Tips for Small Businesses

Are you ready to launch a small business? Every business that’s launched actually starts out small – the trick is to grow them into larger enterprises. Provided you’ve developed a product or service that meets a market need, you’ve got the most important component covered. There are so many online tools available to help small businesses address a multitude of different needs. Follow these recommendations from successful businessmen to ensure the launch of your small business is a success. Prepare to work harder and smarter than ever for potentially a greater reward than ever.
Start with the basics. Create a sound business plan outlining product development and delivery needs, start-up costs, marketing and sales components and operations components.  Even if you’re not seeking outside investors or bank loans, everyone must have a plan to follow if they intend to succeed. This is truly a necessary component of building a small business.



Most small businesses struggle with cash flow during their start-up phase. Having payables due and invoices that are thirty and sixty days outstanding can wreak havoc on any well laid plans. One great solution is to take advantage of the awesome deals offered by Groupon coupons and offer your customers the ability to pay with their credit cards immediately using  Intuit-GoPayment systems. By requesting clients to pay with their credit cards upon delivery of your products or servicing by swiping their credit card through your custom Go Payment port, you can have the proceeds of the sale in your account within days instead of months. This can make a huge impact on cash flow. The system will also allow you to keep track of incoming payments and link to your booking software for a truly seamless payment system.
Developing a custom website should be the anchor of your marketing campaign. There are a multitude of online sites that offer free templates for websites. Create your logo, describe your company and mission, feature your products and services and include basic contact information. Carry this logo onto all printed materials. You have now completed the first steps of branding your company. As you convert prospect to clients, keep you promises, commit to operating with the highest ethics, keep an eye on costs and your company will succeed!


The technology that is now in use by professional advertising and marketing companies online can be harnessed by businesses to generate a greater awareness and interest in their products and services. If you were only to rely on the traditional methods of reaching out to your target market, the potential to boost trade would not be as great than if utilizing the power of the web. What's more, the internet offers the possibility to put information across to a niche audience in a way that is inherently affordable and innovative.



You may be curious to learn about how you can get information about your company displayed online in search engines and third party websites. A good place to start would be to actual provide details of your company to search engine business directories. This can often be done for free and takes very little time.

If you do not have a website, this is a situation that will have to change. You should not think that a web presence is only for those companies that have a national or even international audience. Today, a large number of consumers go online to perform local searches, this has replaced the old fashioned methods of using a cumbersome business directory or searching in the classified section of community newspapers.

Save Money on Car Insurance

If you own a car, you probably have car insurance. It’s one of those “must-haves” for all car owners, not only for your own safety, but for the safety of your car. But what most people don’t realise is all insurers are different which means they all come with a different price tag. The problem is there are so many car insurers out there it can get overwhelming trying to choose the right one. It’s not like choosing a dress or shopping for shoes; car insurance isn’t exactly fun. But it is fun saving money on car insurance so you can go out and buy that dress and those shoes, so here are some tips on how to save money on your car insurance.


What’s it Really Worth
While you might love your car unconditionally, unfortunately that doesn’t add any value to your car. It’s important you know the exact value of your car so you don’t pay more than you should on premiums. Even though the insurer’s website recommends your car is worth a specific amount, the premiums you eventually will be paying will reflect this value. This can be over- or undervalued so make sure you know the exact value of your car so you can pay the right premiums.

Shop Around
This is the most important tip. If you settle on the first insurance policy that lands in your lap, you’re probably going to be paying too much in premiums. There are a bunch of different car insurance comparison websites, so utilise them when trying to find a car insurer.

It’s also a good idea to call around to the insurance companies and ask what the excess would be if you had an accident. Some insurance policies can be up to 50 per cent more expensive for no apparent reason.


Combine Insurances
If you have a house, car, motorbike, and boat, you should choose an insurance provider that will happily combine all your insurance policies which will in turn give you a lower premium. This also includes your health insurance and any additional insurance policies you might have. Unless you are dealing with a car insurance only company, most insurers will offer a combined quote for all your insurance policies. This will also streamline the process if you need to make a claim and deal with the company as you will know the process for the next claim.

Whether you have a convertible car, sports car, family car or van, it’s important you have the right insurance to suit your needs. As with anything you sign up for, make sure you read the fine print so you know exactly what you’re getting into.
Julie works on behalf of UniTrust Insurance, a Perth business insurance company in Dubai specialising in insurance.

Car tyre fitting: Should you fit the new set on the front or rear?

Most of the cars nowadays offer front wheel drive and with this particular driving style, front tyres bear most of the strain, working twice as hard as the rear axle. Tractive, cornering, steering and most of the braking forces are transmitted via front wheels whereas most of the vehicles carry their weight over the front axle due to centre placement of the heavy engines and transmission components.


Let’s assume that vehicle’s geometry coincide with manufacturer’s specifications, most of the workload concentration is on the front axle that would wear them quicker than rear tyres. It’s only wasteful and uneconomical replacing all the four tyres just because the front ones have served their predefined tread limit. This is the reason most of the drivers frequently replace front tyres than rear. Let’s have a look at essentials of car tyre fitting so that you’d do it right!

Confused: Which axle the new pair be fitted to?
A vehicle bearing exactly the same size and fitment on the front and rear axle, the easiest and perhaps the most logical way is replacing front tyres. This is perhaps one of the biggest misconception due to quicker wear of front axles and replacing them would only make them last longer. For driver as well as vehicle’s safety, this is totally the wrong thing to do!

On wet tracks, the total amount of grip a tyre has is directly associated to its functionality on a clear surface so that rubber in the tread may come in contact with the road surface without slipping or aquaplaning. The primary groove functions, a tyre tread is dissipating water to the side so that you may ride smoothly.

So it’s obvious that worn tyre tread grooves won’t clear surface water properly as compared to the new set bearing full tread depth. It’s among the basic principles of car tyre fitting!

Why more rear grip than front is better?
For a clear understanding of this mechanism, it’s important to shed light on vehicle dynamics. During cornering, a vehicle typically experiences one of three dynamic states namely; understeer, oversteer and neutral cornering.


Understeer
In this case or condition, tyres on the front axle don’t coincide with the exact axle as prescribed by steering rather they “slide” slightly wide.
 
Oversteer
This particular dynamic is totally opposite of understeer whereas tip/nose of vehicle follows a tighter direction or line than the prescribed steering angle. Lack of rear axle grip causes this!

Neutral handling/cornering
 This is the scenario where nose, tip or direction the vehicle follows the exact line as prescribed by the steering angle.

To manufacture a car with neutral handling especially when it comes to front wheel driving is extremely difficult where weight distribution is also on the anterior.

This is the reason most of the vehicle manufacturers build with natural understeer due to its safer handling characteristic.

In case a vehicle understeers (sliding widely in a corner), assume maximum front grip hasn’t been achieved or exceeded yet. Here, addition of steering angle would corner the vehicle safely.

Conclusion
From expert’s perspective, new car tyre fitting must be performed to the rear.

Antigua & Barbuda: 14 amazing facts you should know!

Antigua and Barbuda are the two stunning islands in the Caribbean. Of the both, Antigua takes the lead when tourism is concerned as it boasts charming village, monuments bearing distinct English accent and amazing sites to explore history of the islands. On the contrary, Barbuda is a star pick when it comes to flora and fauna along the coastal areas,


Antigua and Barbuda served as a refuge for pirates and sailors who left their footprint in the culture and many traditions practiced even today. All things considered, if you’ve a valid Antigua and Barbuda passport, make the most of upcoming summer vacations by flying to the place but for now, let’s have a look at some amazing facts.


  1. Nearest countries are other island nations that includeSt. Kitts and Nevis, French territory of Guadeloupe, Dominica and British regions of Anguilla and Montserrat.
  2. Total area of Antigua and Barbuda is 442 square kilometres that’s 171 square miles.
  3. Official language is English and total population of both islands is approximately 92,300.
  4. Among the both, Antigua is largest encompassing 281 square kilometres whereas Barbuda covers more or less 161 square kilometres.
  5. St. John’s is the largest city and official capital of Antigua and Barbuda. It’s located on the North-western coast of Antigua and a commercial hub with a country’s main seaport.
  6. Both Antigua and Barbuda are low-lying islands of which terrains are encompassed more by limestone formation instead of volcanic activity.
  7. The highest point is Mount Obama formerly known as the Boggy Peak. It’s remnant of a volcanic crater that rises to approximately 1320 feet above the sea level.
  8. The name Boggy Peak was renamed on August 4th, 2009 after the former American President’s birthday on the very day, none other thanBarack Obama.
  9. There aren’t any permanent lakes and rivers of significant size on the island nation. There’re however a few streams formed after mild to moderate rainfall.
  10. With a valid Antigua and Barbuda passport, you can explore the amazing shorelines boasting amazing beaches, lagoons and natural harbours. Islands are rimmed by shoals and reefs with special guided tour to the areas.
  11. The country is dubbed “The Land of 365 Beaches” because you can visit one beach per day for the entire year and have different experiences.
  12. The South-western coast of Barbuda with its Pink Sand Beach is among the beautiful natural attractions of all. The name comes after the champagne-coloured sand that glows in sunlight due to crushed corals spread all across.
  13. On extreme south of Antigua are English Harbour; a natural port and settlement that takes its name after the Royal Navy that established its headquarters on this spot during the 18th century.
  14. Explore Fort James with Antigua and Barbuda passport which was originally constructed by the British in 18th century to guard St. John’s harbour.

Conclusion
There’re many other amazing facts surrounding Antigua and Barbuda but it’s better to explore the island nation on your own and discover the best.