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5 Ways to Maximise Your Profits when Flipping Properties

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The principle behind home flipping is pretty simple: find a house, refurbish it, and put it back on the market for a profit. While the principle is easy to understand, however, getting there is not as easy as it seems. It’s not as tough as some make it out to be though; it’s about being savvy with which type of properties you invest in and how to keep costs to a minimum without sacrificing quality. Here are a few tips for maximising your profits when flipping properties.

Take Advantage of Online Suppliers

When it comes to construction supplies, a lot of people will automatically turn to their local builders merchant. But it often pays to look online as well, especially when it comes to timber.

You have providers like Armstrong Supplies, for instance, that will allow you to get timber supplies at the fraction of the cost you would have to pay at a local store. They’re a specialised business, which means that they not only have greater purchasing power but more variety as well. This also means that you won’t have to go round the houses to find the exact type of wood that you need and get everything you need all in one place.

Make Sure That You Have a Well-Stocked War Chest

Another thing you have to do is make sure that you start with enough capital and credit. Flipping property demands a lot of resources; maybe more than what you have at the moment. Some costs can also spiral out of control, which is why you need to have good cash reserves in case something comes up.

Having great credit is also essential in this business. This first means that you have to actually know what your credit score is in the first place. You’re entitled to a free annual copy of your report from the three major credit agencies, TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian. This also means that you have to build relationships with lenders and nurture them. Having a good relationship with one or a few banks could open you up to better loans with better rates. It will also make the application process much easier and will reduce the chance for last-minute issues.

Don’t Have Tunnel Vision

Don’t just consider houses or properties located in the city. While it might be a good option for a beginner, you will need to start expanding your horizons. Maybe you could start looking at commercial lots or undeveloped land, or maybe you could turn a profit by demolishing a derelict property and developing top of it. When you look at the options, you can see the many different ways you could profit, so don’t limit yourself.

Inspect the Neighbourhood

Don’t be fooled by a seemingly good deal. The neighbourhood is just as important as the actual property, if not more. You don’t want to go to an area that is in decline. You also don’t want to fall for stereotypes when picking locations.

Some areas that you may have thought were out of the question could be on the rise, and these are often where some of the best opportunities can be found. This means that you have to look not only at current statistics, but in which direction they’re heading.

Another thing you have to understand is that there is a limit to what you can do to a property to increase its value. You can do whatever you want to make your house more attractive, but it won’t rise that much above what the average house in the area goes for. Even average house prices can be tricky since uncharacteristically high selling houses can throw the number off.

It’s better to look at the median price instead so you can get an idea of how much houses in the middle of the pack tend to sell for. This will give you a better idea of what type of prices you can realistically aim for in this area.

Start Small

There are many reasons why starting small is a better idea. The most obvious one is the cost. You have less to spend and less to lose. You can start learning about the process and the paperwork. Entry-level flats with entry-level prices are usually a good bet. Try to pick areas and properties that cater to small to medium families.

Another great reason to start with a small property is that you could actually use it to build leverage. Having a fully or partially paid for property could allow you to gain leverage from equity or use it as an asset to get more financing.

These are just some of the ways that you can maximise your return on investment when flipping properties. The more you learn, the more refined your strategy will be. So, make sure that you take baby steps at first and consider more sophisticated investments as you move on.

How to set up your Home office for remote workers

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In the last few months we had to adapt ourselves to this “new normality”, and among those things we also adapted to remote work, a modality that has already become as common as it is necessary.

Sometimes home office could be a little tricky as we find ourselves surrounded by distractions and we may feel that we are not as efficient as in our real office. For this reason, it is essential to create our own home office where we feel comfortable in order to daily give our very best.

Where to start?

Some people are lucky enough to have an office at home or a small space that they can adapt to be their home office with a door and all the essentials. However, there are people that are forced to prepare a space in the living room, their bedroom or even adapt themselves to work in the hall.

Whatever your case is it is essential to have certain things to adapt the space as good as possible. For example, you will need to have a table or desk, a chair, good lighting and good internet connection. Given the number of hours that you will be spending in your home office the place has to be strategic, so choose it wisely.

Environment

You will need to find a place that allows you to minimize the distractions. It is a big plus if the room has a door, if you don’t have it you can implement a physical boundary.

For example, you can put objects like photo frames, tablecloths or some décor that indicate your brain that this is your work area and that it is time to work. Just make sure you feel you have a specific space to work.

It is also necessary for you to establish a schedule just as if you were in your regular office. Do not mix home duties with work duties. Furthermore, you should talk with your family at home to set boundaries during your working hours, in this way you will have less distractions.

Finally, you should choose a place that is far from the tv and other sound sources.

Technology

Using your laptop could be a good idea at the beginning but without a mouse your hands will definitely suffer. The right gadgets can help you with productivity as you will feel more comfortable.

For example, you can get ergonomic technology like the mouse or the keyboard to take care of your hands. If you have meetings it would be a good idea to invest in a webcam if your monitor doesn’t have one already and, in a headset and speakerphone to not get distracted.

For the monitor you can work with the one that you have, including the one of your laptop, but if you want to stop straining your eyes you can acquire a monitor with a big screen.

Finally, if the internet doesn’t work as well in your work station as in other parts of the house you can buy a router and wireless extender.

Furniture

At the beginning working at the couch with your computer on the lap may be kind of comfortable but is not the ideal. You should invest in a good desk and chair, preferably the chair should be ergonomic with arms and height adjustment.

For the desk or table make sure the monitor is placed exactly below your line of sight when you look straight ahead. Also make sure that you don’t bend your wrist while working, your back should be straight and both, your hand and elbows, should be placed at the level of the keyboard.

It is important for the table to let you move the legs underneath to raise your knees and stretch them. Also, if you need to organize anything at the top of the desk or table you can get filing cabinets and desk organizers.

Lightening

The most basic rule to create your home office is to choose your location based on the light. In the morning the light should be natural and intense for it to activate your energy and slow down the production of melatonin, the sleep regulating hormone, to decrease tiredness and increase productivity.

Remember that your computer should be placed in the opposite direction of the window, so the reflection doesn’t interrupt your work.

On the other hand, for the afternoon you need to choose the right bulbs to help your sight and do not reflect on the monitor.

Air

If you have an air conditioner at home, it is a big plus as you can set the right temperature you feel most comfortable with. Just make sure it is working fine to avoid any undesired problems that you may have to deal with at working hours.

Remember to perform regular air conditioner maintenance,  you can also perform some tips and tricks to your air conditioner for it to work perfectly until the next mandatory check.

If you don’t have an air conditioner at home, make sure to place your home office close to a window for air circulation and if needed you can have a little fan to set the right temperature as well.

Plants

As a final touch it is a good idea to put a small plant in your desk or an indoor plant close to your window, as it will remove harmful gases from the environment. Also, it can help you turn your home office into a cosy place in contact with nature.

Remember that you don’t need a huge budget to set a great home office, you just need creativity and the desire to work in an adequate space. Remember that a good working space will favour your physical and mental health.

Guaranteed Auto Loans With Bad Credit: How to Find the Best Deal by Sofiya Machulskaya

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There is nothing like buying a car and then immediately looking for a used auto lender for your guaranteed auto loan. In the midst of the global credit crunch that hit the market, many well- intended but ill-prepared buyers are being turned down for credit.

Getting their auto loans approved is getting more and more difficult – even for the people who have the most stellar credit scores. There are many questions as a prospective buyer about auto lending but perhaps the biggest concern is that many lenders are just not willing to invest their money in anyone but those with stellar credit ratings because traditional banks and lending institutions are finding the risk way too risky at the moment.

This all may have seemed to have been avoided prior to the credit crisis but since then it is even more difficult explains Sofiya Machulskaya.

The Confusion

Guaranteed auto loans are not really guaranteed at all. In fact, no solution is fool-proof. Not that wasn’t there something to rely on. Many consumers are very curious about the necessity of a guaranteed auto loan and whether or not their loan application would get the green light.

Firstly, some lenders are opening their own automobile lending arms and are in the process of buying up old business as well as setting up shop on every corner in the United States and even in other parts of the world. They are willing to invest in auto lending and although the interest rate may not be the fanciest, what is important is the consumer does not have to worry so much about approval as they will have a lower interest rate and also a choice of loans that they can choose from.

Also, traditional banks and lending institutions are finding themselves in a majority of the same boat, in that they have tightened their profit margins to such an extent that there is no back room for any consumer to get approved but the only people who really stand out are those still in good credit standing. Even with these changes, it is still possible for a buyer with 100% financing to get a fantastic deal on a car.

Guaranteed Auto Loans In A Ranging

Guaranteed loans need the traditional approach of calculating the applicants credit score and determining what type of interest they can afford. This is very time consuming and also, the lenders are loathed to make any personal assessment regarding the applicant says Sofiya Machulskaya.

This is why many car dealers are trying to work with aggregators who will, in turn, pass the loan on to the lenders at a fraction of the fees that they normally pay the original lenders. This impartial decision can save both side of the table and leave the customer with 0% financing.

The Best Deal…

This all comes at a price of course and in order to make things happen, the price is not going to be as great as expected. The goal is for it to be more affordable than the total cost of the vehicle by about 3%. The fact that there are two sides to the coin and the financial institutions are clearly aware that the auto loan market is very competitive, they are trying every trick in the book to get people to turn a blind eye and pocket 0% financing down the road.

But guess what, people are looking for 0% financing and they are willing to negotiate and negotiate until they get it. The fact that a financing deal can still be found is reason enough to get an application in no matter what. Within the free market it is important that consumers are given the choice and responsibility to go out and find it themselves.

Do not trust these lenders. They will not help you to get an application approved. It is best to get all the information to yourself or to hire somebody that knows what they are doing, and do not fall prey to the lenders clever games.

The 20% Down Test

Neglect Workers When They’re Outsmarted by the Machines by Graham Shear

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Companies boost productivity in a big way when they hire the best people.

This doesn’t mean hiring expensive people that cost a fortune to acquire. It means shooting for the stars … because if you hire the least expensive people, they become burning out … and eventually they don’t work as hard as the more expensive ones.

Here’s the first thing you should do if you’re matte-rika*. You need to anticipate the theM.O. systems of every other company. This implies a comparison of the way people learn. Between companies, in fact. You need to figure out how they learn. You need to know how they learn, which is the same for humans.

For me this means:

I’m a strong believer in using technology to train your people. Everything I’ve learned I incorporate into my marketing and advice. This same Marc emissions digital use to understand human psychology.

Because sometimes a welder who’s not certified may do a better job than you do. If this works, that’s great. The problem is, workers with high-tech skills are very expensive.

If you’re gonna use the computer, you better have a big marketing budget, so that you can reach a huge grouping of people.

Sometimes you have to do non- traditional things to train people. If you’re gonna profit, obviously, you have to make money doing something that somebody isn’t making money at.

Graham Shear believes Even when you’re not gonna sell anything, you need all new and improved diploma welders and diplomats, cleaners, surveillance units, communications specialists, pharmacists and administration people, etc. You can approach you customers directly via the phone or you can assemble a huge marketing campaign, improving the look and feel of the marketing materials.

It’s all good, by the way. It’s important.

So you see, one of different organizations is going to do well up until the morning of the fifth week. And then dramatically. Breakingossiblyall the EventBS “legacy,” but never 100 percent sure what the effects might be on the MarketPlace version across all.

So, that’s critical.

Me personally, I think a different approach to this would be to take it further. Because … if you do, I believe you’re never going to fall back down.

We are not humans. We’re robots. We are computers trying to get along.

The psychology. The learning. The learning.

It’s our habits that sell.

The way we educate. We have a lot of information to absorb, and we’re on the edge of neural spaced decay.

In the beginning we’re low-tech. Of course, there’s the old saying, “Trade is a two-time story!”

Know that by far the most important never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never use any program. It never goes.

Be prepared, be careful, don’t communicate. That’s it. And do.

I still try to teach every single day.

You need to study electronically too, and all kinds of other things you need to get it right.

Once, I got a phone fromewaremeets Pod Splat telling me, “I am working with a small building that needs our services, big construction crew and some industrial strength band dozers. Now, if you can, we need those materials and somebody with a rough idea about what you drive, I’m seeing if you and I can work on it together. If thatpersonisn’t calling me back, you know we’re talking.”

You aren’t paying them for maintenance. You areIFing them. This was one of the problems.

I wanted to make a match-up. I sort of got mad at them. You don’t do business with somebody who keeps you hanging. We weren’t expecting to be at Quit goals so I didn’t communicate with the beefy Turkeys about those words.

The thing is, you don’t have total control over the communication.

So, go ahead and follow this same advice.

Another idea: Need to have a large inventory of these items.

Point #4. Help the afternoon make a big swoop.

When you are ready and your team is ready, you’ll look for the right opening for the next week. On a Friday, you can make your first sale. The most important word is you. You have to let them know they made it.

So let’s say you ripped through first contract and are one order short of the total. Which do you do? This is why you should be in the field every single day.

The first guy seems like he’s busy, when in fact, he is around under pressure, etc, says Graham Shear

or… he’ll just have to do it now. This is the wrong approach. No problem. Find another one.

How Beneficial Can Blue Zone Be In Isolation?

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It can be difficult to feel healthy in our bodies and minds during lockdown. Although we can be outside for an unlimited amount of time, we might not feel motivated to do an intense workout. Equally, we might feel more tempted by takeaways and junk food. As the UK government announced at the start of June that UK citizens can go on holiday providing they self-isolate for two-weeks after, the thought of being able to wear our luxury designer bikini in the near future might be possible.

However, these are difficult times, and beating ourselves up certainly isn’t productive. So, instead, let’s consider some small changes we could make to our daily routines that will have a transformative effect on our mental and physical health.

A practice inspired by regions in the world that have the highest life expectancy and who are healthy in the body and mind, is known as blue zoning. The concept of ‘blue zoning’ is all about helping you realise your potential and bettering your health, without making drastic changes to your life.

With this said, lets look at how emulating this healthy lifestyle that blue zone regions have into our lives during lockdown can help us.

Blue zoning: What is it?

Communities known as ‘blue zone’ ones have been thriving around the world for years. These are communities of people who live long and healthy lives — in fact, these people have the oldest life expectancy in the world! From Icaria in Greece to Okinawa in Japan, people are thriving into their 100s, and each detail of their lives contributes to this impressive feat.

Moderate physical exercise has been built into the day to day lives of people who live in blue zone regions. Gentle exercise and healthy habits such as climbing stairs more often are proving to be more beneficial than hitting the gym and living life to the extreme. Blue zone populations show low rates of chronic disease and, since following in their footsteps, regions which have emulated this blue zone lifestyle have seen drops in obesity, smoking, and BMI.

Despite each blue zone having unique features about them, they all have a particular theme to follow. As well as a focus on light exercise (such as brisk walking) and habitual activities, the regions mainly stick to a plant-based diet and are more likely to be spiritual.

How to Blue Zone During Self Isolation

Being able to blue zone your home during lockdown isn’t as difficult as you might think. You’ll be amazed at how simple changes in your routine will benefit your health and your mood. Walking, cooking, cleaning, and other habitual activities all contribute to a ‘blue zone’ way of life. Optimising your home for these activities is the first step towards beginning your ‘blue zone’ lifestyle.

Here, we discuss ten easy ways to blue zone whilst at home.

1.      Make Your home De-convenient

Nowadays, relying on household appliances to do almost everything around the house is common. But if we want to make the most out of our new blue zoning lifestyle, we need to go back to completing tasks manually. From lawnmowers to egg whisks, go back to basics.

2.      Changing Laundry Days

Without realising it, bending down to pick up laundry can damage your back more than what you think. It’ll do your posture wonders to elevate your laundry basket slightly higher up. When it comes to laundry day, don’t strain your back carrying a heavy load — go back and forth with smaller amounts to get your steps in.

3.      Reorganising your kitchen cravings

Out of convenience, we are most likely to gravitate towards the closest snack to us. So, if you want to cut out the unhealthy foods, simply make them less accessible and keep a full fruit bowl in a prominent place instead.

4.      Increase your steps through organisations

Simple things such as placing the remote control at the opposite end of the room could help increase your steps. Get creative! Whatever gets you up on your feet and moving about. Make sure you need to head up and down your stairs frequently throughout the day.

5.      A Fitbit or other fitness tracker can be used to monitor your progress

There is no better way to see the extent of how beneficial these small household adjustments are.  Monitor your steps every day and you’ll be surprised by how much you walk while you’re trying to stay on your feet slightly more than usual.

6.      Prevent your eyes from straining by reducing the lighting

If you’re working from home, it’s better to keep the room bright, rather than go for a mood lighting theme. This way, you’ll reduce eye strain when trying to focus.

7.      Have enough sleep

You’ll be pleased to know that regular day time naps and a healthy amount of sleep is commonly encouraged in blue zone regions. Use your fitness tracker to monitor your sleeping pattern to make sure that you’re getting enough rest.

8.      Ensuring the optimal temperature is achieved when sleeping

Monitoring your heating system and getting it between 15 to 19 degrees celsius has been proven to be the best temperature to sleep at. It is also a good idea to block out all sources of light so that you get the best sleep possible.

9.      Switching to A Blue Zone Diet

Seeing the difference a plant-based diets makes is definitely worthwhile. Blue zone diets are also heavily dependant on whole grains, nuts, and legumes, so try to introduce as many of these as possible.

10.  Having time to relax is important

Blue Zone regions often focus on preventing stress and having a more laid-back approach to life. Take time to de-stress and don’t work yourself too hard. After all, you deserve a break during lockdown.

Although these minuscule changes may not sound like anything much, blue zoning your life is all about making small, manageable changes that can have substantial benefits on your body and mind. Why not give at least some of these ideas a go? Before we can try out the true blue zone experience in Icaria, or Sardinia in Italy, until then, give your lockdown habitat a blue zone makeover!

Building Your Brand: Tips for Direct Mail Success

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The growing number of channels in which to advertise your business online can be a tempting route to target your ideal audience. Businesses have flocked to digital media to gain traction for their brand, but they’ve dismissed an incredibly valuable and highly successful form of marketing – direct mail.

The preconceived image of direct mail as an unsolicited, unwarranted advertisement is over. Today, with limited competition through the letterbox, posted media is fast becoming the most appreciated and easiest way to build a strong and personal relationship with your existing and potential customers. The facts back it up.

We consider why and how direct mail is an essential asset for any company with the aim to grow their business.

Direct mail delivers results

Amongst the careful dissection of bills and bank statements, receiving additional mail from a company becomes an intimate procedure for people. Cutting out the middleman of social media and mobile phone screens allows you to create a physical and direct connection between your company and your target customers – literally placing your business in their hands.

Rejuvenated marketing experience

Again, direct mail stands strong in the face of the new tradition of online advertising. Statistics show that direct mail creates a larger impression on customers than online techniques:

94% of people engage with mail in some form – opening, reading, and demonstrating further interest in what they have received through the letterbox. Emails only have an open rate of 20.4%.

In fact, 41% of direct mail deliveries drove target customers to carry out additional research into the organisation, products or services that had been posted to them.

Personal touches become more personal

Many consider receiving mail as a lost art form, and avoiding the saturated competition of email and online advertising, direct mail allows you to break through the noise and walk straight into your target customer’s house.

Locally centred businesses trying to break ground on their own doorstep can create a stronger impression of being a community-focused organisation. Direct mail can create the perception of a business that has made the effort to deliver results to a provincial neighbourhood – an effort that is appreciated.

Alternately, your organisation can achieve an authoritative status. Mail through your letterbox is not so much rude as it is impressionable, reminding people of your presence and dominance in the marketplace. Your ability to enter the domain of your customers is that extra step that will help you surpass your competition. A recent report shows that 84% of professional marketers believe that direct mail improves advertising campaign performance. As part of a multi-channel campaign, direct mail helps drive results and conversions.

Choosing your audience

The same way that online advertising has developed to target specific audiences, direct mail services have developed a greater ability to direct your advertisements to key target customers.

However, the ability to target a smaller pool of your audience allows for greater personalisation in your marketing campaign – you can name your customers and address them as individuals. To your customer, direct mail applies a focus on them as a solitary and desirable customer. The advertisement becomes exclusive. The benefits of this range depending on your target audience but can be adapted to maximise their impressionability.

Making millennials matter

Millennials – and their lack of loyalty – were cited as the number one concern of retail industry leaders. The same survey that also found that 95% of millennials expect organisations to continually attend to them with coupons and regular communication. Direct mail addresses this opportunity directly.

In the age of online discount codes and websites, placing the discounts into the hands of young people becomes a physical ticket to future custom. Placed on a notice board, the option to reject vouchers is limited – it becomes an object that must be redeemed.

Being the largest audience group that are accessible online, it is easy to ignore younger generations when it comes to postal advertisement. For ranks of young people who have only experienced digital advertisement, direct mail can create a unique and special experience.

The reliable elders

Of course, older generations are an obvious choice for direct mail services. However, the reasons to target people through the post are becoming evidently more beneficial. For a community that uses fewer online services than young people, routes of communication to the older generation are diminishing.

For example, the reduction of road traffic has reduced the impact of billboard, poster and street advertising. In the first week of August, UK bus use has fallen to an average of 39% when compared to March 1st. The ability to communicate with an isolating group is invaluable, and direct mail is the most viable option to reach a group that is presently falling under the radar of many businesses.

Adding purpose

The audience also affects how you should produce your direct mail. Younger generations favour the quality of service, so using a thicker paperweight or premium finish demonstrates how you are offering a superior service or product. Plus, if competitively priced, you will be recognised as good value for money.

Younger generations are also more likely to carry out independent research into a service or product before they buy, so an emotional response will have a larger impact on this type of audience.

On the other hand, older generations prefer formality and information as to why your service or product is essential. They are less likely to explore alternate options. Therefore, you are more reliant on creating a good impression through your mail, as they are most likely to communicate with you directly for any additional information. Make your contact details clear and distinct, emphasising that you are easy to get in touch with.

Your communications shouldn’t just be limited to what work you do, but also how your organisation values itself within the community. What does your company do to help people beyond fulfilling contracts or delivering good products? Charitable achievements and community assurances add as much value to your company as a simple job well done.

Style and design are important considerations for direct mail. On social media, you may be restricted to fonts and formats that are not representative of your brand. Existing brand guidelines should be used with your direct mail to establish the identity of your organisation. Additionally, using colour print and showing consistency of style through all channels your organisation represents itself on allows the customer to recognise the professionality and regularity of good work.

A broader message

Remember, direct mail lasts longer than any other form of advertisement. TV or radio spots can last 20 seconds, but your direct mail may remain in a customer’s house for weeks or months. The mail you deliver is less likely to inform your customers of one single product or service – it is representative of your entire organisation. This helps it to become more memorable in the eyes of the recipient, who will recognise the effort put into their post. Certainly, direct mail is less abstract than digital advertisements and an essential route to take when building a growing business.

Small and Micro-Businesses Expect Highest COVID-19 Sick Day Costs

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We saw a light at the end of the lockdown tunnel in June and July, as retail and hospitality venues began to reopen and offices welcomed back staff. But stricter restrictions have been implemented nationwide and areas including the north west and Midlands are in local lockdowns.

On Monday 5th October, the UK government reported 12,594 new cases, the highest number of confirmed cases in a single day. The data also shows 368 people on ventilators, the highest figure since June.

Businesses are once again facing the possibility of workers isolating if they test positive or come into contact with a COVID-positive person. Most office employees will be able to work from home if they feel well enough, which will help mitigate the potential for sick days.  

One industry facing an even bigger challenge is the struggling hospitality sector, as staff cannot work from home. Co-workers of people who test positive could be required to self-isolate and venues may even close down. 81% of all hospitality organisations are micro-businesses, with 16% classified as small and the remaining 3% medium to large. There is a fear within the sector that sick days could bankrupt many of these smaller venues.

These businesses can put in place a number of measures to mitigate risk, including:

  • Strict social distancing
  • Reduced office or venue capacities
  • Personal protective equipment for staff, including microfibre cloths or face visors

How much do sick days cost employers in the UK?

The average number of sick days workers in the UK take is 4.4. With the average salary of all workers in the UK standing at £29,009 in 2019 (ONS), that works out at £490.92 per employee, per year. This works out by business size as:

Employees Median number of employees Average number of total sick days per year Average cost per year
1-9 (Micro) 5 22 £2,454.61
10-49 (Small) 30 132 £14,727.65
50-249 (Medium) 150 660 £73,638.23
249+ (Large, up to 500) 375 1650 £184,095.58

Coronavirus sick days

Of course, these figures don’t take into account the impact of the current COVID-19 pandemic.

In its weekly report on 2nd October 2020, the ONS estimated that 116,600 people had COVID-19 at any given time between 18th–24th September. This equates to about 0.17% of the UK population. The overall employment rate currently stands at 64.2% of the UK population, or 32.98 million people. If we understand that 0.17% of all people in employment had coronavirus, this means 56,066 workers were potentially infected during this time frame. This gives us a general picture of how many people could be infected in the workplace at any given time.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) account for 60% of all employment, meaning around 33,639 potentially infected people were working for these organisations. This works out at less than one employee per business within the micro and small sectors, and around two employees per business within the medium business sector. With 40% of employment held in large business, the remaining 26,568 infected workers have a smaller number of firms to be shared out across—resulting in an average of three potentially infected workers per large business.

We know that self-isolation is mandatory for anyone who tests positive for coronavirus. The current isolation period is 10 days from the date symptoms first started. They may be able to work from home, of course, depending on their job and the severity of the symptoms.

We’ll average this out across all business sizes and estimate that, at every organisation, one employee calls in sick for the full period of isolation. This requires, on average, seven business sick days.

Employees Median number of employees Average number of total sick days Average cost  +1 employee CV19 Yearly sick day cost Percentage
1-9 5 22 £2,453.93 £1,115.73 £3,570.34 45.45%
10-49 30 132 £14,723.58 £1,115.73 £15,843.38 7.58%
50-249 150 660 £73,617.92 £1,115.73 £74,753.96 1.52%
249+ (up to 500) 375 1650 £184,044.81 £1,115.73 £185,211.31 0.61%

COVID-19 will cause sickness days to rise across businesses of all sizes but will be most acutely felt in micro-businesses. Their sick day costs are projected to rise by over 45%.

COVID-19 impact on the hospitality sector

The hospitality sector is already feeling the pinch from the 10pm curfew and the reduction in households mixing. The sector employed 3.2 million people directly and 2.8 million indirectly before the COVID-19 pandemic, making it the third-biggest employment sector.

With micro-businesses making up the majority of the sector, these organisations are facing a unique challenge. Around 2,452 people who were potentially infected during the specified timeframe were working for micro-businesses in hospitality. Frontline workers who test positive or come into contact with someone who is COVID-positive must take sick leave. And, as we’ve seen, positive tests can sometimes result in the full shutdown of an establishment.

All businesses, but particularly those in the heavily restricted hospitality industry, can mitigate these risks by implementing COVID-secure measures in the workplace. Standard personal protective equipment like hand sanitiser will be useful for all businesses. Those in the hospitality sector with staff that come into closer contact with customers can add items like face visors and dividers between tables.

Reasons to hire professionals for waste clearance services in London

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London – a big city, and even bigger ‘contribution’ to the total waste production in the UK.

The junk adds up to 3.7 million tons each year. When it’s empty, Dubai’s Burj Khalifa weighs half  a million tons; so we’re talking 7 times that amount, in waste, every year.

However, London has low recycling rates. When compared to other cities in the UK, London ranks far behind.

Now, what can you, as a commercial organisation, do your tiny bit to not be a part of the problem

You just need to take one simple step.

Engage professionals for waste clearance.

But that costs big bucks, right? Why would you want to spend money on waste?

Well, because…

(a) It doesn’t really cost that much. It is a cost-effective solution in most cases.

And
(b) There are many other benefits of hiring professionals and availing waste clearance services in London.

Here is How Professional Waste Clearance Services Save Costs

The one invisible cost you often fail to account for is – opportunity cost. The cost value of a certain choice is equal to the value of the benefits that you could have gained with the other choice.

Try and understand this in the context of professional waste clearance services.

If you are a big fan of DIY and feel that you can handle the waste clearance and management, you’d spend time doing that. And you could have used that time in evaluating your business’ process bottlenecks, gathering feedback from your customers, motivating your employees, understanding their concerns and resolving them or anything else for that matter.

And when you spend time handling waste clearance, you are losing the chance to spend time doing something productive. That is a huge opportunity cost.

Plus, you’d hire manpower for waste clearance. And pay the workers a monthly salary. Even for the days when you don’t really need waste clearance.

Professional waste clearance services, on the other hand, would charge you for only the services that they offer you.

Thereby, saving both time and money is possible with professional waste clearance services.

Other Reasons for Hiring Professional Clearance Services in London

When you hire professionals for waste clearance services in London, you benefit in more ways. Some of which aren’t too obvious. Here are the top reasons for hiring professionals and ditching the DIY drill –

Proper waste management

What you call ‘waste’ can be segmented into multiple categories. E-waste, green waste, to organic waste and hazardous waste, waste can be categorised in many ways.

And all these different types of wastes need to be managed and disposed of in different ways.

Do you have the time for segregation?

Do you have the expertise for all categories of waste management?

Do you want to cause more harm to the environment by not carrying out proper waste segregation and management?

No, right?

The only solution?

Hire professionals and get the job done in a jiffy.

Maintain Health and Safety

You might not always realise that you are dealing with hazardous wastes. Items of routine use – that’s stuff like print solvents, car oils, brake fluids and batteries – are hazardous.

And without professional know-how disposing of these waste materials is a huge risk.

It’s not just hazardous wastes and their inherent risks. You are also exposed to harm like cuts, bruises and back stains if you don’t handle wastes in the right way.

So, waste, if not managed, is a health hazard waiting to hit you. And waste managed without professional know-how is a hazard of equal measure.

Professional waste cleaners have training and experience in managing all sorts of waste. And they will clear all the junk from your premises of waste without anyone getting sick, injured and hurt.

Improving your Brand Image

Social responsibility isn’t something you can run from. And you need to make sure that you send out positive signals, even when it comes to waste management.

Your customers don’t just judge you on the basis of your services. Seemingly trivial matters like how clean your premises is and how you carry out waste management shape your customer’s perception of your brand.

When you hire professionals for waste clearance services in London, you can rest assured that your premises will be spick and span. And your contribution to proper waste management in the city won’t go unnoticed.

You can think of professional waste clearance services as a well-deserved investment in keeping both your premises and your brand image clean and shining.

Your Waste Is Recycled

From the list of top 10 councils with the lowest recycling rates, 5 are in London.

The only way to get rid of materials like plastic, rubber tires and the like is to recycle them. These non-decomposable waste items can pose a great threat to the environment if not optimally managed.

However, you aren’t the only one to be blamed. You have other stuff to manage. You cannot schedule a daily trip to multiple recycling centres to ensure all the waste that your organisation produces gets recycled.

But, what you can do is hire professionals for rubbish removal in London. Waste clearance service providers are likely to recycle the wastes after segregation.

This way, you can ensure that the waste doesn’t land up at all the wrong places. It would be recycled, and you’d be ultimately contributing to the global good.

Making the final call

Just like you hire marketing specialists for marketing, accountants for accounting and several other specialised service providers for reliable services, you need to hire professionals for taking waste away the right way.

While it is obvious that going high on DIY can seem an enticing option, you know it won’t do you any good. You don’t know its true cost. You won’t do it half as nicely as professionals. And your customers will know it immediately when they go to a competitor’s premise, where professionals take care of the waste clean up.

Ask a rubbish removal or professional cleaning services for a quote. It’s cost-effective, eco-friendly, safe, sustainable, and time-saving. It’s a no-brainer.

Dinesh Kumar VM

Dinesh Kumar VM, SEO & Digital PR Manager at ClickDo. Has Expertise in Google Ads, Facebook Ads & Remarketing. Wrote & Published many books related to SEO & Digital Marketing.

More parents steer towards their vehicles for morning school routine during pandemic

A survey has recently taken place which uncovered how 1 in 10 parents are now looking to alter how their kids will get to school for the rest of the academic year, by taking on the extra responsibility of driving them themselves, due to pandemic worries.

8% of those asked have reported that they will be ditching public transport and replacing it with their own cars, walking or cycling. 

The survey was sent out to 1,000 parents of school-age children, throughout the UK, by car dealers Swansway Group. They learnt 24.3% would drive whilst 11.1% would insist on their children walking/cycling.

The survey was commissioned by the car sales company after a substantial growth in customers was flagged during the summer, each looking to purchase family-friendly vehicles from the group in order to suit their home to school transportation needs. SUV sales in particular have rocketed since the announcement of the return back to school.

The company noted an increase in specific car sales throughout the pandemic and the previous 18 months and have deemed the following as the perfect ‘family carrier’:

• Land Rover Range Rover

• Land Rover Discovery

• SEAT Leon

• Peugeot 3008

• Volkswagen Tiguan

• Peugeot 2008

• Audi Q3

• Audi Q5

• Honda Civic

• Jaguar F-Pace

“Both our dealerships and showrooms have noticed a recurring pattern, this year particularly, revolving around the kids being back in school. The want for parents to better their current vehicle has risen due to decisions to drive their children to school as opposed to them using public transport as they were previously.” says John Smyth, Director of Swansway Group.

“At the moment there have been multiple new health and safety systems put into place by the schools, including specific drop-off schedules for each year group. This makes for a chaotic environment for both children and parents. Managing these changes with the assistance of an upgraded, more practical, and ultimately comfier vehicle can help put minds at ease.”

All eyes are on London as they will be experiencing the biggest shift in as 17% of parents surveyed admitted to making the new switch to driving. 

It’s certainly interesting to learn that previous to lockdown the Swansway Group also surveyed 1,000 parents who claimed that their biggest issues with their morning school-run routine was the lack of respectable and considerate parking (22%) and the amount of parents who, despite living within walking/cycling distance to the school gates, still insisted on driving their children to school (26%).

Contact a.ling@swanswaygarages.com for more information.

5 Money-Saving Practices to Help Businesses Prepare for Another Lockdown

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For many businesses, penny-pinching hasn’t exactly been a choice lately. Lockdown regulations have forced the part-time closure of companies across all industries. Recent announcements have seen the UK return to some stricter regulations once again. Although this will inevitably take its toll on the financial capabilities for business across the UK, some of those money-saving practices you relied on previously can help to prepare for more potential restrictions.

The UK economy has been plunged into a state of turmoil in the recent months, and now local lockdowns in some regions of the UK could see yet another large financial slump. However, many businesses have managed to stay afloat throughout these unprecedented times. Online giant Amazon has even managed to increase its net sales by 40 per cent in the second quarter of 2020 in comparison to its 2019 stats.

As business owners have reopened their doors to the public once again, we have seen socially-distanced crowds flood through the doors again. However, don’t let this turnout blow all other possibilities out the water – including a second lockdown. As we see restrictions tighten once again in the UK, it’s vital that as a business owner you always plan strategies for both the best and worst outcomes.

So, why not bring back some of those money-saving techniques that have helped your business survive over recent months?

Here, we discuss some money-saving tips that will help support the survival of your business, regardless of what industry it is a part of, if lockdown restrictions were to affect its operations once again.

1.      Bring back cost-cutting measures

Since the coronavirus pandemic forced businesses keep track of their overheads even more so than usual, there is something business owners can learn from this if faced by another lockdown. Rather than abandoning your business’ Covid-19 plan, continue revising the strategy and further your approaches to keep costs low.

Depending on which region you are based and the restrictions that are in place, determine whether there are any changes in your short- and long-term budgets. This will help you grasp a clearer understanding of your expenses and help create multiple recovery or survival plans.

Next, decide which products or services are not essential. For example, those working in the food industry may decide to continue operating at a reduced menu. This helps cut costs on suppliers and cooking equipment. As for those operating in the service sector, ensure that all employees who can work from home are doing so. That way, electricity and water bills can be kept low.   

There are many tactical approaches and strategies you can implement back into your business operations to prepare for another lockdown. As a business owner, preparing for all possible scenarios, regardless of a pandemic or not, is something that should always be valued. 

2.      The budget treats challenge returns: business edition

The budget treats challenge was all about saving money without cutting out the fun stuff that comes with many work cultures. Nowadays, building a strong corporate culture that helps develop employee relationships is essential. With this said, for those staff meals out and beer-garden days in the sun that have been dearly missed, it’s important for business owners not to rule these out of the budget entirely. Instead, dedicate a small proportion of it to use at a later date when this is possible again.

However, succeeding at this challenge works on the logic that there is always some form of money-saving going on. For example, there are many entertainment venues that offer discounts such as happy hours, cinema deals, restaurant discounts, or two-for-one deals. Look out for all the deals and discounts you can find and save them for a later date! 

3.      Reintroduce the little cices Challenge

Vices; all businesses have them. Whether it be an extra ‘Thank you for your purchase!’ sticker stuck on the packaging or an excessive amount of gift wrapping, there are some things that businesses might be better off putting on hold for now to help reduce costs and plan ahead.

Rather than using an excessive amount of gift wrap packaging, decide what is essential. Then, place a greater focus on making the design and layout of the packaging look equally as good with what you have. Creativity is key.

Although the marketing of your business should never be considered as a vice, there are some effective ways to reduce your promotional costs as well as continue with this process if another lockdown occurred. For example, for those operating in the takeaway or fast-food industry, rather than spending large sums of money on printing out menus and posting them through people’s doors, email or text them.

4.      Return of the 52-week savings challenge

The 52-week savings challenge is something that some businesses have been using to save for all those small expansion projects that the pandemic placed on hold. This savings challenge could help your business achieve exactly that once regulations ease again.

Put simply, the amount you save increases week-by-week, which is probably why it’s one of the most popular savings challenges. On week one, for every item or group of items you make a profit from, put £1 of this into a savings bank for your business. On week two, put £2 in, and so on. The amount of money you add into a savings account can vary depending on the size of your business and what products it entails of course. But hypothetically, this is how it works! If you choose to follow this exact method, your business will have an extra £1,378 in a year to dedicate towards those small projects and innovations you had in mind.

5.      Review your office overheads

Although this last money-saving tip will mostly apply to those operating within the services or digital sector, there are some pieces of advice other business owners can take on board. After reopening your doors to employers over recent months, your bills will have inevitably increased. However, now that many UK workers are working from home again, placing those unnecessary purchases on hold, such as equipment, software, or printing equipment such as cartridges could see you save greatly on your office overheads now that the demand for these is less. 

Ensuring your business stays afloat during this uncertain time seems like such a stressful process. But there are many instant strategies you as a business owner can implement to help cope with the threat of another potential lockdown. Regardless of a pandemic or not, it is vital that all businesses set clear goals to help them succeed and grow.

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