Can I Ride My Escooter to the Shops

By

-

July 21, 2020

Many factors influence your choice when buying an electric scooter. The speed they can develop, the distance you can cross with a single battery charge, whether it can be assembled easily and quickly, the color, the manufacturer. A lot will influence your decision. And of course the price. A positive trend of declining prices of electric scooters has been noticed, as there are more and more manufacturers and production is growing. So it becomes more accessible for every budget. For this reason, we see them more and more often, and people start driving them in all sorts of places.

What are e scooters?

An electric scooter is a vehicle that has two wheels and whose power source is an electric motor with a rechargeable battery. The battery is adapted for charging in ordinary sockets, so you can charge at home or work, unlike electric cars, which generally require a different way of charging. The speed reached by average electric scooters is between 10 and 30 kilometers per hour, but there are also models that can reach almost 100 kilometers per hour. They are for experienced professionals and are very expensive. Battery autonomy varies from many factors, primarily from the weight of the driver, driving conditions and the like. For now, in most countries of the world, they are not regulated by law, so you do not need a driver’s license.

As problems with environmental pollution are an increasingly important topic, advancements in technology have enabled us to have vehicles like electric scooters that have multiple benefits for both us and our planet. And at www.ridetowheels.com, you can find everything about electric scooters which can be great before you buy one.

Can I Ride my Escooter to The Shops?

Many people love using their escooters to get to where they need to be. Escooters are a very modern form of transportation that is also quite environmentally friendly. However, according to www.escooter.co.uk, you should not ride anything that could cause difficulties for pedestrians. While the law does not mention escooters, many people have translated it and decided that these should not be ridden on pavements.

If you want to ride your escooter to the shops, you may, therefore, consider riding it on a quiet road. This is where the 1988 Road Traffic Act can come in and put a dampener on things.

Using your Escooter Safely

However, escooters have been built for use in urban environments and they are becoming increasingly popular. There is also encouragement among the riders to make people use their new modes of transportation safely. So what should we do until the law changes? Here are a few suggestions:

Do Not Ride On The Road

You should not ride on the road under any circumstances, at least until the UK’s laws change. Motorists will not be able to see you and they won’t be looking out for you. Roads are not made for small wheels, so you’re likely to catch them in potholes or on uneven areas of the road. If you fall off your escooter when you’re on the road, you could be seriously injured. Stick to the pavement for now, even if the shop you’re headed for is just around the corner.

Do Not Frighten Pedestrians

Be nice to other people. Don’t zoom passed them too quickly or too closely. You could hurt someone, so make sure you consider pedestrians and other pavement users.

Find an alternative route if you need to or use the pavement at a different time of day. Just make sure you don’t frighten anyone as you don’t want to give escooters and their riders a bad name.

Don’t Take Risks

While you might feel the need to take a few risks, you should avoid doing so at all times. Expect a pavement’s surface to change, expect there to be inclines and unstable surfaces. Don’t take any risks as they could result in serious injury. If you’re not sure whether you can ride on a particular surface, don’t. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

Plan Your Journey

Plan where you need to be and how you’re going to get there. If the pavement is usually busy at 9 am, use it at 8:45 am. Think about the pavements you’re going to be using, are they narrow? Is there an incline? Try to use flat pavements that aren’t too busy. Your journey will be quicker in the long run.

Make Yourself Known

When you’re using your escooter, you should make yourself known. Ensure that other people can see you. If you’re riding at night or in the early morning, consider wearing a high viz. You might also want to add a light to your scooter if it doesn’t already have one. You could also consider using a bell to warn people you’re approaching them. Anything you can do to make yourself more visible is good.

Stay Protected

Protect yourself by wearing a helmet every time you use your new escooter. If you have a fall, you’re less likely to injure yourself. You might also want to think about wearing knee and elbow guards for extra protection. Yes, you might only be going to the shop, but accidents can and do happen.

Have Fun

When you ride your new escooter, you should make sure you have fun. Riding an escooter can take valuable time off those commutes. Enjoy using your scooter, but make sure you do so in a safe manner. Acting responsibly will help other people see that actually, escooters are ok to use.

While UK law still needs to catch up with the laws in some parts of Europe, if you’re sensible, you could use your escooter to go to the shops. Just make sure you’re seen, you’re safe, and you ride responsibly. Sooner or later, you’ll be a legal escooter rider and you can take it wherever you need to go.

Shopify or WooCommerce? Which is better?

By

Daniela Meyer

-

July 21, 2020

shopify-vs-woocommerce — Source: onthemapmarketing

If you’re considering setting up an eCommerce store for your online business, then there are a few providers that can help you get up and running. Today though, we’re looking at the differences between Shopify and WooCommerce. These two platforms are world leaders in giving businesses the tools they need to build and run a successful online store, but each come with their own pros and cons. As someone who runs a business, deciding on which platform is best for you could be the deciding factor between the success or failure of your new online store, so we’re here to help you follow the platform that’s most suitable for your requirements.

Let’s take a deeper dive into the worlds of Shopify and wooCommerce.

A summary of Shopify and WooCommerce

Before we begin, let’s cover some of the basics of why these two platforms shine above other eCommerce rads on the market.

What does WooCommerce have on offer?

WooCommerce is a freely available plugin for use with the WordPress content management system, allowing you to turn your website into an online store. Custom extensions are available, allowing you to customize all aspects of your newly created store.

If you know your way around WordPress, this is a great option.

And how about Shopify?

Shopify, on the other hand, provides an all-in-one package that allows you to manage an entire store using a single platform to accept payments and keep an eye on your stock with ease. No hosting or technical know-how is required, although this option does come with a fee. Although a Shopify plan offers less customization than you’d find with a WooCommerce solution, there are several addons available in the form of apps, and you can read more about the apps that are available and how they can turn your Shopify store into an ECommerce powerhouse. By using apps, you can ensure the store is as user-friendly and attractive as possible.

What to consider to find the best platform

There’s no point in diving straight into creating an online store without knowing what you’ll be getting from the eCommerce platform you choose. The following factors will ensure your decision is the correct one when it comes to your comparison.

Usability – are you tech-savvy or a web beginner?
Pricing – Will it cost you a fee to run your online store?
Customer Payment Methods – Can the platform support all major i.e. PayPal, credit cards.
Customer support – is there someone to help when things go wrong?

Usability

The clear winner for ease of use off the bat is Shopify, mainly because going through the account creation process guides you every step of the way to building your store.

There is no hosting setup to worry about, although you will get the option to customize the store before hitting the publish button. Technical know-how is not required whatsoever.

The setup process for wooCommerce isn’t terribly complicated either, although there are several prerequisites you’ll need to cover before you get to the setup stage. You’ll need to install WordPress as the best eCommerce solution on your host, install and activate the plugin, etc. If you’re a complete newbie, then this might not be the greatest option for you.

Fortunately, if you decide to take this avenue, then many hosts offer a 1-click installation that installs WordPress and wooCommerce leaving you to log in and take care of the rest of the setup.

Pricing

Next up, you’ll want to ensure the platform you opt for is within your budget and won’t cost you the earth to run 9unless you have the cash to spare).

Although WooCommerce is open-source, it’ll immediately seem like the best and cheapest options, but once you begin adding those extensions we mentioned, the cost starts to add up quickly. Hosting a WordPress site with wooCommerce will cost you at least £5 per month, with a domain name at around £15 each year, plus your premium theme which could cost anywhere from £60 per year upwards. With all of the above fees, it’s not uncommon to end up spending more than you’d shell out for a Shopify plan which are:

Customer Payment Methods

Enough about getting the website up and running. The next thing to consider is how each platform will impact your customers, and how they perceive your business brand. The payment options that are available at Shopify consist of accepting PayPal Express Checkout from the moment you create your account.

Shopify will charge additional fees for transactions outside of the Shopify internal Payment system, so it’s best to use that to avoid those extra fees. The issue here is that Shopify Payments is only available to those in the UK, Canada, Australia, and the US with a handful of other countries at the time of writing. If your business resides outside of these countries, you will need to utilize a country-dependent payment gateway that comes bundled with various fees. If this sounds like your business, you may need to do a little digging to decide how this impacts you.

On the other hand, WooCommerce has extensions available to enable payment gateways. Using Stripe for credit cards and Paypal are fee-free, but using methods like Braintree, Amazon payments, or authorize.net will come with charges of a minimum of £80 each year. Although there are other payment options, these come at a cost too.

Customer Support

One of the last considerations we feel is essential is the support options available for both platforms. Phone, email, and live chat support is available for all Shopify users meaning you can connect with an agent whenever you need to.

WooCommerce is a little different in that there are no official support channels available. Instead, the company relies solely on the input from a community of users to assist you, that is, unless you shell out for a WooTheme. There are plenty of guides online to help with common issues, but that might take a little digging.

So, Shopify or WooCommerce?

The answer will vary here depending on your requirements, but for a small business looking to avoid the task of looking after a website, at a nominal cost, to get set up in minutes with a plethora of support, Shopify wins the crown here.

If customization of the look and feel of your store is important and you know your way around WordPress, then WooCommerce is the way to go.

How to Keep Clients and Customers Loyal to Your Business

By

Daniela Meyer

-

July 21, 2020

It is easy to think that once you have made a successful sale to a brand new customer or client that the hard work is done. However, it can be just as difficult and requires just as much work and attention to keep customers returning to your business as it was to get them on board in the first place!

Whatever kind of business you are running, and the size of that business, you will want to make sure that customers have a reason to stay with you. A study showed that repeat customers spend more than new customers and that the process of attracting new customers can be up to 10 times more expensive than keeping existing customers loyal!

There are many ways to keep clients and customers happy and loyal to your business. In this article, we will explore some of the ways that you can do this!

Know Your Customers Well

One of the most important things to do is to make sure that you know each and every one of your customers well. We don’t mean on a personal level (although in many cases, familiarity is beneficial, depending on which industry your business is a part of). We mean that you should know everything about your customer that relates to the products and services you have provided them with in the past and could potentially offer them in the future! A customer who has been forgotten will not feel valued and is less likely to return.

Thankfully, you do not have to have an incredible memory to keep track of each customer and your history of business with them. Customer Relationship Management, or CRM, software, enables you to keep a database of customer information, and can even be connected to automated emailing tools to keep in contact with them!

Communication is Key

A CRM database should be used frequently as a way to monitor communications with customers and remind yourself and/or your employees to check in on them every once in a while. According to betterbuys.com, one way of doing this is to send out an automated regular newsletter or blog posts to all of your customers, or you could even be more personal with a direct email or phone call if appropriate! Simply checking in on a customer to ensure that they are happy with the services that you are providing them can play a huge role in developing and maintaining customer loyalty.

Provide Top-Quality Customer Service

It is no use communicating with customers frequently if you ignore any feedback that they give you. If a customer has an issue with any aspect of the products and/or services that you are offering them, or with any other aspect of your business relationship, you should always take care to do your best to solve these issues in a helpful and friendly manner. In addition to this, the chances are that if one customer tells you of a problem, there will be plenty of other customers who have experienced the same problem and have not told you about it!

Customers tell other people about the quality of the service they receive from a company. If a customer is unhappy with your business, you could lose potential future clients, and on the other hand, if a customer is happy and satisfied, they might end up doing the work of attracting new customers to your business for you!

Offer Rewards for Loyalty

Offering customers an incentive for repeated loyalty and business is a great way to ensure that this loyalty and custom continues well into the future. Setting up a reward system is a popular method of achieving this. Reward systems can be comprised of customer loyalty cards, future discounts on new products or the renewal of existing contracted services, free additional products and/or services, the ability to enter competitions, or any combination of these and more!

Offer a Variety of Payment Plans

While offering a variety of payment plans may not be efficient or viable for certain businesses, it can be a good choice for others, especially B2B (business-to-business) companies. It is often better to receive a late payment or receive payment in multiple installments than to lose a client or customer entirely that may be short on funds or having cash flow issues at certain time periods.

Flexibility with payment plans is often very highly appreciated by customers and clients and can be one of the most effective ways of maintaining brand loyalty!

Maintain a Friendly Yet Professional Manner

Your business may pass every other test on this list with flying colors, but all of that work can be easily undone in a matter of seconds if one of your employees is rude or unhelpful to a client. It is vital that every member of your sales team is chosen carefully for friendliness and social skills, as well as trained on effective sales and customer interaction techniques.

Greeting customers and/or clients with a welcome and a friendly manner is proven to be effective at maintaining business relationships. Remember, a smile and handshake go a long way in face-to-face meetings with clients. All of the technology in the world cannot replace the importance of trust between humans!

It is important to note, however, that different industries will require different approaches to customer interaction. For example, a funeral director will require much more formality and etiquette than a bartender! Being professional is of paramount importance, even if the specifics of what is considered professional may vary depending on the industry and other factors.

Offer Great Products/Services

Of course, it is no good for providing great customer service if the products or services that your company is offering are not up to scratch! The ways of developing quality products or services will differ based on company and industry, but it is vital to make sure that what you are selling is worth buying in the first place!

We hope that these tips are helpful in ensuring that your customers and clients are loyal to your business for many years to come.

11 Reasons to Smile

By

Дмитра Врачарић

-

July 20, 2020

Have you ever noticed how someone’s attitude changes when you look at another person’s expression? A frown could spoil a deal, and a smile could melt a heart. If given a choice, most of us would pick to melt a heart in any situation. So that’s one reason to smile.

A smile is a facial expression that often radiates positivity. If you have been blue with the challenges of life, smiling might not seem like an option. But here at LiveTray, we have eleven reasons to make you smile. Read on if you want us to change your mind.

1. Relieves Stress

If you have ever been stressed about meeting someone new and aren’t sure how they are going to receive your presence, just smile. Smiling releases endorphin, which is a “feel good” chemical in our brains that relieves stress. It will immediately change their opinion about you and ease the tension, and they are more likely to smile back. Smiling is an infectious involuntary action that relieves stress from both parties.

2. Makes You More Attractive

Would you approach a grumpy salesperson at the mall or a happy looking one? Obviously the latter, right? It’s because a smile puts others at ease and make them seem more approachable. Likewise, when you smile often, people around you are more drawn to your energy and want to be around you. It makes you more attractive and appealing.

3. Look younger

No matter what life throws at you when you smile often, it is hard to be low or depressed. Stress and negative thoughts make people age much faster. Practicing to smile through the hard times makes us deal with the hardships better. And when you have lesser stress, it shows on your skin, and that’s the secret to looking younger!

4. Elevates Mood

Smiling elevates mood in many ways. It has the same effect on you as it does on someone else. Besides releasing endorphins, smiling also releases serotonin in our brains. This chemical boosts mood and even the immune system. When your serotonin level rises, depressing thoughts and stress are replaced by happy thoughts. The amount is not always physically noticeable, but the feeling does change the way you see life and how you deal with situations.

5. It’s Contagious

Many social experiments show that smiling is contagious. When you see someone genuinely expressing joy through their expression, it is difficult not to imitate the same feeling. It is as inevitable as looking at a happy kid and being stuck in a sad mood. So next time you want to see someone smile, or if you need to smile, be around someone who smiles. You will feel how contagious the feeling is, and you will also feel much better to smile often.

6. Boosts Immune System

Smiling is a sign of contentment and happiness. When you are physically content, your mental health is stable too. Without sad distractions, your brain becomes more focused on vital functions that keep your body healthy. So indirectly, a healthy mind is a healthy body, and smiling keeps your body healthy because your immune system is not distracted.

7. Lowers Blood Pressure

One of the leading causes of high blood pressure is stress. And we’ve already mentioned that smiling reduces stress. When you smile and often laugh, your heart rate increases, followed by a period of muscle relaxation. When your heart muscles are relaxed, it regulates pressure and lowers the risks of heart diseases.

8. Relieves Pain

It might seem unlikely, but smiling through a physical injury relieves pain. Many studies have proven this because smiling releases a natural pain killer in our brain. These are dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphin. These feel-good chemicals increase pain tolerance and ease the feeling. It also connects to the theory that since smiling releases stress, even your body is more relaxed to ward off pain.

9. Live Longer

Since smiling improves your overall health, you are more likely to live longer when you engage in smiling and laughing more often. The positive effects of what smiling does to your body internally and how it affects people you encounter are inter-related. So when you show positive emotions, you are more likely to live a longer, healthier life.

10. Improves Relationships

Since smiling is contagious and attractive and elevates mood, it is one of the best tactics for improving relationships. It makes it easier to build bonds and maintain a stable connection even during hard times. For example, if you can smile during unpleasant conversations, your brains perceive the positive sides of it, making you better deal with a difficult situation.

11. Smiling Brings Success

Everyone’s goal is to be successful in life, but success does not favor a mood person. Whether you are approaching a new client or introducing potential clients, a smile always goes a long way. It shows that you are approachable and looking forward to a positive outcome.

A smile is also a sign of being successful. It is rare to see a successful person who is always grumpy. Once your smile radiates, you will be able to create genuine bonds in business and personal relationships.

Bottom Line

Smiling is beneficial for the overall health of your mind and body. It benefits you and the people around you. So whenever you are feeling down or see someone else need a little emotional boost, use your smile as often as you can.

Helping Kids Adjust After Relocation

By

Daniela Meyer

-

July 20, 2020

Relocation is a big deal, especially when you are moving with a family that includes kids. Even if the move is across the town, moving can take a toll over you as well as your kids. You need to go through a lot of stress while packing your belongings, moving to the new place with all the inventory, and then sorting out your belongings and life. The complete household system changes and you have to make peace with it. As you struggle you must know that the little bundle of joys finds it even more troublesome.

The best moving companies in the network of MovingApt, state that relocation affects the kids in a different manner. They lose friends, they are introduced to a completely new environment and they have to restart their life. The changes can make children react in different ways. While some may become clingy and cranky, others may feel sad and alone.

Child health care experts claim that this is a very crucial time in a kid’s life and it is really important that the parents attend to the changing needs of their child. So, how have you planned to make the move easy for your family? Well, in this post, we have compiled a few tips that would help you plan and execute a successful while keeping your family along:

As you announce the move

When you first make the moving announcement, stay prepared that your child will react. They can be angry with you or extremely sad to hear the news. Because it was you who thought of moving in the first place and must be excited about it, your child did not initiate the process and probably be worried about the outcome of the decision for her life.

You need to be very patient when dealing with such situations. You need to reassure your child but make sure you do not talk your child out of her feelings. If your child is not mature enough to know what a move is, it is important that you help her realize how her life will be changing soon.

Prepare your children but first prepare yourself

You must be too invested in the moving process and often this means you are not able to take proper rest. Before you become too engrossed with the move, make sure you have a time table, sleep enough to feel rested. If you do not feel at peace with your body and mind, you won’t be able to patiently handle your child at their worst. The child may become frustrated and stressed during the moving process. If you do not keep yourself composed, you can never help them overcome the change.

Explain your child, what to expect

It’s important that the child knows what they are going to experience. Helping them know what to expect will be a great help. If possible, take your child for a visit to the new place. Besides visiting the house, exploring the town, the neighborhood and some kid friendly places around this will help you child think positively about the place.

Be creative

Why not you make the moving process fun and memorable for the kids. Ask your child to take photos of the moving process. They can click a picture of you pacing with your partner, their stuff before it is packed, and then again when it is packed. This way, the child will have a collection of photographs that he/she can revisit anytime in the future. Even better if they paste these photos on a scrapbook and add taglines to it.

Let them grieve

If your child is feeling sad about leaving a place and finding it tough to say goodbye to everything they have ever known, it is good for them. Let the child grieve as it will help them overcome the pain. They will find it easier to adjust if they do not have anything to feel sad about.

However, you must help them grieve healthily. For this you must:

Take them to their friend’s house for saying good bye and exchanging contact details.
Go to your child’s favorite places in the town and let them say goodbye, take pictures and make some last memories.
Let the kids plan an outing where they can visit their favorite places in town.

Let your child control the process

It is important that you let the child take charge of the moving process, whenever and whatever way they can. Some of the ways you can let the child control the move include:

Let them take the minor decisions including the color of the paint in her room, the way to organize furniture, how to decorate the room and more.
Decluttering has been preached as one of the best ways to minimize your moving size but if your child does not want to give away her belongings, do not force her.
Give the assurance to your child that all her belongings will be safely transported to the new house and also ensure that the same happens.
Ask the child to make a box of her own. This box must have her most important things that they want to take in the car with you.
If you have mature kids, let them be the navigator under your supervision.

Do not play with their schedule

No matter what you do, try to keep the schedule of your child unchanged. The child is already going through a lot of changes and let us not add any more. Give them time to adjust while they lead their life in their old schedule.

Your child might be behaving in a different way and it is completely acceptable. You are asking the child to have a major change in life and it is her right to feel disturbed. However, to ensure that the change does not cost her big, you must help her adjust to the moving requirements. As you help your child adjust and prepare them for the move, make sure you too are ready for the big change. You ensure the first day after the move is easy going, pack a bag of essentials for you and the family. The moving process is tough but with the right management, it can be made easier for you as well as the children in the family.

6 Best Business Phone Systems and VoIP Providers (For Any Budget)

By

Дмитра Врачарић

-

July 20, 2020

Choosing a phone system is a major decision for any business. It is difficult to overstate how important communication is to any business, whether it’s communication amongst staff or with other businesses. Irrespective of your current budget, the five VoIP and phone system providers listed below all offer a high-quality service that any business would benefit from.

Visit here to see which VoIP systems are recommended for insurance companies.

1. Vonage Business

Vonage Business provides a reliable phone service using VoIP and comes with a range of business-centric features that make it an ideal option for businesses of all sizes. Compared to a traditional landline service, Vonage Business’s service is able to offer businesses cost reductions of more than a third.

It’s easy to get set up with Vonage, especially if you have a compatible VoIP phone. Given the impressive range of handsets that are compatible, most people who own a VoIP handset should have no trouble connecting it with Vonage.

Once you are up and running, you can rely on Vonage to provide excellent call quality alongside a range of features that make it a fantastic addition to the communications infrastructure of any business. Round the clock customer service ensures that you always have access to support when you need it, and any issues that you encounter can be solved quickly.

2. RingCentral

RingCentral has been in the VoIP game for a long time, with its first small business telephone service debuting in 1999. Since then, the business has clearly learned a great deal about how to provide telephone communications for businesses. RingCentral owns network infrastructure around the world, including networks in the United States, Europe, and Asia. This infrastructure is behind the exceptional quality that RingCentral offers.

RingCentral charges more than most of its competitors for access to their service but you will get what you pay for. For that premium entry price, RingCentral provides a long list of features that set it apart from the rest of the pack. For example, RingCentral’s service comes with a generous number of toll-free minutes. Users will also gain access to RingCentral’s unlimited video conferencing service.

One last selling point in favor of RingCentral is its price match guarantee. If you can show RingCentral a better price on a plan including less than 50 lines, they will offer you the same deal.

3. Nextiva

For most small businesses, it makes more sense to invest in a scalable service that can be upgraded as necessary. With a range of different plans available at various price points, Nextiva has an option to suit every business and makes it easy for businesses to scale up their service as they grow. Even if you are restricted to one of the cheapest plans that Nextiva offers, you will still be gaining access to an impressive array of features.

Many of Nextiva’s features are aimed specifically at workers who are working from home, so they are particularly helpful in the current climate. The Nextiva mobile app enables subscribers to easily access the service remotely, wherever they might be. Making and receiving calls from both desktop and mobile devices is simple, whether you’re having a one-on-one call or a conference conversation.

4. Ooma

Ooma is an excellent choice for small businesses, offering affordable pricing and a highly scalable service. Ooma is the kind of VoIP provider that can help to carry a business from their very first days operating and continue serving them well for years to come while keeping their costs low.

Ooma’s service is divided into two packages, each of which provides users with all the industry-standard features that you would expect from a business-focussed VoIP provider. The basic package will last most businesses fine until they have grown enough to justify upgrading. Because even the basic package is so versatile, most businesses won’t need to upgrade their package for some time.

In addition to its VoIP service, Ooma also offers customer relationship management features. Their inclusion sets Ooma apart from its competitors and, coupled with the remote working features Ooma offers, make it a very attractive option for businesses today.

5. Dialpad

Dialpad is ideal for small businesses. The company has been around since 2012, so it has a solid reputation for longevity and reliably. This is not a brand that will disappear in the middle of the night, leaving your business high and dry.

The company offers a VoIP system called Dialpad Talk. It also provides conferencing software. Plans are paid monthly, so you can pick a plan that suits your budget and needs. Smaller businesses will be happy with the standard or Pro plan, which includes call forwarding, video calling, and group texting in the US and Canada. Larger companies will benefit from the Enterprise price plan, which has extras such as multiple office integration and 24/7 customer support.

The great thing about Dialpad is that you can try the service for free – Dialpad offers a 14-day free trial. If you love it and want to sign up for a plan, there are savings to be made if you decide to switch to an annual tariff.

6. Grasshopper

For businesses that eschew the traditional office environment, many conventional VoIP providers offer features that are irrelevant or unsuitable. For these businesses, Grasshopper is an excellent alternative. Grasshopper’s service is easy to customize. Users can add features to their subscription as they deem necessary.

Grasshopper is another provider that sits on the pricier side of things, but they are well worth the investment for businesses that find most VoIP offerings too office-centric.

The providers we have listed above all offer exceptional phone and VoIP services to businesses; each of them has earned their reputation for excellence. Every business needs to have a solid communication infrastructure to enable communications amongst its own staff and external clients. Using one of the VoIP platforms above will save most businesses money while enabling them to upgrade their phone systems at the same time.

Look for free trials before you commit to using any VoIP service. This gives you an opportunity to test the features on offer risk-free.

How to Build Your Private Label Skin Care Line

By

Billy Voss

-

July 20, 2020

Source: byrdie

You might be tempted to build and launch your very own private label skincare line, but there are a few things to know before starting the process.

The world of beauty and makeup is at an all-time high. That’s because more products are launching by the day, but many are also failing.

Such huge competition is only healthy for the industry but reflects negatively on those that don’t have the perfect product. As such, it’s important to know how to build your private label skincare line and think things through before making the decision.

So, without further ado, let’s start.

1. Determine the Direction Of The Skin Care Line

Source: fashionista

The most important think about how to build your very own skincare line is to determine the direction. This will help you in the future when it comes to strategy and execution. And like every other business venture that has ever existed, planning is key.
But, since we’re here to help, here are your options.

Natural or Organic

The skincare industry is filled with brands that create products derived from natural and organic ingredients. As such, this might be your best option. Seeing as you cannot go for anything artificial in this day and age, a natural and organic solution will do more about your business than you could imagine.

Vegan

Vegan skincare products are emerging by the year. However, it’s important to note that your target audience will be slightly smaller because of it.

Since vegans won’t use any product that has animal ingredients in it, you can quickly cement yourself as one of the leaders in the industry if you do things right.

Other

Vegan, natural and organic aren’t your only options when it comes to building your skincare line. You could separate yourself from the others if you decide to create something niche and exciting.

For example, you might focus on a specific age group of sex. Your skincare line could be designed for new moms or people of older age.

The options are truly limitless and endless when it comes to choosing a niche direction. All you have to do is decide on what that is.

2. Create the Brand Itself First

Source: allure

Now that you’ve chosen a direction, it’s time to create the brand itself before building the skincare line.

A brand is far more than the name of the company. This will be your identity and you need to look good in front of people if you are to do business. A brand is everything related to your business. It involves the logo, the company name, the company colors, the philosophy, and everything else that makes you unique.

When it comes to making a skincare brand, the challenges are numerous and plenty. It’s not easy to create a brand, as it takes years for everything to fall in place.

Building a brand is the most challenging part of creating a skincare line, as the industry relies on positive experiences and reviews. As such many of the leaders in the private skincare industry, such as Sbellus, have gone through a lot of changes until they hit the nail on the head.

3. Create A Long-Term Plan

Source: goodhousekeeping

Nothing can sustain itself over a longer period of time if you don’t plan for it. Naturally, a company is meant to exist for years, so you need to create a long-term plan.

This one is easy to speculate as all you have to do is to simply imagine what your skincare line will look like in years to come. Will you have dozens if not hundreds of products by then, or will you stick to an original few for authenticity?

Do you plan on opening another store, or will you focus solely on eCommerce? Or perhaps you’re thinking about launching other products outside the skincare line?

Regardless of what the answer to these questions is, you need to have one none the less. Simply thinking about it isn’t as straightforward as you think, as it takes a lot of knowledge and experience to know whether something is possible or not.

In the meantime, stick to building a strong foundation that will be there in hard times. If a product launch fails and doesn’t sell, you need to have an excellent backup that will cover the losses.

Planning is always important when building anything and it will help get you over the line.

4. Define the Budget and Timeline

Source: otrasteel

This one takes a lot of thinking as it can potentially make or break everything you’ve so far worked on.

Namely, it’s important to know how much the entire skincare line will cost you. This takes into account manufacturing costs, logistical costs, packaging, ingredients costs, etc.

But this one can easily be covered if you also determine the price of each product. That way, you’ll know how much it will cost you to manufacture a single product.

When you calculate the initial price, you can always go a few notches higher. Be careful, though, as you don’t want to scare people off. Since people don’t know about you, you cannot go and sell your products at $100 apiece.

You need to price reasonably as no one would buy a product that’s too expensive or too cheap.

5. Talk With Professionals

Source: leafly

Like we mentioned in the beginning, competition is healthy when it comes to any industry. More competition means more products for the public. But it also means brands will need to pay more attention to their products.

If a brand suddenly starts doing a bad job with new releases and launches, then there will always be another one ready to take their place.

At the end of it, you need to get in contact with professionals from the industry as they know the ins and outs. Getting in touch with other private skincare lines will help you uncover some of the bumps we didn’t get to mention in this article. Don’t expect anything else though, as this is still a dog eat dog world.

California Meal Delivery Services – Who is the Best?

By

Daniela Meyer

-

July 19, 2020

Cooking can be a difficult situation for a big family. You must go to the grocery store, find a good recipe, and do all the cooking. This circumstance can be a huge problem if you do not know how to cook nor any delicious recipes. What if you made a mistake on your recipe and all your family members must eat this horrible meal?

What if you could eliminate several of these steps and cook a proven delicious meal. This will deeply increase your cooking skills amongst your family members, but also you will all eat healthily and happily together. Let us introduce you to modern time’s where a whole industry developed to help this niche of people called the meal delivery service. A meal delivery service is a company that gives you the ability to order meals that come with all ingredients in proper serving, and recipes. All you have do is follow instructions and boom, “you have a delicious meal for your family.

If looking for a service offering meal kit delivery there is no doubt that you will find numerous options presenting a challenge for picking the right one. There are varying meal kits to cater to your particular nutritional needs and requirements including when the diet is just for yourself or a couple of family members.

With grocery delivery services, especially as the world continues to observe social distancing because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it makes you avoid going shopping regularly. Similarly, the ingredients and cooking instructions delivery services make cooking healthy meals more convenient since there is no preparation involved.

One of the companies is Sun Basket

This meal kit company is one of the popular options and it is located in San Francisco, California. Founded in 2014 the company is accessible for supplying to your home healthy recipes and fresh, natural ingredients for cooking your foods. The company is conscious of your health and that of the environment.

In terms of the meal schedule and recipe delivery frequency, it can be done as you may require such as weekly. Subsequently, below is more information about the service that you may need to help in choosing the right meal schedule and recipe delivery company.

Another popular company is Hello Fresh

Hello Fresh is the golden standard of meal delivery companies. They are the most innovative and first meal delivery company that was started in 2011. By far they are leading the #1 company with their amazing recipes for their great meals. Hello Fresh can be ordered anywhere across the U.S. They offer different meal plans depending on your diet or preference.

The Working of the Meal Design and Recipe Delivery Service

Meal Plans

There are different meal ideas to choose from all these companies. Depending on your diet, or preference it will fit your needs. May you be a vegan, keto, low-carb, or if you have any other diet restriction. Each company has its own method to help you follow your meal macros which is a beautiful thing.

The grocery delivery company also delivers an array of meal plans and useful recommendations. Because of the food plan options, it is possible to find a meal for your nutritional needs and taste. Some of the meal options available include:

• Meals that take less than 30 minutes to make
• Vegetarian meals
• Recipes recommended for diabetic people
• Meals rich in proteins and dairy, gluten, and soy-free
• Seafood dishes
• White or red meat
• Breakfast options such as portable soups
• Pre-packaged snacks
• Mediterranean
• Lean and clean
• Paleo

Cooking Support Materials

The meal delivery service makes available a recipe booklet and not a recipe card for the recipes it endorses and the ones you picked per week. The booklet comes in handy for homes that love cooking meals using fresh, innovative recipes.

From the recipe book, the recipes delivered are simple and stress-free to understand and follow. There are photos accompanying every cooking step. The recipes can also be accessed digitally through the app or website. Understand though that the digitally available cooking guidelines cannot be printed or downloaded.

Apart from the recipe booklet, another vital support material supplied is in the form of how-to videos. The videos come in handy in helping you cook an excellent meal by providing different information such as how to slice onions rightly. The information is particularly great if you are not an expert cook.

Wrapping of Meals

The meal delivery company makes a concerted and commendable effort only to use packaging materials that can decay and be recycled. If you are eco-conscious then the company may just be the right partner for you.

Note though that you should check with your area if it allows the recycling of the plastic-type used for the packaging of meals. If recycling is not permitted, you will have to throw the plastic away and further contribute to environmental littering and degradation.

Menu Pricing

In general, the menu is priced per meal. Depending on the different company they offer certain specials at different times. There’s been a new trend to discount if you buy 3, 4, or 5 subscription boxes. This helps these companies since it seems that a lot of people tend to cancel after their first order. Within the whole circumstance with Corona Virus has increased the popularity of these services. Some of the companies work with local farmers so the ingredients the company provides are organic and fresh and so you will benefit from healthy and delicious meals worth the price.

Why Order Meal Delivery Sera Provides Organic Foods and Ingredients

Organic foods and ingredients come with more nutrients and are not cultivated and preserved using harmful chemicals, pesticides, and preservatives. The practice of the business is safe for humans and environmental health.

b. Helps Save Time

Using a delivery company you do not have to involve yourself in regular shopping and meal planning. You are provided with different recipes and meals to cook.

c. Suitable for Families

The delicious meals are kid-friendly, and it is possible to involve your kid in the cooking process such as washing tomatoes. The amount of food the company offers is also suitable for smaller and average-sized families.

Why the Meal Delivery Service May Not Be Suitable

If you do not like cooking and eating organic, garden-fresh foods this food delivery option may not be the best. As well since the service is relatively more expensive than its competitors it is not suitable if you are on a small budget.

Canceling the Service

While canceling the service is possible, the main issue may be that it involves customer service. It may be better and more convenient if the service can be canceled online through the user account.

Pros

• More than 25 varying meal options available
• Eco-friendly meal packaging
• Natural ingredients for achieving a healthier eating lifestyle. The company also provides not so usual ingredients like nigella seeds
• There is no preparation involved before cooking
• Full-service recipes
• The food preparation takes less than 25 minutes
• Modifying your meal box is possible to a level that is much better than the option offered by other meal kit businesses.
• Super convenient delivery of ingredients to your doorstep

Cons

• May be relatively expensive than other businesses offering meal delivery
• Every delivery may include the same ingredients

In Conclusion

There is no doubt that when you decide to order Sun Basket or Hello Fresh you will appreciate its worth in various ways. The nourishments supplied are delicious and your grocery shopping trips are considerably reduced. The food prepared is environmental-friendly and safe and can fit in the eating needs of different people and there are various nutritional options offered like gluten-free and low-carb.

Although the culinary process takes only a few minutes and thus excellent if you are always busy, you can still feel you are involved. You must put in a little effort into cooking by following the visual and text-based instructions.

You can try out this generally outstanding meal delivery service today and share your experience with us.

Vehicle Accident Injuries in California – All You Need To Know About

By

Daniela Meyer

-

July 19, 2020

Modern-day vehicles are more protected than before, but still, accidents are a common sight. Accidents not only damage property and valuables, but it also brings with them lots of mental and social pressures. Apart from that if you get some serious physical injury, which deprives you of working for long, you might lose your job too. While you are worried about the medical and house expense as you are home because of an accident, we have some information for you to get yourself relieved. Now, you don’t need to worry and with few wise steps, you can have your job secured while also receive medical allowance too.

So if you are a victim of vehicle injury you should contact a car accident lawyer Diego to get legal advice like it has been there in NakaseLawFirm; from there you could get help easily, as there are people known for excellence by getting determinate value for their clients. The benefit of living in a democratic country preserves your rights so you are not left desperate in the hour of need. Even if you have suffered due to motorcycle accident, experienced motorcycle accident lawyer San Diego is there helping you in the legal process. And if you are worried about your job, employment lawyer San Diego will brief you on how you can get compensation for yourself. Our detailed guide will help you effectively overcome your problems.

One of the biggest fears, when you become the victim of an accident, is to lose the job. Several road accidents leave intense physical injuries that people are not able to go on work for an extended period of time. Apart from financial stress, you also face emotional stress. How to pay for the damage and repair, pay the hospital expense, and bear the home expenditures. But we believe that worrying is not the solution to your problem. Whenever you get into such a situation you need to carefully take these steps to reduce the burden over you.

Get a thorough medical checkup

More than half of the people in a car accident neglect the importance of medical checkups after the accident. Apart from getting treatment to get recovered soon, it also helps you identify the severity of the physical injury. Most critical vehicle injuries are head and spine injuries. These injuries can leave you physically dependent for long or even for a whole life. If you had a thorough medical examination certificate it can make your case strong for a legal claim. You also have to keep the record of your medical bills, which can help you in getting insurance back or get the amount from the opposite party.

Have a thorough police check of the accident site

Whenever you file a case against the opposite party, the Judge needs proof for your claim. The best proof you can present is the police report generated for the accident site. After accident police get a thorough examination of the site and investigate from the people on the spot. And from that, they prepare a report on who is responsible for the accident. In case, you are the real victim you can easily claim for the loss you have suffered from the opposite part. Try to keep yourself in senses and remember everything that happened before and after the accident.

Hire an attorney

A legal representative can help you better in getting out of such a troublesome situation. So, you have to hire the best attorney with experience in dealing with such cases. There are several attorneys and lawyers providing services for roadside accidents. They will give you thorough information on how can you get the maximum amount for your loss. They also know how much amount and relief you will get from your condition.

Make a sensible and timely claim

Never delay in putting a claim for your loss. There are rules and regulations on the basis of which you are given your claim. California state has its own rules and regulation that apply to car and vehicle accidents. The law states that minimum insurance coverage for the vehicle are;

$15000 on the death or injury of one person
$30000 on the death or injury of more than one person
$5000 in case of damage to property

California law requires the motorist to stay at the sight of an accident until the police don’t arrive, in case no one received a severe injury. You have to report within 10 days of the car accident and go for legal cases, to get the deserved amount. Apart from that in case of property damage, the maximum time for a claim is two years. Once the time period is over, there is no importance of the claim.

Claim for your insurance

If you have insurance registered for your vehicle or having health insurance, this is the right time to get it. Everyone knows that we save money to use them when we need them. In case your vehicle is damaged or you got a severe injury, you can claim for the insurance amount. For that, you have to assure them that the accident was not due to your fault. This amount can give you relief for the time being you recovers and get back to work.

Get medical leave from job

There are some rules and regulations for employees working in a company. You need to have a deep overview of these rules. One of these rules is the medical leave you get while anyone in your family is sick. You might not be aware but, you can also take the same medical leave for yourself. In case of severe injury, you can also take 12 weeks of unpaid leave. While your job is secured, you can use your savings and insurance amount in the meanwhile till you start the job again.

Work from home

If you can’t go to work, there are several other options to get money. One of these options is to work from home. If your job was to keep a record of files, then you can do the job from home too till you don’t get back to work. Apart from that if you have lost your job, you can do freelancing. There are several websites where you can open your account and offer your services for a reasonable amount.

Rent a room

You can also make money by giving room in your house or apartment on rent. It will not make you financially dependent on anyone else. Many people want accommodation at affordable rates, so if you have a spare place at your home utilize it for some earning.

Factors to Keep in Mind When Hiring an Electrician

By

Daniela Meyer

-

July 18, 2020

In order to meet the electrical emergencies of your house, you should hire a reliable and reputed electrician. One thing to keep in mind here is that electrical faults may lead to disastrous consequences if handled carelessly. So, if you are in need of small electronic repairs and maintenance in your house, then it is essential to hire an electrician and get the job done by the hands of professionals to avoid any such out of control situations and dangers. If you hire someone unreliable, then you may have to suffer electrical faults which can cause fire accidents.

Some of the aspects to keep in mind when selecting an electrician are mentioned below:

Professionalism: If an electrician doesn’t have a certain level of professionalism, then he will never be able to yield good service. You can always tell from the actions of the electrician if he is professional or not. A professional electrician will take his job with great seriousness and concern and make you feel important right from the first day. They will interact with you for every query and would have the right attitude towards their task.

Qualifications: A reliable and qualified electrician will have the required certifications and accreditation from the relevant communities and authorities. As electricity work involves a lot of risk, hiring someone unqualified for the task will not be right for you.

It is advised to enquire about their certification and qualification before getting started with the task. When you work with a proficient electrician, you can be assured about getting the correct value for your money.

Experience: Apart from talking about their qualification and professionalism, you should also look out for the experience they possess in this field. Selecting an inexperienced electrician may bring you a lot of risks. A trained and skilled electrician will offer reliable, good quality service.

An experienced electrician should have 3 years of job experience and should make continuous endeavors and effort to enhance their skills via extra training, education, and webinar sessions. You can find out more about their services through the unbiased customer reviews mentioned online.

Affordability: Being charged extra for electrical services isn’t justified. Hence, you should do a comparative study of the prices offered by different electricians and then make a final decision. However, during the selection procedure, don’t go for a low-quality service provider, or else you will compromise your service quality.

Insurance: A good and experienced electrician will always be insured. As it is a risky line of service, hence, anything can happen. So, it is suggested to choose someone who is licensed as well as insured. It removes all the liabilities from the homeowner.

References: Before you appoint anyone for your electrical repair, make sure you ask the contractor for a list of references. It will help you to know about the electrician in detail from their past clients. If you come to know that a past client has had a great experience from a particular electrician, then chances are you will too. You can also seek references from your friend and relatives.

Training: going for electricity repair and air conditioning service could be a big investment; hence you should hire the one with good expertise and training in the field. Ask questions related to them and then hire an air conditioning electrician. When you hire someone with good training and experience, then you will reap its benefits and receive top quality services.

However, if you are planning to choose an air conditioning service to survive the scorching summers, then below here are some of the points to keep in mind:

Select a reputed, reliable and licensed air conditioning service

The installation of an air conditioner requires abilities in electrical as well as refrigeration. It doesn’t matter what unit you have got, if it is not installed properly, it will not function efficiently. Electricians who are licensed to install air conditioning require a new set of qualifications and accreditation. Make sure you enquire about the quote. Also, seek the license of the electrician working on the air conditioning. You can check out epph.co.uk for reliable service.

Size is important

Choosing the right size air conditioner for your room enhances the efficiency of the unit. A small air conditioner in a big room will not function well and vice versa. Also, you may have to face hefty electricity bills. A normal bedroom requires 80 watts of power every square meter and a living room requires 125 watts per square meter.

Every unit isn’t created same

When you talk about air conditioners, just like any other purchases, you will get what you pay for. If you think it is just an air conditioner and as long as it blows cold air, they are all the same, but this is wrong! Lower quality unit will lead to a low lifespan which means you will have to get it replaced after a few years. Another issue which a bad quality air conditioner can cause is low of energy efficiency. A low rating air conditioning will use more power. So, before you buy it is important to consult the seller about which unit you should go for to keep your cost down.

Energy efficacy

With living cost so high, the cost of running an air conditioner has never been more essential. Selecting a unit with a high energy efficacy rating is a great way to keep the expenses down. The release of inverter technology air conditioners has helped a lot in lowering the costs by around 30%. Energy efficacy can be detected by star rating and air conditioner can get as high as 10 stars. The higher the rating, the more will be your saving. Efficient unit help to create sustainability for your future.

With these tips, you can get a good air conditioner for your home or business place. Hire a good electrician to get it installed and enjoy amazing cooling in hot summers.