or dangerous. They may very well be harmless lipomas. But it’s worth having the risk addressed rather than making any assumptions. If you catch it sooner, your chances of battling it successfully rise drastically.

Don’t neglect the checks

Other forms of cancer may require an expert to properly screen you. For men, the prostate exam is often considered an embarrassing health issue, but it gets much more common as we get older and it is essential. Having a family history of colon cancer or being at a higher risk because of genetic disorders or other health factors may require you to get screened at a younger age. If you have a history of smoking, an annual low-dose CT scan is highly recommended too. This includes not only if you’re smoking currently, but you have quit within the last 15 years or you have ever smoked more than one pack a day for 30 years or two-packs a day for 15 years.

Though there are still highly dangerous and aggressive cancer diagnoses that we should always be aware of, it is no longer as much of a death sentence as it once was. Stay aware, maintain healthy habits, and don’t neglect to get yourself checked out. These three steps will drastically help you fight cancer, whatever form it may or may not take in your life.

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Getting to Grips with Digital Advertising

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Traditionally, advertising has been relatively tangible, with companies investing money into marketing campaigns focused around billboards, posters, leaflets, and other similar advertising methods. However, we are now living in the digital age and increasing numbers of small businesses are focusing their ads where the majority of people’s attention is placed – online. So, in order to get the most out of your campaigns, it’s time to start considering digital advertising. Here are a couple of areas to familiarise yourself with!

Header Bidding

Now, relatively few people tend to have heard of header bidding, but it is something that any savvy small business owner should be aware of and understand. Header bidding (otherwise known as advance bidding or pre-bidding) is a method that ad publishers are making more revenue out of their ad inventory. It is a programmatic technique that allows ad publishers to offer their inventory out to multiple ad exchanges at once. People who want to use their ad space will then bid on it, with the individual or company who make the highest bid taking the ad space. As you can imagine, different ad spaces are worth different sums of cash. Ad spaces that will be seen by higher numbers of people (ads on high traffic websites or blogs, ads on popular Youtube videos, and ads on television) are going to come with a much higher price tag than ads that will be seen by more niche audiences. However, header bidding can see you grab a bargain. If others aren’t paying attention, you could get a decent bid in before the deadline and bag a prime spot for a low price. You just have to be vigilant! You can learn more about header bidding at https://www.mopub.com/2018/02/05/header-bidding-insights-sega.

Crafting a Presence on Social Media

Chances are that you are familiar with social media. Now, while we may automatically associate social media with the younger generations and think of it as a mere pastime, the truth is that nowadays social media is proving popular with older generations too. Just take a look at how many people are active on different platforms at any given time – most people you know will have a Facebook profile, an Instagram account, and a Twitter account. Well, in order to make profit, you should pay attention to the platforms that the masses are engaging with. Adding an instagram followers app can be a good place to start. Social media could provide you with significant exposure. It’s a place where you can showcase what you have to offer and make a name for yourself. What’s more? It’s free!

These are just two different aspects of digital advertising that you should focus on as a small business owner! It really is time to take to digital platforms in order to benefit your brand as much as possible.

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Why Continuing Education is Good For The Soul

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There are few better ways to raise one’s self-esteem than to commit to a course of education, as the personal pride that comes from taking a course and finishing it, is one of the most personally productive things we can do to enhance our lives and career.

You’ll have probably already heard the saying “the more you learn the more you earn”, and this is true, for instance if you were to do network administration training in the context of IT, your earning ability in this field would dramatically increase, but learning is not limited to financial benefits.

The expansion of one’s self in terms of your personal development and the impact this has on your self-esteem and confidence is one of the greatest reasons to learn more.  Indeed, if you have children it’s very important you dream big yourself if you are going to encourage your children to dream big, as kids often model what you do – not what you say.

In this vein, if you are committed to your own learning then your child is likely to follow in your footsteps.

There’s a certain psychological power in progress that propels us forward, almost like a catapult – the reason it feels so good to achieve things in this context is because it gives us a physiological boost in the form of an endorphin rush that floods our brain with feel good hormones, akin to when we start exercising.

The improvement in self-esteem you’ll receive from learning something new is often a great way to deal with common mood ailments such as depression and low self-esteem.  Then, there are of course the financial benefits.  

In today’s world, most people can benefit from earning an extra source of income or improving their earning ability so that they can earn more money for each hour they work.  

In terms of making more money, there’s a simple formula to follow, as people are ultimately compensated based on the tangible value they create.  

Therefore, if you want to earn more, you simply need to create more value in terms of the end result and tangible outcome you provide; and one of the most common ways to provide more value is to get more education so that you are knowledgeable in a particular field.

You want to have a laser focus however, when it comes to the course you undertake, as education is ultimately an investment – both in time and money; so, it’s important you invest these resources wisely and not do a course just for the sake of it.  There are way too many graduates who are unemployed or working in minimum wage jobs, meaning, just because you have a degree does not guarantee you a prosperous career. You need to ensure the course you select is aligned with the trajectory you wish to take and that it can legitimately propel you from where you are to where you want to be.

In summary, education is a great way to expand your mind, increase your earning potential, be a great role model to your children, improve your self-esteem, self-worth and self-confidence… but make sure you invest in a course or programme that provides ample return on investment for the time and money you are putting into it.

 

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The Greatest Gift Your Company Can Possess… How To Keep Your Employees Happy

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Happiness is the greatest gift that any employee can possess. But, with increasing competition in industry, as well as tighter regulations, as an employer, you can feel the pinch in so many ways. We all know the devastating impact of a sour workplace atmosphere, it leads to lots of whispers, and the rumor mill inevitably builds up. In addition to this, your business could be going through a tough time, which is why you need to ensure that your employees are happy, healthy, and have an attitude to work that is productive but also contributes to a positive workplace culture. What can you do to make sure that your employees stay on the right side of the tracks in this respect?

Clarity Avoids Confusion

It’s often discussed, the benefits of transparency and communication. Clarity, in every aspect, makes for a happier workplace. From how you deal with your employees on a personal level, all the way through to simplifying complex jargon that turns up in employee contracts. In fact, contract drafting is a fine art, and while you need to remain firmly on the legal side, when stating your intent with your employees, especially if you are working with them in a freelance capacity, it’s important to ensure that everything is as transparent as possible on paper. There are infinite resources relating to this, and drafting attorney Andrew Weisblatt and his explanation of contract drafting is one of the many professional resources you can go to. The contract, as well as the communication, needs to be clear.

Don’t View Them As “Only Workers”

Once you get into this frame of mind, it’s very difficult to back pedal. As a leader, your enjoyment of bossing people around begins to take center stage, and the great divide presents itself. Instead, look to moving forward as a team. Don’t view them as just workers who are there to do your bidding. This is a sure-fire way for them to jump ship, so, work at congealing your relationships. This can be done, not just by an open door policy, but also, by focusing on more prominent values. From the work-life balance to the most basic of perks, they all add up to a happier environment.

Take A Step Back

You can be so preoccupied with the business side of things, that you can completely avoid the overall human impact. You might find yourself calculating how much money you’ve wasted in a particular day due to downtime, but this isn’t healthy. Remember, lead by example, and if you are a stressed out person, this ill feeling will easily transfer to your employees. Instead, take a step back, assess the situation, but also, work at making yourself a better person. Relaxation, mindfulness or anything that makes you feel rejuvenated is a major asset to the company.

We don’t have to walk around with smiles fixed onto our faces, but if there are very obvious reasons why morale is low, or productivity is down, you should work hard at happiness. Content workers can complete tasks better. And you may have a pool of talented employees, but if they aren’t working their best, the onus is on you to fix this, not to place blame on them.

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The Ins & Outs Of Launching A Highly Successful Construction Business

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Let’s be clear from the start, running a business is not a career choice that’s a good fit for everyone. In order to launch a highly successful business, it’s crucial that you are someone who is suited to running a business, someone who has a passion for success and who has the work ethic required to run a highly successful business.

The key to success in the business sector is choosing to run a business in an area that interests you. If you start a business in an area that is not of interest to you, you will find that it’s very difficult to make a success of it. That’s why it’s so important to ensure that construction is an area that you feel passionate enough about to build a successful business in.

When you launch a business, you don’t picture your business simply surviving, do you? You see your venture thriving, right? That’s why it’s so essential that you understand what steps you need to take to launch and run a highly successful construction business.

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To help you get started in the industry, below are some useful tips and pieces of advice to have a read, take note of, and implement in how you run your business.

You can’t do it alone

When funds are tight, which is often the way with small businesses, it’s easy to make the mistake of thinking that you can go it completely alone and run your business solo, when that isn’t the case.

If you want to give your startup the very best chance of success, you need to be willing to take on a team of skilled workers who can help you to grow your business. It doesn’t have to be a large team, just enough people to make your workload manageable. For any tasks that you don’t require someone for 24/7, consider outsourcing and working with freelancers.

Master your leadership skills

As a business owner, you should be a leader. Of course, not everyone is a natural-born leader, which is why it makes sense to spend some time mastering your leadership skills. Not sure how to be a leader, spend some time reading up about what it takes to be an amazing business leader.

You don’t want to be the kind of leader that no one likes because they’re rude and unsupportive of their team members. You want to be the kind of leader that your team members look up to and respect. Treat your team with care and respect and they will do the same for you.

Put a business plan in place

A key aspect of business success is having an effective business plan in place. If you want to build a business that has the potential to be highly successful, you need to have a well thought out business plan in place. This should detail every aspect of your business, from your goals and targets to the materials and equipment that you will need to buy to start off.

When it comes to your business equipment, there is a lot that you will need to buy or rent, from service trucks which you can click here to browse, to building tools, there is a lot that you will need to invest in. If you can’t afford to cover all of the costs that come with launching your business, you might want to consider taking out a business loan to help.

Market, market, market

You could build the most amazing business but if no one knows it exists then you have a very limited chance of success. That’s why marketing your business properly is so important – if you want to ensure that people within the local community know that your business exists, you need to market it properly.

Those are a few simple tips that should help you to start a successful construction business. Of course, there’s a lot more to learn but all the extra knowledge that you need will come with time.

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The Things That Matter Most When Buying a Car

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Buying a car can be a confusing and stressful process at the best of times. That’s just the way it is. But there are some things you need to make sure that you get right when you’re buying a car because these are the things that simply matter more than all the rest. We’re now going to look at some of the things that really do matter most when it comes to buying your next car.

The Comfort it Offers You and Your Passengers

Having the comfort that your passengers need and that you want when you’re behind the wheel is obviously really important. You want to make sure that your passengers are never made to feel uncomfortable in your car, and you will certainly not want to be uncomfortable in your seat when you’re stuck in a traffic jam. So keep this in mind when buying your next car.

The Condition of the Car

The condition of the car is always important when you’re buying used. You don’t want a vehicle that’s going to be in poor shape and always causing you problems. So always look into this stuff in more depth so that you don’t cause yourself more problems than you need to with your next vehicle. DOn’t just look at the surface either because first appearances can be deceptive.

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How it Drives When You Test It

Getting behind the wheel tells you a lot about the vehicle, and you can’t skip the test drive if you want to be sure that this vehicle is going to be the one for you. Driving it is going to be one of those things that tells you whether you should make that purchase or whether you should hold off for a little longer and see what else is on the market.

The Manufacturer

Everyone pays attention to the logo on the front of their car, and that means they get about the manufacturer. Different car makers are better at different things. You might want to go to the Mercedes Dealership if you want some class and sophistication. Or you might want to go to Volvo if you value safety above all else when you’re on the road.

The Warranty

Every good car should have a good warranty to go with it. You should try to make sure that you’re always certain that you’re covered for as long as you can be when you’re buying a new car. You don’t want that warranty to run out and leave you paying for things that should be covered by a decent warranty if you had one. Always ask these questions when buying your car.

When it comes to ticking all the right boxes, these are the things that matter most when you’re buying a car. Without getting these things right, you won’t have a car that’s right for you. You can’t afford to cut corners on any of these things, so you should try to focus on getting the basic things right.

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