5 Things You Need to Know Before Starting Your Own Business

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Who hasn't dreamed of getting away from the wage-earner's grind and working for themselves? Unfortunately, for every person who starts a successful business, there are at least ten who end up crawling meekly back to a 9-to-5 job after an unhappy experience with trying to go it alone.

 

People say some are born to be entrepreneurs, while others are more suited to the regularity of a steady job with a salary. This isn't the case. Anyone can succeed in business provided they have a marketable product and the right approach to working for themselves. Once you have people beating the proverbial path to your door for what you're selling, you've made it.

 

Here are five essential tips for anyone who intends to go into business.

 

Focus on the customer and fully understand the market

 

However wonderful your product is, it has no chance of success until you have a web marketing program that reaches out to potential customers. A company like SMR Digital can be the link between you and your market. Their expert staff will guide you through the process of choosing and utilizing SEO (Search Engine Optimization), Link Outreach, and PPC (Pay Per Click) to maximize customer awareness. Without expert guidance, no start-up can exploit the full potential of the Internet and social media.

 

Understand your own your own strengths, skills, and time available

 

Choose a field in which you excel, and one that doesn't demand more time than you can devote to it. Don't follow the example of others who have been successful, if they are of a different temperament from you.

 

Surround yourself with advisors and mentors

 

Talk to as many experts in your chosen field as you can. If possible, talk to people who have already made it in your line of business. See if you can find people who have been successful entrepreneurs. If you don't know any such people personally, look up interviews with them in business publications.

 

Write a business plan

 

No business can succeed without a coherent plan covering all aspects of the enterprise - time needed, costs, sources of funding, etc. There is no magic formula for success, but at the very minimum you need something that has been realistically planned with all foreseeable problems covered. Don't dive in with your eyes closed.

 

Have a passion for what you are doing. Pick something you could enjoy doing for the rest of your life. To be a true success in business you need to follow your own path, doing something that really interests and motivates you.

How to Find Your Dream Career

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Millions of people make a decision every year trying to find out what they would like to do for the rest of their lives. Unfortunately, jobs for life are getting rarer every year, and industries change faster than any other time before, due to the speed of communication and computer technology, you can reduce your risks and make better decisions about your future if you test drive some of the programs and look through your strengths and weaknesses. Find a few tips below.


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Image via Wikipedia

Consider Your Interests

The first thing you will need to take into consideration is your interest. If you love animals, a related course will make you happy and improve your work-life balance. In case you are a people person, you might consider studying at the best hospitality management school and finding your true calling dealing with customers and tourists.



Check Out Industry Growth

It is also crucial that you check out the industry statistics and predictions. If you don’t want to change your career in a couple of years and waste time and money on your education, you will need to know that there will be a demand for your skills and knowledge in the industry by the time you finish your education. There are plenty of great statistical sites and government publications that will tell you about your potential earnings after graduation and your long term prospects, too.



Focus On Jobs AI Can’t Replace

Many jobs are threatened by the development of artificial intelligence technology. If you are looking to make sure that robots will not replace you, it is important that you choose your future career accordingly. Nurses, doctors, or creative professionals, teachers are less in danger from technology. At the same time, you are going to have a job as a game developer for a long time to come.  



Test Drive Courses

In case you are still sitting on the fence and can’t decide which career path to go down on or which college or university to choose, you might want to test drive courses. There are plenty of opportunities online and at the campus to get insider information on open days and special events, so you can see what the institution has to offer.



Shadow People Already In the Job

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Image via of Kadena Air Base


Sometimes you love the course, but you are not happy doing the job after you graduate, To avoid this problem, you might want to shadow people who are already working in the field, so you can make an informed decision before you would pay your college fees and spend years of your time. There are plenty of volunteering or apprenticeship programs that don’t require a degree, so you can see the potential jobs you will be doing after graduation.




If you waste time and money enrolling to the wrong course, you will find it hard to come to terms with the change and the disappointment. It is always better to plan ahead and do your research, so you can be sure that your chosen career path is in line with your personal mission.

7 Smart Tips for Making Great Coffee to Study at Home

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Coffee and school work often go hand in hand! Whether out of sheer pleasure or simply to stay alert, many students are big coffee drinkers. This is actually a good idea, since coffee does have some positive health effects asides from its obvious stimulating qualities. Just make sure to also eat right and remember that extensive sleep deprivation will deteriorate your health.

 

If you’re a student looking to get the most enjoyment and increased productivity from your coffee cups, this post will point out some useful tricks. You may be surprised at how simple some of these techniques are, but all details matter when you’re looking to brew the perfect coffee.

 

Buy good coffee beans

You can’t make something out of nothing, and you can’t make good coffee unless you have good coffee beans. Make sure you get some top quality coffee beans whose smell feels right to you, and you’ll be on the way to excelling at coffee making. Buying whole (rather than ground) coffee beans may not seem as practical as you’d like, but it’s more than worth the effort, all things considered!

 

Grind your coffee just before brewing

The reason why you want to always grind your coffee beans immediately before brewing your coffee is simply because this is how you get the best aroma and taste. Ground coffee beans will lose flavor and aroma in as little as one hour, so if you are serious about getting the best results… grinding coffee must become part of your act. By doing so, you can also adjust the fineness of the grind to match the ideal specification of your coffee machine.

 

Store your coffee properly

There’s no point in getting the best coffee beans and grinding them scrupulously unless you’re also very careful when it comes to proper storage. To preserve the full potential of your coffee beans, make sure to put then in an air-tight container (vacuum sealed is best), and keep them stored in a cool dry place, away from the sunlight. To learn more, check out our specialized articles on TheCoffeeMaven.com!

 

Use the right proportion of coffee to water

While the perfect concentration of coffee will change according to preference and mood, you may want to aim for the water-to-coffee ratio that is widely regarded as the golden ratio of coffee brewing. One part coffee to 20 parts water will typically yield the most universally pleasing coffee.

 

Control the temperature of your water

You’d think that automatic coffee makers would get this right by default, right? As a matter of fact, there is an ideal temperature for coffee brewing, and it’s actually a precise range that you want to lock into – aim to keep the water between 195-205ºF to get the best possible results.

 

Use quality tools

No matter which type of coffee maker you like, and regardless of whether you favor automatic machines or manual methods, having high quality tools with precise temperature control is a must. Even when using simple glass or metal tools, keep all parts thoroughly clean since it will make a big difference in the taste of your coffee.

 

Focus on technique

Even though brewing coffee seems like a very straightforward process, there are many details that will make a difference to the final outcome. Proper timing is one of the most powerful techniques to make superior coffee; you want to heat the water to the perfect temperature and steep the freshly ground coffee beans for the exact time.


Over time, your coffee making technique will evolve into a soothing ritual whose results will speak for themselves and get everyone’s taste buds dancing the fandango… just remember: great coffee is all about the small details.

Best Career Ideas In Games

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The image of the typical game lover has changed dramatically. Nowadays, more and more companies are looking for playful activities with their staff. It not only has become more acceptable to enjoy games, but it’s also a factor of success. After all, every strategy from fitness apps to team building workshops relies on gamification scenarios to create a positive experience. Consequently, if you are looking for a career change, embracing your inner gamer might be the best idea you’ve ever had. Abandon the typical cliché that is associated with video games. In our modern times, being able to sell a game to your clients is an essential growth strategy. 

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Can you transform games into a business tool?

 

The transferable skills of games

Moving to the professional game sector doesn’t mean that you can’t repurpose the skills you’ve learned and used in your past career. Games, indeed, have reached out to a variety of industries where being a team player and a time management expert can make a great deal of difference. At the heart of it, a game is designed to tackle a problem – whether it is part of a collaborative team tool or a training application for seniors. Therefore your ability to provide a creative solution to everyday issues is crucial to the success of your game company.


 

Manage a creative team

The creative team behind a game requires expert management. Ultimately, the development of online games – even those that are used as part of a team building or task management asset – is highly technical. For the creative team who is responsible for the UX design, the testing and the fluidity of actions, it is often difficult to maintain a professional approach to day-to-day projects. Consequently, there is a need for leadership experience. You don’t need gaming knowledge to land in this position. However, you can study online at Deakin University to boost your IT profile. This can give you the keys to understand how each function interacts with each other and to manage the creative game team effectively.


 

Develop your business game

Burnout. Depression. Stress disorder. People in offices struggle more and more to release their tensions and to express their emotional discomfort. Consequently, more and more startup companies are looking to create a virtual platform to allow stressed-out employees to manage their situations. A well-being application that keeps the management team informs of stress levels, and pressure in a playful manner can help to avoid serious health issues. It would be beneficial to use a graphic design such as the 7 cups path to track emotional complaints within the workplace. This can also act as a self-improvement tool for employees.


 

Create a live game

Not all games happen online. Escape room games have gained strong popularity as a team building exercise. Consequently, you can develop your own live game to welcome teams and encourage them to work together. You will need to build custom-made puzzles. But more importantly, you need to provide a follow-up workshop that helps people to cooperate towards a single objective.


 

Ultimately, games are there to stay. They have now become part of the professional landscape. Therefore it is the ideal time to embrace the potential of gaming to build a new profitable and professional career.