Featured image by Im3rd Media on Unsplash

Have you begun working from home in the past year? If so, it’s best to make your home environment as pleasant as possible. For many people, this is the number-one reason to build a deck at home. But if you need more convincing, read on for more.

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Adding a deck to your home may seem like a major project, but there are several benefits that you can get from it. With the pandemic still restricting normal activities, including work, you may be one of the many who are making a living from the comforts of their homes. While a dedicated home office will help maintain your focus, it would be helpful now and then to get a different view while working to feel refreshed and increase productivity. A deck would be a great spot for that, and a professional deck builder can help you get one. Aside from that benefit, there is more you will enjoy from having a deck, including the following.

Building a Deck Will Add Space to Your Home

If you have ample space outdoor, a deck will be an excellent way to make use of that space. It will serve as an extension to your home. There are several things that you can do here like hang out with the family, cook meals, and dine. It’s also a great place to relax and spend some quiet time while enjoying the fresh air.

A Deck Increases Your Home’s Curb Appeal

A deck improves the aesthetics of a residential property. If you don’t want the same home exterior as every other house in your neighborhood, and you want your place to stand out from the rest, adding a deck will help you achieve that. Throw in some décor like plants and outdoor furniture, or add some lights to make it even more attractive, especially at night.

Building a Deck Increases a Home’s Value

An additional structure or space always adds value to a property. Even if you do not plan on selling your home at the moment, still, a deck will give you an edge in case you decide to sell it in the future. Your house will be more marketable, especially for buyers who have a deck on their checklist. They would be interested in your property because they wouldn’t need to have one built anymore.

A Deck Can Serve as a Party Venue

If you love hosting parties for family and friends, you will not go wrong with having a deck built. Birthdays and special occasions will be more fun by celebrating them on the deck. You will have more space so everyone can move around more freely. Even when there’s no special occasion, a deck is also a great way to welcome and entertain guests.

A Deck Is Low Maintenance

You don’t have to worry about deck maintenance, as it would not require as much effort as maintaining the other parts of the house. Choose materials that are durable to last for a long time. Apply weatherproofing to protect it from the elements.

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You Can Customize It

A deck is customizable to the design that you want. Regardless of the space you have and the look you are after, you can have your dream deck as long as you deal with a professional and reputable contractor.

Build a Deck at Your Home to Enjoy These Benefits

Enjoy all these benefits by having a deck built at your home. If you reside in the San Diego area, get professional help building it by typing “deck builders San Diego” into your web browser.

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Featured image by Ben Rosett on Unsplash

Elijah Norton, president of Veritas Global Protection Services, shares his views on what he believes keeps customers coming back to his business.

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Today, every entrepreneur must employ effective strategies if they want to thrive in business. It is only through innovation and unique approaches that top companies like Veritas Global Protection have maintained a steady flow of customers despite stiff competition. Elijah Norton, the president of Veritas Global Protection Services, reveals the company’s secrets. He shares that by developing innovative products, offering competitive rates, and delivering high-quality customer service the company has kept customers coming back.

Elijah Norton Keeps the Focus on Unique Products and Top-Notch Customer Service

Elijah Norton of Veritas Global Protection emphasizes that creating unique products is key. This factor can see a business generate a huge amount of revenue. In fact, this is an important piece that has contributed to the success of Veritas Global Protection.

Given recent technological advances, customers’ needs continue to change. However, companies that following the trends are the ones that succeed.

Norton also understands that a business cannot succeed in a single day. There are many factors that come into play before a business can hit all its goals. For instance, Elijah Norton believes that the key to the success of Veritas Global Protection is that they are responsive to customer feedback.

Norton Believes in Playing the Long Game

In an interview with DotCom Magazine, the visionary entrepreneur stated that it takes time for a business to grow. In fact, it could take five years or even longer. His first business, he said, took three years to become successful.

Therefore, he recognizes the need for patience for any entrepreneur. Especially in challenging situations, Elijah Norton encourages other entrepreneurs to remain strong and believe in their business idea. By remaining focused, he says, they will find solutions to their problems.

At the same time, the business environment is changing rapidly. Therefore, Elijah Norton of Veritas Global Protection advises investors to regularly monitor market trends. They must remain alert to the competition to ensure that their business expands accordingly. Norton also believes that each new day comes with its own challenges. Therefore, every morning he wakes up determined to make a difference. There is no doubt that this mindset has motivated this influential leader to find solutions for his business in difficult times.

Elijah Norton Invests in Employees

If an entrepreneur wants to become a great leader, Elijah Norton of Veritas Global Protection says they must understand their employees. They must learn how to manage their team. He believes that competent leaders know how to maintain good professional relationships. Still, customers are an integral part of an outstanding business, and Norton emphasizes that without customers there is no business.  Similarly, he says, technology can help a business, as it enables an organization to better serve its customers.

However, technology has both positive and negative aspects. Elijah Norton of Veritas Global Protection advises business owners that technological changes can breed chaos if they are allowed to proliferate too quickly. He therefore urges business leaders restore sanity in competitive business environments where this has been allowed to occur.

To this end, every business owner must invest in a great team. People who are ready to work hard while embracing diversity and other important community values are critical to the success of any business.

Norton’s hiring philosophy revolves around recruiting people who are ready to perform. In fact, Mr. Norton insists the way a business starts matters a lot. Therefore, he believes that hiring the right people during the initial stages of the business is essential. With the right people at work, everything will run smoothly and the business will be successful.

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About Veritas Global Protection

Veritas Global Protection, led by Elijah Norton, is a world-leading company specializing in automotive finance and insurance. The company strives to satisfy its clients by providing quality vehicle service contracts and vehicle protection products. Additionally, they offer GAP protection and F&I products to dealerships across America, Chile, Canada, and the European Union.

Featured image by Maxim Hopman on Unsplash

Since Boris Johnson’s speech in February 2021, which outlined the government’s roadmap for an easing of lockdown, it would seem as though we can begin to plan for the months ahead. But can we predict the market direction for the foreign exchange? Forex trading is an area that was heavily affected by the coronavirus pandemic, which has left a trail of economic destruction in its wake.

The promise of a post-pandemic recovery will heavily influence exchange rates this year. However, as that is uncertain, so too is the 2021 market direction for Forex. Attempting to predict the direction of the market is not an easy task to say the least, especially in the midst of a pandemic. However, these predictions will allow individuals to continue to make wise trading decisions and participate in online forex trading.

The British Pound in Forex Trading

The pound sterling (GBP) has exceeded expectation and outperformed a host of its forex trading rivals. Unfortunately, it’s also encountered overbought conditions which have caused some concern. Forex analysts at Citibank have suggested that traders have not fully weighed up the influence that the Prime Minister’s roadmap plan will have upon the pound. They continue to hold a bullish long-term position on UK currency.

Economists have suggested that though the roadmap will set the UK on a slow, cautious course toward economic recovery, it will still be on track for a significant rebound. Since the government’s release of the plan, the British pound soared against its peers. The pound-dollar exchange rate reached a new multi-month high at 1.4075 on the forex markets. Meanwhile, the pound-euro exchange experienced its highest recordings since March 2020, at 1.1582.

Additionally, the hospitality and travel sector is set to return in the coming months. Therefore, it is likely that the average UK consumer will spend a sizeable amount as they escape lockdown. Capital Economics have forecast that spending patterns of this sort could lift the total GDB to just 2-3% below its pre-COVID level by July. 

Analysts believe that this surge in spending and rapid economic recovery could see the pound-to-dollar exchange rate rise to 1.45 this year and the pound-to-euro rate to 1.16. Additionally, the FTSE 100 is forecast to reach 7,500 this year.

Of course, all of this is wholly reliant on the government’s ability to enforce its roadmap plans.

The US Dollar

2021 doesn’t promise quite as fruitful a year for the US dollar. An unfortunate recurring theme of the US dollar is that the currency has weakened significantly against the pound and the euro. The past three years have presented an array of setbacks that have caused the dollar to find itself in this weakened position.

One of the most notable setbacks was the enforcement of Donald Trump’s protectionist policies, which caused trade tensions with China. Like many currencies, the US dollar also suffered from the effects that the coronavirus pandemic had upon the forex markets. All of this considered, ING analysts forecast a continuation of the US dollar’s decline in 2021. This suggests that it could experience a loss of up to 10% of its value against most major currencies.

At the time of writing, €1 will buy you $1.19 and £1 will fetch you $1.38. Analysts predict that by the end of 2021, the dollar could experience a further decline. This would mean that your euro could be worth $1.25 and your pound, $1.42.

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However, only time will tell if these predictions about the will come to fruition. Factors that could positively influence the dollar are:

• A significant strengthening of China’s economy, causing Chinese trade to improve and increase demand for US imports.
• A reduction of upward economic momentum in non-US countries, which could increase the possibility of interest rate cuts outside of the US.
• The successful rollout of the coronavirus vaccine, allowing for the resumption of economic activity. The improvement of the US economic state could see the Federal Reserve increase interest rates and support the dollar.

A Round-up of the Predicted Forex Market Direction for 2021

Predicting the direction of the forex market is difficult at the best of times. However, the unprecedented times that we find ourselves in have made it nearly impossible to make an accurate prediction. This is because countries will recover from the pandemic at differing rates, based on a multitude of factors. The forex market is likely to experience a year of blows, risks, and monumental spikes, as it embarks on a rollercoaster of a journey.

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Learning the correct way on how to market affiliate links can help you build a passive income stream while promoting products you love! 

What Is Affiliate Marketing? 

Affiliate marketing is when you are a member of an affiliate program and you share links while encouraging others to purchase those products. Every time someone purchases through your unique link id you receive a commission. 

Commissions are very different depending on which program you are marketing through. Some offer a flat rate amount, while others offer a percentage of the customer’s total purchase amount. 

How Do You Get Paid From Affiliate Marketing? 

Every affiliate marketing program has a portal where you can see how many clicks have occurred, completed purchases that have been made, along with other reporting metrics. 

Once you sign up and are approved to begin marketing, there’s an area where you can input your tax and bank account information. 

Most programs work with Paypal as well and some still offer to mail paper checks. We recommend some sort of digital payment. 

Depending on the program’s stipulations, you may be paid on a monthly basis, when you account reaches a certain threshold, or when you decide to retrieve the funds. 

Are There Rules for Affiliate Marketing? 

Yes and you want to be sure you are well versed. For starters, affiliate marketing is governed by the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) which always has the consumer’s best interest. For the full FTC Guide, you can download it here. 

In terms of marketing online, before you promote a product or service, you must disclose to the public that you may be compensated in some way if they click on an affiliate link. When writing blog posts, this disclosure needs to be placed above the fold and before any affiliate link. 

Even if you have a full disclosure as a separate page, you can link to that but there needs to be a statement listed as well. 

When promoting on social media platforms, you can use an affiliate disclosure statement or you can simply post #ad or #sponsored. 

If you are running banner ads on your website, those do not need a disclosure statement because the general public is aware of that type of advertising. However, you will need a privacy policy page, where you can explain how a user’s data is tracked and add a cookie policy. 

The FTC Guidelines apply to all affiliate marketing programs, however each individual program may have their own terms and conditions that you should be aware of. 

Easy Affiliate Marketing Programs To Apply To

One of the most popular affiliate marketing programs that businesses apply to is the Amazon Associate’s Program. Generally everyone is accepted,, but you must make at least 3 sales within your first 180 days of opening your account. These cannot be to friends and family. Amazon is smart so don’t try that trick. 

In terms of the Amazon program, they require a different affiliate statement and it must be written word for word. Be sure to read through their policies before promoting any products or services. 

Share A Sale is considered a third party affiliate marketing program. Everyone gets accepted into Share A Sale, but you must apply to each individual vendor. For example, if you wanted to promote items from a certain store, you have to fill out an application for that company inside of Share A Sale. All of your earnings will go into one account, versus an account for each merchant. 

CJ Affiliates has the same structure as Share A Sale, but has different merchants that you can apply to. 

How Do You Know If A Company Has An Affiliate Program?

Most businesses do, or at least larger ones. Simply search the company’s name + affiliate program. You can see if they offer their program through a third party, or if they host it themselves. 

Ways To Market Affiliate Links

Here are the most common ways to market affiliate links. As always check the terms of service to ensure you are in compliance. 

• Social Media 
• Blog Posts
• Email Campaigns 
• Your own affiliate program
• Reviews 
• Tutorials
• Banner Ads 
• Resource Page on your website

Affiliate Marketing Tips

When it comes to promoting affiliate links through blog posts, be intentional with your keyword research. Notice terms like “best”, “cheapest”, and “most reliable”. Those terms mean that your audience is already shopping around.

Never promote a product or service that you are unsure about or do not use. This causes distrust in your audience if it’s not what they expect. Learn more about what makes a great affiliate marketing program.

Always place your disclosure statement before the affiliate link and in a place where your audience doesn’t have to search hard to find it. 

Use your email list to help with your affiliate marketing strategy. Just so you know you can NEVER put Amazon links directly into an email. 

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Wondershare PDFelement Pro is software that helps you to arrange documents easily. Whether you want to create, convert, protect, combine, edit, annotate, watermark, or compress your files, you can do so with just one smooth interface. Who would have thought it would be this easy to organize and manage your PDF files? But now you can do just about anything with PDFelement Pro.

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You Can Create a PDF File from Any Document

You can create a PDF file from a Word document, an Excel spreadsheet, even image files PowerPoint. Moreover, you can use PDFelement Pro in more than 300 formats. Then, once you have created the file you want, you can access it with Adobe Reader, Acrobat, and other common PDF readers.

You Can Combine Files into a Single PDF Document

With Wondershare PDFelement Pro you can easily merge multiple files in a single PDF document. What’s more, you can edit all of the contents of the resulting PDF with a mere few clicks.

The software allows you to easily add and edit text, delete unwanted elements, even edit images in your PDF. It also gives you the option to delete, insert, or update watermarks.

You Can Convert PDF Files to Any Software and Retain Their Original Quality

You can convert files from PDFelement Pro to more than 300 formats, including:

• Word
• Excel
• EPUB
• RTF files
• HTML
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The software will also convert images from the following formats as well as others:

PDFelement Pro Comes with Enhanced OCR Technology

The software’s built-in optical character recognition (OCR) technology will transform a scanned, image-based PDF file back into usable text, retaining the look of the original file.

PDFelement Pro Is a Multi-Language System

Additionally, users can access their scanned PDF text in multiple languages, including:

• Korean
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Protect Your PDF Files with Personalized Signatures and Encrypted Passwords

One of the more impressive features of the PDFelement Pro is personalized, handwritten signatures. In fact, you can personalize your own unique, encrypted signature without having to leave the PDF file you’re working with.

PDFelement Pro also lets you protect each file you want to secure with an encrypted password. This will prevent anyone from printing, editing, copying, or extracting from your PDF files. Thereafter, only you will be able to access your documents, using the encrypted passwords you set for them.

The Software Comes with Powerful PDF Form Templates You Can Edit

Do you need to create a form? Then begin with one of the form templates that come with the software. Next, edit the form to suit your needs using the interactive field options. These include buttons, checkboxes, text, list boxes, and dropdown lists.

Review, Save, and Print Your Files with Ease

Finally, print your PDF files as electronic copies that you can easily store, search, or send to others for review. Meanwhile, your files will retain 100% of their original layout and quality.

You can access PDFelement Pro from the web, by PC, and even with your mobile phone.

For example, the minimum requirements you’ll need in order to download PDFelement Pro on a Windows-based personal computer are:

• 1Ghz processor or above
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Plus, you won’t need to have a video card on your system. Moreover, you can download PDFelement for Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows XP, and Windows Vista.

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Additionally, the software is available for Mac, iOS, and Document Cloud.

Get the PDFelement Pro Now at a Huge Discount

In conclusion, you can buy the WonderShare PDFelement Pro for only $69 per year, thanks to a limited-time sales discount. To find out more, check out discount on #PDF editor now.

Featured image by Julia Teichmann from Pixabay 

The CBD wholesale business is growing larger by the day, as more and more people are taking advantage of the opportunities.

The top CBD products on the market have amazing effects on users’ minds and bodies. For instance, colorful edibles taste great, fast-acting CBD oil helps people relax, and soothing creams improve dry skin.

Since President Trump signed the 2018 Farm Bill legalizing cannabidiol goods throughout the United States, CBD stores have been fighting for consumers’ loyalty. Let’s take a look at five of the best wholesale CBD companies and their merchandise.

You must have heard of Just CBD by now, as they are nation’s biggest wholesale supplier of hemp gummies.

Whether you are a private CBD store or a distributer, there are many good reasons to set up an account with them. For starters, Just CBD prices can’t be beat. At the same time, they carry the best products available.

How would you like to offer consumers the top CBD oil tinctures, edibles, lotions, and pet treats on the market? You can also fill up your inventory with amazing CBD capsules, along with sugar-free and vegan gummies. Also, their bath bombs put people into a physical and emotional state of peace.

Even the sales reps are professional and friendly, answering any questions that arise. There is a reason that businesses all around the globe depend on Just CBD oil wholesale. It’s for their prices, products, reputation, and top-notch customer service. So whether you are looking for wholesale full spectrum CBD oil, delectable gummies, or moisturizing cream at cost, Just CBD is certainly one of the best suppliers out there.

2. Lazarus Naturals Wholesale

When looking to purchase bulk tinctures, topicals, hand sanitizers, full spectrum and CBD isolate wholesale, Lazarus Naturals carries plenty of options. Every item they stock is kosher, as they only use ingredients provided by Mother Earth. And they share their easy-to-follow lab tests on every page.

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Lazarus Naturals has quality customer support that can assist any wholesale buyer. However, it’s too bad a wholesale buyer cannot get ahold of any broad-spectrum CBD from them. That’s kind of weird, considering how easy it is to produce broad-spectrum CBD oil. It’s also too bad that CBD online reviews say Lazarus Naturals’ messy website is often difficult to use.

3. Cheef Botanicals Wholesale

The founders of Cheef Botanicals are cannabis enthusiasts with decades of experience in the food industry. They say they’re on a mission to educate people on hemp’s benefits for mind and body, as opposed to unnatural pharmaceuticals.

This CBD company certainly carries a sizable selection of CBD oils, bath bombs, honey sticks, cartridges, wax, flower, and more. Surfers of the web can also check out CBD research and FAQs on their website.

However, Cheef Botanicals doesn’t share their lab reports online. Also keep in mind that Cheef Botanicals’ items are a bit more expensive than most of its competitors’ products. Plus, they don’t offer customer service on Saturdays and Sundays.

4. CBDistillery Wholesale

CBDistillery offers wholesalers an assortment of items, such as edibles, soft gel tabs, topicals, vapes, capsules, isolate, and full-spectrum oils. They take pride in their concise labeling and professional packaging. They also provide marketing material, like signs and display cases.

Meanwhile, their entire stock is third-party tested. In fact, an individual can scan a QR code to see the results online. To top it off, CBDistillery offers free shipping on their entire line of wholesale CBD products.

Unfortunately, consumer feedback hasn’t always been kind to CBDistillery. Buyers complain about everything from shipping delays and weak tincture droppers to their hard-to-navigate website.

5. Balance CBD Wholesale

Both retail stores and business websites give props to Balance CBD’s wholesale merchandise.

Folks can find a wide variety of CBD goods when looking on Balance CBD’s internet site. For instance, people can shop online for vegan-friendly gummies, THC-free oil, and pain relief cream. Their sugary CBD cubes come in resealable pouches. Everything is non-GMO and natural.

In addition, they carry posh CBD for dogs and cats, such as salmon, cod liver, and natural CBD oil options. A shopper can also look at a certificate of analysis (COA) for each product they carry. Balance even has wholesale experts willing to help shoppers on the phone, by email, or on a live chat.

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All of These CBD Wholesale Vendors Meet Quality Standards

Each CBD vendor listed meets GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) safety standards and GMP quality guidelines. The CBD products are all made in the US and laboratory tested for safety.

About the Author

This article is contributed by David Baker of Cannabis Extraordinaire. Contact David on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Quora, and reddit. Find other examples of his work here and here.

Featured image by Speedkings from Shutterstock

The year 2020 was a massively tough year for most businesses. Between the COVID-19 pandemic and the accompanying economic roller coaster, many businesses were either shattered or barely stayed afloat. Even businesses that thrived often had to execute extreme changes to their business models. However, in 2021, a new day is dawning for new business as the COVID-19 vaccine is rolled out.

The U.S. will, hopefully, soon be open for business in person again. Even as the pandemic continues to pose challenges, many online businesses are performing strong numbers and making big plans for growth. If you’ve been contemplating starting a new business in 2021, now is the perfect time to get your plan together and apply for a business license, business bond, and other essentials. Why? Here are five reasons that new businesses could find ways to thrive in the new year. 

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1. E-commerce Businesses Are Poised for Another Year 

Many eCommerce businesses were experiencing strong growth even before the pandemic, and 2020 turbocharged that phenomenon to the tune of 30% year over year market growth. There’s no real reason to think that eCommerce will see anything but more growth for new business in 2021, even if it doesn’t increase as explosively as it did in 2020. 

Today’s entrepreneurs are flocking to eCommerce not just because of its massive growth, but also because of its relatively low start-up costs and easy-to-use platforms like Shopify. Business models like the tremendously popular drop-shipping, in which an entrepreneur never has to store or handle items themselves, have made it easier than ever to start an online business with not much more than a computer and a bank account. 

Even more so than in other sectors, the secret to success for a new eCommerce business will be finding a niche. Giants like Amazon and Walmart already play the mega-retail game better than anybody else. So, start by thinking small and looking for specialized opportunities. Hand-crafted goods, niche collectibles, and reselling are great examples. There are abundant opportunities for playing the kind of small game that can turn into a successful eCommerce business. 

2. Demand for In-Person Experiences Will Rise

The pandemic has been nothing short of a disaster for the hospitality industry, with thousands of bars and restaurants closing permanently. Brick and mortar retail has weathered tough times as well. Yet, once the vaccine has helped right things somewhat, many consumers likely will be craving the in-person experiences that they’ve largely had to abstain from for over a year. 

Aspiring restaurateurs, bar owners, shop owners, and other purveyors of in-person experiences stand to benefit from the impending return to going out. Although it’s hard to predict exactly what will come, experiential consumer attractions like pop-up bars, themed restaurants, and VR experiences are likely to come roaring back to an entertainment-starved populace. 

Of course, things won’t just be going back to the way they were if you were to start a new business in 2021. In-person businesses will have to change and accommodate the new normal, including finding effective ways to follow safety precautions while the pandemic remains a threat. And, as we’ll discuss next, these changing times will produce the greatest commodity of all: innovation. 

3. Different Sectors Will Be Ripe for Innovation 

Recovery periods after disasters frequently offer opportunities to disrupt old models and build new ones. Thus, if you’ve got an innovative business idea you think could succeed, 2021 might have the opening you’re looking for. 

Many experts are predicting a so-called “Great Reset”. This means old business models can be wound down and new ones can begin to grow and thrive. There’s abundant precedent for this. The Great Depression of the 1930s produced many important advances in materials science. However, the Great Recession of the late 2000s and early 2010s spawned many startups that are now household names. For example, Airbnb and Bitcoin. 

This is one area in which fortune will favor the bold, so don’t hesitate to get started on your preparations. Learn about the big questions you’ll need to answer: “How much initial capital do I need to get started? What are the requirements for getting a business license in my state? What is a surety bond?” The sooner you find the answers, the sooner you can take the plunge and seize the chance to create something new. 

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4. Labor Pool Will Be Full of People Looking to Get Back to Work 

Unemployment remains devastatingly high as we enter 2021. That means, depending on which industry they’re in, new business owners may have a substantially larger than average labor pool to work with when hiring. 

Skilled workers of all kinds who’ve had trouble finding work will be eager to return. People who’ve stayed in jobs they don’t like due to economic uncertainty will likely begin to explore their options more. Also they will seek work that suits them better and which offers improved benefits. Employers who can provide fulfilling work for good pay will find that workers are willing and able. 

However, understanding the realities of the 21st-century labor market means innovating along with workers. It also means involving them in the leadership of the business’s ground-level operations. It also includes offering living wages and healthcare benefits that allow workers to provide for their families and take care of their health. 

5. The Real Estate Market Could Be Ripe With Opportunity

For years, the trend of increasing urbanization and consolidation has made it tough for new businesses to afford prime urban core real estate as deep-pocketed players snapped up prime spots. Now, some of the real estate markets that were once America’s hottest have dropped precipitously in price. This created many potential opportunities. 

That means that new businesses in 2021 may have a slightly easier time finding a place to set up shop. No one celebrates the closure of thousands of businesses. However, it does clear the way for new businesses to find the perfect spot in newly vacant commercial real estate. Commercial landlords will be in search of new tenants for their spaces. So, businesses that act quickly and know what they’re looking for could be able to score an excellent price. 

RELATED ARTICLE: GROW YOUR BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES WITH THESE 3 TIPS

Featured image by jacqueline macou from Pixabay 

Currently, salons are losing stylists as they migrate to more secluded salon suites. COVID-19 may have sped up the migration, as individual spaces became more appealing to clients and stylists looking to limit their exposure to groups of people. However, there are many reasons why stylists are opting for their own salon suites.

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Long before COVID-19, beauticians were moving to individual salon suites to start their entrepreneurial journey and create a name for themselves outside of a singular salon. There is a lot more flexibility that comes with doing hair in a salon suite. However, there are still many benefits to working in a salon with other stylists, especially today. If you’re wondering how to retain and recruit stylists as COVID-19 restrictions are being lifted on salons, keep reading this guide to find approaches that can help you reach your goal.

Source: santypan/shutterstock.com

Offer Stylists Incentives

While salon suites have become more appealing, there are still many perks to working in a salon. As a business and salon owner, you’re in control of the perks you offer that make working at your salon more desirable to stylists.

For example, you can offer certain incentives like reducing chair rent. Or offer incoming stylists a chance to build their clientele with special initiatives. If you’re not sure which incentives are appealing to your stylists—and feasible for you—start surveying your hairdressers and estheticians.

Also, seek advice from outside stylists. Retaining stylists is all about making them happy. And what better way to learn about their needs and wants than through their own advice and experiences?

Provide Social Media Support and Growth

Today, clients are finding new hairstylists via social media. That means that it’s of high interest for stylists to boost their following and have a strong social media presence. If you have the social media game figured out and you’ve amassed a pretty decent following and audience, it may be appealing to current or incoming hairstylists. They will understand they can tap into the audience and clientele you have built.

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Feature your hairstylists regularly on your salon’s social media account by photographing them at work and sharing their stories. This potential visibility will encourage stylists to want to work for you. Additionally, it also helps your social media presence seem more personable. Storytelling and personable brands are what people love to see on social media.

You can also empower your stylists by helping them create a social media presence. Set up a photo-worthy spot in your salon where stylists can capture their work to post. It’s a win-win for your business. Consider setting up a photo area with a ring light for perfect and professional-looking photos.

Source: Prostock-studio/shutterstock.com

Fill Your Salon with the Latest and Greatest

From new products to salon equipment, you’ll want your salon to have state-of-the-art equipment. This will motivate beauticians to do their job well. People love coming into a salon where they feel pampered and empowered.

Also, ask your stylists if they might benefit from your stocking the retail displays with new products. Getting their feedback shows them you care about them and value their opinion. One of the major perks of working at a salon rather than a salon suite is being able to focus on your craft. Meanwhile, hairdressers can allow the business owner to focus on handling the everyday things like restocking products or investing in new pedicure chairs.

Make Their Space Personal

Many stylists are turning to salon suites because they want more creative freedom over their space. They want something that feels like it’s their own.

So if you could take one page out of the salon suite playbook, it should be the personalization approach. Encourage stylists to make their styling station reflect their personality. Let them use their own decorations, or offer to print branding materials such as business cards or social media plaques. This will help stylists feel like you’re invested in them.

Something as simple as a picture frame with the stylist’s name, social media tags, and contact information could make someone feel like that styling station belongs to them. Also, make sure to choose stations that have ample storage for stylists’ tools, personal items, and more.

Get to Know Your Stylists and Estheticians

As a salon or spa owner, it’s your job to keep your finger on the pulse of everything. It might benefit you to learn about the types of services your stylists love providing. Find out what they’re good at and what they want to do more of.

For example, say one stylist wants to do more extensions while the other wants to try her hand at balayage. Knowing that can help you point new clients in the right direction while giving your stylists more of the jobs they love doing. This act shows your stylists that you care about their happiness at work and that you have faith in their abilities. This could go a long way toward making stylists want to stay.

Source: Marko Subotin/shutterstock.com

Provide Protection and Enhance Safety Measures During the Pandemic

This may be a given, but you need to make sure your stylists feel safe coming into work every single day—especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the leading reasons why stylists are leaving salons for their own salon suite is for safety reasons.

To keep your stylists happy and excited to come into work, you’ll need to invest in personal protective equipment and proper cleaning supplies. Additionally, install barriers to keep clients separated and stylists socially distanced.

As a salon owner, you will want to be the one enforcing social distancing and mask-wearing. Don’t leave that responsibility to your stylists, as it could create turmoil. Owning this process and making sure everyone feels protected and safe will win you huge points with your stylists and estheticians. It will also take the pressure off their shoulders. They will know that you’re looking out for them and all they have to do is show up to work.

Treat Stylists Right to Keep Them in Your Salon

Are you feeling inspired to create a salon or spa where stylists and estheticians want to work? Whether you can implement a few or all of these strategies, chances are your beauticians will love you for taking this extra effort. At the end of the day, listening to feedback from the people who currently work for you is the most important way to keep them.

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Featured image by Alexander Supertramp

In my house, WiFi signal strength is a currency. With it (or rather through its availability), we ensure that homework is completed, bedrooms are cleaned, grandparents are spoken to, and dinner is consumed. It also underpins my peaceful consumption of Grey’s Anatomy in the evening, along with the ability to enjoy, without interruption, a nice glass of Malbec alongside it.

Conversely, unreliable WiFi is a biblical plague upon the peaceful living. Aside from my retro-Meredith Grey reverie, reliable WiFi signal strength is a critical component in my ability to earn a living. Packet loss, connection interruptions, and congestion do not a smooth and successful video conference make.

What Can Cause Poor WiFi Signal Strength?

WiFi problems come in many shapes and sizes. Aside from the distance between the router and the device and the thickness of the walls in a house, there are a number of factors that can influence the connection. Some of these are rooted in the user or the quality of their hardware, since not all WiFi devices are created equal. Other factors that can have a detrimental effect include:

• Neighbors and their WiFi configurations. Avoid overlaps where possible.
• Microwave ovens. Significantly older ones may be faulty or have poor seals. (Fun fact: Microwave ovens run at 2.4GHz, a common WiFi band.)
• Televisions, baby monitors, walkie talkies and all manner of other devices can also operate in the same band.
• Big lumps of metal, especially metal connected to earth, such as water tanks and water pipework, boilers, radiators, and so on. These can all have an effect if they are in the signal path between the access point and your device.
• Metalized film on glass windows and partitions. This is often used in office environments as a sunblock, tint, or filter. Signal attenuation over a metalized glass unit can be huge. Often the only solution in these circumstances is to increase the density of access points.

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Measuring and Monitoring: What Is Important?

The modern world is a hostile place if you are a radio wave. This is particularly the case if you’re a low energy wave like a WiFi signal, since 2.4GHz WiFi is limited to only 100mW. It is even more true if you are a 5GHz WiFi signal. This is because 5GHz radio waves propagate over shorter distances than 2.4GHz signals do.

The good news is that all the above problems are addressable in some form. However, to address them properly, you’ll need some planning, some thinking, some testing, and some tools.

At the root of all these issues, whether you’re dealing with 2G or 5G WiFi, is the quality of the WiFi signal your device is receiving. The primary determinant of quality is the strength of the WiFi signal your device is receiving. What is signal strength? Simply put, it is a measure of the energy being exchanged between your device and the WiFi access point. This is often expressed in dBm (decibels relative to 1mW). Measuring WiFi signal strength in various positions can inform the planning and design of your wireless network and indicate where you may need to place extra repeaters and access points.

Don’t worry too much about the absolute values of these parameters. Often our devices don’t offer up much insight into these. That is, they simply indicate some arbitrary signal strength in terms of the number of bars they display in the network icon.

This is what it looks like on a Windows system.

In order to derive more useful detail regarding signal levels, we need to use a specialist software tool. I tend to use NetSpot. You can download this tool with a free-to-use option. It provides a stable but highly informative source of engineering data.

Let’s Take a Look at Some Practical Examples

Let’s have a look at some results from a live environment (mine) and some of the key parameters.

This is a default NetSpot view showing that there are three access points visible from this location:

• The signal received from two of the access points is very strong. Mine is about 4 meters away (through a brick wall), and one (my neighbor’s) is at the edge of the cover. NetSpot also offers a time-series view of signal strength. This shows that WiFi signal strengths are broadly consistent over time. This is what I would expect, as I am not moving. (We’ll get to that.)

• There are two networks at 2.4G and one at 5G. The Vodafone access point is offering one network (SSID) in each band.
• On the Vodafone SSID, the 2.4G signal strength is stronger than the 5G at the same measurement distance. This is to be expected because of 5G propagation characteristics.
• The Vodafone access point is offering connectivity based on the newer AC standard (2013). The Shell access point is offering an older (2007) N standard signal.
• There is adequate channel separation between the 2.4G access points. We can get a good view of this from the AP Channel view, also offered by NetSpot. Both the Shell and Vodafone access points occupy at 20MHz segment. There is no need to retune the access points to avoid interference.

In the 5G space, there is only a single channel visible at this point, but the channel width is greater, at 80MHz.

Finally, let’s see the effect of moving farther (approximately 5 meters and another brick wall) from the access point. The time-series graph below clearly shows the effect of this. Signal strengths decline dramatically, and the neighbor’s access point increases markedly.

Signal strength is the key indicator of the quality of WiFi service a device is likely to receive from the network. Typically, devices give a very “raw” view of connection quality, and this is not suitable for problem diagnosis. Instead, you need a dedicated monitoring and survey tool to accurately identify and diagnose issues. There are a number of tools available, but NetSpot is an excellent option.

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NetSpot is available for MAC and Windows. It has a free tier license, which makes basic functionality available. A professional tier unlocks some funky survey and mapping functionality, which will more than adequately support even professional users. In professional mode (that is, the licensed option), full NetSpot is capable of providing full coverage mapping across a number of advanced engineering parameters.

Contributed to the Business Opportunities blog by Alexandra for NetSpot.

Featured image by NASA on Unsplash

Space exploration and investment are at a peak not seen since the Cold War. And thanks to the efforts of private companies, there have never been so many investment prospects on offer. We look at some of the best business opportunities in the space industry.

The Space Industry Is Booming, and There’s No Shortage of Business Opportunities

You may not be aware of it, but we are currently living in an era of business opportunities in space exploration and investment that hasn’t been seen since the Cold War.

Following the Moon landing in 1969, enthusiasm for investment in space technology gradually cooled. For decades, shuttles rusted in hangars in the deserts of Kazakhstan. Meanwhile, the US redirected NASA funds to other government projects.

Today, however, interest is once again growing in the potential of space exploration. A number of aerospace company UK projects have seen great success. Investors are once again throwing money at research and development related to space.

As a result, there’s no shortage of business opportunities in space for anyone with the vision to look to the future and see the potential of the space industry. We’re going to look at a few current developments and reliable predictions for how to identify business opportunities in space.

Image from ThisIsEngineering on Pexels

Space Mining Offers Huge Off-Planet Business Potential

Analysis of asteroids has revealed that a remarkable number of alloys and elements could be harvested from them. Given the limited resources on our own planet, business opportunities related to space mining are worth considering. The concept and the industry are still in their infancy. However, it seems certain that we will see notable developments in the near future, along with potential new business opportunities in space.

AI Analysis Is the Only Way to Process Space Data

Big data analytics have already made a big difference in the world of business and marketing. These same AI technologies promise to be incredibly useful when applied to the space industry. In fact, they could be the best business opportunities in space.

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Scientists are still working on analyzing data sent back from the Challenger probe in 1977. The sheer volume of information and its potential importance mean that experts need to closely examine every single detail.

AI programs can sift through huge amounts of data in seconds to give accurate predictions. And big data analytics can provide a valuable understanding of the massive amount of information from satellites, telescopes, and other space technology. The business opportunities of using AI analytical software are already evident. If you’re looking for reliable solutions in the world of tech investment, AI algorithms are valuable not just for the space industry but for any sphere.

More Information About Space Reveals Impressive Business Opportunities

Image from Pixabay on Pexels

As we’ve already mentioned, there are ample business opportunities for anyone looking to invest in data analysis. But beyond that, access to information itself offers plenty of beneficial options.

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Thanks to the internet, people all around the world—not just specialists—can collaborate to solve significant problems and make valuable discoveries. If you can put yourself in a position to monetize space-related data, there are serious business opportunities for you. Whether it means providing a regular publication, harvesting space data and images, or any other way of letting curious people access information, the world is your oyster!

Efficient Fuel Drives the Space Industry

It’s easy to forget that our ventures into space depend on one thing: energy. Every single satellite, shuttle, and rocket requires the most sophisticated possible form of fuel to launch it into space.

In the past, research and development in this area were limited to government agencies. Today, however, it’s anyone’s game. Therefore, opportunities in space industry technology are open to everyone. Elon Musk and SpaceX are the most familiar names, but there’s a whole host of other outfits competing to develop the most effective space technology.

There are many business opportunities with regard to developing effective, affordable, and efficient fuel and energy sources that can be used in the space industry. Most of these have similarly useful applications in civilian and Earth-based fields, meaning that any investment can see significant returns.

Business Opportunities in Space Are Opening Up Now

These are just a few of the possible future business opportunities in space opening up to us as the industry goes through its renaissance. The major difference today, in comparison to the initial Cold War boom in space exploration, is that private companies are now, in many ways, at the forefront. As a result, there are far more business opportunities and no end of different ways to invest in the future. The above should give you a good overview of what to expect in both the short and long term. However, it’s a constantly evolving industry, and only time will tell what future business opportunities may open up.

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