Photo Add to Flipboard Magazine. The use of technology is essential if you plan on having a thriving business that generates success. It doesn't matter what your enterprise specializes in, if you don't have a good understanding of technology you may as well give up now.
Everything is run through apps, data and hardware nowadays, and people are able to loosen the reigns a little and let the robots take control. But this can only be done if you have the right skills and ability to create your own system of how you want things to be run.
Here is all the important uses technology has, and how exactly it connects to building a business.
Benefits
The use of technology is great for all businesses. But it is especially encouraging for smaller companies. The reason for this is because they are more able to keep track of their competition. -They can see where others are going wrong, ensuring they don’t make the same mistakes.
If you’re a small business owner, it can be very stressful as you have to play many different roles yourself. So with the use of business tools like quick emailing, accounting and time management applications, you are able to take the back seat a little, because you know your business is in good (virtual) hands.
Automation
Again this is particularly good if you have a small business. It’s a form of technology that does the typical jobs an employer would do, which means you don’t need to spend money hiring someone. So for example, instead of employing a bookkeeper, there are many functions out there that handle this job virtually. Making it even more efficient, resulting in time being saved, as well as money.
Marketing
It no longer matters whether your business is big or small. Once you’re on the internet, anyone stands a chance at success. Marketing is an amazing thing because it allows you to build a relationship between you and the buyer. You can receive orders, sell in excess and pretty much everything else as long as you have a computer and internet connection.
You may like to do all the marketing for your business yourself, or maybe you prefer to train your employees to do so. Just make sure you have the right skills before directing your staff.
Storage
You are probably already using storage in your daily life, whether you realize it or not. But learning about it properly could save your business on many different occasions, so you will really want to learn your stuff.
You can get rid of all the unwanted storage by using the right programs, saving the important bits, while wiping off any unnecessary files. Cloud service management allows you to control the clouds computer products and services through one or multiple domains.
Software
Software is uploaded onto your system, providing you with different services you will need, like image editing programs, word processing apps and accounting systems. The most common software being Microsoft. They have always dominated because they have everything we need. They cover every single thing whether that be writing a document, creating a spreadsheet or putting together a powerpoint presentation.
Internet
The internet is one of those things that we can all openly state, that we wouldn’t be able to live without it anymore. It has grown so much over the years, and everyone relies on it, even if you don’t like to admit it. Whenever someone has a question that you are unable to answer, the first reflex will be to take out your phone and ask Google.
We no longer have to leave the house anymore. You can order absolute everything you need without having to move a muscle. So when it comes down to your business, think of the possibilities. Think of the things you can achieve thanks to the internet.
Networking
Computers and data become connected to form networks. This allows people to send, share and receive documents and information safely and securely without any hassle.
It’s especially great if you’re out of the office and need to receive an important file, but aren’t able to grab it yourself. You can just have one of your colleagues to send it through. This also works through a printer too, so if you needed something on paper, not just virtually, they can connect it through and send the file that way, printing it instantly.
Communication
Communication has become so much easier than it once was. With the technology we have today, we are now able to send super quick emails for no cost all. We can send and receive text messages, make calls and even chat through a screen to one another thanks to the built-in cameras we now have on our devices. You can connect with your clients from anywhere around the world. You can answer questions, deal with money and billing orders, and send company files, all within a few clicks (or swipes.)
Sharing
With social media standing tall as the biggest online platform for sharing; this is key to make your business a thriving one. You can post something nowadays, and within minutes it can reach millions of potential buyers, clients, and even fans.
There are techniques you can learn that will enable your business to gain more and more attention. The goal is to attract as many people as possible, so you must share interesting things on a frequent basis, so people know what you’re about.
Hardware
All technology starts with the hardware. Phones, Androids, cameras, computers, laptops, screens, printers, keyboards, tablets, iPads and more. If it weren’t for these devices, technology wouldn’t be able to exist.
The only way we’d be able to gather our information would be through books. And the only way we’d be able to contact one another would be through handwritten letters. Nothing would be instant anymore. You would have to be patient and wait. Can you imagine that?
Sometimes we take for granted what’s out there. When really, people should appreciate how much easier life has been made for us.
There is increasing evidence that leisure activities are just as important as education to a child’s development. The skills they develop through extracurricular activities will also help them later in life. Unfortunately, it sometimes feels like the kids didn’t get the memo. Getting your child to turn off the TV and try a new activity can be a challenge, especially when it’s raining, snowing, or just plain too cold to play outside. However, it might be easier to encourage their existing hobbies and find a way to turn these into a leisurely pastime.
Book clubs
The ability to read at any level is something that should definitely be encouraged in children. However, a love of reading could also be the comfort zone of a shy child. You don’t want to tell them to stop reading, but you also don’t want to make it acceptable to hide in the corner when they’re uncomfortable. The solution is to bring together other young bookworms for a weekly book club. Ask your child how they would feel about sharing their hobby with other children, and if they’re interested, start reaching out to other parents at their school. It won’t be easy, and there are many steps to starting a children’s book club, but the results could be worth it to see your child interacting with like-minded children.
Sports
There is such a wide variety of sports clubs and outdoor activities available now that even the most athletically-challenged child can get hooked on a sport. Sports activities not only teach kids a skill, they also teach kids how to work as a team toward a common goal. Your child does not have to join a sports team to become active in sports; because many recreational centers have spontaneous games that people play just for fun. You can also organize a game for your child’s friends in your backyard.
Travel
The world is a big and exciting place, and you don’t have to be a certain age to enjoy everything it has to offer. As the world becomes increasingly global, it would be a shame if your kids missed out on fun and valuable travel experience. If you’re fortunate enough to have family living abroad, you can apply for a Family Visitor Visaand let your kids experience a new culture from a local perspective. You can also add an educational element to your vacations. If they’re learning a language at school, take them to a country that speaks that language so they can practice. Justify a trip to Rome by telling your kids they’ll learn more about the Romans for school. In fact, history is an easy class for traveling, because every country features in both modern and ancient history.
Music
Engaging your kids with music in any form will teach them a finer appreciation for the arts. The ability to play an instrument is a valuable skill, dancing teaches them coordination, and both allow your children to express themselves creatively.
Add to Flipboard Magazine. There isn't really any element of modern life that hasn't been completely and totally changed by modern technology. From smartphones to the internet, the world around us is completely and utterly different than it was even a couple of decades ago. For many teachers, technology is the bane of their lives. They spend their time trying to get the attention of kids who'd rather be staring at screens; they constantly have to confiscate phones, and half the time it feels as though technology is just getting in the way. But is that the way things have to be? After all, haven't teachers pushed the boundaries of how they engage with pupils since the dawn of time? What's to say that technology can't just be another tool in your belt when it comes to shaping the minds of a new generation of young people? With that in mind, here are some ways that you can use technology to make your teaching more effective.
One of the most frustrating aspects of being a teacher is that you spend so much of your time not teaching. Schools are complex systems, not only that but they are businesses as well, and this means that there is a great deal of administration involved in running them. Thanks to technology, however, there are now plenty of things that you can use in order to make those tasks faster and easier than ever before. The finances of a school might be incredibly important, but they often end up being a serious distraction from the job that a teacher actually wants to do. You can visit payschools.com/payschools-products/ to see the kinds of technology that’s available to make dealing with finances much easier. That way you can get back to focusing on what really matters!
One of the hardest things about being a teacher is trying to provide the right level of teaching for each individual student. This has, historically, been something of a challenge since no teacher has the resources to deliver thirty or more different lessons at once. But now, thanks to modern technology, it’s never been easier to provide that kind of learning experience. More resources than ever are now online, so the task of the teacher is shifting more towards helping students engage with it in specific ways. This allows you to create a much more personal experience for students of all learning styles and levels of ability, meaning that those who struggle aren’t left behind, but the ones that excel aren’t left feeling bored and frustrated.
Of course, it’s important to remember that these are only tools, just like anything else. As useful as technology might be, there’s no chance that it could ever replace what’s most important: the passion and drive that a teacher has to share knowledge with their students. No piece of technology will ever be so advanced that it can ignite the fire in a student’s mind the way that a truly great teacher can.
Add to Flipboard Magazine. So you’re finally moving out. Business has picked up, and through careful financial planning, you have earned and saved enough funds to move out of your ‘garage.’ For any startup, this is a big move, perhaps career-defining. The most important point is that you look to the future, aim for the sustainability of your business and maintain an expected growth pattern. During this tumultuous time, you must not ever slack in your customers’ or employees’ eyes.
First and foremost, audit everything and decide on what your budget is. Before you can buy and do anything, you must have a plan that consists of avoiding the red, and firmly staying in the black. To even be in a position where it’s financially feasible should prove to you, that you’re doing something right. Any possible move should therefore be, valued for time, because if you’re productivity slips, so does the awareness of your name. Typically you should aim for a 1-2 year plan with set goals you should be hitting every month, regarding profits versus expenditure. To save money, you should think about outsourcing work to freelancers via a digital system.
Renting
Don’t rely on a website photo gallery which shows pictures of the property that are up for rent or lease; go in-person and evaluate the square-footage and the amount charged for it. Compare what the price of the furniture that comes with the office is, to perhaps a more cost-effective alternative that some companies can offer you like Facility Services Group used office furniture. With the money saved through such a choice, you could opt for a flexible term, giving you the ability to add more space if and when required.
If you’re planning to move from a city to the center of a region to expand your business purely for a wide-reaching customer base, then you need to evaluate the following.
Which specific area could you move your office or headquarters to, where you fill a gap in the market physically. Locate competing businesses on your regional map, and identify where the majority of the demand is for a business or service like yours.
Once you have found an area where there isn’t too much competition, contact the local broker and decide on which property style and payment scheme you want to opt for.
Calculate the complexity of the operation in terms of the people in your team. Could you deal with the added workload with your current employees? If not, how much more would you need to hire, and how soon? Does this factor into the amount of office space you’ll need? How much would this cost alone?
Moving out of a home or shared office is a massive step for a startup; quite frankly it can make or break you. If you need a safety net and cannot rely on saved resources, you’ll want to think about getting a loan from your bank. Whatever happens, your end all be all aim should be for business to keep coming in, so make sure you tell your existing customers that you’re moving and do so promptly. Relationships and trust are hard won, therefore, during the move, never jeopardize the current workload you have.
Add to Flipboard Magazine. You might be surprised that one of the biggest things which can affect a business is clutter. After all, it can affect productivity, and it can cause your business to go downhill. And just like your home, your business can often do with a bit of decluttering from time to time too. Here are some easy ways you can declutter your business.
Go through and sort out that paperwork
It’s often business paperwork which can be cluttering up your business. After all, it’s so easy to buy things for your company and then put the receipts on your desk. Or it might be the case you get invoices from clients that end up rooted in your area. But it’s easy for you to feel overwhelmed when it comes to sorting out your accounts with everything everywhere! And you might miss payments if everything is muddled on your desk. Therefore, it’s time to go through the paperwork on your desk. Shred things which you don’t need anymore, and then the rest needs to be filed under the right date. That way, you can quickly go to crucial documents when people ask for them a week or even a year after the date. And when it’s time to do your accounts, you will easily be able to find everything you need to do them efficiently.
It’s not just paperwork which can become cluttered in your office. Your stock can also build-up too. And not only does excess stock waste important space in your building, but it can be a nightmare to keep on top of all your inventory too. After all, you might not be able to find anything so it can prove a nightmare when it’s time to do stock takes. And if anything gets stolen, you might know about it quickly. Therefore, it’s time to go through all your items and decide what needs to be kept and thrown. You might have a ton of things which can go through a plastic granulator to ensure they are recycled to save some space. And doing this can ensure no important details get into the wrong hands too. Remember to hire a warehouse manager if you have a warehouse full of items. That way, they can keep on top of what you have and will organize it properly.
Have a tech clean up too
You should also have a tech clean up to ensure you declutter your business. After all, you might have a ton of documents and photos on your machines you don’t need anymore. And getting rid of them can make a ton more space on your hard drive. It can also make it much easier to find important documents too. Therefore, go through it all and just keep the most important things. Remember that if you delete documents, you should use a program like Eraser so that it’s removed properly. That way, you can ensure no one can get their eyes on sensitive information!
And decluttering your business can mean your staff too. Even though it might be painful to remove someone, you need to end things now if they aren’t bringing anything to the company. And then you can invest in staff who will make a huge difference to your business!
Add to Flipboard Magazine. The summer is a fantastic time in many ways. While we try to console ourselves during the winter with feasting and Christmas, it’s the summer when we really get to be out in nature and enjoy ourselves. It’s no surprise, therefore, that during the warmest months of the year, people want to escape the confines and the home and get active. But what sports are out there that’ll have you adventuring all day? Let’s take a look at some of what’s on offer.
Saddle Up: It’s Time To Go Mountain Biking
Mountain biking has evolved considerably over the last 20 years, and for people who haven’t kept up with the latest advances in the field, it can be a bit of a wake-up call. It turns out that the mountain bikes of yesteryear are long gone, especially if you’re willing to dump a bit of money into a proper bike. Whereas the bikes of the past would leave your hand feeling numb and your bottom feeling raw thanks to a lack of impact absorption, modern bikes have great suspension that helps to absorb many of the hits, both big and small. Rather than going offroad being a painful experience, it’s now something that you can genuinely enjoy. Staying in the saddle all day and riding offroad is a distinct possibility, so long as the weather holds up.
Then there are the trails themselves. While a trail center probably won’t keep you occupied all day, it’s worth mentioning that the range and quality of trail centers have improved massively over the last couple of decades. The great thing about trail centers is that they are a sure bet. You know that they’re going to be rideable and that you won’t have to spend our pushing your bike up to the top of the hill, only to have to walk it down again because of the difficulty of the terrain. Trail centers also benefit from bike friendly facilities. This includes things like cafes, bike workshops, toilets and coffee shops, especially at locations popular with non-mountain bikers.
There are downsides to trail centers, of course. One of the problems is that you never really get to explore the wilderness in a way that you could if you are out in nature. Often trail centers are cut into pine forests, meaning that the trails themselves are great, but the views are a little samey. What’s more, you don’t really get that adventuring feeling like you do when you’re out by yourself on your bike in nature. Riding in the wilderness is a different experience entirely, and thanks to improvements in trails up and down the country, it’s now more mountain bike-friendly than ever before. It’s still a good idea, however, to do your research first and find out whether anybody else has traveled the route you’re planning on riding by bike. Sometimes routes can look great on paper but can be ruined by unmarked features or by there being too many walkers.
What About Hiking?
One of the downsides of mountain biking is the amount of time it takes to get setup and the money it costs. Quality mountain bikes start at around $2000 and go up from there. What’s more, getting the suspension serviced every 100 hours or so is a very costly procedure and will set you back a fair amount. Then there are all the other costs, like having the right tools and kit. If you’re not interested in spending a lot of money on a hobby, then biking might not be for you.
The costs of hiking, however, are a lot lower. Even if you decide to buy all the best equipment, you’ll still have plenty leftover to spend on things like accommodation. What’s more, with hiking you have more freedom. There are many trails closed off to bikers, but few trails are closed to hikers. (Usually, these trails are part of trail centers). What’s more, as a hiker, you’re able to visit more epic destinations. Bikers aren’t able to reach the top of mountains usually, but for hikers, it’s a regular occurrence.
Finally, hiking isn’t something that relies as heavily on the fitness of the whole group. Most people are able to keep up with the fittest when walking, which is something that can’t be said for biking.
Kayaking On River Rapids
Being out of the house all day adventuring is something that can be done on water too. Kayaking, like biking, has experienced a bit of a renaissance over the last decade, especially since the Beijing Olympics where it was watched by millions.
If you’ve not done it before, you’ll need to do a bit of preparation. First, you’ll need to find a kayak. There is no best kayak for beginners because the kayak you choose depends on your use. If you’re planning on being out on the river all day long, then you’ll want a touring kayak – a kayak that is usually a lot longer than other types and that is better in unsteady waters.
The most important thing to remember about kayaking is that it is an extremely physical activity that depends on a lot of upper body strength. If you’re not used to it, it can be a bit of a shock. It’s worth spending a few days practicing being in the water before attempting things like rapids to acclimate your body. Over time your muscles will adapt to the movements, but it takes time for this to happen. Just jumping in a kayak and going out for the day probably isn’t a very good idea.
There’s also the fact that kayaking is very dehydrating, especially if you’re wearing a lifejacket and helmet on a warm summer’s day. Make sure that you take plenty of water with you on your trip so that you don’t have to rely on the kindness of strangers.
Once you get the basics nailed, kayaking opens up a whole new world from the water. Some of the most popular kayaking destinations in the world include the Colorado River as well as the Dordogne in France.
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