Understanding the problem is 50 percent of solving it. The cryptocurrency market has had some pretty rough weeks. Usually, most of us are left trying to put the pieces together. To put it bluntly, many are still trying to figure out how crypto could lose roughly $300 billion in less than two days back in January 2018.

The Crash of the Crypto Markets Caught Many by Surprise

If we’re being honest, the crash of the crypto markets was probably so frustrating because of the all-time highs a variety of cryptocurrencies hit just prior to the fall. The market caps of cryptocurrencies like Dogecoin and Dentacoin had spent the last few months rising in value. As a matter of fact, they went as far as $1 billion in network value. And then, as suddenly as it had started, it was done.

Major cryptocurrencies experienced drops in the double digits. And the two most popular cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin and Ethereum, dropped lower than price levels they matched last year. We could go on recounting the news. For example, XRP had a particularly rough week, losing 50 percent of its value. But you get the idea. The market took a serious hit, and there’s no way around it.

RELATED ARTICLE: INVESTING INTELLIGENTLY IN BITCOIN

What Is the Source of the Instability in the Crypto Markets?

Of course, every time this happens, a portion of the crypto community claims that this crash is a great thing for investors looking to get into cryptocurrency trading. But if you’re like most people, you’re probably wondering just how worthwhile it is to invest in a market that has the potential to crash this hard. Stability is something sorely lacking in the crypto markets. And before we have any chance of achieving stability, we need to understand what’s destabilizing this market so violently.

Look to the East

To start, look at the relationship cryptocurrencies have had with the Chinese and South Korean governments. Undoubtedly, these two governments were, at least in part, responsible for the crash. Likely, a sizable portion of those investors who chose to abandon ship were influenced by these two countries’ abrasive stance on cryptocurrency. China in particular has a history of affecting the crypto markets in the past.

For example, in 2013 the People’s Bank of China decided to prohibit payment companies from working with bitcoin exchanges. Suddenly, the market experienced an immediate (and noticeable) dip. But to be fair, despite the influence China has had on the crypto market historically, the market for cryptocurrency trading has grown. Moreover, it has evolved in such a significant way that the market took substantially less time to bounce back.

What was more likely a major influence in the recent crash is the situation with South Korean regulators. In the last month, the crypto industry has been under heavy scrutiny by these regulators. Also, regulators criticized plenty of banks for their crypto exchange relationships. Beyond that, investors were facing significant fines for anonymous trading accounts.

But Maybe It’s Just Growing Pains?

It’s worth mentioning that these regulatory issues can help weave a more cautious narrative for potential investors. This will inevitably have a positive effect on the crypto markets in the long term. What’s more interesting is the idea that the evolution of the market itself may be the reason for all these growing pains.

The growth of the cryptocurrency market has been defined in large part by its changing demographic. These days, there are significantly more technically skilled people involved in the world of cryptocurrency.

On one hand, it’s easy to view the increased interest of technically savvy veteran investors as a positive development. But the truth is that their willingness and ability to take advantage of complex market tools can end up having an effect on the overall price that someone like a novice investor may not see as an improvement.

For Example…

Here’s what we’re talking about. An experienced investor in the crypto markets is likely to do something like put their stop loss triggers at support levels. They’ll do this in an effort to protect themselves and their investment.

Perhaps you’re not familiar with what a stop loss is. It’s essentially just an order that an investor places with a broker to sell an asset whenever it reaches a certain price. Now, if there’s a significant number of investors with stop losses around the same price, and the price dips below that number…. Well, you can see where this is going.

The moment all those sell orders are placed at once, it triggers a chain reaction. With no demand on the other side, the sales could trigger others to panic and sell. This is because novice traders might think the market is crashing.

And beyond all of that, we can’t forget about the incredible strain that all this increased interest in cryptocurrencies has had on the market infrastructure. Let’s just say that the cryptocurrency community has come a long way from having to explain to Wall Street investors what Ethereum mining is.

The Crypto Market Is Still in Its Infancy

Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is that most of the ecosystem is still extremely new. It’s inevitably going to experience issues that no one planned for. The problem is that when infrastructure goes down in a market that’s under such heavy scrutiny, people start to get worried.

At the end of the day, there is no one specific reason why the crypto market took such a major hit. The nature of financial markets is that they’re complex, evolving organisms. What crippled cryptocurrencies today might not be an issue in six months. What’s important to keep in mind is that the crypto market itself will endure. Plus, with a little reflection and a lot of work, the cryptocurrency community will be able to put the pieces back together. Before too long the market will regain all of that lost value.

The post Understanding Why Crypto Markets Suffer appeared first on Business Opportunities.

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When you first start to grapple with it, search engine optimization (SEO) seems like the most difficult thing in the internet marketing sphere. However, once you understand how it works, it’s one of the easiest solutions for marketing your business. What’s more, if you want to succeed in business these days, you need to master an SEO marketing strategy that will get your business the traffic it needs.

Whether you are just starting out with your SEO setup or you have been struggling with it for a while, here are five steps anyone can take to achieve a superior SEO marketing strategy.

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Understand Your Target Audience

It can be challenging to formulate any marketing strategy if you don’t understand who you are targeting. Therefore, when you’re coming up with an SEO marketing strategy, you must factor in the behavior and location of your audience.

Learn about your customers’ demographics, their search preferences, and so on. Your Google Analytics account will help you to interpret the responses of visitors to your site. You can then set objectives using your understanding of this data.

Perform Keyword Research

Keyword research is extremely important when you’re establishing your SEO marketing strategy.

Analyze your target audience to determine which keywords they are likely to use while searching for your business online. Then use an excel sheet to organize keywords into categories based on the personas in your target audience.

The Google Keyword Planner is a great resource for researching keywords. It shows the competitiveness of various keywords as well as their search volume. This will help you to understand which keywords are viable.

Other advanced tools will provide you with information about your competitors and their backlinks. For example, this list of the best backlink checkers from SEOJet will give you suggestions for excellent research tools. Use tools like these to come up with strong keywords.

Plan Your on-Page SEO/Site Structure

The next thing you need to consider is on-page SEO. This important component helps search engines to understand what your website is about. Valuable, well written content is key here.

Use the keywords you collected to build your content. Additionally, be sure to include internal linking and ensure your pages load quickly.

Set different keywords for different pages to avoid keyword cannibalization. This occurs when you use the same keyword on different pages.

Develop Your off-Page SEO Link Building

You also need to seek referrals and mentions by other sites in your niche, especially authority sites with good reputations. This is what is meant by “off-site SEO.”

There are different tactics you can use to get sites to link back to yours. For example, you can make connections in your industry. If people know about you, they are more likely to link back to you. Also, write great content that will encourage people to share.

Another great tactic is to reach out to owners of authority websites in your industry and offer to write blog posts for them as a guest.

Track Results with Hard Data

SEO does not end with posting content and getting links. You also need to ensure that your content is working as you expected.

This is where performance monitoring comes in. In your Google Analytics account, monitor traffic daily, weekly, and monthly. Keep a spreadsheet where you record on-page changes. This will help you to understand what is happening. You can also use rank checking services to check search positions.

A Good SEO Marketing Strategy Requires Persistence and Patience

Although it can take some time before results begin to appear, having a robust SEO marketing strategy will elevate your business’s search visibility.

What’s more, with good SEO your website will get more traffic, which will lead to more sales. The tactics we suggest here will help you to get started with SEO. Put them to work and you will soon have an SEO marketing strategy that will open doors for your business.

The post 5 Steps to Having the Best SEO Marketing Strategy for Your Business appeared first on Business Opportunities.

That’s because summer can be a busy and profitable time for many businesses. However, it’s also the time most staff want to take a sizable chunk of their annual leave allowance.

Banning or restricting leave at busy times is legally possible. However, that will do little to nurture a positive culture. More likely it will lead to disgruntled staff. Some good employees might even decide to leave. But letting too many employees take holidays at the same time will almost certainly leave your business flagging.

This could mean delays in meeting customer orders and less efficient customer service. Moreover, disgruntled staff will have to work harder and longer hours to take up the slack.

Therefore, managing staff time off during the summer holiday season needs to be fair. Here are our five top tips for fair and efficient holiday management. Implement these tips to keep your staff happy and your business on track.

RELATED ARTICLE: 4 WAYS TO MAKE YOUR EMPLOYEES HAPPIER AND HEALTHIER

1. Develop a Clear and Fair Annual Leave Policy

Annual leave during the summer, especially during the school holidays, can be a contentious issue. This can be especially true if you have several staff with school-aged children. In that case, they might all be jockeying for the same few weeks off.

How you manage staff time off will depend on your business. If summer is your busiest time, you will have to factor that in to your annual leave policy.

Conversely, is your business is able to operate with minimum staff during the summer holiday season? If so, use that to your advantage. As a matter of fact, some manufacturing industries shut down for two weeks in summer.

Some Questions to Consider About Staff Time Off

You will need to consider the following questions:

• Do you prioritize leave requests for those with children who need to take their leave during the school holidays?
• Should you adopt a first-come, first-served annual leave policy?
• Do you prioritize leave for special events?
• Will you enforce any restrictions on staff time off at your busiest times?

Prioritizing one group of staff over another group isn’t generally conducive to good employee relations. A first-come, first-served policy is probably the fairest option. However, that option works in favor of those who are more organized.

No Right or Wrong Answer

There isn’t a right or wrong answer to any of these questions. The fact remains, however, that not everyone can have their leave request approved for exactly the same weeks of holiday.

How you handle holiday requests will depend on the size of your business. A small business with just a few staff can’t afford to have more than one or two people off at the same time. Bigger businesses can be more flexible.

Developing a rotation system for key holiday periods, like school holidays, is probably the fairest option. ACAS (the UK Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) offers good guidance on managing staff time off, including rights and responsibilities.

2. Plan Ahead with Staff Rotation Software

Understanding your staffing requirements and planning ahead are key. The best way to ensure you have your finger on the pulse when it comes to annual leave and staff cover is to invest in decent staff rotation software.

Good staff rotation software (such as Planday) will enable you to manage rotations and deal with leave requests much more efficiently. You can also set a limit on the number of staff who can be off at the same time. Choose software that has an app so staff can see their schedule at any time, check leave availability, and make leave requests.

3. Learn from the Past and Forecast

If last summer was your busiest time, then you know to plan ahead. You may have to limit leave requests. You might also need to offer flexible working arrangements to those with childcare issues. Perhaps you’ll even employ temporary staff to get you through the holiday season. Learn from the past and forecast so you don’t make any of the mistakes you made in previous summers.

4. Maintain Good Communication

Whatever your approach to staff time off during the summer months, good communication and transparency are paramount. Staff rotation software can help. If all staff have access to a digital holiday calendar, they can plan accordingly. When summer holiday leave booking is problematic, get your team to sit down and discuss the options.

Involving your staff in the decision-making process will make them feel like they have a say in the solutions. Be prepared to think of alternative solutions. For example, if one member of staff gets priority on leave booking, make it clear that someone else gets priority next time.

5. Be Flexible About Cover

Consider hiring in temporary staff during your busiest times. This will ensure you have full cover when some employees are away on holiday. You may also want to consider offering more flexible working arrangements to anyone who has drawn the short straw and has to cover.

Conclusion

Plan, be clear on your annual leave policy, communicate, offer transparency, and be flexible. When you do, you will avoid the pitfalls of efficiently and fairly managing staff time off during the summer holiday season.

The post Managing Staff Time off During the Summer Holiday Season appeared first on Business Opportunities.

RELATED ARTICLE: TOP SECURITY TIPS FOR YOUR WEBSITE: HOW TO PROTECT YOUR ONLINE BUSINESS

1. Assess Your Security on a Regular Basis

Regularly assess and test your company’s IT infrastructure. Ensure that it is as free from security vulnerabilities as possible. Perhaps you are worried that you could have some weaknesses. Or maybe you believe that your system is as strong as it can be. Either way, have an outside agency attempt to breach your defenses in a test scenario. This can provide a great deal of highly useful information.

This method of testing is called penetration testing. In simple terms, cyber security professionals such as Power Consulting attempt to gain access to your computer systems. They use the same techniques that hackers and cyber criminals might use. This is one of the most effective ways to identify vulnerabilities. Moreover, it will test your company’s infrastructure and networks as well as its applications. In short, penetration testers detect weaknesses and vulnerabilities that real-life malicious hackers could exploit.

However, having one penetration test and fixing the flaws in the system does not mean you are then protected indefinitely. Cyber tactics and procedures advance quickly. The emergence of new flaws means that it’s important to perform assessments regularly.

2. Keep Systems Updated and Patched

One of the key mistakes that many businesses make is that they do not keep computers, laptops and mobile devices up to date. To put it bluntly, update everything as soon as possible to the latest available versions. This includes operating systems, antivirus software, applications, and web browsers. Often manufacturers release updates in order to deal with known security issues.

Make sure that you and your employees know to check for new versions of software. Train your staff to update as soon as new versions become available. Doing so can prevent you from being at risk from common attacks.

3. Back up Important Data

It is good practice to get into the habit of keeping an offsite backup. Include all the information stored on your business’s network in this backup.

Imagine a scenario in which you have lost important information. Or that you have suffered a data breach and thieves have stolen private data. With an offsite backup you would be able to restore any compromised data. This would help to quickly overcome the incident and reduce operational disruption.

This is where it can be useful to invest in cloud technology. Cloud technology can ensure that you have a copy of your data both on your own physical servers as well as elsewhere in the cloud.

4. Control and Manage Network Access

One common problem that small businesses face is that they don’t plan for keeping their system secure. In short, it is often the case that they are simply too trusting. No employer likes to think that they cannot trust their staff. However, it is unfortunately the case that data theft by employees is a growing problem.

It is important, then, to ensure you are putting the right safety measures in place. Employees need to have their own accounts. Further, each account must have access permissions that are determined by the requirements of employees’ respective roles.

5. Educate and Train Employees

What’s more, you need to ensure that you are providing your team with cyber security awareness training. Well-trained staff are one of the most important lines of defense against phishing attacks and other types of social engineering. Advise employees about the latest security protocols. Further, train them in some of the simple things, such as choosing a strong password.

Better Cyber Security Doesn’t Have to Be Difficult

The measures we have offered here might seem simple. However, they can make a huge difference to your business’s overall resistance to cyber attacks.

The post Smart Tips for Better Small Business Cyber Security appeared first on Business Opportunities.

LinkedIn is the most business-friendly social media platform out there, full stop. If you’re not investing in your company’s LinkedIn presence, you’re essentially leaving money on the table.

A lively, attractive LinkedIn company page is just one facet of a holistic LinkedIn marketing plan. But it’s a pretty important one. Here’s how to shape up your “meh” company page and achieve a degree of engagement that you never imagined possible.

RELATED ARTICLE: IS YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING HITTING THE TARGET?

1. Put Your Elevator Pitch Above the Fold

Don’t waste your LinkedIn company page’s company description. It’s your opportunity to showcase your company’s products and services in concise, businesslike language: the sort of copy that piques investors’ attention and rallies sober-minded decision-makers to your cause.

The LinkedIn page for Bixler University, a storied collegiate jewelry manufacturer, is a good example. The page’s company description is basically an extended elevator pitch that encapsulates its history, core functions, mission, and vision. There’s nothing superfluous or beside-the-point here. The whole thing takes 90 seconds to read.

You’ll have plenty of time to get into the weeds with interested prospects. Your LinkedIn company description isn’t the place to do it. Here, you’re merely whetting appetites for what’s to come.

2. Choose a Memorable Background Photo

Choosing a memorable background or cover photo is a surprisingly scientific process. It’s also pretty personal. You know what you like and what you don’t. You’re better positioned than any off-the-shelf consultant to judge your prospects’ and clients’ preferences, too.

That said, most great background photos share basic characteristics. They’re colorful, or at least endowed with a coherent and visually appealing color scheme. They’re active without being busy. They feature clear subjects, even if they’re not proper character studies. And they’re not so arresting or distracting as to detract from your profile photo.

3. Select a Visually Arresting Profile Photo

Selecting an appealing profile photo isn’t much different from choosing the right background photo, though the criteria that endow your profile photo’s appeal aren’t quite the same.

If your profile photo includes one or more human subjects, refer to Buffer’s seven best practices:

• Smile with teeth
• Dark-colored suits or light-colored button-downs (or both)
• Jawline with shadows
• Head to shoulders or head to waist frame
• Squinch
• Asymmetrical composition
• Unobstructed eyes

If your photo includes no human subjects, or humans aren’t the main focus of the composition, consider:

• A subject that makes sense in the context of your product or service portfolio
• Subject(s) or action(s) that align with your brand: serious and buttoned-up, loose and irreverent, and so on
• Coherent color palette
• Appropriate depth of focus
• Bold, legible fonts where appropriate (for instance, “Since 1975” or “Only the Best”)

4. Don’t Forget the Mundane Details

Even more basic than your company description are your company details: employee count, year founded, headquarters location, industry. There’s no easier way to show prospective customers your detail-oriented side than to take the five minutes necessary to get everything down. Don’t put it off any longer.

5. Encourage Employees to Connect With You

Like adding mundane company details to your LinkedIn company page, getting your employees to add your organization as their current employer should be an easy ask. (And, if they’re not proud to tout their relationship with your company, you need to figure out why.) The more real live human employees connect their profiles to your company page, the more impressive your organization will appear to prospects. No one wants to do business with a firm that claims to have 200+ employees, but only has a few names in its “employees on LinkedIn” bucket.

6. Post Company News and Media Mentions

Don’t be shy about tooting your own horn, as long as your company news and media mentions postings don’t overwhelm less gaudy forms of engagement. And don’t worry about “niche” mentions that you suspect your audience could care less about. San Antonio-based supermarket operator HEB regularly posts mentions from logistics and grocery trade publications, for instance: not exactly the most titillating content around. But, as they say, all press is good press.

7. Set a Regular Long Form Publishing Schedule

Commit to publishing at least one long form update per week. Said content should be original, or at the very least a re-post that originally appeared on your company blog or Medium page. If you lack the resources or internal organization to push updates live on a regular basis, consider farming the work out to a freelancer or contract employee. It takes a lot less time to edit a 2,000-word post before publication than to plan, produce, and edit it from scratch.

8. Invite Thought Leaders to Share Their Stories and Insights on Your Page

Here’s another tip to trim your LinkedIn posts’ turnaround times: put out a standing guest posting invitation to your peers and fellow thought leaders. This is a great strategy to attract industry insiders whose sterling reputations belie limited LinkedIn visibility. Your company page is a platform for their (respectable) views. Their words confer intellectual firepower and professional credibility that your current team can’t yet match, dedicated though they might be.

9. Engage with Experts, Peers and Others

If they’re not yet ready to share their thoughts on your company page, go to them. The surest way to attract attention from industry thought leaders and prominent peers is to engage judiciously with their own little corners of LinkedIn. Comment on their updates. Like their posts. Share relevant content via direct message, or tag them directly in your updates.

In short, let them know you’re out there.

10. Join Relevant LinkedIn Groups

Last but not least, join or apply to join active LinkedIn groups populated by peer businesses. It’s not practical (nor a good use of your limited resources) to engage personally with every thought leader out there. However, this move at least ensures that you’re running in the right circles. If admission is selective, reach out directly to admins or influencers capable of pulling favors.

Businesslike Doesn’t Mean Boring

Don’t listen to those who insist LinkedIn isn’t the place to rock the boat. Yes, your LinkedIn presence needs to be respectful and professional, at least by the standards of your industry. But that doesn’t mean there’s no room for creativity or experimentation on your LinkedIn company page. If something doesn’t work, or attracts a little backlash, fine. Note it and move on. Better to try and fail than never to try at all.

The post Your LinkedIn Company Page Is Dull. Here Are 10 Ways to Fix That. appeared first on Business Opportunities.

From the outside, the world of trading might seem like one that requires some specialized education or at least a lot of luck. However, while you can study trading in college, you don’t need to do that. Get the right trading advice from Jones Mutual. Then make use of good educational resources and planning. In this way, anyone can start trading. What’s more, CFD trading is one of the best places to start.

Understand CFD Trading

Many of us associate trading with buying and selling stocks. Or maybe you think it has something to do with currencies. The truth is that there are lots of different trading markets. What’s more, there are also different ways to make money from those markets.

One of the reasons that CFD trading is so popular is that you don’t need huge amounts of capital to get started. CFD stands for “contract for difference.” With CFD trading, you don’t own the asset that you are trading with. Instead, you put down a deposit on the trade. Your deposit can be as little as 5%. For example, if you are trading on a share worth £1, you would only need a deposit of 5p per share.

CFD trading can seem daunting. However, there are a few basics to understand. Once you have these basics under your belt, there’s nothing to stop you starting with small trades. Of course, it is no get-rich-quick scheme. As a matter of fact, losing money is part of the process. But even your losses can help you to learn. Use your failures to help you develop your strategy.

RELATED ARTICLE: THE BEST TRADING TOOLS FOR UNTESTED FOREX TRADERS

Learn the Basics

When you start trading with a platform such as Jones Mutual, you will find there are educational resources available to you. It is a great starting point before you make your first trade. You need to have these strategies and basic concepts clear in your mind before you start trading real money. They can save you from risking your capital and losing too much too quickly.

An example of a key strategy to learn is stop losses. This strategy literally stops your losses if you assign one stop loss to each trade. The idea behind them is simple. When the trade reaches your stop loss point, you stop trading. Without a stop loss strategy, it can be easy to get caught up in it all. When this happens, traders keep trading and losing money. Learning how to set stop losses is a key part of CFD trading education. Learn to balance them so as to preserve your capital without cutting off your profits too quickly.

Another important concept to learn is leverage. CFD trading is a leveraged product. In other words, you do not need to buy the entire asset, but only a percentage of it. When you start making money from a trade, it is tempting to increase your leverage, but you need to keep control. Keep a small leverage to start with and limit yourself until you are more experienced and have more profit behind you.

Establish Goals

As with many things in business, you need to create goals. With CFD trading, the aim is to create goals and stick to them. Your first goal should always be to protect your capital. You want to keep yourself in a position to make trades by having money available. You can’t make a good profit if you don’t have anything to trade with.

Goals don’t have to be too elaborate, but consider what you want from your trading experience. Perhaps your goal would be to profit a set amount of money a month, or to make a certain percentage in profit. Focus on your goal daily. Ignore distractions that draw your attention away from your goal. There are lots of assets out there, for example, and you could be tempted to try something new. But if it isn’t in your plan, then resist. Stick with your goals for best success.

Conclusion

If you’re considering getting into CFD trading as a way to raise capital for your business, follow the advice in this post and enjoy greater profit.

The post Get Better at CFD Trading with This Advice from Jones Mutual appeared first on Business Opportunities.

You’ve surely noticed the enormous posters that some smartphone companies use in their ads to show how good their phone’s photos are. What they don’t tell you is that they have edited those photos to make them look great.

So whether you’re taking pictures for business marketing purposes or for personal use, nearly every photograph you take could use a little touch up, too. Your phone’s editing app is probably all right for quick on-screen edits, but if you want your photos to look amazing, you’re going to need something more.

That’s where InPixio Photo Clip comes to the rescue. A simple app that works well on both Mac and PC, this software can make your pictures look a whole lot better. What’s more, it is simple and easy to use.

RELATED ARTICLE: HOW TO WRITE A GREAT INTRODUCTION FOR WHATEVER YOU’RE WRITING

What InPixio Photo Clip Will Do for You

Give your best shots a professional look by using your computer to edit with InPixio Photo Clip. You’ll find you can add effects, frames, and designs to give your pictures more pizazz. Change not only the size of your photographs, but also the focus. If your pictures are too dark or light, you can fix that, too. What’s more, you can adjust the brightness and even change colors.

However, the degree of functionality you’ll get with this app will depend on which version of the software you buy. Therefore, before we look in depth at the features, let’s see which version has what.

Then we will review the app to see if its features measure up to the company’s promises.

Versions

InPixio Photo Clip 8

This version is primarily for getting rid of background details you don’t want. You can also cut your images and put them in a montage on any of several backgrounds that come with the software.

Plus, you’ll get a “share” button so that you can publish your images to Twitter, Facebook, InstaCards, and Flickr.

InPixio Photo Clip 8 Professional

The professional version includes all the features of the earlier version. However, it also comes with an editor to adjust the appearance of photos. You can add text with this version, too. Plus, you get more than 100 filters and special effects. You also will find more than 80 frames to use with your pictures.

Notable Features

The Photo Eraser

The photo eraser function is designed to rescue photographs from clutter and distractions. The interesting thing about InPixio’s approach is you can get rid of background objects in two ways:

1. You can let the software remove them automatically.
2. You can “paint” part of the background to match another section of the photograph.

The photo eraser feature is one of the main reasons people want this software. For example, when annoying people photo bomb you, just erase them out of the picture with this app. And if you happen to capture an awkward moment off in the distance, you can get rid of it easily.

The Photo Cutter

This is an amazing feature. Instead of fixing the background, you can just cut out the parts of the image you want to keep. This can be handy for putting a picture of yourself on a plain white background. The “PhotoMontage” part of this feature will completely replace a background on your pictures.

The Photo Editor (Pro Version)

The features in the Photo Editor give you a lot of control over the look of your photos. You can make big changes, such as converting an image to black and white. Or you can give it a vintage look or a portrait appearance.

For finer adjustments, you can change the brightness, saturation, hue, and the balance of the colors. You can also add text and apply a variety of textures to your pictures.

You can play with the focus as well. Do this by selecting a portion of the photo that you want to keep sharp. Then you make the rest of the picture a bit fuzzy. This will help you to highlight any part of the picture.

The Interface

This is an impressive array of features, but it all comes down to the user interface. Can a user understand how the interface works without having to study a complicated manual?

The bottom line? Yes.

Whoever designed the interface must have really listened to what people want when using they’re using consumer software. The interface is very easy to understand and use. As a matter of fact, it is quite possible to get started using this software without any instructions at all.

Here is what you see when you open the application.

First, there’s a “Welcome” screen with icons for each of the features we have discussed. If you hover the cursor over each of these icons, you will see an explanation of what each tool does.

When you click on a tool, you will see icons on the right. Clicking any of these will get you into the task you want to perform. You will also see your files and get choices to open a new image, view a tutorial, or get help.

At this point, you will have basically seen all there is to see. Of course, using the tools will require practice. However, they are very intuitive.

If you have ever tried to conquer Photoshop or GIMP, you know how confusing and complex photo editing software can be. The interface for InPixio Photo Clip is much simpler, and the operations you can perform are much more intuitive.

Opt for This Easy-to-Use App

When you need to touch a photo up a bit, change some background images, or adjust the brightness of a picture, you don’t need complicated, professional software. No longer will you need to study, make a lot of mistakes while you’re learning, or call the company’s help desk every five minutes. InPixio Photo Clip gives you professional-looking results with a simple and easy-to-use app on your computer.

As a matter of fact, even professional photographers could use the professional version. No one would be able to see any difference between a photo edited on InPixio Photo Clip and one modified with much more complicated software. What’s more, professionals will find that they can edit more quickly on this app than they can on the older, clunkier software.

Regular Updates

InPixio sends updates for this tool regularly, so you can expect it to grow with you. As new features come on board, you will be able to do more and more with Photo Clip. It is fair to say this software will remain competitive for the foreseeable future.

You should also know that you can upgrade your version to a higher and better version when it comes out. When more advanced versions are available, you can get their features with an upgrade fee instead of having to buy the new version outright.

Get a Free Trial of InPixio Photo Clip

You can get a free trial for Photo Clip. In this way, all you will have to invest is a little time spent learning the ins and outs of the software. As a matter of fact, the average person will have a polished, professional-looking photograph within an hour of downloading the software.

The Final Score? A Resounding “Yes!”

So did the product live up to InPixio’s promises? This reviewer says, “Yes!” In fact, the publisher seems a bit conservative when describing what this product can do. Once you get used to the features, you will find creative ways to use them that go far beyond the bare bones descriptions you’ll find on the company’s website.

There is just no downside to trying this software out.

The post Want Better Smartphone Pictures? Check Out InPixio Photo Clip appeared first on Business Opportunities.

Council tax debt is one of the fastest growing types of arrears in Great Britain. According to the latest data, about 30% of people cannot pay their council debts on time. Therefore, it is critical to understand the subtleties of the tax payment.

Moreover, if you’re struggling under the burden of a council tax debt while trying to start or run a business, the additional distraction can hinder your success in business.

Therefore, it’s important to know the ways to write off council tax debt. Additionally, you should know that you can legally reduce the amount of council tax to pay.

RELATED ARTICLE: SHOULD YOUR SMALL BUSINESS FILE FOR BANKRUPTCY?

Consequences of Being in Arrears with Council Tax Debt

If you did not make your regular payment on time, the local authorities can send you a reminder. In this reminder, they can demand that you make payment within the next seven days. If during this period you do not make a payment, you will have to pay the tax for the whole year.

If you continue not to make payments, your council may apply to a judge. They can obtain the right to withhold the debt from your income. Alternatively, bailiffs could confiscate your property for council tax arrears. In extreme cases, you might even go to prison.

If a council sends you three reminders of an overdue regular payment within one fiscal year, you will lose the right to make periodic payments. After the third reminder, you will need to pay the entire tax arrears. However, in practice, your council can continue accepting monthly payments if you pay on time.

If you are struggling with arrears payments you would probably like to know how to write off council tax debt. One way to do it is to apply for an individual voluntary arrangement (IVA) between you and your creditor to pay back arrears. However, before you embark on such a plan, you should be aware of IVA pros and cons.

How to Reduce the Amount of Council Tax

Every year local authorities set the amount of council tax for all the categories of real estate. However, not all citizens have to pay the full amount of the council tax. There are three ways to reduce it:

• Disabled occupancy reduction
• Discounts
• Second adult rebate

Disabled Occupancy Reduction

If a disabled person lives in a house, whether that person is an adult or a child, you can reduce your household’s council tax. However, to receive this reduction, you must prove that your property has at least one of the following:

• An additional kitchen or bathroom to meet the needs of an incapacitated person
• Any other room (except for the toilet), which is mainly used by a disabled person
• Enough space inside a house to use a wheelchair

How the Discount is Calculated

How is the discount calculated? You will pay a council tax corresponding to a lower category of real estate. For example, if your house belongs to the D category, you will pay a tax of category C. However, the discount also applies to the category A of real estate.

You must submit the application for this discount to your council in written form. In some cases, you may be asked to show additional evidence of disability, such as a letter from a doctor.

Council Tax Discounts

If only one adult lives in a building, this person receives a 25% discount on a council tax. When counting the number of people who live in the same household, some of them are not taken into account.

You are not considered if you are:

• Younger than 17 years old.
• Suffering from a serious mental disorder.
• A full-time student, a student of a medical school or an assistant of a foreign language teacher who came to the country according to the British Council program. If a housing is occupied only by students, the council tax is not due at all.
• A spouse, a civil partner or a student dependent who is not a British citizen and, according to immigration rules, cannot work in the United Kingdom or qualify for benefits.
• In public training or an internship.
• A hospital patient with the prospect of prolonged hospitalization or a resident of a nursing home.
• A caregiver who lives with a person you care for.
• Living in a dormitory that cares for you because of your age, physical or mental disability, past or present alcohol or drug addiction, or a former or present mental disorder.
• A graduate of a school or college under 20 years of age who has completed training after April 30. You will not be counted when calculating the number of people living in a household before November 1 of the same year, regardless of whether you find work or not.
• In the military service of a foreign country. Persons who are in your care are not taken into account either.
• A member of a religious community.

If there is an uncounted person in a household, you pay a council tax with a 50% discount.

Finally, if you live with a person who is not liable for the payment of the consular tax, you can request a second adult rebate.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a way to write off council tax debt or you believe a discount may apply to you, don’t hesitate to contact your council or get legal advice. Remember, a council tax arrears is a serious thing. However, as this article suggests, you can avoid the worst aspects of neglecting it—including prison time—by being proactive now.

The post Looking for Ways to Write off Your Council Tax Debt? A Brief Guide appeared first on Business Opportunities.

Borrowing is something you do when you are pressed for cash but you have run out of other options. This can sometimes happen when you’re trying to start or expand your business. As a matter of fact, in a difficult situation, you might even be considering a car title loan. If you are, there are certain things you need to understand.

Look for Transparency from the Lender

Transparency is key when you’re borrowing. That’s because you want to ensure you’re getting the best possible deal. Also, there are unscrupulous lenders who will misrepresent important information about their terms. Later, these conditions could show up to haunt you when you want to clear your loan.

Therefore, ask as many questions as you can think of. Make sure you clearly understand what the lender’s terms require of you before you agree to the loan.

For example, some lenders apply additional fees to the amount you’re borrowing. In such a case, you’ll receive less money than you applied for.

RELATED ARTICLE: INVOICE FACTORING: AN ALTERNATIVE BUSINESS FINANCING OPTION

Confirm Lenders’ Credit Reports

Companies like Montana Capital Car Title Loans have a portfolio that you can check before you borrow from them. They are required to submit credit reports, and government entities monitor their operations.

However, there are many lenders out there who don’t maintain such high standards. These lenders might dupe you into a deal that would leave you with more problems than you started with.

Therefore, check the credit reports of any lender before you proceed to borrow from them. Additionally, read reviews from other customers to get a better understanding of a lender’s practices and services.

Shop Around

When it comes to borrowing of any kind, rates matter. Keep in mind that different lenders offer different rates for the same kinds of service.

Therefore, do your homework, especially when you’re shopping for a car title loan. This will help you to distinguish differences among lenders. Once you have shopped around, you can choose the one that offers the best rates and gets the best reviews.

Don’t just make assumptions, even if a deal looks attractive on the surface. There might just be something better out there.

Can You Afford It?

Affordability is a matter you have to judge for yourself. However, sometimes a loan is too expensive. If you look at your budget, you’ll see that for some loans, you won’t be able to raise the required repayment installments.

The cost of a car title loan is influenced in part by the interest rate. Additionally, it has to do with how the lender views your risk profile.

To keep costs down, borrow as little as possible. This will help you to avoid paying installments that may become burdensome to you. Assess your ability realistically. Then borrow within that window to avoid further difficulties for yourself and your business.

Make Sure You Understand the Terms of Your Car Title Loan

Borrowing against your car’s title is something you should pursue only after you understand how that market operates.

Look for the best deal in the market by shopping around for good rates. Additionally, make sure to borrow an amount you can repay. If you borrow more than you can afford, you could face penalties when you are unable to repay the loan. This could damage not only your credit rating, but also the financial health of both you and your business.

The post Are You Thinking of Taking out a Car Title Loan? Read This First appeared first on Business Opportunities.

Rental property investment is a well established practice in Malta. As a matter of fact, it was especially prevalent in the 19^th and 20^th centuries. At that time, Maltese residents bought up properties like hot cakes. They then rented out these properties to fellow Maltese residents as well as to some of the British enforcers who were in the country at that time.

Recently, the Maltese rental property market is seeing a significant boom. This is in large part thanks to low interest on borrowing rates. Plus, rental returns in Malta are now at an impressive 6% per annum. Meanwhile, there is also a seemingly endless supply of property investment options as well as stable capital appreciation.

Further, certain sectors,  such as banking and finance, iGaming, and cryptocurrencies have been relocating to Malta for the past 10 years. This is due to its strategic location as well as its local talent. As a result, thousands of foreigners have made the move to Malta.

Read on to find out what you need to know in order to successfully invest in Maltese property.

Identify the Opportunities in Malta

Before you decide to invest in a property, it’s important to identify your goals for your property investment portfolio.

For example, are you planning on flipping properties? That is, will you buy, then restore and resell? Or are you looking to put down some roots and become a landlord?

Are you looking for a commercial property investment? Or is your focus on residential assets? Or perhaps you’re interested in buying land and developing it into valuable property?

Is this your first time purchasing property for investment purposes? If so, then it might be a good idea to get your feet wet with residential properties to rent out first, and then take it from there.

Find an Experienced Partner

Look for a real estate agent who is more than just familiar with the property market in Malta. In other words, find someone with experience in the field. You’ll want a partner who understands Maltese property investment to a tee. That’s because you need someone who can advise you with regard to both rental and commercial investment opportunities.

Get Your (Financial) Ducks in a Row

Property investing comes with ups and downs. To put it bluntly, your investment will benefit or suffer according to changes in the market.

Additionally, several factors will contribute to the type of lending rate you get. Your age, the type of work you do, your family responsibilities, and so on will all factor in.

RELATED ARTICLE: HOW TO GET AFFORDABLE FINANCING FOR RENTAL PROPERTIES

Setting up the financing is often easier when you have a financial planner to help you figure it all out. You might also want to consult with a potential lender. You’ll want to make sure that you’ll be able to handle the ebb and flow of the market with the assets you currently have. For example, you’ll be required to pay the mortgage on your property even if there are no tenants paying you rent money.

Location, Location, Location!

Ideally, you want to purchase rental property in areas that will produce a high rental yield. Tas-Sellum in Mellieha, Portomaso and Pendergardens in St Julian’s, as well as Tigne Point and Fort Cambridge in Sliema are all great examples of properties that yield high returns.

However, you can expect to cough up quite a bit in initial capital if you want to invest in such properties. Therefore, do your due diligence. Make sure that the property is truly worth your investment and aligned with your goals.

Selling Points

When purchasing investment property, it’s important to consider amenities that attract the modern buyer. Access to services, office regions, public transport facilities, and shopping centers are important to economically active tenants. Multiple bedrooms and bathrooms are great selling points as well.

Basically, investing in a property with the right amenities is a great way to attract the right tenants. What’s more, the right amenities will make it easier for you to sell the property later on.

Modern Finishes Are a Must

Make sure that your property is fitted out with timeless, high-quality furnishings. This will help you to attract the right tenants. However, you don’t have to spend much to furnish your home well these days, thanks to the availability of furnishing packages.

Also, look after the property by making sure that repairs are completed in a professional and timely manner. Ideally, you should hire an in-house, all-round handyman to take care of general maintenance. Keeping your tenants happy is one of the best ways to secure a higher return on your investment.

A Bonus Tip

Ask your property agent for a buy-to-let property list. This will specify property for sale in Malta that has a return of 4% to 7%. The best part about these lists is that they contain properties to suit all budgets and preferences. This makes them the perfect starting point when you’re still learning and exploring the property market.

The post A Short Guide to Buying Investment Property in Malta appeared first on Business Opportunities.

In recent years, more and more people have started to take an interest in starting their own business. As a matter of fact, according to Forbes, 62% of millennials have considered starting their own business. This generation appears to value entrepreneurship, and they are starting new businesses in record numbers.

However, many people remain unsure about whether to take the plunge or not. Is this because they lack the necessary confidence to break away from their employment routine? Or is it because their confidence in the job market itself has improved?

For the Entrepreneurial Ones

Because you’re still reading this article, we’ll assume that you’re one of the more entrepreneurial ones. You’re one of the ones who will be satisfied with nothing less than owning your own business. Working on someone else’s dreams is just not for you.

However, it is important to look at both sides of the equation. We’ll discuss both the pros and the cons of striking out on your own in this post.

First, the Disadvantages

One of the first things you’re going to miss is that regular paycheck. It’s something you’ve grown accustomed to, something you’ve always known you could count on. Once you’re self-employed, that reliability will disappear.

Neither will you have someone else estimating your taxes for you and withholding them out of your paycheck so that you won’t be caught up short at tax time. Once you own your own business, you’ll be fully responsible for paying your fair share when your taxes are due.

Are you a social butterfly? Do you love being around people? When you start your own business, you might find yourself working all by your lonesome for days on end, depending of course, on the industry your new business is in.

You’ll work hard, possibly harder than you ever have before. You’ll put in long hours, and often no one will know that but you. No one will be there to give you a resounding pat on the back. Or an award. Or a gold watch. You get the picture.

But, Oh, the Benefits of Owning Your Own Business

When it comes to starting your own business, however, the world is your oyster. Your business can be anything you can imagine. And you can locate your business wherever in the world you want it to be.

Work Where You Want

Have you always wanted to work from home? Here’s your chance. Depending on the type of business you plan to start, you can set up an office in your home. Some business owners even claim that working from home saves them money.

RELATED ARTICLE: HOW MUCH MONEY CAN YOU SAVE BY STARTING A HOME-BASED BUSINESS?

You could even work on the go, traveling to exotic locations while you make all the money you need with just your laptop and your smartphone.

Work When You Want

Picture tumbling out of bed at the crack of dawn, excited and happy about the work you anticipate doing that day. Dressed as you like and settled comfortably in your home office, you tackle your to-do list for the day. Or maybe you’re a night owl, and you choose to work later in the day. However and whenever you choose to work, as long as you meet your clients’ deadlines, your business should do well.

This means that you can create a far better work-life balance. You’ll be able to enjoy the ease and convenience of setting your own schedule to suit your specific needs.

Earn a Living by Doing What You Love

Depending on your skills, talents, and inclinations, there are lots of business ideas that you can consider. For example, you could start an online retail company or a mobile computer repair service. Alternatively, you could offer a people search service. Or you could go the freelance route with writing, graphic arts, or web design.

Conclusion

Whatever you choose to do in your business, be sure to do some market research before you begin. Figure out what you can provide that people actually want and need. When you do that, your business dreams will be sure to come true. There’s even a chance that you’ll make more money that you ever dreamed. And you’ll be soaring high indeed.

The post Do You Want to Start Your Own Business? Pros and Cons appeared first on Business Opportunities.

If you want to be successful in life, it’s a good idea to start your own business. To that end, a small used car business is a great opportunity. What’s more, a used car business can pay off handsomely as you go along.

In order to be successful with a used car business, you’ll need to focus on value more than anything else. However, there are some other things to consider as well. For example, you should visit a site like Kijiji. Here, you’ll be able to stay up-to-date with the latest car trends, including current prices for older cars.

Select the Location

Picking a good location is very important. Take your time to pick the right spot and choose one that has easy access. Additionally, you’ll need plenty of space for your vehicle inventory. At the same time, you’ll want to find a place that’s easy to protect from possible thieves.

RELATED ARTICLE: 3 QUESTIONS THAT WILL HELP TO MAKE YOUR AUTOMOBILE BUSINESS A SUCCESS

Get the Right License

No matter where you are or which cars you sell in your used car business, you’ll need a license. Therefore, contact the motor vehicle administration in your state in order to obtain the right license. For instance, if you’re planning to sell Lamborghini Gallardo in your used car business, acquire the specific license that your state could require for that.

Likewise, be sure to check about specialty licenses you might need for selling any other used cars. The rules will differ according to where you live. However, contacting state officials to get the right information is the best way to get  started with your small used car business.

Deal with Taxes

You have to keep in mind that sales tax will be collected on every vehicle you sell. Plus, you will be required to remit the tax based on your state’s payment schedule. Learn to work closely with the comptroller of public accounts in your state. This will help you to tackle this issue quickly and with good results.

Pick the Best Staff You Can

One of the best things you can do for your used car business is to select good people to work for you. For one thing, you want to work with people who know a thing or two about the used car business. For another, you want people who are honest and fair-minded. Have the right people on your staff and your used car business is much more likely to be a success.

Acquire Vehicles

Place ads online and elsewhere to find cars you can purchase for your used car business. At first you can opt for offering to keep people’s cars on your lot to sell on consignment. This will help to fill up your lot until you can purchase more vehicles to sell.

Prepare the Grand Opening for Your Used Car Business

Customers will expect you to sell cars at good prices during your grand opening. Therefore, be prepared to offer some great deals during the grand opening of your used car business.

Conclusion

There are certainly some great benefits that can come from starting your own small business. In order to be successful, though, be sure always to sell the best quality you can. Never fail to provide good value and great service for your customers, and your used car business will surely grow.

The post Step into the World of Commerce by Starting a Small Used Car Business appeared first on Business Opportunities.

Press releases have received a lot of negative press. Many people believe they no longer matter. However, this isn’t the case. When done right, they can still be an effective tool for promoting your business. Let’s take a look at these seven tips for issuing an effective press release.

1. Nobody Cares

Remember that you don’t already have an audience on tenterhooks for your latest press release. They don’t know you exist and they’re not passionate about your business like you are. Get this into your head and it will help you find an interesting angle from the very beginning.

2. Place Your Goal Front and Center

A press release is designed to get a reporter to call you back. They don’t care about a development in your product. Nobody does. Your goal is to get that call. The only way you’re going to do that is by making your release so interesting that the reporter feels they absolutely have to cover it. If you can’t think of anything, then the chances are a release isn’t warranted in this situation.

3. The Two Types of Press Release

There are two types of press releases you need to get your head around. There’s the “do” release and the “applaud” release. Think about which yours is. The “do” release is you doing something, such as releasing a new product. The “applaud” release is about celebrating an achievement. This is where you have accomplished a goal and you’re giving yourself a pat on the back.

4. One Page Only

Reporters just want the bare facts. They will call you if they need something more substantial. Remember, this is the olive branch and not the chance to tell the whole story. Keep your paragraphs short and keep your release to one printed page. White space is ideal here; it’s the bait. Every word has added weight because there are so few of them.

5. List Contacts at the Top

Your contact details should be at the top. You want to make it as easy as possible for journalists to know where to call. Your narcissistic CEO needs to learn to put his or her name at the bottom of the page. Journalists couldn’t care less about your CEO. They only want to know where they need to call to get the answers they’re searching for.

6. No Fluff in the Headline

Your headline needs to be direct. It’s not supposed to be click bait. The journalist reading your release won’t fall for something like that. They have to work from the facts, and that’s what they’ll search for. In their minds they’re thinking, “What story is going to sell?” The template for a headline should be: “X has done something.” No more and no less.

7. Play the Long Game

Your press release is not about your customers. It’s about your relationship with the media. This is an entirely different relationship. In this case, you’re selling you, not your products or services.  A straightforward honest press release says to a journalist that you’re an honest and direct talker. That’s what members of the media want to see.

Hire It Out

Alternatively, feel free to hire out the whole process. Press releases may be short, but they can present a lot of problems. The issues you have to work out are what to include, what not to include, and what journalists really care about.

Stuart McHenry, owner of McKremie SEO Company in the US, says, “Press releases are not to be abused for SEO purposes. However, if you have legitimate news, your company should put out a press release.”

The best press release writers have worked with the media, and often in the media. Therefore, they know how to tap into that mindset. It doesn’t have to be costly to hire a press release writer. As long as you shop around, you can find someone for a good price.

RELATED ARTICLE: HOW TO TELL IF YOUR HOMEMADE MARKETING EFFORTS AREN’T CUTTING IT

The Art of a Good Press Release

However, we should say that none of this matters if you have no substance. Too many companies have fallen into a habit of writing a press release about absolutely everything they do. Journalists aren’t interested in that. Issue a press release only when you have something to say. Unless you’re Coca-Cola, you really shouldn’t be issuing a press release more than a few times per year.

The post 7 Tips for Issuing an Effective Press Release appeared first on Business Opportunities.

Are you dabbling in the forex market as a way of raising capital for your small business? If so, you are one of many untested forex traders out there. In this post, we’ll give you some suggestions that can help you surge ahead of the pack.

Forex, in case you don’t yet know, is short for “foreign exchange.” It refers to the trading of the world’s currencies in hopes of making a profit.

There are several reasons to choose to trade forex instead of other stocks. First, the forex market is the largest market, in terms of daily transaction volume. Further, it is open 24 hours a day. This makes it highly accessible. What’s more, it offers significant liquidity.

Finally, forex trading can be highly profitable, even for untested forex traders.

RELATED ARTICLE: HOW MUCH RISK SHOULD YOU TAKE AS A FOREX TRADER?

Everything You Need to Get Started

Using the right tools will increase your performance and productivity, whatever you’re engaged in. For untested forex traders, the right tools are indispensable.

One of the first choices you’ll have to make is what online trading site to use. CySec-regulated online brokers such as TradeFw are among the best. That’s because their legal documentation is transparent. They provide all the information untested forex traders need regarding the safety of their capital.

The Trading Platform

The first tool untested forex traders come in contact with is the trading platform itself. This is also the most important tool you’ll use. Your trading platform will allow you access to the forex market.

MetaTrader4 (MT4) is the most popular trading platform, especially for untested forex traders. It offers a variety of features, including intuitive charting, one-click trading, and analysis tools.

What’s more, you can customize the platform’s technical analysis indicators. In short, this platform offers a number of benefits, including flexibility. This will be important as you begin to develop your trading strategy.

The Forex Calendar

After choosing your online trading site and accessing the platform, the next step is gathering useful information. The Forex Calendar is a free tool that offers fundamental updates on the forex market. It lists economic news and upcoming events that are likely to affect the market.

For instance, you’ll want to watch the US non-farm payrolls (NFP), a statistic which changes on a monthly basis. Both experienced and untested forex traders have learned to pay attention to this number.

Technical Analysis Tools

The best brokers use technical analysis tools to predict market movements with a high degree of accuracy. Untested forex traders who are smart learn to read and understand the graphs, charts, and indicators that are available to them as well.

To that end, many online trading sites offer daily technical analysis of the forex market. You can learn to base your strategy on the latest numbers.

Additional Platform Plugins

Online brokers and trading platforms offer you a wide array of tools. However, it is always best to check various forex news and information websites.

These can provide useful online apps, spreadsheets, or functions you can add to programs such as Microsoft Excel. They will allow you to create your own trading routine and strategies.

For example, you’ll find plugins for the MT4 platform that will allow you to compare live charts, find patterns, and more.

The Various Types of Transactions

As a beginning forex trader, you’ll need to become acquainted with the following types of trades:

Spot Transaction

This is an agreement to trade a currency at the current exchange rate. It is a quick, simple trade that usually settles within a couple of business days, without creating a long-term contract. The strategy for spot trading is simple: Buy low, sell high.

Forward Transactions

Forward transactions, on the other hand, involve buying or selling currency for settlement after at least three days, at a predetermined exchange rate. The buyer and seller basically agree to trade at a particular time and exchange rate, no matter what the exchange rate will be at the later date of the transaction. Traders can arrange forward transactions, also called “currency forwards,” for up to a year in advance.

By using forward transactions, the trader is protected against currency fluctuations for the term of the contract. You can use these to make use of favorable current exchange rate at a future date.

Futures Contracts

Futures contracts have a predetermined currency amount, interest, and maturity date. These transactions constitute an agreement to buy or sell currency in the near future, usually within three months. They come standardized and are traded on futures exchanges such as the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

Options Transactions

Options transactions are similar to futures, in the sense that both are fixed currency transactions that will take effect in the future. Currency options give the holder the right to buy or sell from the option writer a fixed, stated amount of one currency in exchange for another currency at a fixed exchange rate. This is called the strike price.

There are two types of options transactions: American and European. Traders can exercise an American option at any date before expiry. Conversely, traders can exercise European options only on a precise date. This type of transaction also protects against the risk of exchange rates fluctuations.

What It Comes Down to for Untested Forex Traders

Given the volatility of the forex trading market, traders need many tools to keep up with it all. Fortunately, there are plenty of great online brokers and platforms that offer amazing features to help anyone become a successful forex trader.

Even untested forex traders can learn to use the market’s volatility to their advantage. What’s more, as a beginning forex trader, you’ll soon learn that everything you need is just a few clicks away.

The post The Best Trading Tools for Untested Forex Traders appeared first on Business Opportunities.

Building a strong relationship between employer and employee can go a long way in determining the success of an organization. Studies show that businesses without such a strong relationship are more dysfunctional. They are less successful and less resilient. So, what are the specific benefits that can flow from a good employer-employee relationship?

Productivity

Good relations between staff and employer help to create a pleasing environment at work. Employees are therefore able to relax. The evidence shows clearly that companies that make the effort to invest time and resources into improving employee relations reap the benefits. Importantly, they enjoy increased productivity, with a resulting boost to profits for the business.

Employee Loyalty

High levels of staff turnover can be a major drain on a business and a drag on its profitability. When trained staff members leave an organization, the cost of hiring replacements can be considerable. And the investment in re-training can be high as well. Such cost and disruption can be kept to a minimum by working to create a pleasant work environment. That in turn is likely to increase employees’ loyalty to a company. This will boost staff retention. Therefore, the business will always have a strong base of fully trained, experienced employees.

RELATED ARTICLE: 3 WAYS TO BETTER HOLD ONTO YOUR MOST TALENTED EMPLOYEES

Conflict Reduction and Resolution

Conflict within the workplace can contribute to lost working time, inefficiency, and increased staff turnover. All of these lead ultimately to financial loss. But if the employee-employer relationship is strong, the potential for conflict is drastically reduced. Therefore, any problems that do arise are easier to resolve. That’s because there is a reserve of good will on both sides. Less time dealing with the fall-out of workplace conflict makes employers and employees happier and more productive.

Improving the Relationship

So how should you go about creating a strong employer-employee relationship? The starting point for employers is to ask themselves why their employees are there. Often the answer is not purely financial. That’s because employees are more than one-dimensional beings. Once you understand what drives your staff, you can better understand the incentives and encouragement they need.

Set Clear Goals

Setting clear goals for yourself and your employees is an important part of creating a strong relationship. When employees set goals that are both clear and achievable, they can focus their daily activities. What’s more, they can feel that they are useful contributors to the overall goals of the organization. Setting realistic and defined aims as an employer is also good for your reputation as a leader. This in turn increases employees’ confidence that they are working in an organization that is well run and effective.

Delegate

Some employers are reluctant to delegate. However, this is a vital part of the employer-employee relationship. By delegating some tasks, you can help your employees to learn new skills. You will help them to develop as individuals and see the bigger picture. All of these outcomes are likely to encourage them to feel increased loyalty and job satisfaction.

Provide for Effective Communication and Equality

In any work environment, communication is key. Moreover, the secret of good communication is accessibility. Employers who make themselves available to listen to concerns, inquiries, or personal issues are making a valuable investment in the employer-employee relationship. What’s more, they are giving themselves the opportunity to spot potential problems or issues in the workplace at an early stage. And by embracing equality within the business, employers can ensure that all employees feel equally valued and able to communicate their concerns.

Include the Social Dimension

It is also important to remember that any workplace has a social element. Humans are social animals, and you can’t expect them to function like androids in the office. Arranging days out or team meals can encourage employees to feel as though their workplace is more than just the place where they have to work. Such activities can encourage social interaction between employees, helping them to bond as a unit. You can also check out the upcoming Singapore public holiday 2023 so you can plan the activities accordingly.

Your business can also benefit from this tendency of humans to be sociable by allowing employees to engage in the little activities that can help build relationships. For instance, consider such things as occasional impromptu buffets. You might also allow employees to take time out from work to check out the recent results of the lotto for their workplace syndicate. Of course, if the lotto results go your team’s way, you might have to look for new employees. But that’s a different problem!

Conclusion

There is no doubt about it. The research in this area is conclusive. If your workforce is happy, they are more productive. By focusing on the quality of the employer-employee relationship, businesses can unlock the door to greater success, profitability, and job satisfaction for all.

The post How Important Is the Employer-Employee Relationship? appeared first on Business Opportunities.

Employee health and productivity are driving forces for business success. However, there’s an element to these factors that’s commonly neglected by employers: mental health. Investing in the mental health of your employees could have the power to transform your enterprise. For instance, small changes to your programs, policies, and even office culture can set you up for much greater success down the road.

The Role of Mental Health

In case you’re skeptical about the role of mental health in a company’s performance, consider the following dynamics:

• Performance. Your first thought might be employee performance. Mental health afflictions like depression and anxiety can make employees less focused at work. They can also cause other productivity problems that decrease your business’s overall effectiveness.
• Presence. Employees suffering from mental health disorders are more likely to miss work days. This is especially true if those disorders are untreated.
• Costs. Instituting a program to help employees deal with mental health afflictions may cost money. However, it will likely save you money in the long term. Like with any illness, treating mental illnesses proactively is far more cost-efficient than letting them spiral out of control.
• Morale and support. When you support employees with mental illnesses, you improve their morale. Additionally, you show both your workers and your community that you recognize and care about the problem.

RELATED ARTICLE: 4 WAYS TO MAKE YOUR EMPLOYEES HAPPIER AND HEALTHIER

Key Developments to Watch For

Mental health is complex, and disorders can manifest in many ways. However, these are some of the most common mental health disorders and developments to watch for:

• Addiction. Substance abuse disorders and addiction can emerge gradually. However, they can have a devastating effect on a worker’s life. Fortunately, there are many ways to support someone struggling with addiction.
• Depression. Depression and related disorders, like bipolar disorder, can affect more than a person’s mood. These disorders can leave them without enough energy to work. They can also affect their physical health in other ways.
• Anxiety. Anxiety disorders are about more than feeling nervous. They can lead to full-fledged panic attacks in certain situations. In severe cases, they may make the workplace borderline unbearable for the employee.
• OCD and related disorders. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and related disorders can negatively interfere with an employee’s habits and behaviors in the workplace. These disorders make it harder for them to conform to expectations or work comfortably.

General Strategies

If you’re interested in lending more support for employee health, these general strategies can give you a good start:

• Create an open, accepting environment

If you want your employees to feel comfortable talking about their mental health, you first have to create an open, accepting environment. Make sure you have a designated representative in your HR department who will anonymously field requests for mental health support. What’s more, this person should be available for a conversation on mental health-related topics. If you don’t have an HR department, consider making your own office available for staff.

• Stress the importance of mental health

Host workshops or seminars. Alternatively, distribute materials that inform your employees about the importance of mental health. This will serve to establish a more positive, accepting environment. It may also call attention to issues that your employees don’t realize are issues.

• Allow time and space to work through mental health issues

Your employees won’t be able to operate at 100 percent, 100 percent of the time. If and when you notice an employee’s performance declining, talk to them about it. They may be struggling with an unseen mental health affliction or a significant change to their home life. If this is the case, allow them more flexibility. Consider offering them some time off work to deal with the problem.

• Create awareness

Mental health is much easier to deal with when you have a system of support around you. You can use your influence in the workplace to encourage all your employees to be that network of support. Raise awareness of various mental health disorders and challenges. Further, inform people about how they can be a part of a more supportive network.

• Provide recommendations and resources

It’s unlikely that you have a mental disorder treatment specialist on staff. The best you can do is make recommendations for external resources that can help. Keep an index of national organizations and local treatment centers. And offer to provide this information discreetly to anyone who asks.

Simple Changes Can Make a Difference

You don’t have to invest thousands of dollars into a sophisticated program to help support employee mental health. Even a simple culture change can make a big difference. Take the time to address your employees’ most pressing issues. Then provide the support network they need to remain healthy and productive.

The post How to Improve Employees’ Mental Health (and Why You Should Care) appeared first on Business Opportunities.

Teaching an art workshop is a great way to use your art abilities while earning some extra cash. An art lesson business is great because you can stay small and only hold classes when you have time. Or you can grow it so large that you must hire other teachers to help keep up with demand.

Can you can break down a painting or drawing into digestible steps? If you answered yes, then you can make some money teaching paint parties or having an art lesson business.

Here are some ideas to help you get started with your art lesson business:

1. Decide Who You Want to Teach

There is a big difference between working with a class of seven-year-olds and coaching adults. So before you begin, decide which age category you want to teach.

Once you know the age group you’re teaching to, you can plan a curriculum or piece of art for your students to recreate. The age group you’re teaching to will also make a difference in the medium you will choose to use.

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2. Pick One Thing to Start With

You have the knowledge, but pick one thing to start with. As we mentioned earlier, pick a medium in which you have a lot of knowledge. This will make things easier for you, and you’ll be better able to demonstrate techniques to your students.

If you are just starting out, acrylic paint or pencil is usually a hit. However, it’s probably not a good idea to go right into oils or charcoals with your first class. If you do, your students will have a lot of questions. There are likely to be some “oh no” moments, too. That won’t be much fun for either you or your students.

If you are not used to teaching, this might not be a good way to start.

3. Set up Shop

Some artists travel to hold the class in a location that’s convenient for their students. Other art teachers have students come right to their studio.

Either way, make sure the space is uncluttered. Be sure that you have enough room for the number of people you are expecting, too. There is nothing worse than coming to an event that you paid for and finding out that there’s not room enough for everyone to have fun participating.

Also, make sure your sign-up and payment processes are quick and simple. Make the payment process easy so that people don’t shy away from your class when it’s time to pay.

4. Now It’s Time To Advertise

So now you have your target students, your curriculum, and your location. Now it’s time to advertise.

Marketing can be one of the biggest obstacles for new business owners, especially in the arts. However, you’re going to have to get over that initial burst of shyness and put your name out there.

Find ways to ensure that your prospective audience will hear and see you. Choose a catchy name for your art lesson business. For instance, you could pick a name like “Paint Party for All.” Whatever name you choose, make it something that really represents you.

Then put your new business name and your phone number out there. Make sure you keep getting the word out about your art lesson business, whether anyone else is talking about it or not.

5. Teach Your First Paint Party or Art Lesson

There may not be a huge turn-out, but don’t get disheartened. That’s because one of the best marketing tools is word-of-mouth marketing from your former customers.

So give discounts to people who have taken an art lesson with you if they give you a review. Then, make sure you do a stellar job with them! The friendly customer service and fun art lesson will speak volumes. Your past students will be returning customers. What’s more, they’ll bring their friends with them next time.

Do You Think You Can? Then You Can!

These are five steps to get you from the I-think-I-can-do-this to the I-did-it phase.

Owning your own business, especially an art lesson business, is rewarding. What’s more, it’s a great way to earn some supplemental and maybe even full-time income. Good luck with your new art lesson business!

The post Ideas on How to Start a Lucrative Art Lesson Business appeared first on Business Opportunities.

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High Rate of Success

Choosing to become a Cold Stone franchisee is a chance to succeed in business. The company has a comprehensive plan and strategy for their franchisees. It aims at bringing returns within a short time after starting operations. The plan and strategy has worked. Cold Stone Creamery is among the leading franchises in success. Compared to other franchises, it has the lowest rates of failure since the year 2010.

Training and Support

Starting a franchise with this company is the beginning of a thrilling journey. Soon after you express interest, Cold Stone will hold your hand and guide you in all the areas you need to know. They offer training for owners and their employees. This relationship is important because it propels you to success. Other franchises may help in a few areas, but Cold Stone will be there throughout. They prioritize your needs and anticipate them. As you run the business, you gradually learn all the ropes under their mentorship.

A Bright Future

Business is a lifetime investment. No one wants a venture that will end prematurely. Choose Cold Stone as your franchise. It guarantees growth and a promising future for your business. The entity was begun in 1988 in Tempe, Arizona. It was just a small store, but it expanded into hundreds of other outlets. Founders Donald and Susan Sutherland established an important culture of growth, and it still lives on. You will enjoy expanding and growing in this business relationship with Cold Stone.

Strong Brand

In the past 29 years, Cold Stone Franchise has built a solid reputation for the brand. So far, Cold Stone has more than one thousand franchises in the world. It is popular for its tasty ice cream, cakes, shakes, smoothies, yogurts and much more. Building a brand is challenging work, and it takes time. By franchising for this company, you share its brand equity. You do not have to spend a lot of money on marketing and brand positioning. The brand continues to grow in popularity.

Low Cost and High ROI

Business people intend to reduce operational costs and maximize gains. This objective is a priority for Cold Stone Creamery, too. They ensure interested franchisees are spending as little as possible when starting their ventures. The barrier to entry is low, opening doors to all potential business people. As a matter of fact, the cost is lower than starting your own business or choosing another franchise. It ranges from $277,000 to $464,000, which is an affordable price. Not long after starting operations, your businesses will begin to yield. You do not have to wait long before getting returns.

Running a business does not have to be hard and risky anymore. Do not invest hundreds of thousands in a venture that will strain you. Become a franchisee at Cold Stone Creamery and enjoy the endless opportunities.

The post Why Franchising with Cold Stone Is the Best Option appeared first on Business Opportunities.

However, before we jump the gun, we need to recognize that not all marketing opportunities are created equal. In fact, each international market that you are considering entering carries with it an enormous amount of unique information specific to that region.

If you have ever traveled abroad, you have undoubtedly encountered the many differences between the country you visited and your home country. From food to music to the tiny intricacies of language, it is all very different from what you are used to.

That being said, these differences shouldn’t be viewed as a hindrance. Instead, consider them opportunities to get ahead of your competition. Below you will find three tips for marketing digitally in an international market.

RELATED ARTICLE: 4 HACKS FOR ENTREPRENEURS ENTERING INTERNATIONAL MARKETS

1. Market Like a Local

Understanding the local culture you are trying to reach will pay off in spades if you put in the legwork. Consider going on a site like Upwork or Freelancer to find someone in the country you are considering entering.

Take time to ask them questions about their culture, local traditions, and any other information that might be useful. It might seem like you’re spending a lot of cash. However, it will give you a high ROI.

2. Translate Everything

You can probably imagine that translating your content to the target country’s language is pretty high up on the to-do list. That being said, be sure that your translator has intimate knowledge of the country you intend to enter.

Having that inside knowledge will give you greater insight as to how to best target your marketing efforts. If you fail to provide this step the attention it needs, you could end up with an international disaster.

3. No Two Markets Are the Same

Thinking of selling winter coats in Ecuador? Of course not. That wouldn’t make any sense at all. The same is true for whatever you are marketing digitally. You need to know what sells well in the international market you are targeting. Some countries will sell one product at disproportionately higher rates than another country.

Learn what works in the country you want to market your product in. Then assess if your product will realistically sell. You wouldn’t want to invest time and effort in creating an app without first researching the best language for android app development, for instance.

The same is true for entering a new international market. You want to look into every possible aspect of the country you are entering to learn where the opportunities lie.

Conclusion

Taking advantage of new international markets is the logical step for any business out there. And now the possibilities are endless thanks to the power of the Internet.

As with any business venture, knowing your audience is the first step in establishing a connection. Establish enough connections, and you will soon see your sales grow on a global level. You will have truly entered the international market.

The post Tips for Marketing Digitally in an International Market appeared first on Business Opportunities.