If you’ve recently started a business, congratulations! If you haven’t even started a business yet, but are looking for great business strategies before you get started, then you’ve come to the right place. The ten suggestions below will provide you with a roadmap as you transform your business idea into a reality.

It isn’t easy to start your own business. A lot of new businesses fail. But if you use the right marketing strategies, save wherever you can, and keep your customers loyal, you have a much better chance of growing as a business. Your business can be improving every day, in many different ways, and you’re determined to take advantage of all of your options. Following are ten ways to grow your own business.

Have a Great Website

When it comes to your online presence, a great website is key. Your website should be easy to navigate, attractive, and answer questions without offering too much information. In other words, go for lots of images and concise wording. Don’t leave out something important like a phone number or business address. Your website will be how a lot of people find you, so make sure it’s full of the right information.  

Use SEO

Besides having a good website, you also need to show up early in the search results. Search engine optimization, or SEO, is key. You may need to hire experts to improve your website with the proper keywords and more. Reaching out to Bambrick Media, a leading provider of SEO services in Brisbane, can help get your business onto its feet and keep you showing up early in Google search results. If you want to take advantage of the internet, and the many people who are searching it, then you should use proper SEO strategy.

Host an Event

You can get into the public eye in a couple of ways, and one is hosting an event. You can be part of a fundraiser for a community need, sponsor a local children’s baseball team, or create an event all your own. The right event will help you make money in the long run, so sell merchandise on the side, or try to host for less. You can look at function rooms for hire in Brisbane to find the perfect space for your event idea.

Save on Equipment

Plenty of businesses use equipment, and all equipment costs money. Whether you’re using cosmetic lasers, a walk-in fridge, or a forklift, the cost of your machinery adds up. When you can, buy your equipment used. If your equipment breaks down, look into repairs before you purchase equipment again. Go local! For instance, any refrigerator repair in Bend, Oregon will save you money, and even the little things add up. Have a penny-pinching mindset when it comes to your entire business.

Prepare Your Taxes

A new business comes with complicated tax details. You may need to consult a tax attorney to make sure your business is preparing for taxes accordingly and legally. A tax attorney in Union, NJ will help you understand what aspects of your business need to be taxed, and in what way. Every business is different, so you should consider consulting a tax attorney as you get started.

Make Passive Income

Besides your regular income stream, your business should open a stream of passive income on the side. You’ll need all the financial resources you can get, so any passive source of income, like an online store, can help your business grow. Every time you sell a digital graphic design pattern online, you didn’t have to pay an employee anything to make it happen. It’s a source of income that doesn’t cost your company.

Improve Customer Loyalty

If your customers love your business, they’ll keep coming back. Plus, happy customers tend to make recommendations to their friends. If you can keep your customers happy and loyal, you’ll experience even greater growth as a business. You can offer your customers special perks like secret coupons or unique promotions. If your customers know you value them, they’ll appreciate your business more.

Consider Franchises

If the first location of your business is doing well, you can consider franchising the business model. Not every business would do well as a business model, but a lot of restaurants, shops, and other small stores make great franchising opportunities. With franchises, you can grow your revenue every year, without personally dealing with the hassle of new employees. If franchises could be an option for you, they’re worth looking into.

Research the Competition

As you grow your business, you need to know what you’re up against. If you’re similar to several other business near you, take a look at their successes and failures. If a similar business isn’t doing well, try to see what they did wrong. If one of your competitors is thriving, take a cue from their business model and tactics. When you know what similar businesses are doing, it can help guide you and show you where you need to stand out.

Look for New Opportunities

As a new business, you can constantly be growing. Don’t limit yourself to the opportunities you’ve taken right now. Instead, stay on the lookout for new business strategies, a second restaurant location, or a new product line to introduce. Like a plant, your business will either be growing or dying; there is no stasis. Keep your business in great shape by constantly finding opportunities to grow.

Starting a business isn’t easy. Keeping it thriving is even harder. If you want to see your business grow from a small idea to a successful venture, start employing these business strategies today. Whether you need a heavier focus on marketing, new ways to save around the office, or a new business opportunity to tie it all together, these ten tips will help grow your business into the company you want. Make good business decisions every day, and soon you’ll see a future transformed by your hard work.

More and more we are seeing a push towards business becoming economically friendly. Whether it be through recycling, using less paper or other creative ways, protecting the environment is becoming a significant factor in running a business. Consumers will event choose an eco-friendly company even if it means spending a bit more money.

As a business owner, finding ways to keep your company on the green path will benefit you in many ways. So if this is something you want to do, here a few a ways to make your business more eco-friendly.

Cut Back on Paper

One of the most straightforward solutions to becoming more eco-friendly is by cutting back on paper. There are multiple different ways of doing this. First, if you tend to mail out documents to customers and clients, consider opting for email instead. Quite often flyers and junk mail end in the trash can. So give your customers the option for email instead.

You can cut back on paper in the office too by recycling internally. How often do you go and print something and it doesn’t come out quite how you need it to? Instead of throwing the paper away, put it into a recycling container for scrap paper. Anyone who needs something to scribble on can reuse the paper.

Use Green and Biodegradable Cleaners

Switching what you clean your business with is another step to take. More and more you will find cleaners made without harsh chemicals. Instead, plant-based cleaners are becoming popular. Not only are these cleaners safer for the environment, but they are also less irritating on your skin and to breathe in.

Update Your Building

If you are ready for a more extreme way of becoming eco-friendly, update and renovate your building. Older buildings more than likely are not built to be eco-friendly. Instead, retrofit the place with economically sustainable updates. Change out the lightbulbs with LED ones. They last longer and use less energy. Update the air exchange and heater with more energy efficient equipment.

If you are currently looking for a new office, for example in the Winnipeg real estate, you want to factor in what you need to do to make the building greener if it is not already. It could influence your decision on where you locate your business.

Watch Your Office Supplies

More and more materials and objects are manufactured out of recycled material. Merely changing the types of office supplies you use is a step towards a green business. When shopping for office supplies (pens, paper towel, almost anything you can think of), look for ones that are made out of recycled material. This will also be a good reminder for employees to keep themselves on the eco-friendly path.

There are many ways to make your business more economically friendly. Depending on what you can afford to do, you can start will little changes and work your way to more drastic ones. Consumers will thank you for making the transition to help protect the environment.

Let’s say you’ve just decided to start your own affiliate marketing business. What are the things to consider? How much do you actually know about affiliate marketing? Which of the latest affiliate marketing-related predictions should you pay attention to? If you’d like to stay on top of your business niche, then spare a few minutes to get more info on how to build a successful affiliate business in 2018. Ready?

Domination of Video and Augmented Reality

The time has come to take a look at the numero uno of the expected key trends in affiliate marketing for 2018 which is video and augmented reality. As you’ve probably noticed by now, out of all content on the Web it is video that has the most powerful impact on users. 

As for augmented reality, it was laid low for a while since its launch back in 2016 but now it seems like technology is ready to see the AR triumphal return.       

The Importance of EPC   

EPC or Earnings Per Click is a metric used to indicate the average earnings per one hundred clicks sent by affiliates to a merchant’s website. It is already a very popular payment method across affiliate networks and the predictions say it’s only going to grow more.

There are several advantages of EPC including a deep insight into the business relationship between affiliates and advertisers, as well as information regarding what is done right and what could be improved. For that reason, those of you with plans related to affiliate marketing may want to consider adopting EPC as a payment model.      

Redirection of Affiliate Networks

Google and Facebook have been trying to decrease the power of affiliate marketing but so far it has endured. The number of affiliate networks is constantly growing and one of the reasons hides behind the rising number of Chinese networks.

“The greater the need, the higher the competition” is the line that could sum up the current condition in online affiliate marketing space. Keep in mind that adequate targeting and sticking to your niche would be the best options for you to keep existing and attract new customers to your business in 2018. 

What are the most competitive and lucrative niches?

So, what is affiliate marketing in the first place? The concept of affiliate marketing allows you, the affiliate, to earn a commission based on products and services you sell or promote on your website for companies or individuals.

That said, knowing which niches are high-competitive might give you a clue about where you could start your affiliate marketing career. Top niches include health affiliate programs, hobby-related businesses, romance and dating, and a super popular wealth niche which covers casino affiliate programs, gambling, lottery, Forex, multi-level marketing and much more.           

eCommerce is on Fire

As time goes by, we are able to witness the enormous influence huge eCommerce sites have on our shopping behavior. People are getting more comfortable with buying and selling stuff online than ever before. In addition to that, the number of available payment options is growing by the minute.

This all leads to further expansion of eCommerce which will also bring more diverse marketing and at the same time a more important role of affiliate marketing in the world of eCommerce.  

Rise of Voice Search

How much do you know about Google Home or Amazon Alexa? Have you tried it already? Google Home is a brand of smart speakers that enables users to speak voice commands, while Amazon Alexa is an intelligent virtual assistant and a cloud-based voice service.

These two have been stunningly popular throughout 2017 which clearly shows there’s a big opportunity for their future use. Given the predictions of general move towards voice search, affiliate marketers will have to adapt and start focusing more on voice search. The sooner they do it the better for them.

Matthew Prendergast, from Jigsaw Escape Rooms based in Ottawa, Ontario, an enterainment business where people get locked in a room and have to figure out how to escape within 45 minutes joins Enterprise Radio.

Listen to host Eric Dye & guest Matthew Prendergast discuss the following:

1. How did Jigsaw Escape Rooms get started?
2. What is an escape room exactly?
3. What types of scenarios do you offer?
4. What tips would you give someone trying to start their own business?
5. What are the pros and cons about owning a small business?

Jigsaw Escape Rooms is an entertainment business that brings family, friends and coworkers together by putting them into a live game. Each game has it’s own theme and scenario, players are given 45 minutes to solve puzzles and put together clues in order to complete the objective before time runs out.

Jigsaw Escape Rooms was established in 2015 by two brothers, Matthew and David Prendergast. Prior to opening Jigsaw, Matthew and David worked at their parents restaurant. Taking their knowledge from running their parents restaurant, they decided to open Jigsaw Escape Rooms.

Website: www.jigsawescape.com

Social Media Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jigsawescape
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jigsawescape

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Vernon Guillermo the CEO of Agile Interoperable Solutions, a company solely dedicated to providing integrative communications technology solutions especially during times of crises joins Enterprise Radio.

Listen to host Eric Dye & guest Vernon Guillermo discuss the following:

1. Please tell us who Agile Interoperable Solutions (AIS) is and what you do?
2. Can you provide an example of when your technology solutions would be deployed and who specifically might use them?
3. How did you develop the business and what opportunity did you see that made you want to get involved in it?
4. How do you go to market to make your target audiences aware of who you are and what you have to offer?
5. As a CEO with an emerging technology to support, what do you believe are the most important things you work on every day?

Agile Interoperable Solutions is a company focused on making communications possible between disparate communications systems, especially in times of crises. The company’s technology solutions make it possible for various authorities with different communications systems to speak seamlessly with one another during such trying times as natural disasters, active criminal situations and other crises.

Vernon Guillermo holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Masters in Engineering Manufacturing Systems with over twenty-five years of professional and global experience. He served as the Co-founder/CEO and COO of INT America, LLC, a Tier I Automotive Supplier of Decorative Tread Plates. Launched in 2007, INT developed into the premier North American market leader of Tread Plates. Vern will be transferring his broad knowledge of engineering, marketing and leadership to leading the AIS team.

Website: www.aisinterop.com

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Anyone who shops often on marketplaces like Amazon or eBay knows that many of the merchants they deal with also have their own personal store online or locally in a brick and mortar shop. Either way, there are a number of benefits to multichannel selling across marketplaces and this is why new merchants are popping up every day. If you are interested in listing your merchandise in various marketplaces, it really pays to understand the benefits of doing so.

Exposure Is the Key Benefit

Even though you have probably spent a lot of time, money and effort building your own website, the truth is that marketing strategies don’t generate tons of traffic overnight. If you are lucky and hit the right keywords with the right amount of competition, you may get high ranking in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) but that takes time as well. 

When you list a variety of your products on marketplaces like Amazon and eBay with literally hundreds of millions of visitors each and everyday around the globe, you get that much more exposure. With a link back to your site and some really great prices and customer service, this exposure could give you rapid growth through that marketplace exposure. This is the number one reason why so many merchants sell on marketplaces.

Marketplaces Are Huge with Affiliate Marketers

Not only can you list your own merchandise on Amazon, for example, but you could open your business up to affiliate marketers. Many of these will also write buying guides like those you see on the Consumer Charts websites that will review and rank your products. Now you not only have your own store selling your products on each of those marketplaces, but you have an affiliate network doing the same thing.

Yes, this all goes back to exposure but in a different way. Not only are you reaching millions of consumers on your own, but those affiliates are reaching countless others as well! Your growth potential is exponential because of this and if you want to create brand awareness, affiliates are a key marketing technique to help you accomplish this much quicker than you ever dreamed possible.

Market Analysis Made Easy

Another wonderful benefit of selling on marketplaces is the way in which a larger audience gives you a better way to analyze your market. One of the key factors of marketing is being able to capture and analyze your market and if you find that your products aren’t selling, even with millions of views monthly, you have a starting point to begin looking at what is going wrong.

The proof is always in the numbers. As you reach a larger audience, you can begin analyzing consumer trends. If it sounds like everything relates to increased exposure, you are probably correct. From discerning if your pricing structure is adequate to whether or not your products are in demand, the greater number of people your reach can help you track consumer trends. Are you looking to grow your business? Marketplaces give you one of the best opportunities to do just that. Of all the benefits, growth potential is the greatest!

It seems like everyone has a blog these days. Blogs to promote their products, their writing, lifestyle,  to complain about the weather, or just share their journey through life. There’s a reason blogs are so popular: they can get the word out about something important to you, and your personal take on it. You can give your blog as much or as little time as you like, though you may find it quite addictive! Most people don’t get much opportunity to hold forth on their favorite topics without fear of interruption or their audience melting away, so this can be your time to shine, or at least get your thoughts out there for someone to find. Blogging can be a great way to get the word out there about your business and to talk about your products or services. People who are passionate about their work can talk at great length about it and can give the world their expert or insider knowledge. With a number of platforms now offering free and user-friendly setup and hosting for your blog, there’s no reason not to.

Blogging for Business:

• Showcases your skills. Self-published authors in particular report great results in reaching a wider audience when they start to spread the word about their writing through blogs and other social media platforms. It’s an opportunity to show people the way you think, the way you write, anything to pique their interest.
• Builds your brand – you can let the world know what you have to offer and get your brand name or your product, service or enterprise out there. Give people visual cues, snappy descriptions, and keyword rich text so that you’ll be the first thing on their mind when they want something you offer.
• Improves your search engine traffic. Giving a little consideration to search engine optimization means you’ll be easy to find. It’s free advertising.
• Improves discipline. You’ll get more hits with regular, timely blog posts, feature higher in search results, and stay fresh in your customers’ minds, so try and organize your time to get blog posts out there.
• Can be tailored. Whatever you offer, there’s a blog that’s just right. You can decide whether it should be very visual; if you produce items that are useful or beautiful, you can show them off, and explain your products and their creation and inspiration. Maybe you work in cutting-edge software technology, in which case you could blog about advances in your field and what that means for the world in general. Consider your target audience – if you make toys or baby products you could focus on things that might interest parents, like lists of gift ideas or some supportive, funny observations about modern parenting.
• Broadens your network. You might find some useful contacts in your area or field of interest – not just consumers and clients, but a group of people who can support you and help your business grow. Maybe you can be part of that support network for someone else, too.

Blogging for Fun:

• Lets you share your passion. You have a captive audience – a blog is not a conversation. It’s your take on the world and your chance to say everything you want, without interruptions. If your work is your passion then so much the better, both for your blog and for enjoying your life!
• Can get you positive feedback; everyone loves a pat on the back. It’s an absolutely lovely feeling to get a bit of positive feedback from someone who likes what you do. And they’ll tell their friends… and they’ll tell their friends…
• Can find your friends around the globe – instant, worldwide communication means bringing together people who would never meet in the outside world but who might just have a lot in common. Or maybe you’ll meet people with whom you don’t yet have anything at all in common, but who you can share new interests and experiences with, introducing each other to new things. These can be part of your business network, or might just be someone you think you’d like.

Blogging for a Better You:

• Isn’t just fun, isn’t just business, but the enrichment of your knowledge as you find yourself broadening your field of research to write with authority on your chosen subjects. The odd scholarly reference doesn’t go amiss – people love statistics.
• Improves your critical thinking, language and communication skills. Some of us haven’t really sat down and written anything much since we were in school. Writing means thinking in a different way, a change in the way you organize your thoughts to convey them through this one-sided platform.
• Gives you a chance to have a rant! Raging into the void about something that annoys you can be really cathartic. You might just hit a nerve with someone, too; sometimes the people you resonate most with are the ones with the same bugbears as you. You might find ways to tie this to your work too. Maybe use this to (fairly) review your competitors – there’s a reason you started your business in the first place – you might have seen a gap in the market, or you thought you could create something better than what was already available. Use your blog to tell us why!
• Might get a negative response… there are a lot of keyboard warriors out there who feel an obligation to start a fight whenever they think someone is wrong on the internet. That sounds pretty exhausting. Remember you don’t have to engage with it. For every loudmouth who doesn’t like you, there are numerous people who’ll really like what you have to say. Or maybe someone disagreeing with you can help you to learn and improve. The internet can be an echo chamber, and hearing different opinions is really important.

Blogging is fun, it’s addictive, and it helps to grow your brand and increase your business traffic. It’s good for the mind and soul, giving you a place to organize your thoughts and dust off those rusty writing skills. It’s free advertising, a captive audience, and it might even be your legacy. Enjoy it.

Paul I. Franklin the principal of Franklin Capital Strategies which specializes in the protections, accumulation and distribution of wealth to individuals, families, small businesses, entrepreneurs and professional athletes throughout the country joins Enterprise Radio.

This episode of Enterprise Radio is working in association with the Insurance Channel.

Listen to interview with host Eric Dye & guest Paul Franklin discuss the following:

1. What is Key Person Insurance and when do you need it?
2. In what types industries is it most important to have key person insurance?
3. I know that it is important for small businesses to have key person insurance, but should medium – large businesses invest in this type of insurance as well?
4. What does key person insurance normally cost? How do you purchase it? Are there different types of insurance coverage?
5. How do you determine the amount of key person insurance a business needs?

Paul I. Franklin is the principal of Franklin Capital Strategies which specializes in the protections, accumulation and distribution of wealth to individuals, families, small businesses, entrepreneurs and professional athletes throughout the country. Paul coordinates planning efforts on behalf of the firm’s clients in areas such as investments, insurance and estate planning. Paul holds a FINRA Series 6, 7, 63 and 66 in addition to his Life, Health and Annuity licenses. In addition to running Franklin Capital Strategies, Paul is an active high school football coach in the DC Metro area, currently coaching at Maret School.

Website: https://www.franklincapitalstrategies.com

Social Media Links:
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/franklinfinplan
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/FranklinCapitalStrategies

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Does AdWords work – yes it can. Pay per click is a great way to advertise your business and Google AdWords can make a huge impact on small businesses sales, as its direct marketing reaching the targeted audience simply and efficiently. Driving traffic to your website via AdWords is highly customizable and has great reporting functions. 

Should you only use AdWords? No! As we recently discussed in a few articles on SEO and email marketing, marketing is all about finding the right fit for your business. This could mean just using AdWords or using a combination of all types of digital and old school marketing to successfully promote your business.

But in saying the above, we can say that AdWords offers a lot of bang for buck, with the client being able to see results immediately – rather than hoping for results from a newspaper advert.

Here are the top reasons to use AdWords:

The Reach – everyone uses Google, with 2+ trillion searches a day, technically everyone who searches something on Google is available to you as a potential client. Google has the answer for everything, so advertising with Google will get you access to people asking questions. 

The limitation – not bad limitations, great ones. You only want to delver product with a 10-mile radius of your business – AdWords can limit the radius range! You only want to target people age between 25-35 years – AdWords can limit age range! Setting you parameters on AdWords means clicks and money will not be wasted on people not interested in your service or product. For example, creating a campaign to advertise your Australian sports betting site would mean people who are interested in sports betting in Australia searching for this info will see your ad and visit your site – no more bounces out of your site!

Control – With a little bit of study on your own you can run a successful AdWords campaign – with its massive reach and resources. Or if you are not so inclined, hiring an AdWords professional to run and maintain your campaigns is also a money saving option. The control is still entirely with you, as you focus on certain areas, start and stop campaigns, set a budget, choose how much you are willing to pay per click – and then let AdWords run this for you!

Quick Results – While SEO is necessary (you must have an excellent website – it’s a basic requirement) AdWords offers instant results that can be seen from day 1. AdWords will offer your Ad to a person searching for the details you supply – no unexpected results for the client and no unnecessary clicks for your business. And you can pull reports from day one on your progress easily.

Use AdWords!

Use AdWords, no really try it out. Even if you start on a small budget and a limited search, just to see how it would affect you business and revenue. With Google’s massive reach, somewhere in those trillions of searches each year are your potential clients, and by not utilizing AdWords your competition is gaining these clients.

One of the common mistakes that many organizations commit is the decision to launch their website before making it market-ready. It means they do not prepare their site to handle the challenges that a website might face during its launch. The challenges include choosing the service provider for hosting, making a website’s on-site copy, and qualifying SEO (search engine optimization) requirements. While focusing on these requirements, organizations tend to overlook performance issues (slow load time, response time and CPU saturation) that arise during an unexpected workload on their website.

Load testing is essential to handle these issues. During load testing, testers simulate a heavy load on a website and analyze its behaviour (speed, scalability, and stability). The performance metric derived from the load test helps the testing team to create a baseline for a website. It initiates an efficient testing process that gives the maximum benefit to an organization. Therefore, organizations should focus on load testing. 

Apart from making a website market-ready, other reasons to emphasize on load testing are:

1. Load testing reveals bottlenecks

Load testing helps organizations to find the performance bottlenecks of a website. By simulating real-time load on a website during a load test, testers compare its behaviour in the presence and absence of a heavy workload. It helps testers to analyze the behaviour of a website and examine its capacity to handle an unexpected workload. Load testing also reveals the hardware bottlenecks. It evaluates the maximum number of threads a system can run at a time. Assessing threads helps organizations to resolve potential hardware and VM problems. It provides better integration of hardware and software which increases the efficiency of the product. 

2. Load testing prevents revenue losses

After the identification of possible bottlenecks during load testing, organizations can resolve two potential issues (slow response time and system downtime) before the deployment of their website. It enables enterprises to avoid the loss of revenue that may occur when their website fails after the release.  Poor performance affects users’ experience and causes a deduction of the user base to organizations. Moreover, running the load test after the product release creates additional expenses that may affect an organization’s budget. Therefore, load testing eliminates revenue losses and helps organizations in maintaining their budget.

3. Load testing maintains the user base

During promotional events (festivals and national holidays), travel websites and e-commerce websites receive heavy traffic. Load testing analyzes a website’s capacity to handle many concurrent transactions. When testers discover deterioration in the website’s speed, scalability, and stability, they report it to the developers. It helps developers to fix those issues. A better experience makes the site reliable to users and retains the user base.

4. Load testing consolidates the database

Load testing enables organizations to choose an efficient database technology (Mongo and Redis). During load simulation, testers also check the database connectivity. They observe the response time of the database when a user sends a query (using MySQL or PHP). Organizations increase the scalability of their website by finding bottlenecks in the database. It provides resilience to their database because an unstable database may cause unforeseen data loss.

5. Load testing takes care of each sprint

Load testing allows testers to identify the effects due to change in the source code of the website. After every release, organizations perform regression testing. However, it only ensures that the new changes in the website do not affect its overall behavior. Load testing enables organizations to analyze the performance repercussions caused due to changes in the source code. It facilitates regression testing and helps the organization to achieve a faster time to market.   

6. Load testing provides customer satisfaction in agile

If an organization uses an agile methodology, it needs to ensure that the undergoing development and testing fulfil the requirements of the users (clients). With load testing, organizations can reveal the stability of their website. It makes the clients confident that they will get a quality website. The assurance keeps them satisfied and increases their trust towards the organization. 

Load testing ensures that the final website can retain a large user base. It helps organizations to release a quality website that satisfies numerous users and increase their reliability in the market. Therefore, organizations must carry out an efficient load testing effort before they market their website.

When you traveling with kids, your vacation might turn out to be more work than you originally anticipated. Facts are if you organize your vacation in a way that will make your kids happy, chances are you will be happy, too. You can do a few simple hacks to avoid feeling stressed out and get the most out of your next family vacation. Here are seven ways to make a family vacation better for the kids:

1. Include your kids in the decision-making process

If you decide to include your kids in the decision-making process, you will allow them to be proactive about their upcoming vacation, which is going to create some hype. Kids will love that you are giving them a chance to decide on where to go next or what vacation activity they can pick up when they arrive at their destination. 

2. Plan ahead

Planning ahead may not have been your first choice when you were flying solo, but if you are traveling with children, you should take some time to plan ahead. That way, you will be ensuring that your kids have some activities already planned, which is going to take care of some of that energy they possess in abundance. 

3. Get an early accommodation booking

Getting an early booking is going to provide you with a way to get access to the accommodation that’s more on the exclusive side of things. You can find many great deals, both online and offline if you decide to book accommodation well in advance. Your kids will be able to properly research the place they are going to and figure out what they want to do there by themselves. It’ easy to save money on early flights and accommodation, and travel more as a result. 

4. Arrange a fun way of transport

While you were probably hoping to have a journey that’s as comfortable as possible, chances are that your kids will be more up to having a bit of adventure. If you are hauling long distances, the flight would probably be the best option for you. However, if you are traveling by road, there are quite a few alternatives you can choose from. A charter bus is one alternative, which is perfect for those vacations, where you don’t want to think about driving at all. 

5. Think about meals

While you might’ve liked to constantly try out new cuisines and eat out at various restaurants, when you’re traveling with children, you have to prepare for a lot more than just one person. It doesn’t matter if you are going to prepare the meals or you need to choose a restaurant of everybody’s liking, it’s still the best to know in advance – what would be one or two meals of the day and where you would have them. 

6. Have an adventure or two

Kids are usually all about action-packed fun, which is why it’s important to organize an activity that would cater to that side of them. Whether it’s a game of beach volleyball or a trip to a local hidden beach, your kids are going to love that bit of diversity you will be bringing into their vacation. 

7. Pack accordingly

Lastly, you should look to cross out any things that are not really necessary from your packing list. Smart packing is essential for any traveler, but this goes double for anybody planning on vacationing with kids. You will be grateful to get rid of any excess weight, as well as not having to carry around a ridiculous amount of luggage. 

If you want to break into the real estate market, most professionals will suggest starting with a rental property. Rental properties generate some of the highest returns in the real estate business, making them one of the most lucrative investments. Whether you plan for your rental being a primary source of income or just a side hustle, there are some important aspects of being a landlord that you should be aware of. 

Marketing 

Now that you’ve purchased your property, it’s time to get the word out that you have a home or unit(s) available. When it comes to real estate, digital marketing is king. While a sign in the front yard won’t hurt, it’s not enough to properly market your rental. Consider using online resources such as zillow.com, apartments.com, and even Craigslist. The bulk of apartment hunters look online to find their next residence, so don’t miss out on your biggest audience of potential renters. Looking down the road, if you’re rental business ever becomes large enough, consider hiring a digital marketing firm to ensure that your webpage and properties are at the top of every search engine result. 

Screening Tenants 

Getting stuck with bad tenants is a landlord’s worst nightmare. The eviction process is lengthy, expensive and stressful—which is why it’s so important to get the right occupants the first time around. Make sure to notify all potential tenants in your advertisements that they will need to agree to a background check; any applicant worried about their credit or criminal history likely won’t bother applying. During the lease renewal process, it’s a good idea to do a second background check if you have any suspicion of criminal activity in regards to your current tenant. 

Managing Your Property

There is a long list of responsibilities when you’re a landlord and even new properties can require a great deal of attendance or maintenance. Unless you want to handle repair requests, applications, and rent collections yourself, you should consider hiring a professional property manager. If your property is small enough, such as a two-bedroom home, a manager might be excessive. However, multi-unit complexes and large apartment buildings most certainly require some degree of staffing. 

Repairs

There’s no getting around the fact that your property is going to need repairs sooner or later. If you’re starting out small, hire a handyman or contractor for individual tasks as they arise; there won’t be any need for a full-time position until you have built your business up. As soon as a tenant makes a request for a repair, it’s incredibly important that you attend to the problem as soon as possible. Failing to fix broken showers or light fixtures in a timely manner will only upset your occupants and set you up for potential legal problems. 

Pets 

Almost 70% of American families own some kind of pet. While it might seem like a bad idea to allow your tenants’ fury friends to occupy your units, you could be missing out on your largest market of renters. Concerned with the potential damage to your property? Simply charge your tenant a pet deposit and additional rent to cover any potential damages that pop up; applicants with pets usually expect the requirement of an additional payment and deposit for their pet(s). 

Use Online Resources 

From rent collections to applications, everything should be handled online. Consider using a property managing software and set up notifications to you or your property manager’s phone so that messages and requests from occupants are dealt with immediately. There are a handful of real estate websites at your disposal, as well. Cozy.co and turbotenant.com will make paying rent online easy. 

Discrimination Clauses 

It’s important to protect yourself from any accusations of discrimination when searching for new tenants. To avoid such claims, conduct a phone interview and have a potential tenant fill out an application—making sure they submit to a background check—before you meet with them in person for a tour of the property. Once you meet with an applicant in person and deny their application, your chances of being sued for discrimination drastically increase. Be cautious of scammers who take advantage of these laws in order to exploit rental business. 

Use this helpful information to successfully run and operate your first rental business and you could be raking in the profits of a landlord in no time.  

You cannot run away from the fact that content is king in the modern world. Therefore, you need to create the kind of audience that your audience will like and also engage with on a daily basis. Currently, one of the easiest ways to consume content is podcast and hence they highly tend to be habit forming. You may decide to plug in your earphones and listen to your favorite lyrics as you work out, commute to work, or even cook.  However, you will still be expected to generate high-quality content and have some promotional savvy for marketing your show. The question is how will you do this?

https://pixabay.com/en/technology-equipment-music-laptop-3042044

Here are some five tips that you can use to produce engaging podcast content:

1. It is Not About You 

The fact still holds that all individuals are self-absorbed. Most of us use ourselves as yardsticks of viewing the world. In fact, some people will tell you that the favorite world for a person is his or her name. Therefore, you will be required to share and engage your podcast if you wish to get people to notice. You have to create it more about them and not you. Mention your entire guest together with the other influential brands or people you discuss. Link them to your site and also tag them on social media. This will index you better in all search engines apart from increasing your reach. You can start small and then build up. You also need to develop good relationships with individuals who have a smaller following. As you continue building your reputation, you will find yourself reaching the high-end leaders in the industry. 

2. Develop a System for Content Sharing

Generosity is critical in producing engaging podcast content. According to a study carried out by Adam Grant, there are three categories of people. These include the givers, takers, and matchers. Givers are overly generous while takers tend to take more than they give. Matchers are individuals who match the same generosity level they receive. 

In his findings, Grant discovered that givers are very few yet most successful people. You need to start by offering a valuable thing if you wish to get something. However, you should not always expect something in return as you give. Also, you should not give up to the point that it will hurt you. This is what will separate the successful from the masses. 

3. Let it be Actionable

If you are not a great celebrity, you are not going to get a huge and active following unless the content you are providing is actionable. People will only engage with the content that holds significance and value to them. Their goals would be to improve the quality of their life of they may have the aspiration of becoming like you. The content you provide should help them in achieving this objective and hence it should be simple and actionable. You can begin by giving them a single takeaway. Talk of that single thing that they can do right now and that will enhance their livelihoods. Recent surveys reveal that the potential of most individuals allows them to remember seven of something and you should not go beyond this. 

4. Visual Impact

Podcasting could be an audio-centric podium but audios are critical in promoting your show. The cover of your podcast, website design, and social media should be unique. Brand consistency is critical but you should not overlook novelty. Get one of the best DSLR cameras in the market for generating unique images. Novelty entices human beings to explore and understand. It motivates individuals to click on headlines and ads and learn more.  

5. Clickbait Will Hurt You at the End 

Headlines that draw individuals in via curiosity but offer little value are considered to be untrustworthy and disingenuous. Editors who work in major publications will inform you that the use of clickbait is hurting in the long-run. Your audience should be able to trust you to a consistent engagement. While the algorithm keeps on getting smarter, it can hurt your ranking in the search engine. You would create attention by gambling headlines and not making clickbait. Make sure you link it to valuable content and that it actually delivers whatever is stated in the headline. 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, as you publish your content to several social channels, you should cater it on each platform. For example, you can create images on LinkedIn or Instagram.  While sharing a podcast or other contents that is featuring a brand or an influencer, you have to include an embed code for them to copy and paste on their website with a lot of ease. This creates a backlink and graphic to their site and still gives the guests an exposure and ego boost. 

Global financial turmoil and shifts in the market have resulted in incredible price volatility for the commodities businesses buy and sell. This volatility can significantly impact a firm’s profitability. Many businesses are starting to use hedging to protect themselves against volatility and the threat these price swings pose to business’ finances. Here is how implementing financial hedging can affect your business model.

Risk Reduction

Hedging can protect a business from the potential problems of rising interest rates and associated debt payments. If there is a high probability of a cash shortfall, such as challenges paying debt obligations or capital expenditures, then it is worth hedging one’s risk.

You should hedge based on your net economic exposure, not the risks one business division is concerned about. If your business is engaged in international trade, you could hedge the company against currency fluctuations. This means taking into account both what your firm buys in that currency and sells in that currency, and then planning for the overall risk to the company.

Commodity options protect your business from lower prices while giving you the ability to profit from higher prices. However, hedging needs to consider not only protection from potential losses as commodity prices fall but the potential upside if prices go up. Hedging can be costly, and not enough managers understand the cost-benefit ratio of the contracts they enter. Don’t enter a hedging contract that costs more than the risk it mitigates.

Managers may make decisions based on an assessment of the cash flow in a given situation but fail to consider the odds of the scenario that is almost certain not to happen. Sometimes they fail to consider the company’s ability to absorb those losses if they did come to pass. Don’t assume that hedging is the first or best way to manage risk for your business. Perhaps shutting down facilities when operating costs are too high or altering product specifications is a better choice. Alternatively, a business could look at cost savings like integrating the business vertically. Furthermore, businesses could mitigate the risk by setting aside larger cash reserves to cover potential losses. Understand all of your alternatives and pick the one right for your situation.

Increased Opportunities

Hedging strategies can protect you from rising interest rates but allow you to benefit from falling interest rates. An interest rate swap would let you lock in current interest rates. An interest rate swap creates a synthetic cap on interest rates the business pays. More complex hedging products can give you the option to enter a swap that alters your interest rate without the obligation or provide the protection of a fixed rate with a high degree of flexibility. In all these cases, the business benefits from protection from higher interest rates and debt payments while having the opportunity to exploit lower interest rates.

Foreign currency exchange hedging can protect you from wild swings in currency valuations while allowing you to benefit from favourable changes in a currency. Read the financial hedging products explanation from JCRA to better understand your options for managing risk while maintaining the ability to profit from favourable changes in the market.

Protection for the Business

Hedging can be used to ensure that you receive at least a certain price for a product or don’t pay more than you can afford for critical materials. Commodity call options protect you from higher prices for key commodities but let you benefit from lower prices. Only hedge what matters. For example, an aluminium manufacturer should hedge their exposure to aluminium since price fluctuations in the price of aluminium have a significant impact on business’ bottom line. That business shouldn’t worry about hedging against oil and gas prices because it has very little impact on their overall margins. It is a waste of money to hedge risks that don’t pose much of a risk to the company.

If your current contracts are already structured to minimise the company’s exposure to a commodity’s price, hedging becomes a costly redundancy. In the worst-case scenario, hedging increases the company’s financial sensitivity to commodity price fluctuations to which it was previously immune.

Conclusion

Hedging is one way to protect a business from prices in the materials they buy and products they sell, and it can be used to minimise the impact of changes in a currency’s valuation. It is essential for businesses to understand what they are doing, in order to avoid costly mistakes.

Your business is your lifeline. As such, you want to do all that is possible to make it as successful as possible. The signs you install for your business will also influence its success. This means that you want to be sure of the type of signs that you choose for your business. The first thing you need to be aware of is the various types of signs that businesses can choose. Whether it is a storefront sign or any other kind of sign for the business, you need to think about signs such as metal board signs, plywood signs, fabric signs among others. You could probably contact National Neon Signs Calgary to learn more about signs for your businesses.

Here are 5 tips to help you select a sign for your business:

1. Type of sign to install

The first thing you need to think about is the type of a sign to use. You probably want a sign that can last much longer in the business. You may have to choose signs made from materials such as fabric, plywood, punched metal, metal logo and metal lettering, rock signs and many others. The type of sign that you will choose will be dependent on their aesthetic values and how long lasting they will be.

2. Cost of the storefront signs

You will definitely have to consider the cost of the storefront signs. You want to choose signs that are cost effective. The kind of materials and design of the signs will definitely determine the cost. You need to consider the cost of the signs based on where you will buy them and how they will be installed.

3. Where to buy the signs

Where you will buy the signs will determine their cost. You can buy your signs in the local sign stores. You can also buy the sign in the regional stores or online. With all these options, you should get the best sign that can propel your business to success. Your sign will also depend on the design and the manner of installation.

4. Sign printing websites

It would also be a good idea for you to seek more information from the websites that offer sign printing services. Depending on the place where the printing of the signs will be done, you could easily get a good deal from the sign printing websites. You need to ask the online shops the kind of materials they offer on the signs. Be sure to avoid any kinds of limitations.

5. Brand Consistency

You should be consistent with issues such as the materials and the color of the signs that you will buy. For the businesses that have branches in many places, you need to maintain the same color and content of the signs. This is a good way to maintain brand consistency. Ensure that you are passing the same message for all your businesses or the branches of the same business through the signs. Brand consistency is one of the best ways to show your clients that you are serious about the business and the services and goods that you offer.

Vets 22 Chairman and Tech From Vets President Jeff Shuford has dedicated 2018 to continue his mission of empowering and inspiring veterans nationwide. A regular contributor to Forbes, Entrepreneur Magazine, and The Business Journals, Shuford focuses his attention on highlighting new ideologies and his continued domination of thought leadership strategies. Shuford’s weekly TV segment that highlights veteran business owners in North Florida has received thousands of views and continues to be a leader in the veteran business news industry throughout the Jacksonville ecosystem. “Jeff has cornered the market, their’s not many places that you can go in Northeast Florida without someone referencing his impact,” stated business expert Gregory Grant of Grant Business Solutions.

With that in mind, the Quality Resource Center approached Shuford and formally asked that he become a member of their Board of Directors. “I was truly honored to be asked to join the Quality Resource Center in their quest to provide housing to our nation’s heroes,” stated Shuford. Quality Resource Center is mission rests in helping homeless and at-risk veterans regain their dignity through a comprehensive and holistic approach. The 4.1 Million Dollar veterans-only apartment complex will consist of 23 one-bedroom units and will be equipped with the amenities needed to get veterans back on their feet with dignity. Shuford currently serves as the Director of Marketing & Corporate Communications for the multi-million dollar real estate company Kellum Corporation based in Ponte Vedra Beach Florida. Shuford led his real estate company to the sale of a 1.85 Million Dollar land listing on US-1 in mid-2018. “The market projected that our land would take approximately three years or more to sell, we beat those projections by over a year and a half. I am fortunate to have a great broker that believes in my marketing ability, it’s an honor to wear many hats and wear them well,” stated Shuford.

Quality Resource Center’s goal is to assist at-risk veterans in their successful reintegration into civilian life and in doing so, they will offer residents vocational training, job placement, financial management assistance and health & wellness, classes. All in line with Shuford’s mission to train veterans on entrepreneurship, technology, and thought leadership. Shuford’s organization Vets 22 has fed over 1000 veterans at the VA Outpatient Clinic in Downtown Jacksonville and provided free books and event tickets to veterans throughout the North Florida region as well. A recent partnership with Jacksonville University will allow Shuford to utilize the prestigious university’s campus to host annual veteran entrepreneurial boot camp classes to small groups.

Shuford was recently awarded the Presidents Award from the National Association of Black Accountants and is on pace to revolutionize the way veterans are viewed nationwide. “As veterans, we have our wounds seen and unseen, but we have to continue to strive for greatness,” stated Shuford. As Shuford’s future looks bright his goal is to keep shining the spotlight on veterans issues and that’s what truly drives Shuford’s daily mission.

About Jeff Shuford:

Jeff Shuford is an award-winning technologist and a decorated Iraq War Veteran based in Jacksonville Florida. A regular contributor to Forbes, The Business Journals, Entrepreneur Magazine, and The Huffington Post, Shuford’s passion for producing captivating content extends far past his columns in prestigious publications. Shuford’s Forbes article titled “Nine Unique Ways To Brand Yourself As A Thought Leader,” was named by LinkedIn Business as one of the Top 10 Most Popular Articles Among Recruiters This Week. In addition to Shuford’s Linkedin Business honor, his piece was also named as an Editors Pick and the most viewed and shared article from the Forbes Coaches Council of 2017.

Bestowed the Community of Heroes Award by the DAV, Shuford’s innovative leadership and passion for helping veterans led his company also to be named the Best Veteran Tech Startup of 2016 by The Huffington Post. In addition to that honor, the Huffington Post later named Shuford number one on the list of the Top 5 Emerging Veteran Tech Founders of 2017.Shuford’s dedication to STEM is evident in his technological achievements. Shuford also recently led his technology company to win a 2017 BizTech Award presented by The Jacksonville Business Journal for their work developing, deploying, and successfully marketing the self-funded Vets 22 app.

Considered a thought leader and influencer in public relations Shuford has also positioned his brands to be featured in publications such as Sports Illustrated, Forbes Sports Money, NFL Network, The Jacksonville Business Journal, The Huffington Post, ForbesCouncils, WJCT, WJXT, and Entrepreneur Magazine among others. Shuford served with the U.S. Army in Operation Iraqi Freedom 06-07 and earned a Combat Action Badge for his efforts at age 19.

Originally posted here: https://techfromvets.com/news/…

Brian Wood a literary agent who lives in Vancouver, B.C. joins Enterprise Radio. He worked as a local buyer for Chapters and then Indigo and is now one of the top Sports literary agents in Canada.

This episode of Enterprise Radio is working in association with the Author Channel.

Listen to host Eric Dye & guest Brian Wood discuss the following:

1. Tell us a little about yourself- when did you first begin writing?
2. When did you realize that poetry was the form of writing you excelled in?
3. You’ve had two collections of poetry published now. How does your work as a literary agent help you as a writer of poetry?
4. Your first book Winter Walk introduced readers to your classical style of poetry- focusing on rhyme and meter. What is it about that form vs post modern poetry that you prefer?
5. Weekend Getaway at Generic Hotel is an interesting title for your second book – what is the focus of this new work?

Brian Wood started out in the book industry working for Prospero Books (now part of Indigo) in Ottawa and Toronto. In 1999, he became the regional book buyer for all of the Coles stores in B.C.

In 2001, he became the Western Regional buyer for all of the large format stores ( Chapters, Indigo) in B.C. He pursued full time work as a literary agent after leaving Indigo.

He married his publicist Rachel in July of 2013.​ His first book was Winter Walk and his second one is titled Weekend Getaway at Generic Hotel both available on Amazon.

Website: www.brianjwood.com

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The Business of Going Green

Unless you have been living under a rock, you would not have missed the impact that the Green movement is having on the world. People are coming to understand the implications of the impact they have on the environment – the world we all have to live on. Overpopulation alone is going to lead to a massive crisis in the future, but if people continue to create and waste as much as we currently are, overpopulation won’t matter.

So along with a raised consciousness about Green Earth matters, growing your own veggies and practicing sustainable living, comes a consciousness not just by individuals and their daily waste, but also the impact of the companies and business these individuals use. 

All companies large to small should have by now realized the need for them to play a role in not only the protection of the environment, but also the actual saving of it. And implementing green standards in your business should not be because customers are pressuring your business into it – it should be part of you business ethics. Going green will not only help save the environment but will create savings and new business in the long run.

Reasons to Reduce Your Environmental Impact:

Waste Reduction – From turning off a staff members computer to reducing wrapping used on products, simple and small changes can not only save resources they can save the money spent on those resources

Digital – If you not 90% digital in this day and age you my friend definitely are living under a rock. Change your marketing from print to online, or do not print your documents and save online to a cloud instead. Less printing on paper means less trees cut to make paper – simple. Most business can do this, from finance process to casinos moving to online betting – digital is the way forward.

Better work Environment – Going green should also cover things like cleaning supplies – so those employees impacted by harsh chemicals will feel relief. Additionally no harsh cleaning chemicals will be washed down drains to taint water and grounds.

PR – Though this is not the best reason for going green, and you do not want to overly advertise your newfound greenness – being green is great PR. The ever more aware public are looking at who they support and the impact they have on the environment, so if you are a green company you could expect more support.

Sustainability  – reserving natural resources now means we will have those resources to utilize in 50 years, if a million people turned their computers off when leaving the office – how much electricity would not be used? If that electricity isn’t used, then coal or nuclear power would not need to be generated now to power that computer. That is power that can be utilized in the future, and an environment not needlessly wasted.

Spend Money to Make Money

An old saying is you have to spend money to make money, and is applicable in most businesses. By adapting your company to the green mentality, and encouraging your staff and customers to participate you can create a sustainable business that will last well into the future. But these changes will not bankrupt you and will ensure a sustainable business. 

By going green, your company will set an example and lead the way for business and social change, how much more motivation do you need? So join huge global companies like Google, Dell, McDonalds, Starbucks and more, in making a green change.

Miami has long been adored by sun-seeking holidaymakers, and enjoys a reputation for sunshine and beautiful beaches. There’s more to this popular destination than meets the eye, though; an affluent and gleaming city with a fascinating and sometimes checkered past, Miami is rich in cultural capital and famed for its art, architecture, and multicultural style.

Miami Architecture

A list about the beauty of Miami has to start here. Much has been written about the art deco district, and it’s hard not to wax lyrical about the chic moderne styling of the architecture there. Built between the 1920s and 1940s, the art deco district was saved from near-total disrepair and is now sympathetically restored to movie-set perfection. Look out for the almost-nautical ‘Jerry’s Famous Deli’, the sumptuous symmetry of the McAlpin, or Delano South Beach Hotel, whose 1994 renovation was designed by Philippe Starck.

Miami benefits from its links with Latin America and showcases Spanish and traditionally influenced buildings. The Freedom Tower, with its classic old-Spain design, once served to receive Cuban refugees and now houses art exhibitions curated by Miami Dade College, as well as the historic New World Mural.

Modern Miami architecture proudly draws on the best of its heritage and over the last few decades developers have filled the city with clean, bright white shapes reflecting natural sunlight, sharp lines and big ideas. The Miami skyline is getting higher and higher, and the expectations of the visitors follow suit.

Art Galleries and Museums in Miami

It’s hard to go anywhere in Miami without finding art in some form, and it’s home to a number of galleries, large and small. The Bass Museum of Art in South Beach is the grandfather of the Miami art scene, showcasing the best there is from classical to contemporary names. Just the building is worth a look, a solid art deco form with bas-relief friezes celebrating the history of the area.

The Wynwood Arts District is home to lots of smaller independent art galleries, drawing everyone from big names to emerging talent. While much is housed in traditional galleries, what makes Wynwood unique is that the galleries themselves are also the art that is alongside a variety of miami local businesses. Classic murals and cutting-edge graffiti cover the district and the dedicated Wynwood Walls display the best in street art.

The Vizcaya Museum and Gardens offers a more traditional and tranquil environment, with over 70 rooms dedicated to Old World decorative arts, and meandering walks through formal gardens. The building is a testament to classical Italianate style and rightfully deserves its place as one of the most important historical buildings in America.

If local history is your thing, you’ll find the HistoryMiami museum fascinating, it tells the story of the area through a collection of art and artefacts, preserving and celebrating Miami’s cultural heritage.

Boutiques – to browse, to buy?

Miami is well-known among those who love to shop, with the greater Miami area housing malls ranging from the very top-end of design chic right through to bargain-grabbing at the outlets. For those wanting to stay central, Miami’s many outdoor shopping areas are the places to browse among highly desirable labels, tiny independent boutiques, and a handful of knowingly kitsch vintage stores.

It’s hard to stay away from the beautiful Art Deco District, so the Lincoln Road shopping area is a must. Not just shopping, it houses ArtCenter/South Florida, a hub of artistic and cultural community. Theatre buffs can find music and drama at the stunning Colony Theatre. Aside from that, you have a world-class boutique shopping experience, amid elegant bars and cafes.

Miami Food

Wherever you go in Miami, whether for the art, the shopping, or the general ambiance, you will find dining options to suit even the most picky person. Multicultural Miami is at its best when it comes to cuisine, with food from any locality you can name, and probably some you can’t. Miami is in an area abundant with fruit and locally grown organic vegetables, and restaurants in the area are increasingly turning to a farm-to-table ethos for fresh taste, supporting local business, and reducing their carbon footprint. You can expect the best in fresh local produce at modern, informal settings that explicitly buy locally, like the divine Alter in Wynwood District. And with all that ocean around you, fish and seafood feature heavily in local delicacies. Buy fish caught fresh by local fishermen at dedicated markets like Casablanca Fish Market, or eat at renowned seafood venues like Joe’s Stone Crab or Prime Fish on Miami Beach.

Travelling with Children?

The beaches and parks are always a hit, the city is among the best in the US for just walking around in, and the weather is consistent and gorgeous, so get out there! There are loads of things to do with children in Miami, and one of our favourites is the Miami Children’s Museum, a huge space dedicated simply to the education and entertainment of children (of all ages – just watch the grandparents get among it). With interactive science, crafts, and areas for open-ended play, plus karaoke, dinosaurs, and all the things children love. It’s not cheap, but you can expect to spend most of the day there, and remember it forever.

Bars and Beats – The Music of Miami

Miami’s close links to Latin America feature heavily in the traditional music and dance to be found in bars, venues, or just in passionate, informal performances around the city. And Miami has a thriving modern music scene too, and you can find music of any genre being played in venues of any size. Try some jazz in an intimate Downtown setting like Le Chat Noir, or join the crowds at the American Airlines Arena for the biggest and best stars. You can even see a live band perform inside a giant pineapple at the Ball and Chain in Little Havana, or enjoy Miami’s renowned DJ venues and hit the floor for some EDM at the Electric Pickle.

All this is just the tip of the iceberg in one of the most culturally complex and beautiful cities in the world. Miami is a city that rewards visitors who take to the streets and explore. Wander through Lummus Park, hire a bike or bring your rollerblades, Miami is made to be discovered.

Glenn Elliott, Founder of UK-based Reward Gateway, a world leader in integrated employee engagement technology with more than 1,800 clients worldwide and the co author of: Build it: The Rebel Playbook for World-Class Employee Engagement joins Enterprise Radio.

This episode of Enterprise Radio is working in association with the Author Channel.

Listen to host Eric Dye & guest Glenn Elliott discuss the following:

1. What led you to develop the Engagement Bridge?
2. Why do organizations need to rebel against standard HR and legal departments to create better employee-employer relationships?
3. What role have Millennials played in changing expectations around organizational leaders?
4. What exemplifies a rebellious CEO?
5. How does compensation factor into employee engagement?

Glenn Elliott is Founder and Debra Corey is Group Reward Director of Reward Gateway, a world leader in integrated employee engagement technology with more than 1,800 clients worldwide. Elliott and Corey’s new book, Build it: The Rebel Playbook for World-Class Employee Engagement (Wiley, Feb. 27, 2018), highlights practical improvements that organizations can make to build a highly engaged company culture.

Website: www.RebelPlaybook.com

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