Top Five Business Improvement Tips

Goal setting is the most important factor in business because it holds you accountable. It also serves to remind you of why you’re in business. If you don’t have objectives, then why even bother? Another important function of goal setting is that it allows you to narrow down what you have to do within a certain period of time so you can create abundance.

For Example: I have to sell 5 books each business day to reach my goal of selling 25 books in 5 business days. That’s a simple and clear goal that is achievable.

Setting goals allows you to establish a specific, measurable, and achievable objectives that you are capable of doing. You can easily sell 5 books per day … no sweat! If you should sell 30 or 40 books in one week, how does that make you feel? You’ve pushed yourself farther and accomplished much more than you planned and this builds your inner confidence level and helps create abundance.

If you’re just starting out, then consider these 5 tips:

Work temporarily for a business that is similar to yours. Don’t be afraid to do the dirty jobs. Learn all you can at every level.

Find a mentor or coach. Look around your community and see if there’s someone successful in sales who would be willing to coach you.

Hire an assistant who can do many of the menial or repetitive tasks.

Enroll in a business class. Every larger town has a community college where you can find various classes that can help you improve your sales skills.

Take advantage of courses online. Watch for seminars in your area that feature well-known experts in the field. This can also give you an excellent opportunity for networking.

The book, Create Abundance by Zhang Xinyue offers wisdom for relaxing and enjoying your business and your personal life. Learning to meditate and let go of worries is so beneficial.

What is web hosting?

Blog provided by Electric Kitten

Web hosting is essentially the service that stores and delivers your website files to users around the world. When someone types in your website address (URL), their computer connects with the host server where your site is stored and served up as HTML pages.

There are many different types of web hosting services available, but shared hosts are typically the most affordable option for small businesses and large businesses alike. Shared hosts place multiple websites on one server, splitting up the resources (bandwidth, storage space) accordingly. This makes them an economical choice for those who don’t need all the bells and whistles that come with more expensive plans.

It’s important to note that with shared hosts there is always potential for another site on the same server to affect your experience and downtime if it uses too much bandwidth or storage space. Check with the provider on contention ratios on the server.

Another thing worth considering when choosing a host is their level of customer service – what happens if something goes wrong on your site? Will they be able to help you troubleshoot quickly? Test out their customer support system by asking some basic questions via email or chat before committing yourself long-term.

If you need LA colocation or dedicated server provider you can trust, contact Electric Kitten today. They’ve provided reliable web hosting services for almost two decades. If you are in the Southern California area, give them a call at 877-821-HOST or email them at sales@electrickitten.com.

Upgrading your business technology

As technology has advanced throughout the decades, different fields of business and commerce have found novel, inventive ways to use technology to boost productivity. Here are a few modern innovations that your business might use to stay ahead of the competition.

VoIP Phones

Voice over IP or VoIP phones can improve communication efficiency by allowing users to make phone calls through IP networks such as the Internet rather than traditional office telephone systems. This results in more reliable call quality, lower operating costs, and efficient scalability. Javier Loya, CEO of OTC Global Holdings says, “At OTC Global Holdings, VoIP phones have completely revamped our communication practices. It’s been more convenient to scale using the Internet-based VoIP system rather than building a new communication infrastructure.”

Communication platforms

Communal messaging platforms such as Slack have been able to meet the needs of businesses better than traditional forms of communication or social media websites. Slack is designed to keep office communication organized by topic, group, or content. The app even allows you to search for content in previous conversations so that no one forgets important information pertaining to your office projects. The app’s user-friendly and collaborative interface has become widely used by many major companies such as Target and iRobot.

Multi-device keyboards

In offices where multitasking on multiple devices is the norm, multi-device keyboards are a revolutionary piece of technology. These devices allow you to seamlessly switch between typing on your phone, tablet, and computer during busy workdays. Some of the best multi-device keyboard models such as the Logitech K780 are compatible with up to three devices.

 

5 Tips for Buying the Right Computer for Your Lifestyle

Once you’re ready to buy a new computer, there are a few considerations to think about before you go shopping. It’s good to think about exactly what you will be using this computer for. If you are looking for something to use for surfing the web and checking on your social media pages, then there’s no reason to spend lots of money. But if you are a graphic designer wishing to use the computer for your work, then you will definitely need a faster computer with more features.

If you’re short on cash, then look for computer financing deals. Below are our top five tips to help you buy the right computer that will meet all your needs:

Decide on a budget and stick to it.

Do you want a laptop or a desktop? Laptops are more expensive but nice to have because you can take them anywhere.

Do you need lots of RAM? Maybe. It depends on the type of work you’ll be doing. RAM makes the computer move faster and operate more efficiently.

What brand should you buy? Everyone is different on this issue. Some people swear by Apple MacBook Computers, while others like regular PCs. Brands like Dell and HP are popular.

Do you need a touch screen? These are popular but not necessary for most of your computing needs. You will often pay more for this feature as well. If possible, visit a local computer store and try this out to see if you like it.

Why Should You Sign Up for Colocation Hosting?

Blog provided by Electric Kitten

In an industry with many different web hosting solutions, colocation stands out because of the level of control it provides to data center clients. Like traditional web hosts, colocation providers supply security, power, storage, and other essential amenities for their client’s servers. But unlike shared hosting or cloud-based hosting, clients have full ownership of their servers. They can customize server hardware and software to their heart’s content. However, this also means that clients are responsible for providing their own servers. They cannot use the servers owned by the data center to host their website.

Colocation clients are essentially renting space in a data center, as opposed to paying for web hosting. In light of this, colocation is ideal for businesses that store their servers in their offices. Many companies find that servers take up a lot of office space and require too many employees and resources to secure and maintain. If you’d rather focus on other aspects of your business, you might want to consider outsourcing server storage to a colocation provider.

If you’re looking for colocation or server hosting in Los Angeles, contact Electric Kitten. For almost two decades, they have provided reliable colocation service, along with other web hosting options such as shared hosting and dedicated servers. Their colocation clients will have access to a state-of-the-art SAS-70 facility located in the One Wilshire Building in Los Angeles. Their hi-tech setup will ensure you recover quickly and efficiently from any technical disasters that may happen. For more information, call them today at 877-821-HOST or email them at sales@electrickitten.com.

Achieving EDI Compliance

Blog provided by ACT Data Services, Inc. 1-800-ACT-DATA

Is your business EDI compliant? If you have any sort of interactions with trading partners, it should be. EDI has become a necessity in the modern world because of its ability to streamline supply chains. It facilitates easy communication between business partners and prevents human error from costing you time and money. However, for this exchange to occur, companies must share data in a way that is compatible with their trading partners’ EDI standards.

There is a set of worldwide EDI standards that dictate the format businesses receive EDI documents in. Your trading partners cannot receive your information correctly if you do not send it in the format they use. Recording your transaction information and converting it into the right EDI format can seem complex and daunting if you have no experience in the field. Large companies with enough experience may opt to do EDI in-house, but if you are a smaller company with no EDI experience, it might be worthwhile to hire an EDI expert. The right EDI provider can help you achieve EDI compliance without the hassle of training new employees and allocating funds to your own EDI program.

ACT Data has been one of the premier EDI providers in the industry for more than 25 years. They’ve worked with some of the biggest brands in the world, including Amazon, Target, Gap, and JC Penney. Whether you’re a small business or a large corporation, contact them today for EDI compliance, data mapping, VAN services, and other comprehensive EDI solutions.

Can You Use Lane Venture Furniture in Your Office?

Blog provided by Wicker Paradise

Does it break the rules of office décor to use exquisite, finely crafted furniture in your office? Companies such as Lane Venture are known for creating stylish, but functional furniture for the home. These cozy chairs, sofas, and tables are perfect for rest and relaxation at home, but how will they look in a workspace?

The truth is that there is no law or rule that says you have to use “office furniture” for your place of work. As long as everyone else in your office is on board with your plans, you can opt for more stylish office furniture if you want. In fact, it may even be a better idea than looking at the same drab office décor every day.

Experts have shown that office aesthetics significantly affect employee productivity, and offices with elements such as natural light, attractive scenery, and art on the walls have employees who are happier, less stressed, and more productive. In the end, adding an artfully crafted chair or table may have more workplace benefits than you realize. Just be sure you find the most fitting area to place your Lane Venture furniture, such as a reception room, break room, or communal dining area.

You can find a great selection of Lane Venture furniture at Wicker Paradise from collections such as their Hemingway, Mystic Harbor, South Hampton, and Cote d’Azur collections. You’ll also find products such as rattan furniture and indoor and outdoor wicker furniture sets. Contact them today at 1-800-894-2537.

5 Gifts that Are Hot Right Now for Black Friday

Black Friday is coming up quickly and everyone’s trying to decide what gifts to get this year. There will be so many big sales this year, but everyone may decide to shop online more than usual. That’s fine because the Curacao online store is brimming with great gifts for anyone and everyone. Let’s reveal 5 that are HOT right now for Black Friday.

Nintendo Switch Games: Nothing says Christmas like a new video game and we’ve got them all for the Nintendo Switch system. Choose one or all of them. You can get them financed for a low monthly payment.

Computers and Tablets: At Curacao, we’ve got everything from the Apple Mac to the Microsoft Surface. We have iPads, desktop computers and accessories. Shop now to get the best deals and widest selection. This Mac Book Air is only $999 and you can get it financed.

Men’s and Women’s Watches: Curacao has Hugo Boss watches, Seiko and the LaCoste Moon men’s watch. We’ve also got Coach, Michael Kors and Bulova watches for women.

Handbags and Totebags: These make amazing gifts and we’ve got all the popular brands like Tory Burch, Steve Madden, Fossil and Prada.

Home Audio: Get Bluetooth home audio equipment or a portable radio. We have a wide array of great speakers that will give you an amazing sound experience.

Curacao has special financing for Black Friday so you can get everything on your list. It’s fast and easy to fill out the credit app and you can get approved in about 30 seconds.

4 Steps to Keep your Computer Safe

Modern day computers need to be constantly protected, so to speak, thanks to the existence of viruses, spam, pop-ups and so on and so forth. If left unchecked, these unwanted applications or files can hamper our system’s performance.

So, here are a few steps by which you can keep your computer safe:

#1: Anti-virus Protection

Even though most systems these days come with antivirus protection, it’s important to understand that in order to enjoy maximum benefits, one should not forget to renew the service once the term if over. Ensuring that you have antivirus software at all will ensure that you are able to keep your computer clean from common issues related to viruses and spam.

#2: Check to see if Windows Defender or Firewall is turned on

The next thing that you have to do is to find whether Windows Defender or Firewall is turned on for real-time protection. First, you’ll have to find it in the Security section and either of them isn’t available, then you can download it from Microsoft’s official site.

You can run Windows Defender for a full computer scan after which you’ll be protected from any unwanted spyware. The same goes for Windows Firewall which will protect your computer from real-time attacks. You can also use Spybot Search & Destroy to scan your computer for unwanted spyware as well.

#3: Conduct a Port Scan

You can visit grc.com and allow it to conduct a port scan to see where your system is vulnerable to hackers, and then take the necessary steps to protect your computer after that.

#4: Download the latest updates, patches and service packs from Windows

By default, most systems with Windows allow for this to take place from time to time. However, it’s a good idea to check whether the ‘automatic updates’ option is selected in order to get the latest updates, patches and service packs from Windows.

3 Steps To Determine Whether an Apple Macintosh Or PC Is Right For You?

Apple Macintosh Or PCIf you are looking for a new personal computer, a bit of research will tell you that there are PCs available using platforms based on MacOS, Windows and Linux. What makes the decision of figuring out whether any of these PCs are right for you hard is because there is very little between them

Yet a comparison between their weaknesses and strengths will help you determine which PC is right for you, and so here are a few steps to do just that:

Step #1: List out what you want to do with your computer

While basic functions such as web browsing, scheduling and management, multimedia playback and document manipulation are usually no different on these platforms, there are certain advanced features that are best on certain platforms.

For example, if you’re a gaming enthusiast, then Windows would be your choice as opposed to the other two. Content creation, the other hand, is where the Mac reigns supreme, and is considered to be perfect for artists.

Step #2: Understand the strengths of each platform

No matter what you do, don’t think that, as a whole, only one of three platforms is the best. However, there are reasons why the Apple Mac, the pre and custom-built PC exist for customers. The Apple Mac is known for great support and service as well as great looks and features while the pre-built PC offers greater compatibility. Also, custom-built systems are not only available at a better price but their performance is excellent as well.

Step #3: Understand the weaknesses of each platform

When it comes to making a comparison between the weaknesses of these platforms, usually a pre-built PC and an Apple Macintosh is priced high. As for custom-built PCs, the issue of not being user-friendly will need non-technical users to learn more about components before attempting to put a computer together.