How To Find The Right Career For You

Some people know exactly what they want to do with their lives. They have a firm idea in their heads of what career they want and how they want to progress with it. Some people may want to be a trucker and wear the latest trucker hats. Others may wish to work with the public on the telephone and sit at a computer all day. 

A lot of people, however, are unsure as to what they want to do. Don’t worry, this article can help you to get one step closer to finding the career that’s right for you. 

Think About Your Hobbies

What is it that you love to do? Many people have things that they enjoy and some can even turn them into a career. You may, for example, like to: 

• Take dance classes and dance as much as you can
• Drawer unique pictures or in a unique style 
• Write stories and reports 
• Gardening
• Sew and knit 
• Building or mending things made from metal or wood

If your hobbies include any of the above, there’s a real chance that they could be turned into a career. Don’t worry, the above list is not exhaustive, it’s just an example. There are many other hobbies that could be turned into a career.

Ask Others What They Want To Do 

Your friends and family members may give you a few ideas. It’s always worth talking to others as they may suggest options you have not yet considered. 

Look For Jobs That Seem To Appeal 

If you are ready to start looking for work, look for jobs that appeal to you. 

Consider applying for these jobs even if you don’t have the necessary skills or experience. 

There are many jobs out there so it’s worth looking around. 

Don’t be afraid to look for jobs that involve working in a restaurant or a store. 

Everyone has to start somewhere. You could earn money while you look for your ideal job. 

Get Some More Qualifications 

You may make yourself more open to specific jobs if you gain more qualifications. Think about the type of qualifications you would like to have. Start working towards them even if it means that you have to go to night school. 

Take a class or two each week and learn something new or even more about a subject that interests you. Gaining a few new qualifications can potentially open up a whole new world of opportunities. It’s these opportunities that could help you to get a job you love. 

Don’t Put Pressure On Yourself 

Many people put pressure on themselves to look for a good career. 

However, the more pressure they put themselves under, the less likely they are to find something they truly enjoy. 

Take your time and have a good look around. See what careers are out there and what appeals to you. Sooner or later you could find something that’s just right. 

Use the above tips to help you to find the right career for you. 

How to Drive Higher Twitter Engagement For Your E-Commerce Business?

If you have an e-commerce business, you need to have a strategy for driving higher Twitter engagement. If you have not, you are missing out on an opportunity to increase your sales, boost your reputation, and grow your business. 

Add A Photo To Your Tweet.

A photo can increase the amount of engagement you receive on Twitter. However, you have to take a few steps to ensure you're using the right size of an image. The ideal image size for a desktop is 1600 pixels by 900 pixels. It is also recommended to use a 2:1 aspect ratio or a 16:9 ratio for mobile. You can upload up to four images per tweet. In addition, you should make sure you include a caption. Captions are a great way to add a bit of interest to your post and draw more people's attention. Another tactic is to use hashtags. Hashtags are an easy way for followers to share your content with others. If you want to increase the number of people you reach on Twitter, it's important to follow the 80/20 rule. You should focus 80% of your posts on driving interaction and 20% on marketing your product or service. For example, if you're an e-commerce business, you could retweet customer photos to provide social proof of your company's existence. Also, you can link to a special promotion or feature of your product.

Add To A Trending Conversation.

If you want to increase your Twitter engagement, one of the best ways to do this is to participate in a trending conversation. Not only will you add value to the topic, but you will also be able to take advantage of the trending social media craze. This means interacting with your existing customers and gaining more visibility in your feeds can be a successful way to drive higher engagement with your target demographics. Moreover, you may even be able to find new followers if you're active enough. Luckily, there are a few ways you can do this. For starters, check out the hashtags that are trending. There are dozens of them, and you can find them by doing a quick search. You can even choose trending topics based on location and interest.

Have A Casual Back-And-Forth Conversation With Your Audience

A Twitter account can be a great way to engage your audience. You can post short questions about your product, spout customer testimonials and have fun with it. The best part is that you can reply to and follow others who are already a part of your social network. One of the most effective ways to get your foot in the door is to find out who your followers are and what they want from you. After all, no one wants to spend time writing posts or tweeting about stuff that doesn't excite them. While Twitter isn't the most interactive e-commerce platform, it isn't necessarily the worst either. You can enjoy a steady stream of new followers with proper planning and implementation. Using hashtags, you'll have a much easier time keeping your content fresh and relevant.

Find Out Who Your Competitors Are Engaging With

If you are looking for ways to make your e-commerce business more successful, consider finding out who your competitors are engaging with on Twitter. This can give you an idea of which strategies are working for your competitors and help you fine-tune your strategy if they aren't. You should even adopt their strategies if they work. However, you should also watch out for strategies that don't work for your competitors. You can also use a tool to find unfiltered consumer feedback about your business. When analyzing your competitors, you can look at their posting schedules and frequency and the pictures they use in their posts. Also, you can keep an eye on their followers and follower count. Using these statistics can tell you how many people are actually talking about your company's products and services on Twitter and how many are simply following you.

Clever Ways To Make Your New Business Premises Standout From The Crowd

Drawing customers into a new business is vital to its growth and survival. And while advertising and word of mouth are integral to this, ensuring your business premises stand out from the crowd is equally essential. There is a glut of commercial websites online, meaning it's surprisingly easy to get lost in cyberspace, so an instantly recognizable presence is equally vital online as physically. In order to be successful in the physical world of shops, there are so many elements to keep on top of. For example, if your premises don't feel safe to the customer, you will have to invest in some alarms (more info here) to ensure they feel as safe as possible. Also, decoration and furniture choices are key when it comes to bringing customers in! 

Check Out Your Competition

If you don't know what you're trying to stand out from, it's hard to achieve the end goal. As such, before choosing color schemes and signage, you need to scout out the competition. Once you know what you're up against, then you can make your business stand out by doing something different like using channel letter signs. Looking at the online presence of other similar companies can also give you an advantage; for example, if they aren't using social media, there's a convenient advertising gap.

Signage

For a business with physical premises, signage is essential as it helps customers identify where they are. Internal signage is vital for customer service, as no one likes feeling lost, meaning an adequately signposted business will do better than one that leaves it vague. Printed Dibond signs are a cost-effective and stunning-looking option that works both outside and inside. Have your storefront sign, interior signage, and artwork printed to Dibond for a long-lasting, contemporary look. 

Online

Implementing a robust and cohesive advertising campaign is vital to be seen in the cyberworld. This cohesion will help people recognize and identify your business instantly wherever they see your name. Spend time planning the color scheme and logo for your business, making it relevant, unique, and slick. Then implement it across online and offline advertising, from the storefront to social media and print ads. 

Break The Mould

Don't be afraid of choosing a unique look when choosing furniture and furnishing. Mass-produced office furniture and homeware can be cheap, but it’s so common it can be hard to give individual personality. Where appropriate, look for something different, such as recycled furniture in a café, an upcycled statement piece in a meeting room, or rustic-looking shelving. A unique slant not only creates an attractive working environment for staff but will create a mental hook that sticks in customers' minds, helping draw them back.

Superb Customer Service

Give excellent customer service, and you'll steadily grow a loyal customer base who happily recommend your company far and wide. It doesn't matter how good your business premises look and how comfortably set out the inside is; long-term people will avoid you without excellent customer service. Negative feedback always travels faster than the good, so a half-hearted to poor customer service reputation is exceedingly detrimental to business growth.

When you consider all the possibilities and eventualities, it doesn’t take much hard work to create new business premises that will stand out from its competitors, both physical and online. 

Five Qualities You Need to Be a Successful Woman

Many women are becoming successful business owners and entrepreneurs. You can be successful as your own boss, too. However, you will need to have a certain set of qualities that will make your adventure easier. If you do not own these qualities, you will have to build them. The good news is that it's possible. These are five qualities you'll need to be a successful female business owner or entrepreneur:

Thick Skin

Thick skin is something you will definitely need to have if you want to exist in the current world of business. As a female, you may face challenges that other individuals do not face. You may have to deal with gender biases and stereotypes on top of the general problems people experience as they try to grow their businesses. Thick skin is the ability to separate certain things and let them fly over your head instead of allowing them to stop your growth. You can develop thick skin through coaching, reading, or regular growth experiences. 

Courage

You will need to have courage as a woman in the business world. That means you'll need to be a risk-taker like Sarah Cone on Twitter. Risk-takers are people who understand the massive loss they could experience but also understand how much of a gain they could get from taking such a risk. They are gamblers who are not afraid to step out of their comfort zone and take chances. You will have to be this type of person to succeed in many aspects of life, particularly business. 

Positivity 

Positivity is an absolute must to be a business owner and a leader. In fact, it's necessary to be positive if you want to achieve anything. A pessimistic outlook is not a good one to have if you want to grow your business or entrepreneurship. You'll need to have an "I can" attitude instead of thinking about all the things that could go wrong for you. You've probably heard that you can do anything you set your mind to. That's 100 percent true, but you have to set your mind to it instead of psyching yourself out of your own achievements. 

Big-Thinking

Big thinking is a part of positive thinking. It's the aspect of positive thinking that allows you to look at the big picture and see success in your future. You need to be able to envision yourself owning an enterprise even if you don't have two nickels to rub together at this time. You have to believe that you can succeed and you can achieve much more than what might be in your immediate box. Always think outside the box and think bigger than what the norm is. That way, you can stretch your abilities, skills, and talents and make something amazing happen. 

Resilience

Finally, you will need to have the resilience to survive. You'll need to be able to bounce back after a fall, let-down, or disappointment. Not all business ideas flourish, but there might be something even better for you. Be willing to walk through another door if one door closes on you. Be willing to adapt to a new set of circumstances if something causes your old ones to disappear. You may have to fight for many years before you get to a level of success you feel comfortable with. Do not give up because your day to thrive will come eventually. 

Look over the list of attributes to find qualities that you may need to hone. Do whatever is necessary to build up your strength and skill so that you can succeed in any field as a leader. 

4 Steps to Create a Logo

Designing a logo can be a stressful matter for business owners. It can seem difficult to create a logo that captures everything about your business that you want it to, while also looking great and being memorable. In the past, firms had to hire outside help from expensive designers for logos, but now you can design it with a logo maker. Designing a logo has never been more easy, fun, and cost-effective! 

Learn the 4 steps to create a logo below. 

1. Choose the Look & Feel

First, you'll be given a list of different design examples of logos that display a look and feel. Some of these feels include active, fresh, sleek, fun, and retro with an accompanying example logo. You can pick up to three in this stage, which allows the logo maker to get an idea of the styles you prefer. 

2. Pick a Template

Next, a few logo templates will appear on the screen. These serve as a general outline of the format of your logo. Some options here will have an image on top with text on the bottom, text on either side of an image, or text within an image or shape. Most options are simple and straightforward, as any good logo should be, but you can change around nearly any aspect of these templates in the following step.  

3. Personalize Your Logo

This is where the real fun begins! During this stage, you can take the logo that the logo maker has made for you using your preferences, and tweak it further to get exactly what you are looking for. Play around with the colors, shapes, clipart, text, and more to your heart's content. 

Some people find it helpful to create a couple of different logos during this stage to get feedback from colleagues, employees, or friends and family members. Think about what kinds of products this logo might show up on, whether it's company clothing, business cards, mugs, or on social media. This can help you further narrow down the details of your prospective logo. 

4. Download Your New Logo

Once you have hammered out the details of your logo, it's ready to download! When downloading your logo, you will be given two logo files. One will have a solid background, and the other will have a transparent background, making it easy to put one or the other on whatever you need. 

From here, you can use your logo on your brand's social media pages or website, or you can put it on customized merchandise to sell to your fans! 

Designing a Logo Just Got Easier

The logo maker software is straightforward and intuitive, and anyone can make an eye-catching, professional logo in a matter of minutes. Some people prefer to stay closer to the templates the logo maker recommends, and others like to take their time and let their creative juices flow. 

Either way, you can relax while knowing that logo design no longer has to be a stressful, expensive endeavor.

The Real You - 7 Tools to Help You Find Your Ideal Career

Whether you’re considering returning to work after a break, or just looking for a more rewarding working life, it’s worth taking time and effort to define exactly what type of career will be the ideal fit with your personality and your lifestyle needs. There are plenty of tools to help you, so we list a few of the most useful below.

1. Know what you want

The first step is to consider what will be important to you in your perfect career. Is it an opportunity to solve problems, and use your creativity? Will you want to be near home, and avoid commuting? Flexible hours? The chance to use your education and experience?

Make a list of everything you want, then divide them into two lists: ‘Essential’ and ‘Nice to have’. List each item in order of importance.

Next, make a list of deal-breakers. What aspects of a job would you not accept – low salary? Long hours? Working remotely?  

Now, armed with these initial insights, it’s time to look a bit deeper.

2. Gain insight into your working style

Although self-analysis is useful, it is also worthwhile to gather more data with an online personality test.  There are plenty of free resources you could try.  However, it’s probably better to go for one which has been validated by independent research, as you’re likely to get a more accurate result. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator has been used for over 70 years and has been extensively tested. It’s widely used across a range of organizations and defines 16 basic personality types, plus their optimum working environment.  For example, if you are an ‘INFP personality type', or an 'insightful visionary' as it's described, there are clearly careers that will allow you to play to your strengths and others which won't allow you to flourish.  As an ‘insightful visionary’ would you prefer to start your own business, perhaps?  Or work for a start-up’, with your eye on a clear path to a bright future? 

3. Match your profile with jobs

Armed with insights from your self-analysis and chosen online psychometric tool, it’s time to start matching your profile with the careers that may suit you.  The US government provides two amazing online tools using their vast employment database: the O*Net Interest Profiler and the O*Net Skills profiler. The first will help you research careers that match your list of features you want in your career, the second is more based on your skills and experience. The O*Net site also provides in-depth job descriptions, as well as salary ranges and other data which will help to prepare for your job search.

4. The perfect salary

You may be in the fortunate position of not having to consider remuneration as an important part of your reason for working.  More likely you’re like the rest of us and you'll need to be realistic about the salary you want and can expect.  You’ll find plenty of information on the major job boards, based on real-time data from thousands of recruiters and job seekers. 

Also, why not consult local employment agencies for a realistic assessment of the salary range you might expect in your chosen career.

5. Friends and family

Friends and family can be a great source of feedback and inspiration. They know you best.  Ask them what they think would be your ideal career.  They may surprise you with suggestions that highlight strengths you didn't realize you had.

6. Seek professional advice 

Before launching yourself onto a new career path, it pays off to discuss your choices with an experienced professional. Consult a career counselor or a life coach who specializes in helping people find their niche.  It’s true that his will most likely require a financial investment as expert advice rarely comes free. However, when you consider the long-term financial and emotional impact of your career choice, it can definitely prove worthwhile. 

7. Be supported as you search

Once your job search is underway, get as much support as you can. There are plenty of online support programs that provide practical advice and tools.  

Ensure your CV is updated and really reflects the career choice you’re making.  These days, recruiters often receive hundreds of applications for each vacancy. It’s essential that whatever you send is clear and focused. Why are you the right choice for the position, and why is the position the right choice for you?

Choosing the right career is a major life decision, which requires careful consideration and planning. We hope that some or all of these tools will assist in getting you the ideal career. Good luck!

Why Regular Cleaning of Commercial Kitchens is Important

Commercial kitchens are heavy-use facilities that require serious cleaning to maintain in a safe and hygienic manner. In addition to verifying daily and weekly cleaning operations, other areas need bi-monthly, monthly, and annual attention. Owners, managers, and other individuals responsible for the safe and sanitary conditions of commercial kitchens can accomplish this type of audit with routine walk-throughs of the facility. 

Yearly

One of the first things that can be crossed off the list is getting a professional commercial hood cleaning in Houston. It is recommended, as part of fire prevention that vent hoods are cleaned at least annually. This can vary depending on cooking frequency, type, and volume or specific local regulations. Take a look at the vent, using a flashlight if necessary, and see how quickly grease builds up between cleanings. Depending on the findings, the hood cleaning schedule may need to be increased or otherwise adjusted.

Monthly

Areas including freezers, ice machines, walls, and dry storage may not see as much action in terms of the cooking process, but they also need regular cleaning. At least once a month, check these areas not only for visible but hidden dirt. Inspect underneath, on top, and behind shelving and machines for spills and splashes and dust on top of cans, jars, boxes, and ventilation fans. Try to look at the kitchen with a fresh set of eyes to avoid overlooking potential cleaning lapses.

Semimonthly

Routine cleaning of the exhaust system filters is another step to prevent kitchen fires. Clean filters are better at keeping the vent hood clean, so it makes sense to ensure this cleaning step is performed properly. Depending on use, these filters should be cleaned at least every two weeks. To check, remove the filters and examine for grease buildup.  As with vent hood cleaning, depending on what is found, the cleaning schedule may need to be adjusted, or it could be time to replace the filters at once. 

A plethora of different activities occurs in commercial kitchens every day. Cleaning is only one of those, but it is no less important. While owners, managers, and other restaurant staff have high-stress and busy jobs, keeping the kitchen safe and sanitary must be a priority. Consider taking the time to assure these tasks are completed properly and in a timely manner, especially restaurant vent hood cleaning New York. In the end, it can not only help with safety and fire prevention but can also contribute to an environment where food-borne illness less likely.

How To Write Formal Letters

While crafting letters may seem unnecessary or even antiquated at times, letter writing is a solid method of communication that can assist you when it comes to resolving issues or continuing on your path to success. Whether you're writing for school, legal purposes or employment, it's important to know the distinct differences between several kinds of letters. 

Requesting Incident or Injury Compensation

If you were in an accident or had damage done to your property or possessions, writing a demand letter could potentially open up the conversation between you and the recipient. These kinds of letters are not meant to replace legal counsel or action, but rather to remind the offending party what exactly happened and what is owed to you. The use of demand letters is popular in negotiations because they lay out the facts, speed up the settling process, and often save both parties time and money. When writing a demand letter, be sure to stick to the facts and remind the recipient that they owe you what is fair. A good tactic to note is that you shouldn't necessarily send a letter right away; sometimes, it's best to wait until after initial negotiations so that you can receive a fair amount at the end of your case. 

Applying For a Job

If you think that cover letters are a thing of the past, think again. Cover letters help you stand out against the competition. By distinguishing yourself as an experienced, educated and well-informed candidate in a concise, attention-grabbing letter, hiring managers are more likely to take a second glance at your resume. Begin by checking out these job-winning cover letter examples to kick off your  letter-writing process. You must be sure to thoroughly research the company you are looking to apply at. Include bits of information and key words from their website to further prove that you are a qualified and prepared candidate. Start strong in your letter by explaining why you'd be the perfect fit for the company, then delve into your personal experience and how it would help you succeed in the position to which you're applying. Doing so will say to the hiring manager that you are willing to put in the extra work, do the research and get the job done right.

Recommending Someone

A letter of recommendation comes highly regarded in both schools and business. They boost credibility, as well as provide a deeper look into someone's personal and professional experiences. Writing a letter of recommendation takes a bit more research than one might anticipate, though. Before you begin writing solely about the candidate and how wonderful they are, consider the role they're looking to assume. If they're applying to be a teacher, you might not want to discuss in detail their retail experience. Perhaps research the school they want to work at and use the school's mission statement in conjunction with your description of the candidate; this way, the school will see a correlation between their values and the candidate's. 

Formal letters are not so much a thing of the past as they are a tried-and-true method in getting the desired result to your actions. Before you agree to a first offer in negotiations or send in a resume without a cover letter, consider how a simple note could get you where you need to go.

How Stickers Can Help Your Business Grow

No matter what type of business you're in, reaching out to customers and generating new leads is an important part of being successful. Fortunately, there are a lot of ways to do that. If you're looking for a way to improve your brand and get your name seen by more people, here's why you might want to consider investing in stickers.

Photo by J Gowell on Unsplash

Versatile Branding

There are a lot of things that make stickers a good branding tool, but their versatility is one of the most important parts. You can put stickers pretty much anywhere, from cars and motorcycles to notebooks, laptops and desks. When you have transparent stickers that can stand up to UV rays and excess water, you have even more options in terms of where you can put them.

Another cool aspect to this versatility is how creative you can be with your stickers. You have your choice between tons of different design options and shapes, plus you can choose the colors and size of your sticker for complete customization. No matter what kind of look you want to create for your brand, you can do it with a good sticker.

Free Advertising

One of the coolest parts about using stickers for branding is the fact that they provide virtually free advertising for you. While you have to pay for the stickers in the first place, all you have to do after that is give some away and stick some on your vehicle, water bottle and other belongings. The more you're out and about and putting that sticker on display, the more likely you are to build a solid customer base. This advertising effort only gets better as you make better stickers, which gives you an incentive to really get down to business when it comes to creating the perfect design. This is why some of the most popular brands give away free stickers to their customers to use as they see fit.

A Simple Process

It's no secret that a lot of advertising methods require a lot of effort, but that's far from the case when it comes to stickers. There are lots of websites where you can print your own clear stickers based on your desired design, colors and size. You can choose exactly how many stickers you want and have them shipped to you in no time. Once you've got a bunch of stickers, you can sell them, put them on things or simply give them away to get your advertising campaign started. While you do have to invest a little bit of money if you want to buy thousands of stickers, the return on investment you get in terms of advertising and boosting your brand is well worth it.

Running a business is hard work, but making advertising easier can lift a lot of that burden. If you're looking for a creative way to advertise your business without putting in constant effort, you might want to think about designing and printing some custom stickers for your business.

How to Prep for Vacation at Work

Do you regularly plan for and take vacation? If not, you’re probably hurting yourself and your general level of satisfaction. Planning a vacation actually makes people happier than if they don’t. They’re less stressed, their health is better, and heck, they even have a longer life.

Even if people do take a vacation, they’re probably not taking all the vacation that is owed to them. The reasons for this are varied, but a lot of it has to do with deadlines and too much work. And if you don’t take those vacations, you’re hurting yourself and you’re hurting your company, too. You’re not as focused at work and you’re more likely to burn out too. (Guess what: If you take a vacation, you’re also more likely to get a raise.)

So you need to take time off—how do you prepare for it better in order to maximize your time and not stress out? This graphic offers some ideas.


Thank you ZeroCater for these helpful tips!

A Quick Guide to Finding Endless Blog Post Ideas for Your Mom Blog

As a rule, starting your first blog is so exciting that you literally can't get away from hundreds of ideas that swarm in your head. Most people are feeling super inspired and passionate, making their first steps in the field. The flow of ideas doesn’t seem to stop. But what happens next?

After several months of writing, most people burn out and lose inspiration. It is not like they don’t want to do it anymore or don’t enjoy writing; it is just that they no longer have a clue what to post about.

Photo by Arnel Hasanovic on Unsplash

Running a mom blog is especially hard. At any time, your children may require most of your attention as they get involved in afterschool activities or just want more time with you.

To complicate matters, over time, blogging transforms into a full-scale chore rather than being just a hobby. That’s when you may face the real challenge. Overcoming this period of burnout is possible but not always simple. Some people decide to take a break, while others prefer to get professional help from https://essaypro.com/ while they recover and come up with new ideas.

Are there any other options? If you don’t want to stop and want to go all the way yourself, but it feels like you have no creative juices left, there still is a solution! In this article, we are going to give you clues on how to find endless ideas at any time. Let’s get to it!

Regardless of the chosen niche, most bloggers face the same issues, such as loss of creativity and inability to come up with fresh ideas.

However, don’t give up on the job you love just because you don’t feel those creative juices rushing through you anymore. This happens to many people, and in most cases, it is only a tough period that you need to overcome.

If you are currently facing such a problem, use the guide below to open an endless source of ideas for your mom blog:

Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash

Follow the Influencers

Probably all of us have at least a couple of great blogs from our niche in mind. Do you read them? If no, this is just the right time to give them a quick look and, hopefully, get inspired! 

Even if you can’t recap any blogs you read, you can look up the most popular mom blogs on the Internet and find some inspiration there.

Looking at how the niche’s influencers work can give you enough ideas to get back to actively posting.

They have a vast audience, so every post they make is polished and unique, which makes them a perfect source of ideas. No copy pasting, though. We all need to respect the readers not to lose them because of similar posts.

Use Topic Generators

Can’t come up with a perfect headline for your next post? 

On the Internet, there is plenty of topic generating tools that can come in handy! Such tools help writers compose catchy and neat headlines related to their keywords in a matter of seconds. 

Social Media Platforms

Of course, writing an actual blog is much different from being an influencer in social media. However, don’t neglect using platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, or Twitter for finding inspiration.

Here is the thing, millions of people around the globe use popular social media platforms. Every active user makes regular publications or reposts from others. 

This generates a broad base of content, including pictures, videos, written materials, memes, and much more. Why not use all of it to your benefit?

Have you found a hilarious story about motherhood or a helpful video guide? You can turn this into fresh ideas for a new post!

Pay Attention to Readers’ Comments

Even if you didn’t realize this before, readers’ comments could be a great source of inspiration at all times! Often, readers share their thoughts and stories under the posts they liked, and these stories could turn into some nice post ideas.

Therefore, be sure to pay attention to what your readers have to say. Also, you can check out comments on other websites on related topics.

Ask Your Audience for Advice

If it feels like you still can’t decide what you should write next, why not ask the audience who reads you? Do you have an email subscriber list? Great! Then drop them a short newsletter or create a survey to find out what your audience craves.

Google Analytics

Products created by Google always make our lives easier, and lack of inspiration for your mom blog isn’t an exception. 

Google Analytics allows one to look at the platform from an analytical perspective and find out which of previous pieces were the most popular and which don’t seem to come to the audience’s liking.

Having such stats should help you choose the right direction and maybe even refresh some of your old popular publications' ideas with a series of related materials.

Services That Gather Content Across the Web

Have you ever heard of platforms like Alltop or Buzzsumo? If not, you are missing out on a great deal of inspiration. Such websites gather stories on various topics from the most trending sites. 

Using such services, you can conduct quick research based on some relevant keywords (for example, early education, parenthood, children, etc.) and find out what content specialists like the most in your niche. This could be another source of ideas for you.

Photo by J. Kelly Brito on Unsplash

Final Words

For many moms, who are forced to stay at home, blogging becomes a real-life savior. It is an excellent way of expressing themselves, sharing experiences, socializing with like-minded people, and keeping themselves busy. 

Besides, running a mom blog can give you a stable and potentially high income. Doesn’t that sound like a dream job? It does, but it is still not that easy!

Being a blogger, you may experience various issues such as writer’s block, lack of inspiration, new ideas, etc. 

Therefore, it is crucial to have a backup plan that would let you generate excellent ideas even when you are at your least creative period.

Hopefully, this list will help you find the source of endless blog post ideas. Follow this simple guide, and your blog will prosper!

How to Give a Good Impression to Clients - Premium Coworking Space Manila

The coworking space in Manila can provide your business with a number of benefits. One of the Philippines international business centers, Manila has a very diverse coworking landscape. It is no wonder that businesses are flocking to this convenient workspace, which provides businesses with the chance to lease comfortable, affordable workspace.

The spaces have become more than a trend because they provide a platform for social interaction. Business relationships flourish in an office that is fluid space providing businesses workspace and space to collaborate. Premium coworking space in Manila, Philippines can also be a platform for impressing fickle clients.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the ways you can impress clients in your coworking space.

Work In A Prestigious Location

The first way the coworking space can make an impressive impression on your clients is through location. Typically, offices in affluent areas, especially in the CBD, hold a certain prestige. Their reputations precede them, so being located in any one of the offices makes a statement about the overall businesses.

Unfortunately, for many start-ups and smaller business, the cost to lease space in these locations can be very expensive. However, the coworking space can provide your business with access to these locations because it costs less to lease workspace in one of these communities. You can rest assured the address will speak volumes to the world that you are a class act.

Stay Organized

More than working in a professional fit out, coworking professionals want to stay organized. Depending on the workspace you lease, you might have the chance to have storage space or desk space. In the chance that you choose the hot desk, professionals need to create an organizational plan to remain on top of things.

For one, ditch that filing cabinet and consider moving hard copy files to electronic storage. Online record-keeping and book-keeping apps and software make it easy and efficient to stay abreast of the books. If your clients ever need information, this information can be accessed from any device—if stored online.

Use New Tools

Again, new tools that can make work more efficient and make your day productive is very impressive to clients. For one, it shows that your business stays current with the latest technologies. Then, it also speaks to your commitment to stay abreast of changes within your industry.

More than just your standard office tools for business, consider purchasing technologies related to taking care of everyday tasks easily. Software that keeps track of records while syncing information is always relevant in today’s business. Apps that can keep you abreast of information related to a certain industry is also good. New gadgets that can make work more efficient hasten productivity and leave clients with the impression that you have made the effort to be connected to the current business environment.

Use The Conference Rooms

If you want to really make an impression, join a space that gives you access to conference rooms. These rooms usually are equipped with the latest technologies, and if you need to make a presentation, the comfortable seating and world-class fit out can be very impressive to clients. Video-conferencing capabilities can help you hold meetings when everyone cannot be in attendance. Ultimately, meeting in corporate space can have a lasting impression on clients, and in some cases, can be a deal breaker, as coffee house meeting offers little versatility.

Making A Lasting Impression

After meetings or presentations, consider giving your clients a follow-up call or card thanking them for their time. When they receive your message, they will instantly remember you, your office, and the fantastic meeting you hosted. In the coworking space, a professional fit out can translate into retaining clients or sealing the deal.

5 Reasons To Run A Background Check

You might have come across the term ‘background check’ in context of employee recruitment or security purposes, but these are not the only reasons to perform this. Companies often perform background checks on potential recruits and check public records, before hiring them. A background check is basically a report on an individual that reveals his/her criminal record, education history, financial history and other public records.

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

5 Reasons to Perform a Background Check

Online security and background checks have made it easier to get hold of an individual’s bio data, check public records and uncover information that you might not be able to get otherwise. Here are the top 5 reasons why individuals and organizations conduct background checks on others. 

1. To Make Employment Decisions: A background check can reveal a lot about an individual and holds an important place in most employment decisions. Firms want to make sure that they are hiring trustworthy employees to keep everyone safe. They want to keep workplace violence, theft and other security-related issues to the minimum by not hiring unqualified individuals possessing unsatisfactory past record. HR managers often perform background checks on candidates, before making employment decisions.   
2. For Litigation Purposes: These checks are a valuable tool to criminal defense attorneys who can use them in courts, in favor of or against an individual. Information from these inspections can be used to lend credibility to a person or an argument, prove his/her honesty, or for verification purposes. The same information can be used to prove the opposite, making Kentucky criminal background checks (or similar criminal background checks in your area) incredibly useful in a court of law. 
3. Relationships: Background investigations have found their way in the world of relationships as well, and are not only confined to private companies and government organizations. People nowadays have become more cautious of whom they spend their time and live with. They would like to make sure that their ‘significant other’ is trustworthy enough and does not have a questionable background. In this regard, a background investigation is often the most reliable method of checking whether you are with the right person or not.  
4. For Security Purposes: This is most applicable in government organizations, where candidates are appointed on sensitive government positions. Before being appointed to such positions, officials must get security clearance, which can be done through a background inspection.
5. Before Commencing a Business: When starting a new business or striking a deal with someone, people want to know whether the person they are dealing with is honest and reliable. They would like to ensure that their money is not falling into wrong hands, and thus run a check to verify the identity and background of the other person. Background checks are also performed by investors when they want to invest their money in a company or before handing it over to complete strangers.

Background investigations are a reliable source of information and could save you from a lot of trouble in future. Even though some people might consider them as invasion in their privacy, these checks can actually prove to be quite useful in this age of constantly rising crimes and scams.

Affect vs. Effect & 34 Other Common Confusions

I had to share this in the event that you are like me and sometimes make a mistake with some of these very commonly confused words. This is good and we can all use a refresher every now and again. Have a great week!

Source: www.grammarcheck.net

10 Common Phrases & What You Can Use Instead

I thought I'd share this because I found it interesting. Enjoy!
 
Source: www.grammarcheck.net

4 Other Ways You Can Earn Money Out of Your Blog Outside of Ads

While displaying ads is one way of monetizing your blog, it isn’t always the best option for profit. Ads don’t guarantee a stable income because they rely on your blog readers to click on them, which they don’t always do.  If you’re trying to make more money off your blog, there are other options you should definitely consider. In this article, we will show you the different paths you can take to do so.

• Sell Merchandise

Selling your very own product is another method to increase revenue coming from your blog. Before anything else, you have to decide on your first product. When you have decided and know who your market is, it is recommended to test the product with a pre-sale strategy. This allows you to gauge the potential of the product without putting you in financial risk.

Make sure that your merchandise in line with what your blog is all about. For example, if it is based around sharing recipes and cooking, selling kitchenware would be a great fit.

• Sell Digital Products

Thanks to the advances in technology, digital products are now more convenient to make. If you are considered an expert in a certain field, writing about it and compiling it in an e-book is another way to gain income. It is likely that your loyal readers would want to know what else you have to say.

If your blog is about a topic where it would be easier for your readers to listen or watch (music and make-up tutorial blogs, for example) rather than read, you can also create audio and video content for you to sell.

• Add Affiliate Links in Your Content

Utilizing affiliate marketing is another way to increase your blog’s passive income. You can do this by making your readers aware of outside products that would be relevant to them. When using this method, you earn a commission whenever you readers make a purchase from your links. When marketed correctly, this can be very lucrative. Usually, these links are combined with ads, but you can add them to your content such as product reviews as well.

• Do Product Reviews or Partnerships

Another way to generate extra income via your blog is to review products relevant to your target audience. This method works hand in hand with affiliate marketing. Since in affiliate marketing, you are informing readers about products that aren’t your own, you can do reviews to show them the products of companies you are affiliated or have partnerships with.

When making the review, it is important that you be honest – even mentioning the negative points that product has. This will make you seem more authentic to your readers, encouraging them to trust you. Taking pictures of the product is also important as it shows your readers that you are actually using it.

Your blog can be a great source of income when set up correctly. Remember to always strive to connect with your readers as this makes them keep coming back. As lucrative as reviews and affiliate linking can be, it shouldn’t be the only content in you blog – no one wants to read a blog that only has that.

Informative, compelling, and creative posts are what will keep your readers glued. That, combined with what was taught here, is a good way to make money out of your blog without ads.

3 Internet Marketing Ideas for Tech Companies

Have your marketing brainstorming sessions hit a dead end? Are your current strategies to market your technology falling short of set goals? Here you will find some unique marketing strategies and ideas that will help boost your online visibility and presence, attracting the right potential leads.

Why Should a Tech Company Market Itself?

No matter the niche, every organization needs marketing. Marketing is the fuel that drives more traffic to your organization’s website, staying at the front in your customers’ minds, creating new subscribers, leads and customers. Without an Internet marketing strategy, potential customers may not even know you exist, even as they look for products and services you offer.

With great marketing, a tech organization like yours will reach more potential customers, educate the leads on why they should take on your services and create long-lasting, mutually beneficial business relationships. Of course, the main challenge is finding out what online marketing ideas will take your tech organization to the next level.

1. Exchange Your Best Content for Email Addresses

If you do not want to offer your most valuable content to people free, you really do not have to. Instead, consider sending your content by selectively choosing emails or requiring email addresses first in exchange for the content. This strategy will prove valuable in the end.

For example, if your organization has a cloud application that integrates merchant credit services for small businesses, you can have a detailed guide to using the application. Restrict access to the guide until visitors to your website enter their name, company name, email address, or any other information you want. Many users  don’t like to enter a long list of information to get your  content, so  be selective in what you request.After entering the information, the visitor is automatically subscribed to your mailing list or you can channel them to a specific email campaign depending on their niche market.

2. On-Site Forms for Leads

However, you do not need to rely on a single contact form, email address or phone number to attract leads. You can use many alternate methods to convert potential subscribers or customers into leads. Pop-ups are great because they are attention grabbing; unfortunately, few Internet users like them.

If you are not a fan of pop-ups and do not want them on your website, consider adding a Contact Us box on virtually every page on your website. The contact box allows potential leads to have a method of contacting you whenever and wherever they are on your website.

3. Create and Publish Educational Content

If you have not started, this is the best time to start producing content for your website in the form of videos, guides, whitepapers, or posts. Whether you are providing software or hardware solutions, there is a lot to benefit from content that educates customers. The content you post or send to your customers should answer their questions and help them make smarter buying decisions.


Content should not be hyper-focused on your organization’s products and services, it should be relevant to your niche and, most importantly, what your leads are interested in. For example, if you produce networking hardware, you can provide content that will be most helpful to individuals looking for networking solutions. Some of the topics you could focus on include guiding on how to set up networks, blog posts on wireless network security, a video on how to install the equipment or a review of time-tracking software like Clockspot.

Typically, the content should not push visitors into buying your product, but should help you to rank high in search engines and attracting more customers. In fact, 37 percent of marketers agree that blogs on business websites are most valuable in content marketing. This means that you should post your content on a regular basis for the campaign to be successful.

Tips for Choosing a POS System Best Fit for Your Business

With the wide variety of POS systems available for businesses, it is important to choose the one that best fits your business needs. Take a look at some tips for choosing the right system for your business so you can move forward with confidence.

Reputation of Provider
It is very important to be sure that the provider you choose for your POS system has a good and trustworthy reputation. One sure way to find out whether or not you can trust the provider is to check with the Better Business Bureau, read reviews from other customers, or talk to those customers first hand to find out more about their experiences with the provider. When doing your research on providers, keep in mind their grade from the BBB, as well as how they treated or supported the other customers who have used them as well. This will give you a better idea of whether or not the provider is the best choice for your business.

Support Options
Another tip when choosing a point of sale system for your business is to find out what type of support is offered from the provider. It is important to choose a system and a provider that will offer support when needed after the sale is complete. Some information to gather when searching for your system and provider is whether or not they offer one on one training, if they offer training materials or instruction manuals, and if they offer technical support once the setup is complete and for the life of the system’s use. The last thing you want is to be stuck with a problem you can‘t solve and have no support offered from the provider.

Performance
Another factor to consider when choosing a POS system or merchant services credit card machine is the performance factor. Be sure to choose a system that offers you the full capabilities that you are looking for, no matter the cost. This will be essential to the functionality of your business in the future. Performance and quality of the POS system is what will keep your business running smoothly.

Stay-at-home Jobs – Some People Love Them, Some Don’t (Guest Post)

Working from home is a subject that is met with both positivity and negativity for different reasons. While some believe that it is a great thing that people are able in this day and age to complete their work duties from the comfort of their own homes, other consider that this is not a beneficial thing due to the fact that it brings with it some disadvantages.  Both sides could be considered correct depending on which you choose to lean on. However, it wouldn’t hurt to have some arguments for both for and against working from home. Many people want to learn more about what it means to work from home and they would surely love a couple of reasons for which it’s a good or bad idea. If you’ve already decided that you want to work from home you can try this out.

Let’s go on and see what the disadvantages are. We’re starting with the negative aspects then hop over to the pluses to see which side makes a better point. In the end you can draw a line and decide whether or not a stay-at-home job would suit you.

• You don’t get to chat with your office friends if you work from home. If that’s something you like doing, this may be considered a downside
• You have to constantly find the willpower to start work each day since there’s no schedule to tell you that you have to start at a precise hour
• It can be challenging to maintain the same work ethic when there is no one around to correct you or your work
• Speaking of correcting work, your boss won’t see how hard you are in fact working and will only judge you based on your number, so if you don’t put out the same performance each day he’ll think you’re slacking
• You have to re-arrange a significant deal of space in your home to accommodate your home office especially if you have a lot of things that you need around you for work

Now that we’ve seen what the downsides are to working from home, let’s take a look at the positive aspects.

• You can save up a lot of money on gas and other expenses that come up when you have to commute to work
• You get to spend more time home with your family and also take care of the household more since you can set your own schedule to a certain degree
• You can work without distractions like office chatter and commit fully to your tasks for the day
• You can sleep in more since you don’t have to wake up as early to get to the workplace
• You can wear whatever you want and sit in whichever position you see fit so that you are in your most comfortable state

How to Choose Keywords for SEO (Guest Post)

We all know how important it is to use the right keywords for your website. Identifying the most relevant keywords and key phrases can be essential for the success of your website and therefore business, so it is something you should totally treat seriously. Before doing such a thing, it is advisable to know the SEO process well so that your results could be useful.

Step 1. Have a keyword list

Place yourself in the shoes of your target consumer. If you would like to reach your website, what kind of words would you choose to search on Google? Also keep in mind that many users do not use a proper sentence structure or grammar rules. The order of the words is not necessarily the right one, so be prepared for such exceptions too. Use brainstorming for finding the right keywords and write down anything that comes to your mind. For example, people are more likely to look up “seo Chicago in IL” than write “SEO companies offering service in IL”.

Step 2. Research other keywords

You can use special analytic programs or Google’s suggestions to find alternative keywords. Take the list you have in Excel and start looking up each keyword there. But don’t press enter! Let Google suggest you other words there and write down those too. For example, wordstream.com offers a free keyword research tool which you can use. Also keep an eye for the most popular search terms out there.

Step 3. Careful with the pitfalls

Pay attention to possible pitfalls! These are vanity keywords, most of them formed by one word, which are really generic and descriptive. If you have a political campaign, probably you shouldn’t invest in generic keywords such as “senator”, “politics” or “election”, since they are too broad to bring you useful visitors.

Step 4. Test the SEO keywords

Take the list you made with the useful keywords for your website and test them. Check out the terms that belong to your analytics and which have good test results on WordStream.com. Rank them and see which ones make it to the top of the list. The next step is to buy pay-per-click ads only on the search engines that bring most traffic to the website. Then all you have to do is to sit back and see how do these keywords perform.

Step 5. Do weekly reports

Every week you should do a report and see how your website is going. In this way you can track any changes, whether for good or bad, and you can prevent other future lows. Compare the results to the baseline you had in the beginning in order to see if the SEO tactics are successful.