Category: Business

  • Quarantine Survival Kit At Home And Remote Workers [Complete Guide]

    Quarantine Survival Kit At Home And Remote Workers [Complete Guide]

    Are you stuck at home with the government-imposed lockdown? Or maybe, you are self-quarantine at home? Don’t worry, I was forced to be at home in April 2020 when the Malaysian government improved a strict movement control (essential travel restriction with a 10 kilometre radius). That’s when I decided to start my self quarantine survival kit.

    “​Important note: Everything will not be normal when you are staying in one place for a long time. Keeping stock of the right (and essential) products will keep you sane … at the very least.”

    Here’s my survival kit during a home quarantine.

    What should be included in a home quarantine survival kit?

    Home quarantine is one of the most common forms of quarantine. This happens when the state you in is imposing a lockdown (either full or partial). Here are the top items you need to have in your survival kit.

    Reliable Laptop

    I’m a stay at home dad who works using the Internet. Therefore, having a reliable laptop is critical for my personal financial survival!

    When you are quarantined at home, you can either opt to work from home (if your company permits) or find some small business ideas to generate cash during this downtime. As I had been working online since 2004, I had created multiple income streams using the Internet, thus, having a good laptop is critical.

    Self-isolation, quarantine or movement restriction may last longer than most of us expect—so, be ready for the new normal!

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    Strong Internet Connection

    The best laptop is not useful when you have an unreliable Internet connection. Get a good Internet connection and you should well be working properly at home (or watching Netflix).

    Cookies

    I’m not going to lie to you. Staying at home (like 24 hours a day) for 3 months can really make a person go crazy. I stock up cookies at home to ensure that I could enjoy the snacks at any time of the day.

    On-Demand Movies

    Yup, you hear me loud and clear. I’m guilty of spending 2 hours a day with movies. Hey, I work 5 hours a day and I strongly believe in work-life balance.

    Subscribing to on-demand movies are great ways to stay sane and have a good time at the comfort of your couch.

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    Fresh clothes

    One of the most important quarantine kits is to have a nice range of fresh clothes. There is nothing better than wearing clean clothes at home!

    During my time quarantine, I prepare 10 sets of clothing that I could rotate and use. And trust me on this—wearing fresh clothes during quarantine is the best single thing you can do to make you feel good!

    A Loaded Credit Card

    Shopping during lockdown used to be challenging in the past but thanks to technology, online shopping is no longer an expensive experience. With a loaded credit card, you can easily do shop at home and get the items delivered to you the next working day.

    In Malaysia, we have Shopee and Lazada which offer next day delivery. If you are in the United States or in Europe, there are Amazon and eBay to start with!

    What should be included in a work survival kit?

    A work survival kit is slightly different from a home survival kit. A work survival kit will include work-related tools to help you be more productive at work, even when you are working remotely.

    Productivity Apps

    Productivity apps help me to be more productive on a daily basis. These apps help me to order things I need to do on a daily basis.

    Some of the best productivity apps are:

    RescueTime App

    RescueTime is a cool time tracking app I used recently. This tool tracks my activities and how many times I visit a specific website or task either on mobile or desktop.

    RescueTime is a free to use app and if you need more features, there’s a paid version that you can subscribe to either on a monthly or yearly basis.

    ​Click here to try RescueTime for free!

    Encrypted USB Drive

    If you are working for a large organization, using an encrypted USB drive is an important tool to stay safe from hackers and keeping relevant content away from everyone easy access.

    If you are looking for a good encrypted USB drive, here are some of the best I recommend you to use.

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    Office Wear

    Working remotely is the ‘new normal’ when it comes to post-Covid19. However, do you know that you can keep yourself from negative distraction when working at home just by wearing office wear?

    Gift Basket

    If your team is working remotely during self-quarantine, sending gift basket to your peers and colleagues are great moves to build bonds. After all, everyone loves gifts, right?

    Gift Card

    If sending gift basket isn’t your style, sending gift card is also a good move. Last month, I send some gift cards over to my clients as a gesture of appreciation. This helps to create a positive relationship between you and your clients!

    What’s Your Quarantine Survival Kit?

    Now, it is your turn. What’s your favorite quarantine survival kit? Tell me in the comments below and let’s discuss further!

  • How You Can Easily Make Logo Online With DesignEvo

    How You Can Easily Make Logo Online With DesignEvo

    Brand awareness is on the rise. A good-looking logo is often impressive. For example, the Apple logo is an apple that has been bitten. The Nike logo is presented in a swoosh. What if you need to make a good-looking and impressive logo? DesignEvo is a practical logo tool that allows you to design a good-looking logo without hiring a designer.

    What is DesignEvo?

    DesignEvo is a logo design software developed by PearlMountain. This software allows everyone to handle logo design easily and get the best design experience.

    DesignEvo’s Key feature in briefly:

    • 10,000+ Logo templates are available for reference
    • More than one million searchable icons
    • Hundreds of file fonts and shapes to choose from
    • Powerful editing tools: crop, resize, rotate, layer management, copy, cancel/redo, etc.
    • Most Element in the template could be edited

    To have a better user experience, you might need to register a DesignEvo account.

    Register Account

    DesignEvo account registration is straightforward, as long as you use your Facebook or Google account to log in. Even if the registration is completed, of course, you can also enter your email and password to register. After registration, you will be asked about your group identity and occupation and a confirmation will be sent. Register to the email address you filled in. After verification, press the “Free Design Logo” button to start your design.

    And since you have registered the account, and click Make a Logo,  then you would be directed to the logo selecting page. So here, you can choose a template to customize. Also you can start from scratch.

    Choose a template

    Choose A Template With DesignEvo

    Choose A Template With DesignEvo

    Designing a logo from scratch is a headache for the average person, and DesignEvo provides intimately and categorizes more than 10,000 templates. Just select the template according to the theme you want to create and start designing your own logo.

    The operation guideline

    When entering the editing page, DesignEvo will jump out of the guide interface to guide the icons and fonts you can use and the location of the download button after the design is completed.

    Add icon

    Click the Icon tab on the left bar, and some popular search icons will be displayed. Click one of the sample: Circle circles to have many styles for you to choose. Tap and hold the desired icon and pull it to the right You can add icons in the editing window, and you can set the color of the icon, horizontal and vertical flip and transparency, and you can zoom in or out.

    Choose font

    Choose A Font With DesignEvo

    Choose A Font With DesignEvo

    How can a good-looking Logo get fewer fonts, DesignEvo has hundreds of fonts, including Classic and Art, to choose from, click the text on the left side to find the font you like, then select the text in the editing window Then press the font you like on the left.

    Add shape

    The operation of adding a shape is the same as adding an icon. Select the shape you want and add it. It is also a good choice to put a beautiful frame on it.

    Choose background

    If you think the set background is not good for your logo, then you can consider changing the background too.

    Download your logo

    After going through the above difficulties, the logo is finally designed. Finally, press the green download button on the upper right to download the file back, but the free version only provides 300 x 300 size and transparent background image files to download. If the pixel is bigger, you need to buy the paid version, and if you want to apply for a trademark or copyright, you should purchase the Plus plan.

    To sum up

    The advancement of technology makes people more and more convenient. In the past, designing a logo required spending money to ask an art designer to design. Now DesignEvo is really convenient. Go to the website and simply edit the logo to get. The free version is easy to use if you want to use it for yourself. However, if you have a large image output, it is better to buy a basic package to download a large-size image.

    The logo represents the brand symbol of your personal or company identification. If you have a budget, please ask the graphic designer to design. If you don’t have too much budget, consider using DesignEvo.

  • Language Learning Tips For Non-English Speaking Students

    Language Learning Tips For Non-English Speaking Students

    Studying in a university or college of an English speaking country is a dream for many students around the world. Lots of people from different countries make this dream come true every year. Universities of the USA, Great Britain, or Australia are hospitable and always ready to provide an international education seeker with an opportunity. It has got many indisputable advantages, like:

    • Good career perspectives;

    • The highest level of given knowledge and competence;

    • An opportunity to dip into a new culture and to make many international friendships;

    • An option to become the most wanted employee in the homeland or a state of studying.

    However, there is one problem that is waiting for every international student: everybody will expect your perfect command of the English language, both written and spoken. The issue of making the English language better will never lose importance. That is why we have decided to make this tiny post with some tricks and tips about learning English and its proper usage while you study. Who are we? We are an international academic service called DoMyPapers. Find us to find the only adequate answer to the question, “Where can I pay for my assignment to get it done quickly and perfectly?” The best writers are ready to lend you a helping hand during your international studies. 

    How to Study English Properly for Being a Good Student?

    Your future occupation, specialization, and department do not matter when it comes to using English to study. You are likely to face such assignments as essays, coursework, speeches, tests, etc. In other words, you will be obliged to pass through some creative work that requires a broad knowledge of general English and its peculiarities. How to improve the situation?

    1. Read a lot of different books and pieces of literature. The more books, journals, stories, popular blog posts, and newspapers you read, the better you know how professionals use their language. In our age of the Internet, it is easier than you think. For your studies, you must know the differences between different English styles, how and where to apply them properly. 

    2. Focus on grammar. You may not know all the English words, but you must understand the proper rules of sentence building and word formation. Mistakes in tenses, plural forms of the nouns, prepositions, participles, etc. will put your poor knowledge to the spotlight. Get an excellent textbook and pay much attention to grammar, as it is difficult to comprehend it only from “natural” speaking.

    3. Get yourself a lexical and synonymic dictionary, where you can when and where a particular word can be applied. The English language is one of the richest in the world. Due to its international nature, a large number of roots, and a significant number of people speaking it, English has got lots of polysemantic words and notions that can be conveyed by lots of words. Some of them are appropriate for everyday use, and some are not. Proper word choice is one of the main features that distinguish language styles. Without background that every native speaker has, you need the dictionaries for basis. 

    4. Try to dip yourself into the language environment. Being abroad, try avoiding your mother tongue as much as possible. Refuse reading your native authors, turn off a TV or radio channel for the foreigners, forget about your native segment of the Internet. Surround yourself with the English language even if you can barely understand a word. Literally, in one week, you will feel the situation getting better. In several months, you will be able to understand the meaning of the information. 

    Make some friends among native English speakers. You can do it, as you can hardly find a person not interested in communication with a person originating from the other culture. Having a friend who can correct your spelling or understanding a complicated word or phrase is a significant advantage.

    What Do You Need to Avoid When You Study and Apply English?

    Unfortunately, a lot of international students common mistakes that spoil their skills and make them look strange. Here are some things that you should avoid facing the application of the English language:

    • Do not use too many idioms. Many people love English idioms for being picturesque and exciting. They love learning them by heart and putting them everywhere. Phrases are not ordinary happening in the majority of the English language styles. Even in colloquial language, people are not likely to use them.

    • Watch your pronunciation. Yes, in English, the phonetic rules are very complicated and strange. Many words with the same syllables sound differently. However, a good accent will help you to make a good impression and help other people understand you. In your studying, this feature is a must. 

    • Do not make yourself a scheme. Develop your English studies and try different approaches and tricks. Try writing little texts, hire a tutor, participate in a debate club. Be as liberal towards methods and hungry for new challenges as you can. Do not limit yourself to get all-embracing command of English.

    Learning English is difficult. However, the final result is worth trying. The first language is not only your way to be a successful student but a way to get a reputation for an intelligent and developed personality. Keep our tips in mind, and do not hesitate to use them. Show some diligence, and the results will not make you wait for too long.

    Charles Backman is an academic writer who willing to help students with their academic writing troubles. Only a few years ago, Charles was sitting behind a desk, and he knows pretty well how it is to be a student. Having passed this way, Charles is ready to share their knowledge with those who are still struggling.

  • Technological Innovations That Have Transformed Business

    Technological Innovations That Have Transformed Business

    Technological innovation has been the driving force behind business throughout history but advancements in the last two decades have really transformed the way businesses operate. Online services, communications, and software are an integral part of every one of our business operations and have enabled big companies to fully synchronize their multiple business locations. Even small businesses use an enormous amount of technology in their day to day operations that would have been unthinkable in previous years. In this article, we explore three of the most innovative technological developments that have transformed modern businesses.

    1. Cloud-Based Digital Signage

    Digital signage has a huge number of benefits for all kinds of businesses and organizations as they can be used as digital menus, to advertise products and services, to create a seasonal atmosphere or announce upcoming events, and especially to advertise new promotions or sales. Traditionally, shops, restaurants, bars, and other establishments would just use paper posters or banners to announce special deals and promotions but digital signs displayed on giant monitors provide far more effective messaging. Whilst these have been around for a few years, businesses with multiple monitors or even multiple locations are now using cloud-based services to synchronize all their digital signs. This has opened up a huge number of avenues that were previously closed to businesses. 

    To understand how it works, consider the Black Friday Sales. Previously, retail businesses would have had to prepare all of the promotional material weeks in advance in order to get it designed, printed, distributed to the various stores which would then have had to be decorated. The experts at www.yodeck.com/raspberry-pi explained that with the introduction of cloud storage linked to digital signage devices, businesses can upload a huge range of multimedia advertising material, seasonal branding, and eye-catching promotional banners, and with just the click of a button, display it on all the monitors in every one of their stores. Not only does this save a huge amount of time and money, but it also enables businesses to instantly change from one promotion or season to the next without a massive overhaul of each individual store.

    2. Web Conferencing Technology

    Web conferencing technology has totally transformed the way that businesses communicate with their clients, employees, and business partners. Modern companies use web conferencing technology to hold international or inter-organizational meetings, to conduct training programs simultaneously in multiple locations, and to host webinars and workshops. Whilst major corporations have been using web conferencing for quite a few years, the CoronaVirus Pandemic made the use of web conferencing widespread amongst companies of all sizes and areas of business. In every country in the world, companies were forced to shut their offices and their employees tasked to work from home, and web conferencing provided an ideal solution for companies to stay operational whilst lockdown and social distancing measures were in place. 

    It is often difficult to predict which technological innovations will become mainstream, particularly in business applications, but it seems very likely now that the success of web conferencing during the CoronaVirus Pandemic will lead to a major shift in business culture. Many businesses were previously skeptical about whether levels of productivity could be sustained if the majority of their employees were operating from home, but it seems inevitable that this will become more and more common in the coming years.

    3. Automated Warehouse Systems

    The incredible rise of Amazon and other enormous e-commerce companies has revolutionized the world of retail. These days as much as 25% of all purchases are made online and that percentage is increasing every year. Whilst Amazon is often criticized for the working conditions in its warehouses, these criticisms may eventually become irrelevant as automated warehouse systems are becoming increasingly popular and widely used. 

    These warehouses totally cut out any need for humans at any stage of the retail process chain. The customer chooses their products online, the retail company’s computer systems identify which of their warehouses is closest or most convenient to ship the product to the customer, and then the product is packed by robots. For now, at least, the product still has to be delivered to the customer by a human delivery driver, but this may change in the future with the development of driverless vehicles.

    The advancements that are being made in every area of technology are truly incredible and there is no aspect of our lives that aren’t constantly being affected by innovation. Technology has become such an integral part of our businesses that even small companies rely heavily on it for advertising, communications, and orders. As technology becomes more and more advanced, it is fascinating to predict how the face of business will change as we move into this new decade. 

  • 4 Alternative Investments Investors and Analysts Should Know

    4 Alternative Investments Investors and Analysts Should Know

    Alternative investments have been on the rise and have become popular. Any investor and financial analyst would understand that traditional investment assets are cash in stocks and cash in bonds. They earn money through interest payments, dividends, or appreciation. Interest payments are usually gained from loans, where the interest would be the amount earned by the moneylender. Dividends are payments made to investors by private businesses that an investor may have shares or equity in.

    Appreciation here refers to the increase in asset value. In general investing in securing your money with the expectation of having a benefit in the future. Experts are now telling you there are other ways to invest your money. If you are a high profile investor then you might consider having alternative options to invest in your money. 

    Alternative investments, allow investors and analysts to diversify their financial portfolios. These investments could be in assets that are tangible or financial assets or private equity. Let’s have a look at these alternative investment methods:

    Arts and Wine

    Investing in the Art Industry has become one of the hottest investments in the world of business. And this proves that art can do more than just making a living or a working space aesthetic. Collectors of art like paintings or sculptures purchase these pieces along with the goal of adding investment to their personal accounting portfolio. Like traditional investments in bonds or stocks, the value of an art piece increases.

    If the artist responsible for a certain piece of artwork that you invested in advances in his career and becomes successful, your investment will definitely grow because the cash value of his works will increase. Art investment is long-term, so you should be a patient investor. 

    Similarly, wine investment focuses on the acquisition of products whose value increases over time. In this kind of investment, you are keeping purchased wine bottles and selling them in due time at a higher price. In deciding to invest in wines, you need to understand more details about the type of wine that you are investing in. Bear in mind that wines that have higher value are those that are rare or vintage.

    Hedge Funds

    Similar to other types of investment funds, such as mutual funds, hedge funds are a pool of investments from a limited number of investors. The investments are being managed by an investment manager who decides carefully and wisely where to invest the funds. This type of funds lets the investors engage into multiple assets and complex groups. While this type is known to have high returns, the rise of these funds is usually associated with bull markets found in the United States. Investors who can afford this, however should be cautious because not all are volatile and high-risk. Overall, hedge funds’ target is to minimize the risks and maximize profits. 

    Peer-to-Peer Loans

    During the past years, investors were looking for another way of investing because of the fact that savings and bonds continued to be a disappointment due to the slow market value growth. Until a wide range of opportunities were brought about by P2P lending, a new alternative and yield-seeking type of investment.

    This is differentiated from bank loans because in the process, the middle man, which is “ the bank” in the traditional bank loan processes, is no longer involved. Rather than people investing their funds in a bank, they directly invest through a loan that is usually taken by money borrowers on p2p platforms. So when a borrower decides to apply for a loan from a peer-to-peer platform, the information from these platforms is given to investors, and this is where the investor decides where to invest in.

    Cryptocurrency

    Cryptocurrencies have been pretty much a hot topic in discussion over the past year. We have always heard stories of people who became millionaires over the night and on the other side people who have also lost big amounts of money who tried the risk of investing in cryptocurrencies.

    If you are a smart investor, this alternative way can be profitable for you. To make a profit, you need to have a thorough research about it as well as the coins. If you have the proper knowledge, especially knowing more about the coins, then, you will know where to invest your money. Don’t just decide based on what other people talk about, but you need to be careful not just to gamble just to earn money. Making money in the crypto market is not a simple play, you will need patience and all the knowledge to be able to succeed with whatever decision you have.

    With all these mentioned alternatives to investing, any investor should be very careful enough with making the right choice of where to invest. It is true that having alternative ways can make your portfolio keep earning for financial gains. You just need to make sure that this will be ready to take the risk and accept the fact that these can be longer terms of investing. You can always seek help and guidance from your financial adviser where needed.

    Related read: Best tips you should know before investing in cryptocurrency.

  • Advertising Through Custom Vehicle Wraps: How Effective Is It?

    Advertising Through Custom Vehicle Wraps: How Effective Is It?

    Creativity is something you need in order to have immense success in your business. Even without the help of online marketing and modern advertising, people have been so creative in promoting their brand and letting their business known to a great number of people in the population. One of the simplest, most cost-efficient ways is custom vehicle wraps that are proven to increase brand exposure. It is the perfect solution for you especially if your business will profit from the local exposure you will gain through this kind of advertisement.

    No matter where you are, you must have seen a vehicle with graphics all around it, promoting a product and with ways to get in touch with the provider or business. Even if you didn’t bother to get the details, it might have left an impression on you that the next time you see the car, it will be all too familiar. ​

    Consequently, it can be something that will pop in your mind when a need arises so you would pay more attention to its details the next time you see it. It seems so simple but this type of classic advertisement can boost your business and open up a lot of opportunities for you. 

    What is a Vehicle Wrap

    A vehicle wrap is also known as wrap advertising. It has been hugely popular especially before the internet was widely and commonly used. Initially, people designed trains to distinguish their locomotives and railcars from other companies. They painted first their own name and company logo. This idea has then been adopted by busses wherein they were turned into mobile billboards that allowed its passengers to still see out using see-through graphics. The most noteworthy milestone that launched wrap vehicles as a form of advertisement is when a large cola company used it to promote their drink.

    Vehicles bearing its name and logo were everywhere and the product grew larger with the help of small businesses and the direct exposure it impacted its consumers. Vinyl was seen as the best material because it allows the vehicle to be wrapped while leaving the surface underneath unscathed. There were still challenges initially especially with the application of vinyl but as technology improved, the material can now be easier to install and even reposition when needed. 

    Effectiveness of Wrap Vehicle Advertising

    Wrap advertising is one of the cheapest ways of doing advertising. Research has found out that vehicle advertising can generate an impression of up to 70,000 because of how effective this strategy is. They work all the time, they get exposed to people and they even work even when they are just parked somewhere. The larger vehicles would need large format graphics to better get in touch with people who are going to see it.

    They are also more effective in getting the attention of more people than the most common billboards. This is the reason why small business owners that operate locally can really benefit from this type of advertisement, contrary to the common belief that only big companies are able to do this. And even if you don’t own a car or a fleet, you can rent out cars and trucks where you can paint your advertisement.

    The quality of commercial graphics affects greatly the attitude of people towards the product and the company. It is also considered to be one of the most effective home advertisements which means that it can reach more homes than other types.

    How to Customize a Vehicle Wrap

    The most important factor you need to start with any project first is to get to know the vehicle you are working on. Since it would require that you get the right measurements and dimensions, you need to make sure that the technical aspect is taken care of accurately. Start by determining how large you want the wrap would be and what parts of the vehicles you want to be covered. The best areas are the sides and the front because these are the largest and most visible to the people. You can also wrap the whole vehicle or go for a more minimalist approach.  The most important thing is that you include the most important details like the company name, product name, contact number, address, and even special promotions you have. 

    The image you will put on the car is another story. Here, you have to ensure that you only aim for the highest quality in terms of image resolution and design. You can enlist a professional graphic designer to do this for you. Make sure that the colors are striking but not too much and that the details of the company and product stand out. Since this is still commonly done today, make sure that your advertisement will have an edge against other competitors.

    You can also try for a more modern way like putting witty ads that will surely make people pay more attention. Your main goal here is to make people look at your vehicle wrap because that establishes the first engagement with them. Let the magic work its way as time passes by and as more and more people are reached.

    Other Benefits

    Even if you do not own a company or business and work as a creative or freelance, you can use your vehicle to promote your work. This greatly helps in the exposure of your brand, This is especially true for a creative to showcase their art. Furthermore, vehicle wraps are great in protecting the paint of your car so you can be sure that it will preserve the integrity of its surface even when you peel the vinyl away.

    The reason why custom vehicle wraps exist today is because of its proven effectiveness in advertising. It does not just help in piquing the interest of people in the community but also in getting your brand recognized by more people. Aside from being creative, it serves its purpose well while also being one of the most cost-efficient ways to get your business out there.