7 Phone Apps to Help Your Small Business Thrive

Posted on by Roy Castleman
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Ever since the legacy office was disrupted by mobile and B.Y.O devices flooded the workplace, app development’s principal aim has been rebuilding the office – on your phone.

It must be said: most entrepreneurs are innately skewed towards mobile apps. When time is critical – and portfolios and their tasks are numerous – mobile apps have found some of their greatest application in the hands (or on the phones) of small and medium-sized entrepreneurs.

Startups, too, have embraced mobile apps as basic business tools. If you ask a reputable IT support outfit like Computers In The City what their percentage of mobile app support is compared to overall office tech issues, they’ll confirm it’s become almost the default call.

Here are seven of the best phone apps for businesses large and small. The best apps have a basic functionality that includes all the essentials, allowing for greater use at scale once your business grows. These apps truly benefit small and large companies because they’ve enabled a set of core functions to allow a similar experience across the commercial spectrum.

Monday.com

Monday.com has made a meal of time and task management and their associated needs. Additionally, it’s highly interactive and visually appealing. The app is an aid to business process mapping and costing, and – while it can’t do the work for you – it’s unambiguous about what happened when, where, and how much it cost at any stage of a project.

That said, besides facilitating workflows through a visual ‘master plan’ that captures it all in one place, many tasks can be put on autopilot. The platform is open to integration with personal favourite tools, too.

Microsoft 365

Needing no introduction, Microsoft 365 remains a default app for millions all over the world. Universally used, four big tickets come with the app; Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and cloud backup OneDrive.

It’s hard to avoid with such an essential basic composition, and Microsoft is still trading on its successful entrenchment of Word and Excel as basic business tools that were developed decades ago.

A synced online backup has saved many business owners from disaster, and even if you employ other cloud facilities, it’s worthwhile doubling up on OneDrive.

Previously Microsoft Office, Microsoft 365 is a fundamental platform in the sense that it offers a suite of useful tools for the daily grind. It’s success and value show in that most people don’t even distinguish between “computing” and Microsoft anymore – everyone uses this app, and for obvious reasons.

It has competitors, it’s true, but there always seems to be issues with file conversions, or absent familiar features with other apps and – like Bill or hate him – Microsoft 365 remains the king of essential apps.

Avast Business Antivirus Pro

Not so long ago, it seemed as if the top antivirus would always be McAfee. While McAfee still ranks as one of the world’s best antivirus software.

But, Avast Business Antivirus Pro has a serious claim to the throne.

Where McAfee boasts very few false positives, a file shredder, and is great at protecting your ID online, Avast appears more skillful at online malware detection, protects your webcam and inhibits ransomware attacks, and also has a great sandbox for handling dubious packages.

Taken as a whole, Avast is a more practical protection for modern business – with no disrespect to McAfee – and their free version isn’t bad, either. Businesses should use the Pro version, however－comprehensive protection is needed for commercial conduct, as there’s far too much at stake.

RingCentral Office

With Zoom and Microsoft Teams all the rage these days, RingCentral Office is often overlooked as a business communications system. It has enterprise-grade voice, text, fax, and conferencing-stroke-collaboration capabilities, and has hit a sweet spot for millions of users the world over.

Coming as a Service (aaS), RingCentral Office is bought, installed, and managed online, and allows for fluid comms between multiple locations, people and devices easily. You use, and the cloud manages everything else.

FreshBooks

For many years, QuickBooks has been the preferred small business accounting package, and – in fairness – it did evolve to greater application over that time.

However, FreshBooks is better suited to startups, while QuickBooks is geared towards businesses that sell products. While QuickBooks is highly scalable and many accounting types know it and prefer it, FreshBooks is far more intuitive with greater ease of use, especially when the entrepreneur is still the bookkeeper.

FreshBooks has straddled the world stage because it’s also incredibly easy to integrate with other tools. Indeed, the company has an integration library that makes CRM functions seamless and synced. It has a strong affinity for Capsule, AgileCRM, and HubSpot.

Considered the accounting app for freelancers, FreshBooks is meeting modern startup needs head on. Cloud-based and uncomplicated for non-accounting types, FreshBooks is a better QuickBooks for most small, modern startups.

Asana

Asana is project management software that, in the words of the company itself, moves “from the small stuff to the big picture,” and “organizes work so teams know what to do, why it matters, and how to get it done.”

But that’s not the real value of this software.

As any decent UX designer will tell you, an app’s value lies in a muted ease of use, which indicates that designers have done their job well. Asana is such an app – simple in presentation, but detailed enough to scale with any project.

The app lets you generate reminders and to-do lists, dates and timelines, instructions and collegial intel – all in one place. You can share images directly from apps like Google Drive, and one of the app’s main focuses is on tracking and reporting.

HubSpot Marketing Hub

Now a household name, HubSpot is a diverse and incredibly valuable platform – hence its dominant position in content marketing and CRM.

A content management and marketing tool (including social media management), HubSpot might be outdone on occasion on individual points by competitors focused solely on a particular functionality, but as a suite of tools with marketing savvy, it’s hard to beat.

Very welcoming towards startups and small-scale entrepreneurs, the HubSpot Marketing Hub simplifies their forays into the market and ensures campaigns have consistency, while following strong Inbound Marketing principles. In short, it’s a must-have not only for small business and mobile activity, but rather the baseline app for proactive businesses.

Mobile Business Apps Can Help Your SME Succeed

If you’re a small to medium-sized business owner – or would like to become one in the near future – these seven phone apps are sure to help get your business started on the right foot.

5 Ways to Enhance Small Business Productivity

Posted on by Roy Castleman
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In this digital age, it’s easy to forget the practicalities that maintain a thriving business; in fact, we often default into wanting an app or service to take care of it for us.

While apps and modern connectivity certainly enable business and help us meet customers’ expectations, business productivity is still very much a process of ‘doing’, filled with tasks and duties that should be the core of any small-scale entrepreneur’s working day. A simple understanding of 1) what to do and 2) when to do it is often the first needed port of call for small business owners to markedly raise their productivity.

First and foremost, it’s imperative that your IT is sorted. Today’s consumers (and B2B clients) expect prompt and smooth service, and that inevitably means having your digital office sorted. Comprehensive IT support packages can keep your essential functionality rolling, and alleviate the need for you to personally command and repair your IT infrastructure on your own.

Your time is far better spent building your business; this is especially true in such a rapidly evolving space like IT. You need it, but you’re not the one who’ll get the best out of it－this is a field where the pros should be servicing your hardware and software, and advising you on best practices, overall market expectations, and trends.

How to Increase Business Productivity

Aside from the critical responsibility of ensuring your employees – and yourself – get paid every month, a few other obvious truths govern 1) the volume of work and 2) its enjoyment for the average entrepreneur.

Provide Clear Instructions to Employees

First, be sure to provide unambiguous instructions to those who need to know what to do and when you expect it to be completed. What do you need to happen now, this morning, who’s doing it, and are they clear on how it’s to be done and when it’s supposed to be finished?

It’s your job to leave no doubt in anyone’s mind about the expectations for the day, and to dream years ahead into the future; your employees’ jobs are right in front of them now, here, and it’s costing you money – so be crystal clear.

Maintain a Clean Working Environment

Second, live and work as uncluttered as possible, with your desk and office demonstrative of your clarity of vision.

It’s not about being fastidious or messy; it’s about manifesting a clear resolve, both in real terms and in how you manage your time. Real terms mean an organized desk and tidy books, components, or other stock that may be in your office or warehouse. No one respects or finds things easily in a mess.

Know What (and When) to Delegate

A clear resolve in your personal time management means identifying core functions that you either cannot or would not delegate, and visibly putting your energy to those tasks. There’s a catch, though－it’s not about doing what you enjoy; it’s about being honest about what you need to do, and what you need to delegate.

For instance, a furniture-building startup isn’t going to move beyond their hometown if the boss is in the workshop himself with a mallet and chisel every day. You cannot be the worker in that scenario for very long, not if you want to grow your business.

There are moments (especially when you’d like to demonstrate to staff and colleagues how something should be done) when the boss can get loans for small business once you have a modest cash flow. You need to be managing diverse inputs, not making stuff in the workshop or populating a marketing campaign－those baseline functions need to be built by others.

The bottom line? Delegate.

Good business owners know what to delegate, no matter how attached they might be to any particular activity.

Evaluate Your Own Performance

How is your performance? Your ability to do what needs to be done?

Planning and execution are very different; while planning is an immense aid to successful execution, only execution itself makes money. Be honest with yourself when you think about your average day, and evaluate your own performance accordingly.

5 Tips to Improve Your Performance as a Small Business Owner

These tips should help you perform at your very best even when other people and tasks are tugging at your brain:

Prioritize your to-do list items, and tackle small, quick tasks immediately.

This allows for a sense of productivity that will drive greater productivity as the day wears on. Following Covey’s dictate that urgency and importance are easily confused, concentrate on what’s truly important, both in the here and now and for future success－delegate the rest.

“Eat the cake first, then the icing.”

In other words, get tasks that you know you have to do but don’t enjoy out of the way during the first half of your day－it’s the kindest way to treat yourself when trying to build a business. There are many different methods of remaining motivated and productive. With the drudgery sorted, you can maintain the feeling of optimism and enjoyment that’s essential to business success.

Time block complex tasks when possible.

Allocate longer tasks a given time frame; if you don’t finish within the allotted time, evaluate carefully whether you now need to postpone other responsibilities for the day, or whether you can justify finishing it up tomorrow in another allocated time slot.

Separate work and personal social media.

If you need to be on social media for work, keep it strictly to work-based screen time. Relegate genuine socializing to after hours; furthermore, it’s a great idea to have regular time slots for checking emails and messages.

Automate or use AI / chat bots to your advantage.

Responding to a customer the same day is excellent responsiveness, and more than adequate－consider setting up automated replies to alert them that you’ll buzz them shortly if the current volume is too great (that’s a hint towards employing someone to handle that kind of traffic, too).

In your daily meanderings, seriously contemplate automation. Indeed, as one of the two major drivers of near-future business (the other being customer expectations), automate where you can without compromising your client liaison or staff morale.

Learn to Say No

This last consideration is important, and a rough one for most entrepreneurs: you must learn to say no to things that don’t fit your plans.

Decide for yourself whether the upcoming meeting could, in a best-case scenario, further your current aims? If not, say no.

Saying no to meetings, add-ons, and a ‘trunk of junk’ is something every entrepreneur will encounter at some point while running their business. Unless it clearly ties in with where you want to be in five years’ time, roll on without it, and you will, indeed, be where you imagined yourself in the not too distant future.

Best Ways to Succeed in Digital Marketing

Posted on by Faran Bilal
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In this modern era, the most successful marketing is digital marketing, where you can get perfect results. If you are looking forward to digital marketing’s best ways, you will find the best possible ways to market brands or products. As you know, Digital Marketing Training has an impact nowadays in the marketing field and one of the results-oriented ways of marketing. You might find various kinds of digital marketing, but the most successful and best ways for digital marketing are discussed below:

Marketing Using Software

While looking at the best tricks for digital marketing, you will find SMS marketing software on top. It is due to that it is one of the most successful ways. SMS marketing software is now widely used due to its success and result-oriented characteristics. 

SMS marketing software is the only way to reach every kind of customer or client. This software enables you to have targeting marketing. You can easily target any age. Similarly, you can target customers of any specific area to increase the number of customers or clients for your small and multinational businesses.

Most importantly, SMS Marketing Software provides you an audience of your choices like your required age and audience of your required city or country and region. It is one reason why SMS marketing software digital marketing is the most successful and result-oriented way of digital marketing.

Marketing via Social Media

Another best way of digital marketing is marketing by using skilled social media users’ skills, or you can say, digital marketers. It is another way which is also a successful way of marketing. But its range is limited because you can only work on social media, and every customer you are looking for might not be available on social media. SO, it is not possible to approach your maximum customers or clients. 

 You can say it is the best digital marketing way after the SMS marketing software. Hence, you are required to use every way for the marketing of your brand or products.

Content Marketing

Content Marketing is another way of digital marketing which is also popular in different regions. Nowadays, everyone is fond of reading content everywhere on different websites and social media. 

Content marketing is random marketing. In content marketing, you might not be able to target any specific area of clients or customers. Therefore, it is known as a random way of digital marketing. There is a lot of successful ways of content marketing, and you need to follow these rules. 

The most important thing is that you have to research what is the most demanded product or brand. What are they looking for? How much they can afford for a single product or brand. After reviewing that, you need a very engaging and attractive type of content that professions should write. Only professional content writers know the ways to engage readers or reviews so that they can read the characteristics of your brand and products. 

PPC Marketing 

One of the popular ways of digital marketing is PPC marketing. It is popular because you will be paid for each click. It is preferable to use PPC management software to create and manage successful PPC campaigns. You’ll be able to get the most out of PPC advertising this way.

This way of digital marketing is also one of the successful ways of digital marketing. Furthermore, it is not a targeted marketing way to attract customers or clients of your choice. But it is also a result-oriented way of attracting customers or clients towards your brand or product. PPC marketing most of the time depends upon the content or the graphic design.

It is concluded that the most popular and maximum result-oriented way of digital marketing plan is SMS marketing software. 

How Managed Print Services Can Be Beneficial to Your Startup Business

Posted on by John Guevara
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Managed Print Services (MPS) are programs provided by print providers to help you manage printing gadgets such as faxes, copiers, and scammers. The main objective of MPS is to improve productivity, efficiency, and information security.

As a startup business, one of your concerns should be how to minimize expenses and maximize profits. You will also want the business to operate smoothly without running into issues that affect the normal operations of the business. One way of achieving that is through managed print services (MPS).

Here are some of the ways through which Managed Print Services can be of great help to a startup business:

1. It Improves Efficiency and Saves Time

Have you ever thought of the amount of time used by your employees on printer-related tasks? The whole process of scanning, printing, faxing or copying documents using old hardware is tedious and time-consuming. This is without mentioning the time spend replacing ink cartridges as well as fixing malfunctioning devices.

But with a managed print service, most of those challenges are eliminated. Your employees can instead spend more time on other important tasks. All you have to do is to identify a reliable print company such as Konica Minolta photocopiers.

2. It Improves Productivity for your Business

As you get started with your business, you will realize that various departments will have their own distinct printing needs. After conducting an assessment of your business’ current and future needs, the printing company (through its MPS program) should be able to suggest a bespoke program for each department. This may include printing from off-site or mobile devices or printing of special documents.

Additionally, some departments such as IT will have more time to work on critical issues affecting your business rather than spending a lot of time monitoring and replacing printing machines.

3. It Reduces the Cost of Operation

Having an automated or cloud-based system is much cheaper compared to operating separate devices at a time. The good thing about Managed Prints Services is that they connect several devices to a single monitoring system. This ensures that there is speedy delivery and replacement of toners.

A proper print audit and assessment can help create ways of consolidating your hardware. After all, you will need a lot of space to keep devices all over the place. In a nutshell, MPS can help your business save a lot of money by preventing wastage.

4. Up-to-Date Security

Although technology has greatly transformed the printing industry, it has also brought a number of challenges. One of those challenges is cybercrime. Most traditional printing devices are vulnerable to security threats. Never assume that printing equipment are immune to online hackers.

That’s why it is important to conduct a print assessment to help detect any IP risks for your business. Most MPS providers have tailored print security plans designed to keep away online hackers. It is up to you to identify the needs of your business and choose an appropriate plan.

5. Environmentally Friendly

Every business has a duty to conserve the environment and reduce pollution to manageable levels. By going paperless and minimizing the amount of electricity being used, your business plays a big role in protecting the environment. An MPS package makes it easy for you to identify and determine print levels.

Bottom Line

There’s no doubt that Managed Print Services play a big role in the daily operation of most businesses.

As a startup business, some of the things you would want to attain include reduced operational costs, efficiency, and improved productivity among others. With an MPS program, your business is guaranteed of achieving some all the above goals.

How To Make Money From Your Website

Posted on by Kamilė Dzigaitė
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Making money from a website is one of the oldest ways you can make money online. Even though this method has existed for many years, it is still one of the most profitable business strategies for making money online.

There are many different methods you can make money from your website depending on your niche.

You can either start a business website providing some kind of product or service to your customers like opening a subscription box website, or start a blog business that you publish content and run ads.

Since the blog business is most popular among entrepreneurs, in this article we will focus on all the different ways you can make money with your website.

Affiliate Marketing

Most people are surprised to hear that the biggest source of income when it comes to running a blog is earning a commission through promoting third-party products or services (affiliate marketing). The best thing about affiliate marketing is that you can earn by promoting any type of product that goes along with your niche.

You should start by finding a company that offers products or services that your target audience would love. After that, you should check if they offer affiliate marketing and sign up. Some industries like SEO Reseller use a different term but the process is the same.

All you need to do is add an affiliate link in your content mentioning their products or services and earn money whenever someone purchases something on their website through your link.

Ads

This is an old-fashioned way of earning money using your blog that still works pretty well. There are many companies that offer monetizing services like Media.net, but the most popular one that people go for is Google AdSense. For a deeper dive into the different ways you can optimize your AdSense earnings, explore Google AdSense bids.

All of the networks that provide monetizing services will pay you every time someone visits your website or click on their ad. Usually, they will pay you commission per click or per 1,000 impressions. The amount of money you earn depends heavily on the competition and popularity of your niche, as well as the type of audience that visits your website.

On average, such networks will pay you anywhere from $0.2 to $15 per click depending on the preferences we mentioned before.

In Content Advertising (Text links)

There are many websites that make a lot of money by promoting other people’s content using backlinks. This is a strategy that you add a specific anchor text to your post and link that will lead to a third-party website. It’s important to understand How To Get High Authority Backlinks in 2024 because the algorithms keep changing. Further, the content must be informative and not promotional.

You can charge a fixed amount per link or month for example $40. The only issue with this method of making money is that you must find clients on your own.

So, if you want to build up your SEO you should find companies that sell backlinks, or if you want to make money you should find blogs or companies that want to buy backlinks. After your blog becomes popular, you’d get a lot of offers for promoting other people’s content using text links.

Subscription Model

The subscription model is getting more and more popular. This is a strategy where you limit the number of content people can browse on your blog. For example, you can add a premium subscription that will give your visitors access to all the content you publish.

In order to convince people to subscribe to your content, you should provide useful information that people need. In other words, providing high-quality unique content is crucial for making money through subscriptions.

Publish Sponsored Posts

Sponsored posts can generate a lot of revenue. Such posts are a way of promoting third-party products or services in exchange for a fixed amount (usually $40 – $250 per post) depending on the popularity of your website.

Final Words

Starting a website business isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme. In fact, it’ll take you years until you reach good search engine positioning, a lot of organic traffic, and a steady income out of affiliate links or traffic revenue. The most important thing when it comes to running a successful blog business is quality.

All of the content you publish must be high-quality and unique. Every business takes time, so make sure you do this right just so you don’t regret your actions later. If you take your time and do it properly, soon your website will grow faster than a winning horse in TwinSpires results list.

Get Productive at Home: Take a Language Course at Preply.com!

Posted on by Roz Malaca
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During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many people have reported changes to their routines and the way they spend time. The change in several aspects of life has been so significant that it has made people rethink what truly matters and how they can make the best use of their time. It has led them to discover new talents they didn’t know they had. Several people who are still not sure how they can make the best use of their time without overburdening themselves, preply.com offers an opportunity to learn a new language that can later prove to benefit you in a number of ways. You can also opt for other types of training courses to improve your professional skills. 

Here are some of the courses you can access online.

Graphic Designing

If you desire to polish your creativity and find arts appealing, graphic design would be the best option. From creating illustrations and posters to designing advertisements and logos for companies, you will be able to inspire and impress others with your work. Besides, you can earn well by working independently as a freelancer afterward. Once you have established yourself, you will frequently have thrilling challenges to look forward to. Many people approach it as their means of making an impact.

Programming

For people inclined towards problem-solving and computing, programming would be the most exciting skill to learn. In addition to being well sought-after in the digital world today, programming also keeps you engaged. It considerably hones your critical thinking and logical skills. By learning to code and develop programs, you learn to value precision and appreciate details.

Learning Languages

Though programming and graphic designing are invaluable skills to learn, they are not everyone’s cup of tea. Graphic design demands an interest in art, and most programming tutors assume their students are somewhat acquainted with the functionality of computers.

Perhaps the best way to spend your time productively is to enroll in a language course. There are no pre-requisites you need to fulfill, and the perks are endless. Proficiency in languages makes you a worthy asset for employers by helping you stand out. The learning procedure also familiarizes you with the art of communication-your ticket to excelling in various walks of life. It is not only an investment in your future but also a guaranteed way to have fun while learning.

Which Language Should You Learn?

Once you have decided to sign up for learning a new language, the next hurdle you may face is the choice of language. If you visit any webpage or install an app that offers language courses, the availability of multiple options might overwhelm you. These languages have different levels of complexity regarding spelling systems, writing endeavors, phonology, and other factors that can affect your decision.

To help you reach an informed conclusion, we have compiled some essential information about the popular languages.

1. Chinese

For several decades, Mandarin Chinese has ranked first among the most spoken languages globally. Many opinionated people believe that learning a foreign language is an effective way of comprehending the intentions of other nations. By studying Chinese, you can also dive deeper into international politics, relations, and policymaking. If you plan to tour China, are considering studies abroad, or anticipate global work opportunities, learning Chinese will offer many practical advantages.

However, the need for tonal recognition in Chinese makes it quite challenging for some people. An average English speaker requires approximately three years of dedication to achieve fluency in this language, so only study it if you have long-term plans.

2. French

If you browse through the lists of languages that are easy to learn, you will almost certainly find French. Foreigners that learn both English and French often reflect that they found French easier. This Romantic language also shares some vocabulary with English (about 7000 words, to be precise!), so not everything will be entirely new to you. Pronunciation and spellings are similar too, and it won’t be very demanding. Within a matter of few months, you can become proficient in French.

It also classifies as the official language of 29 countries, and many people are drawn towards the French accent and literature. 

3. Italian

Similar to English, Italian also comprises the Latin alphabet. This mutual ground makes it easy for English speakers to learn. Tutors regard Italian as a phonetic language, which means the pronunciation and spellings of words are not incongruous. You will not require much help in learning pronunciation, and you can also move onto other romantic languages after mastering Italian.

Choosing this language is particularly beneficial, as you will also enjoy learning about a rich culture brimming with art and music. By immersing yourself in learning the Italian language, you can complete the course within eight months.

4. Spanish

The United States has a large majority of Hispanic people, so you may already be familiar with the beauty of their language. Nevertheless, investing time in formal learning will expand your horizons and improve your communication skills. For Native Americans, it is even more convenient because they will have ample opportunities for live interactions with Spanish speakers. Many people also claim a Spanish heritage, so they can approach learning this language as a means of connecting with their ancestral roots.

Though grammar, especially the conjugation of Spanish verbs may seem daunting, there are many tricks to help you remember Spanish effortlessly.

Key Takeaways!

Learning a new language can be an exciting activity regardless of whether you are doing it to make the best use of your time or to improve your accent and fluency in a language. You can become competent in many skills at home that will make things easier for you in the future, but there is nothing as exciting as learning a new language. It would be a good idea to familiarize yourself with the complexity of your chosen language before starting a course. You should also assess the tutors’ reviews, hourly rates, and any other subscription fees for classes. Besides, you can seek guidance from YouTube videos and refer to the free resources available on the internet for additional help.

Innovative Networking Solutions That Will Greatly Help Startup Businesses

Posted on by Charlene Brown
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As we forge ahead into 2021, it is clear that startups need effective networking solutions. They need to pay special attention to network architecture where speed is of paramount importance. In fact, as per reports compiled by networking experts, business organizations of all sizes are set to spend at least 4% of their annual financial spending on solving networking challenges. Another critical area for especially south African startups that requires their investment is upgrading their existing networking equipment.

There are plenty of new and innovative networking solutions that might help startups better achieve their business goals. Such solutions include:

SD-WAN Solutions

While startups continue to focus on using the latest tech tools to overcome business hurdles, the growth of demand for new tech outpaces IT budget allocations and headcount. In this scenario, managed solutions emerge as a boon that lets startups automate key business areas and streamlining management. As the pioneer of SD-WAN solution in South Africa points out, one critical development in networking is the emergence of managed SD-WAN solutions. Such software-defined networking solutions let startups work their networks remotely from all locations by using a simple piece of software.

Through SD-WAN tech, network administrators can create and implement rules to automate traffic flow while prioritizing particular applications. Additionally, you can also increase or decrease bandwidth as available to various locations. Further, the technology would let startup businesses enhance their security. Startups can implement this SD-WAN technology in the form of co-managed, self-managed, or fully managed SD-WAN solutions. The levels of support you need should play the deciding factor in choosing self-managed, co-managed, or fully managed options.

5G Will Transform Mobile Networks Radically

Back in 2019, 5G mobile networks were first scaled and adopted. As per the organization Statista, the number of 5G subscriptions will stand at 220 million by the end of the current year. The growth experienced by 5G is tremendous, and so is the variety of advantages 5G offers that you can enjoy. As businesses reexamine the fleet of mobile plans they provide to their end-users, 5G will go from strength to strength. More workers now rely on mobile devices and online access more than ever. 

A suitably modern workspace’s essential characteristics are its preference for mobile access, collaboration tools that work in real-time, video streaming, and various mobile apps. All of these ask for a significant amount of bandwidth.

In all such cases, adopting 5G networks is one of the best options open to you. 5G gives mobile connectivity a tremendous boost in terms of speed. Such speeds are comparable to wired broadband networks and will be an excellent asset for startup businesses. It will give them the option of allowing robots, machines, and automated vehicles to transfer after collecting more data than ever before.

AI Security And Security Management

The cybersecurity situation startups face is becoming more and more complex. Naturally, cutting-edge tech tools are being used to manage emerging cybersecurity threats. As per reports compiled by CNBC, small businesses bear the brunt of a significant 43% of all cyberattacks, and the average cost of a single breach amounts to almost $200,000. The sum is enough to put many startups in peril besides causing significant damage to their profits. Businesses face new emerging security threats these days, making cybersecurity automation and sophisticated intelligence a necessity.

There are several solutions to startup businesses’ cybersecurity woes that include solutions implementing several cybersecurity intelligence layers right into your network architecture. Managed cybersecurity services are one such solution the provides 24*7 protection, oversight, and visibility. Other advanced solutions offer the following security checks to ensure that user experience remains seamless in the face of cybersecurity threats:

  • Threat detection
  • Malware detection
  • Device and application scans

In short, they provide a comprehensive set of services to maintain security vigilance and ensure that threats are detected and isolated at the earliest.

AI is another technology that is revolutionizing the world of cybersecurity. AI security tools use machine learning to adapt to changing security situations and continuously monitor the same. The use of such tools will let your startup business adopt targeted and customized defense mechanisms against relevant cybersecurity threats.

The need for bandwidth for startups is continuously on the rise. Thanks to the new era in networking tech, it is very much possible to meet such needs without compromising speed, reliability, and affordability. The networking solutions mentioned here will help startups better anticipate growth opportunities, give priority to future investments. They will sustain as your networking backbone for the foreseeable future. We hope this has been helpful!

3 Factors to Consider When Setting Up a Business in Russia

Posted on by Mahbub Murshed
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The strategic geographical location of Russia makes it a great place to do business. But that doesn’t mean you should proceed with the plans to set up your business blindly. It helps to consider all the important factors.

Here are 3 major factors you can consider when setting up a business in Russia

1. The Business Structure to Use

The kind of legal structure that you use to establish your Russian company will determine a lot of things. That’s because Russia has set up various regulations that guide business owners on how to run their companies depending on the company structure. And what works for your Russian business won’t necessarily work for another business owner.

Some of the common business structures include a sole proprietorship, a limited liability company, and a joint-stock company. Your business needs will determine which structure you should use.

For example, if you have minimal capital but want to start a business in Russia, then a sole proprietorship would probably work best. You will be responsible personally for all the liabilities of the company if you choose this structure. But you will also own all the profits.

If you want to control your company fully but don’t want to be responsible personally for its debts, then a limited liability company is best. However, you must have a decent share capital base of 10,000 rubles. Half of that money must be paid while you incorporate the company. And the rest of it must be paid within the first year of business operation.

2.  The Business Location to Operate From  

Another important factor to consider is the business location to operate from. When establishing the business in Russia as a foreigner, you must provide a legal business address. Russian authorities require this address for communication purposes. So, you cannot operate from thin air.

Your business location also matters because it determines how far you will need to go to access business stock or raw materials for production. The longer the distance, the more costly it will be to run your business operations. And the pricier your products will be, which may make them harder to sell.

Your address will also affect the business rent that you pay every month. The more desirable your business location is, the more expensive your rent is likely to be. But that desirability may appeal to higher-end customers, which may help to improve your revenues.

Therefore, you must think about where you will operate from. Try to find a balance between the cost of operating from your preferred location and its appeal to your target customers.

3. What Kind Of Business Product Or Service To Sell

Foreigners have a lot of leeway concerning which industries they can invest in. These include the retail, manufacturing, and financial industries. You can also invest in the insurance, wholesale, and agricultural industries.

The kind of product and service that you choose to sell depends on you. But you need to ensure there is a sustainable demand for it. If there is no adequate demand for what you intend to sell, and then you will not generate enough revenues to keep your business in operation.

And before long you will begin to experience losses. Without revenues, how long do you think you will continue to stay in business?

So think carefully and logically about what you intend to offer your Russian customers.

One of the most important things to do when establishing a Russian business is to ensure your immigration paperwork is in order. But you need a Russian invitation letter for business to get started. To get it, check us out at https://visaexpress.com/russian-invitation-letter/.

Guide on Fixing the Msvbvm50.dll is Missing or Not Found Error on Windows

Posted on by Alice Holden
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You might know that the msvbvm50.dll is a file that gets associated with the Microsoft Visual Basic Virtual Machine. The main purpose of this file is to help the 32-bit programs run on the 64-bit platforms. So if you are seeing errors related to msvbvm50 DLL, then the cause could be a registry issue. But that’s not all. It could also be a malware or virus problem that arises due to the file getting deleted or corrupt. 

Know that the error can show up in various ways. One of the most common messages that you will get it- Msvbvm50.dll not available or found. But apart from this, you will also see that other messages like msvbvm50.dll missing, Cannot see or find [PATH]\msvbvm50.dll, etc. Note that no matter the message, the solution mostly lies in finding out the context and reason you are getting this error. 

Before we move on to giving you the solutions, note that this error message could show up on any windows OS you have. So whether a bit is Windows Vista or Windows 10, you can see the message anywhere you like. So having said that, here are the ways you can fix the Not Found or Missing errors related to msvbvm50.dll. 

How can you Fix the msvbvm50.dll Errors? 

  • First, you need to start Windows but in the Safe Mode only. This is necessary to complete the next steps if you aren’t able to safely access Windows as a result of the msvbvm50.dll error. 
  • Now, you need to restore your msvbvm50.dll file. You will find it in your PC’s Recycle Bin. After all, one of the most probable causes of your “missing” msvbvm50.dll type file is that you might have mistakenly erased it. But if that’s the reason then you might be able to restore it. 
  • Know that reinstalling the program should solve the error message if the reason behind the error was due to a certain program getting used. As such reinstallation should fix the issue. 

Is There Any Other Way to Fix this Issue? 

  • If the above steps don’t solve the issue, then you will have to insert your DLL file present in a very specific folder. This can be an application or application-like folder as well. Then you need to make use of a file extractor to get all the contents of your EXE file. Note that you can get a file extractor available for free download on the internet easily. 
  • After the extraction is complete, you will find 11 files from the msvbvm50.exe file. Note that most will be DLL files. However, the one you want is called MSVBVM50.DLL. 
  • Now you need to download the msvbvm50.dll file straight from Microsoft. Know that other websites do tell you that they have msvbvm50.dll, but it’s better to avoid those and get the file from a legitimate source. 
  • Now scan your full system for malware or virus. This is important because some errors could be due to malware or viruses on your system. As such those malware could have damaged your msvbvm50.dll file. But that’s not all, a virus scanner will be able to find out if the error message is due to a fake program that’s going around as a file. 

Using System Restore to Fix the Error Messages

If you find that the above two steps haven’t solved the issue, then there is a third way that will surely help get rid of the error messages. 

  • You need to use the System Restore option to get rid of the recent changes made in your system. This is an excellent way to solve those error issues, especially if you think that the errors are due to changes carried out in important configuration settings or files. 
  • If that doesn’t work, then you should update your drivers for the hardware devices and such that are related to the msvbvm50.dll. For example: if you find that there is an msvbvm50.dll error showing up while you are playing a game then update the drivers for your game. 

Getting msvbvm50.dll error messages isn’t uncommon. So you don’t need to panic. Just follow these above steps to solve your issue. But if you find these steps too complicated then take your computer to a professional for repair. 

How to Keep Your Computer Safe and Secure at Home

Posted on by Pete Brown
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Your personal computer at home is one of the safest devices you own. The fact that it doesn’t get connected to other WiFi other than the one you have at home means that there are fewer risks of it being compromised by hackers and other serious digital security threats. However, that doesn’t mean you should be careless with regard to security.

You need to be just as careful with your personal computer as you are with your other devices. The risks are all the same as hackers don’t really discriminate. Here are some tips on how you can up your safety and security.

Install An Antivirus And Run Your Firewall

The foundations of any digital security are anti-virus and a firewall. These two essential programs can help decrease the chances of your computer being hacked or infiltrated by malware significantly. Before you download anything else on the internet, make sure that these two programs are running.

Simply put, a firewall and an anti-virus blocks viruses and notify you of any possible problems you can encounter online. Antivirus for Windows and MacOS come with many other features such as optimization tools which can help boost the performance of your computer as well.

Browse With A VPN

A virtual private network or a VPN is often recommended when you are using a public connection when outside. However, as these solutions completely mask your identity, they can also be used for your computers at home while browsing using your own connection.

There’s no such thing as overkill with regards to browsing and surfing at home. As seen at vpn.pro using a VPN not only keeps you and your computer private, but it also helps you browse the web without any worries. Whether you want to access region-locked content, enhance online security, or simply enjoy private browsing, a VPN offers versatile solutions to suit your needs.

Always Keep Your Software Updated

You might notice that your computer always gets notifications about updates. While annoying, these updates are more than necessary. With these updates come bug fixes and possible solutions to security flaws that hackers have found over time. As such, it’s vital that every software you have stays updated.

Stay Away From Pirated Software

The price of games and other software online can be expensive. As such, you might be tempted to pirate the stuff you use. However, what’s your privacy and security worth anyway? Is it worth putting yourself at risk just to use pirated software? 

Downloading pirated software puts you at great risk online. Some hackers hide viruses or other malware inside the torrent packages you see online. Another thing worth noting is that the link you’re downloading from could actually be a virus in and of itself. It’s more costly trying to recover your data after a security breach so it’s much better to buy authentic software instead.

Even if it’s at your home, your computer is not entirely safe from data breaches and other digital security problems. It’s always much better to stay safe than be sorry later on. As the number of data breaches stays the same, it only means that people aren’t doing enough to keep their devices safe.

How to Create Business Strategy for Small to Medium Businesses

Posted on by Steve O'Neil
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Many SME leaders don’t hаve a business strategy. In the early stages of business development, evеrything depеnds on prоduct and sales. We try things many times, succeed, fail, learn, test, and adapt. Rеpeat. It usually works, but sometimes it doesn’t.

As business extеnds and becomes more complex, the ability to rely on absolute determination diminishes As business extеnds and becomes more complex, the ability to rely on absolute determination diminishes prоportiоnately, mаking effеctive strategy and essеntial part of a businеss DNA. Make sure you also partner up with an insolvency practitioner, just so you stay away from debt. Howеver, the problem is that this strategy can be a rather abstract concept thаt is difficult tо put into practice, and many business leaders do not understand its value. For many, the design is the exclusive business area of the company.

Create your Design Principles

These are almost the core values of your business. Scalability, ability to enter new markets, speed to market new products, lean operations, agility, cheap base, investment in technology, investment in people, low working capital, high-quality products.

Understand your own Culture

There are simple culture mapping frameworks that can be broken down in about ten minutes. This is an impоrtant and often overlooked step in strategy development. A company usually develops a strategy that articulates what it should be and not what it is, either out of ignorance or hoping that the plan will change its culture. This can only lead to failure.

Develop your Strategic Goals

When you understand your culture, you can develop a goal setting process that will bring your culture to life.

The individual organizational culture will ultimately determine the plans to create individual OKRs, so there is no simple formula for setting them. However, one important goal is a financial goal that should be both quantitative and temporal – it does not have to be expressed as profit or EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) – for a newly formed company, it may be time to make its first profit or just revenue. The key is that it provides something tangible against which to set goals and measure success.

Understand your Customer

This is not just a requirement to get a good marketing strategy. It is crucial to creating the right business strategy. Everything you usually do in your business should be aimed at getting the customer exactly what they want, in the right place, at the right time. Robust customer journey mapping is an essential tool for achieving this goal. This should take into account not only the customer’s journeys to the place of purchase but all elements of your business, as well as how customers perceive your products or services, what they experience after fulfilling their order, etc. It’s important you know your target audience and what they will expect from your business. Demand forecasting will help you better understand your clientele and plan accordingly. This will drive your internal business processes.

Mapping your Processes

Without effective processes, it isn’t easy to provide a consistent customer experience or to work effectively. A useful tool for mapping processes is a strategy map. In simple terms, it’s a diagram that shows your organization’s strategy on a single page used for communicating big-picture objectives to everyone who has a role in the company.

In the end, while it may seem a bit reductive, if your business can achieve these two things, it should ultimately surpass them.

Design Management

Again, this may seem like one of those tedious things that is easy to get bogged down in, but without effective management in place, your strategy can easily get lost in the wilderness without you even realizing it. Effective leadership’s key elements are providing the right level of oversight and accountability that regularly reviews your strategy’s progress and manages risks and problems.

Design Delivery Model

The delivery model is how your business will provide excellent customer service, and therefore should not be confused with the distribution model.

Your delivery model is the interaction between your business elements necessary to provide that excellent customer service.

Marketing, finance, information technology, purchasing, operations, and supply chain elements must be considered and how they will interact and integrate. This will trigger the need to develop subordinate strategies for each. This is an important step that can be a little tricky depending on your business’s nature, so do some research before creating a service delivery model.

Design Organization

You understand what the organization you need to implement your strategy looks like is another critical step, not only for obvious reasons. First of all, it helps you define your talent acquisition strategy (growth vs. acquisition, etc.) based on your current organization’s skills and the skills needed to execute the plan. Second, it helps to prioritize your growth program. Few companies have the financial luxury of embarking on a wholesale workforce expansion, so identify those positions that will have the most impact, most comfortable acquiring, or representing a critical path.

Design Technology Stack

In today’s era, it’s essential to have a concrete plan around your technology stack. Consider bаsics such as productivity software (word processing and email), more аdvаnced aspects of cloud computing, CRM and marketing tools, and more complicated requirements such as ERP, end-user computing, centralized computing, networking, telecommunications, and managed print, development, and integration. You have a plаn in place before you stаrt can pay a lot of time and cost dividends down the track.

Design Information Requirements

First and foremost, technology, data, and information are all completely separate. Data doesn’t say anything until it’s turned into knowledge. However, identify the strategic KPIs that will help you measure your strategy’s achievement and the type of data you need as inputs to inform your business’s internal processes. Second, determine where the data will come from and where it will be stored. Third, determine how the data will be connected and processed to provide the information you need to make management dеcisions. In other wоrds, link your data to your stratеgic KPIs.

Dеvelop an Implementation Roadmap and Implementation

This is where the rubbеr hits the road. Develop and categorize all the initiatives needed to implement your strategy and identify the critical path (any sequence that can’t be rearranged without compromising the plan’s value). Prioritize your initiatives based on how much effort it will take to implement them and their strategic impact on your business. Identify quick wins based on things that require relatively little effort, and then prioritize implementation based on the most comfortable and most effective initiatives. Determine resource needs for performance and start executing the plan. Remember to provide stable governance to keep the implementation process on track.

So there you have it. Here’s how to develop and implement a business strategy.

Is Cisco’s CCIE Certificate Relevant Anymore?

Posted on by Andy Hansel
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The question of whether the CCIE credential is still relevant in the IT industry anymore has been festering among professionals without any clear answer. Even though Cisco-certified professionals are compensated by a high salary, this is common for those who possess other certifications. Then why are the Cisco certifications considered so prestigious?

When it comes to a candidate’s expertise, professionals like Anthony Murabito, the Vice President of IT at Cambridge, Mass. Biotechnology company, and his hiring team, rely on Cisco’s top-tier certification as an indicator and consider it the network gospel. 

There are dozens of blogs and comments on the Internet seeking the answer to whether investing a significant amount of money, in addition to time and energy in Cisco CCIE exam preparation is the best course of action for advancing their network careers.

With the emergence of cloud platforms such as Amazon Web Services and Microsoft’s Azure and a heavier virtualisation presence, limiting oneself to Cisco’s environment seems like a waste of time to some. Others believe that until another superior certification comes along, the CCIE is still the best option for professionals in networking.

Challenges

There are several challenges and insecurities that candidates suffer while pursuing or even after successfully completing their certification. The following are a few of the major concerns.

1. Certification Expense

This examination requires a significant monetary investment for both the preparations and test fees. The CCIE certification is split into the written and lab portions. While you can attempt the written part at a testing centre, the 8-hour lab exam is available at only nine Cisco worldwide locations or any of their mobile lab facilities.

The cost of airfare and lodging will almost double the exam price. Apart from this, one also has to consider the money spent on practice lab equipment, training and study materials. 

2. Difficulty Level

The volume of knowledge that is covered by the certification exam is quite daunting. These concepts have to be grasped and then tested. You also need to prepare for the practical exam. Adding to its difficulty, these exams do not come with any exam objectives.

You are expected to cover everything in your preparation. This level of dedication to one’s preparation causes problems when it comes to their existing lifestyle.

3. Suited For Specific Job Roles

After you have earned your Cisco certification, you shall be rendered overqualified for many jobs, and only the most demanding job titles will be suitable for your skill sets, such as a Senior Network Engineer or Network Architect. 

You can easily settle for a lower-level job, after putting yourself through the rigorous preparation and examination process, this will seem like a major downgrade. 

These factors have to be considered while weighing out the pros and cons of pursuing the certification. You should have a detailed course of action where CCIE is a step. It should not be a blind goal.

Reasons Cisco Certifications Are Still Relevant In 2021

Despite the changes in the job market, obtaining any certification validates your skill and dedication to an employer. The CCIE is thought of as the PhD-level certification and adds a great weightage to your resume. It will result in a lot of clout among peers and employers.

  1. Besides the ongoing debate, it is important to remember that keeping the CCIE relevant and updated to meet the requirements of modern companies is in Cisco’s best interest and should be a priority for its training team. 

    For example, Cisco added an emerging technologies track to the CCIE (and CCDE) exam, and fine-tuned it so that it is worth 10% of the overall score now. They want to use the certification to train professionals to be more than just network engineers- they have to be technologists who can keep up with modern trends.
  1. Cisco offers a certification lineup with some amount of flexibility so that you can utilize the training for your specialization. The CCENT is the entry-level certification and is a requirement for the CCNA certification. This will help you join the networking world in the roles of a network admin or engineer.

The CCNP requires a more in-depth understanding and some solid experience.

This is followed by the CCIE certification. These are expert, high-level qualifications that will give you an edge over other non-certified candidates at every interview, and help you grow and advance your career. There are six specializations under CCIE security, service provider, wireless, collaboration, data center, and routing and switching.

Conclusion

The answer to whether the Cisco certifications are worth the effort is highly relative to each individual. It depends on whether the certifications serve a purpose in your long-term plans. As far as their relevance is concerned, the CCIE still contributes to a great extent in one’s employment prospects and earning potential.

Many other certifications may serve the same purpose, but if you are going to work with Cisco devices, no other accreditation ranks above the CCIE.

Why Cybersecurity Is Essential for Your Small Business

Posted on by Charlene Brown
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Cybersecurity attacks can cause irreversible, long-term damage to your business, and no business is entirely safe from them. Even big companies such as Nintendo and Twitter have fallen victim to cyber-attacks. However, small businesses are uniquely at risk and will very rarely make it to the media outlets. Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report found that a whopping 43% of breaches happened to small businesses. Cybersecurity is essential for any business, however, it is especially important for small businesses, and here’s why. 

1. Small Business Cyber Attacks Are Common

It is easy to fall into the mindset of thinking, ‘Oh, it will never happen to me’ or ‘What are the chances it would actually happen to my business?’. Thinking like this is very dangerous because the chances of a cyberattack on your small business are actually very high. In 2019 the Keeper Security and the Ponemon Institute conducted a study that found that the number of small and medium businesses enduring data breaches had increased to 63%. This is a significant increase, as the percentage was 58% in 2018. 

By the look of these statistics, cyberattacks are on the rise, and their interest is becoming more and more focused on the smaller to medium-sized businesses. 

2. Small Businesses Are Vulnerable 

Small businesses are very vulnerable to cyberattacks, and the risk of an attack is increasing significantly. Ultimately, small businesses are more vulnerable to cyberattacks for several reasons. Partly because there’s less training on cybersecurity and partly because they have less money to invest in IT support and services that can help to protect them; having good IT support and services available to your small business are so important in preventing a cybersecurity attack. They can provide consultation, information and implement software to make your business more secure. 

3. Damage Is Harder To Undo

A cyberattack has the potential to cause fatal damages to small businesses. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency found that 60% of companies that experienced a cyberattack had to close down within six months following the attack. These statistics are extremely alarming for small business owners. Cyberattacks will not only cost your money, but they can cost you your reputation and the trust of your customers. 

A high percentage of cyberattacks take the form of a phishing scam, which makes the hacker send legitimate-looking emails and texts directly to their victims, a link that allows the hacker to steal vital information such as company passwords. Once the hacker is in, it is very difficult to secure your system without having to spend extortionate amounts. 

4. Cyberattacks Can Be Very Costly

Cyberattacks can be extremely costly for a small business, and a Hiscox survey has confirmed this in a survey that found cyberattacks on small businesses cost up to $188,000. A lot of small businesses simply do not have this kind of money, and so it is quite common for small businesses to go bankrupt after an attack. Even if you do not go bankrupt and manage to survive your attack, you will have a long road ahead of you trying to revive your business. If you look to investors for funding to help you, you are going to have a hard time convincing the investors that your company is secure and not a data-breaching risk. 

What You Can Do

Cyberattacks are very daunting to any business owner, but there are several things you can do to try and protect yourself from malicious hackers. Firstly, you should provide cybersecurity training for all your employees. This way, they know what to look for, and if an employee detects any kind of suspicious behavior, your business will be able to act fast and be able to stamp it out before the hacker gets in. Secondly, make sure you implement strong firewalls as a firewall can stop hackers from accessing important data on a network. 

Thirdly, make sure you use strong passwords! This is such an easy preventative method, yet people fall victim to using easy passwords time and time again. A shocking 83% of people use the same password for multiple platforms, and this is a hacker’s dream. 

If small businesses wish to succeed and stand out among their competition, then they should allocate some investment to cybersecurity. This doesn’t mean forking out tonnes of money, but more taking the time to implement easy measures that can have a big impact. As previously mentioned, a simple task such as using strong passwords can go a long way! Making sure your business is using cybersecurity best practices will make you far less vulnerable to what could be a fatal attack.

Can you run a Background Check on Your Neighbor

Posted on by Markhoor Studios
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Sometimes, we know precious little about the people living right next door. In fact, we know only what our neighbors have told us about themselves. For decades, it’s been commonplace to share a building with virtual strangers. We often don’t even know our neighbors’ names.

Needless to say, there are certain risks that go with this. You don’t have to take them because the majority of background check sites are quite easy to use. Providers like CheckPeople.com can help you find the information you need to put your mind at ease.  

When to Check Criminal History

You might choose to delve into the possibility of your neighbor’s having a criminal background in certain situations. We outline some of these below. 

  • Their behavior is erratic, indicating the possibility of addiction
  • You feel like they’re watching you come and go
  • They avoid other neighbors, including you
  • They have a lot of visitors at night, even if there’s little noise
  • They make your child or spouse feel anxious
  • You’ll need them to babysit or do odd jobs for you around the house

How to Run a Criminal Background Check

As criminal records are public, it’s not hard to obtain them at all. Doing research is a great way to stop feeling uneasy about a neighbor’s questionable behavior. Hopefully, you’ll unearth a clean record and feel safer in your home and in the neighborhood. But will research violate their privacy? You obviously don’t want problems with the law. 

To put your mind at ease: getting a neighbor’s criminal records is perfectly legal because they’re not considered private data. They’re not like ID and credit information, which you need the subject’s consent to check.

Getting Your Questions Answered

Online background checks reveal information from a large variety of sources, including town census data, records within sex offender registries, property ownership records, court records, professional license details, and more. Typically, background checks yield information about past addresses, business information, former names, names and addresses of next of kin, workplace and occupation, age, and registered or owned boats or other recreational vehicles. You will also find social network information or even news if your neighbor has received coverage for whatever reason.

How Much Information do You Need to Run a Check?

You don’t need more than their address and last name. People are often able to do criminal background checks and arrive at comprehensive, in-depth results just using a person’s address. If you have their number, you can do a reverse phone number search to find out more about them. Your best bet, however, is obtaining their full name, social security number, and birthdate.

Apart from their personal details, you might find information about their landlord, and their workplace, which will be very helpful should an issue arise, especially one that must be attended to urgently.

What Will You Find Out?

A rudimentary background check will yield valuable information about them. This may include names, and education, career and automobile info. You might find out that your neighbor is a lawyer with a lot of assets, but that doesn’t give you an insight into his character. That’s not even enough to know if he owns the cars parked out front.

This information can give you a general idea of what your neighbor is like. Filling in the gaps is your right and responsibility. The information might indicate certain patterns. You might unearth a history of financial problems, a series of failed marriages, or a lot of short-term past addresses. Links to social media accounts could provide additional information and clues, such as schools he went to, photos of activities, or people he associates with.

How to Protect Yourself

There are ways you can protect yourself if you find they have a criminal record. You could call the police if you believe or are sure they’re doing something illegal. Your family and home’s safety is most important in this situation, so you need to do what you need to do to protect them. Unless your rental agreement or homeowner bylaws stipulate it, you cannot force your neighbor to move.

Today, our neighbors’ identities are shrouded in mist. That lack of familiarity can lead to false assumptions and apprehension with regard to common issues like landscaping, noise, parking, and personal appearance. Instead of trying to stifle your unease, do what you can to get more information about your neighbor. You have every right to do so.

How to Choose The Best Mail Services For Moving Companies Outreach

Posted on by Joe Polsky
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Today, every moving company worth its salt has a robust digital marketing strategy in place. Without one, you risk losing out on a lot of potential business as the vast majority of prospects hang out on the Internet nowadays.

Before the Internet became a thing, moving companies – as with all industries – relied on cold calls to pitch their offerings through the phone. Or pursue potential business in person.

The thing about digital marketing, though, is that it’s a pretty broad field with many areas of focus. These usually fall under a few key categories:

  • SEO
  • Inbound marketing
  • Outbound marketing
  • Pay per click advertising

Email may be one of the earliest forms of Internet marketing, but even in these days of social networks, this Internet mainstay still remains a powerful tool for business.

A single email can put you in touch with clients, influencers, brand ambassadors and virtually anyone who could prove key in marketing your long-distance or local moving company.

Through what is known as email outreach, you don’t even need to make a single phone call. All you need is an email account and good content to pitch.

What is Email Outreach?

Email outreach is a strategy that involves getting in touch with industry stakeholders with the aim of building symbiotic partnerships.

For example, your goal could be to request a backlink from a real estate agent website with plenty of traffic. Or to establish a partnership with property or building managers. Or use an influencer to promote content.

A good partnership is one with the potential to help you grow your connections, email list, and brand – which ultimately means more business.

Done right, email outreach can help you generate a good number of prospects, but for that, you will need the right tool.

There are so many email outreach programs that moving companies can use, and you don’t want to end up paying for the wrong tool, only to realize down the line that it cannot help you achieve all the good stuff you wanted to.

Here are some key things to consider when choosing an email outreach solution for your moving business.

Identify your Needs

The first thing you should do is ask yourself what you need from your ideal email outreach tool.

  • Are you looking for a solution designed with big teams in mind or are you happy with a solo solution?
  • How big of an email list are you targeting?
  • What’s the number of emails you want to send?
  • What features are a must-have for you and which ones are optional?

By having a clear idea of what kind of tool you need, narrowing down your options will be easier and faster, and you won’t be easily distracted by bells and whistles that you don’t need.

Aim to find a solution that meets your needs; not change your needs to suit it.

Can it Automate your Process?

At its most basic, an outreach mail service should absolve you of the need to do everything by hand. A good platform should take it one further and be able to execute complex outreach campaigns in a few clicks.

Whether that’s validating your email list or dispatching follow-up emails, the ideal service should do the dirty work for you, leaving you to concentrate on the crucial aspects of your business.

After setting it up properly, the right tool will be like having an extra pair of hands on deck; only this time, it’s working for you around the clock.

List of Features

In close relation to our first point, a good mail service is one that has all the features you need to run an effective campaign.

Many platforms come with similar basic features, but your decision should be guided by what you’re looking to achieve. This will vary from one mover to the next, never mind the size of your moving business.

This means some features that might be important for Mover A are not necessarily a must-have for Mover B.

Look at features like the ability to send emails in bulk, the ability to verify email addresses, the ability to exclude weekend emails, option to set timings etc.

Support and Service

You won’t be short of options when it comes to choosing outreach mail programs. However, keep in mind that you often get what you pay for when it comes to email outreach.

Free apps can often leave you frustrated, so consider if it’s worth spending a little more to get your ideal tool. That doesn’t mean you should spend a fortune on it.

Best Business Apps Every Entrepreneur Should Install on Windows 10

Posted on by Kamilė Dzigaitė
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Running a business is a complex process that needs to be constantly optimized to suit daily market changes. This is almost impossible without the proper tools that technology can provide us nowadays.

Can you imagine dealing with all the procedures without using modern technology like excel to keep track of your numbers, a smartphone to communicate with your team, and without the internet? It is impossible.

Managing a business is even harder for people that are operating with small budgets and cannot afford to hire many people to take care of business procedures. At that point, you are on your own, and finding business apps that can help you use your time more efficiently should be your first priority.

In today’s article, we will highlight some of the best business apps every entrepreneur should try.

Slack

In our modern world, e-mail communications are considered an outdated way of communicating in your organization. Email is great for many things, but ongoing projects require a lot of back-and-forth, which creates long email chains that are hard to read.

That’s where Slack comes in handy. This is a powerful chat app that goes beyond the old-fashioned text-based messages. Slack offers an easy-to-use interface with powerful messaging tools that can be installed across your team members.

Even though the messaging aspect of Slack is a good enough reason to download this app, it is also packed with other features. This app can be used for sharing and editing documents, track the progress of the project, and tracks all actions in real-time which makes collaboration easier with remote team members.

This app also works perfectly with Dropbox or Google Drive which makes it great for storing files on the cloud.

Slack offers impressive features that will improve the organization and communication within your company, but it all comes at a price. Today’s standard Slack features will cost you $6.67 per user, per month.

Dropbox

When it comes to running a successful business it is very important to anticipate new technology trends. Even though cloud computing isn’t something new, you’d be surprised to hear that most companies still use old-fashioned ways of storing their files in hard copy.

This makes collaboration between sectors in the organization very hard since and it also increases the company’s expenses.

Nowadays, you don’t need to invest in expensive cloud computing servers just because you can use third-party apps that provide such features. Dropbox is one of the first cloud-based apps that allows you to store files and access them everywhere you go.

Additionally, it lets you revert to previous versions of the document at any time which prevents data loss. If your business operates with a large number of files, Dropbox is a vital tool that will help you store content, make better analysis, and access it everywhere you go.

 Trello

This is an organizational tool that is designed to improve collaboration in every organization. The interface is based on boards, cards, or lists. Its design is very similar to Pinterest, but it is about productivity.

The best thing about Trello is its appealing design and easy-to-use features even for beginners. You can make to-do lists, add attachments, reminders, and keep everyone updated.

Additionally, you can assign tasks to team members by giving due dates and reminder messages. Maybe the coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers in The TwinSpires Edge NBA odds can use Trello to remind their players that the season has already started!

Invoice 360

Having trouble creating invoices for your business? – Those days are long gone if you plan to use the Invoice 360 app. The app will allow you to input customer information directly and create a very appealing invoice template.

The best thing is that you can build an inventory with prices and stock in the app, which will speed up the invoice making process. After you’ve made an invoice you can save it as a PDF and send it through e-mail with one click.

It is time to make a change and transform from paper to digital invoices (if your country allows). That way you’ll keep everything organized and make the tracking process much easier since the apps track every invoice you make.