Category: Career & Education

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Career & Education Education

5 Best Sites For Taking Online Classes

5 Best Sites For Taking Online Classes

Online courses are the best way to learn about different topics you want without wasting your time commuting. The best part is that you don’t even have to attend the course on a specific time and day, as you can learn at your own pace.

Here are some of the best sites for online classes that may offer courses on different topics.

1.    Udemy

This is one of the biggest and most popular sites for online courses. You can opt for any course from their 55,000 courses in different fields. Additionally, it also allows you to develop custom courses for learning. Udemy also offers you both paid and free content. You can also download their app for easy learning. The courses range between $9 and $500. Plus, you can also find several discount options on this site.

2.    EDX

EDX is another excellent site for online classes and provides completely free education to you. It is a non-profit educational site and has the objective to provide you high-quality content. This website helps you to improve your skills and knowledge in almost every field. You can find online classes on engineering, psychology, computer science, and others. The best part is that once you complete a course, they issue an official certificate that you can use to prove your knowledge.

3.    Bloc  

When it comes to Bloc, you need to know that this site only offers you web development courses. Still, it is a great platform to furnish your skills and abilities in web programming and designing. Bloc offers you a well-structured program that educates people 25 hours every week for several months. However, you may find the course expensive as the fees start from $4,250. While it is not affordable for some people, it is a great chance for people on a budget who want to gain knowledge and insights about the web development.

4.    LinkedIn Learning

Once you subscribe to LinkedIn learning, you can enroll in a variety of courses. These include art, design, business, tech, education, and much more. The teachers are highly educated and experienced and use innovative ways to help students understand the course. This platform offers you a one-month free trial, so you can test whether you want to invest in it.

5.    Coursera

Coursera is the best platform to enroll in college courses without spending a great amount of money. This site offers you courses on almost every topic, such as history, psychology, literature, science, and much more. Coursera only hires professors from top educational organizations to teach people. Their professors are from institutes like Johns Hopkins, Princeton, Stanford, and others.

Bottom Line

So, these are some best sites for online classes that you can choose according to the field you want to learn about. Make sure to check the course or field that you want to learn on the site you are choosing before enrolling.

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Career & Education Education

6 Reasons Why Continuing Education Is Important

6 Reasons Why Continuing Education Is Important

One should never stop learning, as it helps expand your knowledge and improve your skills. Plus, it provides more opportunities for professional and personal growth. You should continue your education even after you get a job. Here are some reasons why continuing education is important.

1. You’ll Improve Your Skills

Thanks to advancements in technology, companies introduce new and updated software now and then. Continuing education or enrolling in a course can help you learn advanced tech skills that you can take advantage of in your career. Depending on your knowledge and abilities, you can learn as simple skills as making PowerPoint presentations or as complex as software programming like CSS or HTML.

2. You’ll Make More Money

Having more expertise and knowledge about different courses and programs can help you make more money. Of course, a college graduate has more chances to get a better and high-salary job than a person who has studied till high school.  

Hence, the more skills you have, the more chances you will get to find a high-paying job in a demanding company.

3. You’ll Have More Confidence As You Gain More Skills

When you educate yourself more about the industry and attain the skills that you need to succeed in your field, you will feel more self-assured and confident in the workplace. You may have seen confident co-workers who have used their good vibes to get a superior position in the company. You can do the same.

Not to mention, having confidence in yourself also allows you to ask for raise in salary, as you will have a resume to prove your proficiency.

4. You’ll Improve Your Social Network

We all know that greater exposure to the world offers you better social networking. Continuing education helps you meet the people who belong to the same field and who have similar interests. You can share your views and opinions and can take advantage of their knowledge and skills.

Surrounding yourself with people from the same industry also allows you to take advice when you have to make big decisions.

5. You’ll Grow Personally

Even if you have an amazing job and you are satisfied with your lifestyle, it doesn’t mean you can’t continue your education. Continuing getting education takes you on a journey of personal development.

Education can help you become a better person by teaching you different aspects of life. Even if you are continuing education for professional reasons, it will still help you grow personally.

6. You’ll Be Able to Make a Career Transition With Your New Skills

People who want to switch to a completely new field need to have certain education and talent to get the job. Thus, you should continue your education to take a new path in your life.

When you have more knowledge about the field you want to enter, you will get the job more easily. Plus, you will also find it easy to adjust in a relatively new industry.

Bottom Line

In a nutshell, continuing education opens your way for personal and professional growth. You will get better options in the future to get success in your career. Not to mention, you will become a better person, and will also learn social and communication skills.

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Career Career & Education

Want to Quit Your Job? Here’s How to Do it Like a Pro

Want to Quit Your Job?Here’s How to Do it Like a Pro

Do you want to quit your job? But how?

Let’s read the article to get an idea about the best ways to leave a job like a pro.

Consider Switching Departments

If you are planning to switch from one company to another, you need some time to search for the right job. Of course, it will take months, if not a year. You will have more leverage if you accept a new job when you are already working.

However, if your reason to leave the job is your fussy department manager, then first consider moving to another department within your company. Your employer would not want you to go, and they may allow you to change your department. They can take advantage of their investment in your professional growth.  You may want to quit your job before you find an offer, but it can be a costly mistake for you. It’s better to keep it as the last option.

Check Important Details of Your Departure               

Before leaving, do your complete research. Check what salary and employee benefits you will receive upon quitting the job. Make sure to find out about the unused sick and vacation pays. Also, ask the authority about what will happen with your 401 (K) or other pension plans.

Some employers also arrange an exit interview before the departure of the employee. Review some samples of the interview questions from the internet so you can answer more confidentially and professionally.

Give Advance Notice

Although two weeks advance notice is standard in most companies, it can take a longer time to replace some type of professionals. If you have a good position that involves certain types of complex responsibilities, you may need to give advance notice a month before quitting.

Besides this, if you are a member of a labor union or have an employment contract, then the agreement you have signed may have certain requirements that you have to fulfill. Before leaving the company, make sure you have checked the notice period in this agreement. Do remember that when you give notice to the employer, they have the right to dismiss it and terminate you immediately if you don’t follow the agreement.

Always Resign In-Person

You might don’t have great relations with your boss, but it doesn’t matter. The way you quit your job will reflect your professionalism and approach towards responsibilities.

So, don’t worry about the awkwardness, and talk to your employer in person. Sending an impersonal resignation on email will only make you look rude and dismissive. Yes, a one-to-one meeting will not be simple and easy, but that’s how professionals deal with it.

Bottom Line

So, these are some ways to quit your job like a pro.  You can also give feedback to your company on why you are leaving. Plus, don’t forget to inform your colleagues about your resignation.

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Business Career & Education Financial Insurance

Your Guide to Choosing Small Business Insurance

Your Guide to Choosing Small Business Insurance

Getting small business insurance is a very hard thing to do. Especially, if you don’t have as much knowledge about the small business world. Still, don’t be fooled into thinking that you can go for too long without insurance.

Small business insurance provides a net for you whenever you have some problems with money. If you have the right type, it can save you from total bankruptcy! You need insurance to handle unexpected costs and accidents that can befall your company and your employees. Those costs will come and pile up!

What Types Of Insurance Can I Pick From?

Here are some of the common types of insurance, and the one that you end up picking will be the one that completely benefits you.

One of the first types is Business Income Insurance. This covers all forms of money loss from physical property damage. If your bottom line or earnings are impacted by a car crash or damage to one of your buildings, then that is what is covered by this insurance. It’s very useful if you have some type of property to your name, less useful if you do not.

Another type that small businesses need to consider is the Business Liability Insurance. This keeps your small business safe from being sued. Many owners do not get this insurance, as they incorrectly think that an LLC will provide protection. It does not.

Other Types Of Insurance

If you are running a small business in the construction or building services, then you are going to need contractors professional liability insurance. This protects your contractors from being sued for errors, and liability claims. It’s a must for this niche, especially when you are just starting out.

Employment practices liability insurance is focused on protecting the employees of your small business from wrongful employment practices and these include discrimination, wrongful termination, and harassment.

Picking The Ones That Work

The insurance you need depends on your business. If you are hosting a small business with no employees and completely online, you will need different insurance than a construction company with 20 employees. Still, the most basic form of insurance should focus on protecting your business from the various problems that can plague it.

If you are unsure about what insurance your business needs, or are concerned that you are missing something, you should talk to an expert. A lawyer who specializes in small businesses and an accountant who knows the financial side of things, makes sure that you will cover all your bases.

If you don’t have insurance, you are leaving the door wide open for financial ruin for your business. The work and small sums that you pay now for business insurance are going to save you much later whenever problems arise, and you certainly won’t regret taking the time to have it done.

Make insurance an important part of your plan, and then you can get back to serving your customers.

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Business Career & Education

22 Online Business Ideas You Can Start Tomorrow

22 Online Business Ideas You Can Start Tomorrow

When it comes to starting a business online, there are a few methods you can’t beat! Here are several online business ideas that you can easily start with. Who knows what they will grow into!

  1. Consultant/Coach

If you are an expert in something, why not turn it into a business. So, show it off with a coaching package or program!

  1. Reseller

Do you have clothes you are not wearing anymore, or things you don’t use? Resell them for a tidy profit!

  1. Website or App Developer

If you love to code and design, then you are born for the process of making websites and apps that people will enjoy.

  1. Professional Organizer

If you like to declutter and make the most of space, you can become a professional organizer for physical and online spaces.

  1. Freelance Writer

Writing is a lucrative and fun way to make some serious money, so make sure to give it a go!

  1. Small Business Consultant

If you have owned or managed small businesses in the past, then working as a consultant might be your calling.

  1. Social Media Consultant

Not everyone is as up to date with the latest social media trends as you might be. Use that knowledge and spruce up people’s pages for a living!

  1. Blogger

Blogging as a business can be very interesting and important, and if you manage to write the right content and get it to people, you can make some serious money.

  1. Virtual Assistant

If you are organized and a whiz with computers, then you might be a good personal assistant to someone who needs the support.

  1. Tech Support

Who doesn’t enjoy calling tech support for help. If you enjoy tinkering with electronics you can easily start offering remote assistance as your business.

  1. Craft Maker

More businesses than you can think of have been spawned by people selling crafts. If you can make something really enjoyable, then you can sell it.

  1. Drop Shipping

Drop shipping allows you to take orders for online retail, but then forward those orders to someone else that does all the delivery and the legwork.

  1. Tutoring

If you know a particular subject or about a certain test, you might be able to teach it effectively to others. Make a tutoring business!

  1.  Make A Youtube Channel

If you are more comfortable in front of a video camera, then you can educate and entertain through Youtube and make money through ads.

  1. Digital Courses

Another way to get some information out there is to use digital courses. Easily digestible courses can help you share your expertise in a fun format.

  1. A Podcast

A podcast about something you are passionate about can really bring people in. So start one! It’s super easy!

  1. Cover Letter/Resume Writer

How many people are looking for work right now? How many are doing it with bad resumes that haven’t been updated in a year? A lot! So, reach out and see if you can help.

  1. Graphic designer

If art is your method of communication, then you can create pictures and designs for companies. So, go start that graphic design business!

  1. Email writer

People are sending out more emails than ever before, and if you can write an email for yourself you can do one for a company.

  1. Nutrition Planner

If you are obsessed with tracking everything you eat, and want to bring that obsession to the workplace, then feel free to start this business!

  1. Life Coach

You’ve got lots of experiences you can share that others can learn from, so don’t be afraid to share.

  1. Online Business Advisor

There are more and more people looking to make a living online every single day, why not show them how to do it?

Any one of these online business ideas could be your next big hit, so pick one and get it started!

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Business Career & Education

Starting a Business: A Step-by-Step Guide

Starting a Business: A Step-by-Step Guide

Starting a business is no easy feat at all, and it takes a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. It also has a lot of time and money invested into it. Thankfully, every business from a bakery shop to a Fortune 500 company is all about using the same steps.

Here are some of the best steps that are crucial to building a business, and the ones that you will need to follow no matter what business you decide to start.

Step 1: Prepare Your Idea

Every single business starts with an idea or a ‘why’. Maybe you want to sell makeup kits online, maybe you want to tutor students in math, maybe you want to build the next skyscraper. However, an idea in a vacuum isn’t worth squat.

So, you need to make sure that your idea has some level of substance behind it. Let’s say you want to sell makeup kits. What type of kits will you sell? What products will you use? Who will you market those kits for? If you can answer specific questions about how you will get your idea off the ground, then you will be able to make sure that you have a structure in place.

Nothing sinks a business faster than having an idea and not much else on your end, so always make sure to answer those common questions before you get started.

Step 2: Put A Business In Your Budget

Every business will cost some amount of money, and you need to be prepared for that. Setup costs, supplies, website hosting, and in some cases physical space are all expenses that will at first be coming out of your pocket. It could be a little or a lot of money, but no matter what you need to make sure that you are prepared for that expense.

Set some money aside 3-6 months before you start your business, and keep that little nest egg growing as you flesh out the ideas. Once you get started with finally getting your business off the ground, you can focus on creating your business and not your money woes. Plus, it’s good practice for the budget that your business will actually need!

Step 3: Pick Your Niche and Audience

An epic business is nothing without someone to sell too and something to sell, but most businesses go far too broad trying to please everyone. Instead of making your products ‘one size fits all’ you should focus on making your products applicable to a certain niche.

If you are designing a jewelry business, pick one thing and do it well. For example, you could try and sell only necklaces or only earrings until you get your audience.

Follow These Steps and You’ll Have A Chance

These three steps are the best way to have a clear vision for your business, and will make sure that you have an actionable plan going forward. Then you will be able to build on that plan with confidence!

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Business Career & Education

7 Steps to Create a Marketing Plan That Works

7 Steps to Create a Marketing Plan That Works

There may be several strategies and ideas that you can incorporate in your business with an idea to develop it. However, a timely marketing plan can do wonders for taking your business to the next level. This plan could be the difference between failure and success.

So, here are 7 steps to create a marketing plan that actually works.

1. Research to Know Your Marketing Business

You should focus on developing a long-term approach for strategizing your business’ future. This approach should be on your customer feedback about your services and product’s credibility. Consider arranging a market study to assess your company’s standing with clients and vendors.

This data will give you the right mind-set to know your business standing, value, and credibility.

2. Know your Brand Health

It would help if you arranged a market survey to know about your product’s feedback. This will make you know your brand’s market value. Assess its value by comparing it with the competitor’s product to get a clear understanding. Depending on the result, you should set the next 12 months’ goals to improve your clientele and dig into a new customer base.

3. Determine Target Market

What more you can do to improve your product. It’s like getting the right audience to listen to you. So, focus more on knowing what segment of market your product can capture.  It would help if you got customer feedback, shared it with your marketing team and production unit to improve your end product. This will help you determine your target market.

4. Set a Budget

You should be careful about allocating a certain budget for marketing, advertising and promoting business. You should spend this money on marketing-related activities alone.

Budgets are difficult to come by. You may need to withdraw money from another part of your business to replenish marketing and promotion. So be careful and run the numbers twice to justify the new budget allocation.

5. Know your Rivals

There is a good chance that you are facing some fierce competitors. You should know them, their strengths as well as weaknesses. That will help you guide how you can progress. You should know why people like their products and try to improve on that a step ahead and sell your product.

6. Create a Tactical Marketing Strategy

The strategy should be on course about how to achieve your goals? Whereas tactics like digital promotion, social media, websites, public relations, and trade conferences are just one facet of marketing. Email marketing, direct sales, and lead generation are another extension of marketing strategy. You need both to fork a sound strategy for a successful business future.

7. Get Set, Go!

These steps are needed to create a marketing plan for your business that actually works. Just put them together and devise a strategy that suits you best. Marketing plans can vary from simple to more complex methods. So, be ready to alter or amend them as and when required.

Conclusion

Therefore, you should always have a marketing plan to promote your business. But ensure its timely implementation and ensure its being applied in soul and spirit.

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Business Career & Education Financial Loans

5 Steps to Getting a Business Loan

5 Steps to Getting a Business Loan

You want to start your own business. That is great news, a huge step, something that should be encouraged and applauded. But it isn’t just as easy as coming up with an idea and making it a reality. There are many hoops to jump through to make your business come to life, including getting a business loan so your company can have the capital to be a huge success, find customers, and make it long into the future.

How is that done? How does someone secure a business loan, especially if it is their first time starting a business? While not all of the steps are easy or short, the process is simple enough to follow. Make sure you follow this necessary procedure and you will stand the best chance to get yourself a business loan and create the company you have always dreamed of.

1.   Are you Eligible?

Before you get too excited about your business, you need to first determine if you are even eligible for a business loan. There is a lot riding on this fact. Actually, everything is riding on it.

How do you decide if you can get a loan? You need to weigh a lot of different factors. For example, what is your credit score? Have you opened any other business? Do you make enough money? All of these things must be figured out before you can land your business loan and open your company.

2.   What Type of Loan Do You Need?

Did you know there are many different types of loans available to you if you decide to start your own business? It’s true, there are more than you think. You need to figure out which type of loan you need. Do you need a personal loan or a business credit card? Maybe you need a government-backed loan or a more traditional loan from a bank? These are the sort of questions you need to ask and answer before moving forward with getting your business loan.

3.   Online Lender? Bank? Who Should You Look To?

In the modern world, there are many different places you can go to to get your small business loan. Do you want to rely on a bank or microlender or online lender when you are looking to get your loan? Weigh your options, see what each has to offer, then move forward by requesting the loan from the supplier of your choice.

4.   Gather your Information

Obviously when you are applying for a loan, you will need a lot of documentation and information to give the possible supplier of your loan. You will need tax returns, bank statements, legal documents, and a legal plan. You need to round all of these up and have them prepared for a sit-down meeting for your loan. Make sure all the ducks are in a row before you take the final step.

5.   Apply for your Loan

Now that you have followed all the other steps you are ready to finally apply for your loan. Make sure you are dressed your best, bring all your documents, and have a solid business plan when you are stating your case for the lender of your choice.

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Business Career & Education

Choosing the Best Legal Structure for Your Business

How to Choose the Best Legal Structure for Your Business

There are many questions you need to ask when you are starting your own business. What will your business provide? Who will it cater to? How will it reach its customer base and become a success? These are just some of the many things you need to ask yourself when you are formulating your business and a business plan to get it started.

But there are more questions, ones that are more complicated and ultimately more important too. One of the biggest things you need to figure out is what legal structure your business will take when it is up and running. This is a pivotal choice, one that will decide the future of your business and the success it can have. There are many options, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. So, how do you decide which legal structure your business needs?

Before you decide which structure to accept, you need to know what they are. Your business can be a sole proprietorship, a partnership, a limited liability company (LLC), a corporation, or a cooperative. Now, which one should you pursue? Here is what you need to consider before the choice is made.

Complexity Of Your Business

How complicated and complex will your business be? If it is going to be massive and unruly, you should look into a corporation or LLC. Are you starting something simple and straightforward? Then a sole proprietorship is a good approach for you. You need to get a handle and grasp on the scope and size of your possible company before you decide how to legally structure it.

Taxes

Taxes. Everything comes back to taxes. When you are setting up your company, you need to decide how you want it structured so you can decide how to do your taxes. Did you know that the owner of an LLC and sole proprietor keeps the money made in their business because it is all considered personal income? That’s good news but also bad because it will all be taxed accordingly. Figuring out how you are going to structure your business needs to incorporate how you want to be taxed.

Regulations

When you are setting up your business, you need to consider where you are launching and running it. Depending on the jurisdiction you are set up in, you are going to be hit with an under the control of many different regulations. These regulations change depending on the city, state, county, and country you are in. Pay close attention and see what benefits or disadvantages you will run into based upon the local regulations. If the regulations, permits, licenses, and rules related to a certain legal structure is too much, then you just need to find a different route to take. The regulations might decide which legal structure you should follow.

Deciding upon the right legal structure for your business is one of the most important steps you take when you are creating your company. It dictates the future of your company and its success and can eliminate – or create – a lot of headaches. Pay close attention to the rules, the taxes, and the complexity revolving around your future business before you make a solid choice. The fate of your business depends on it.

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Business Career & Education Credit Financial

What are the Best Cards for Small Businesses

What Are The Best Cards For Small Businesses

Starting a small business is exciting, fun, and nerve-wracking. It can also be truly terrifying if you are not sure where you are getting your funds from. Some business owners find their financing through a bank, others from loans by brokers or family and friends. Then others get their companies up and running by using one of the many business credit cards on the market.

If you are looking to fire up your own small business and want to rely on a credit card to get things moving, you have a lot of choices to pick from. Which one is right for you? Which card has the best features, the best rates and the greatest rewards? Be sure that you make the right choice because, frankly, the future of your business depends on it.

American Express Blue Business Cash Card

A 0% annual fee? 2% cash back on all purchases up to $50,000? 0.0% intro APR purchases for the first 12 months? The American Express Card is a great way to finance your new business. It is a wonderful way to buy furniture, make down payments or secure rent. The 2% cash back is a great feature and it lasts for an entire year. After that, it will drop down to 1% which is still quite nice. It is made for people with really good credit, so you need to keep that in mind when applying. But it is a powerful, handy and reliable card from one of the biggest card companies in the world.

Capital One Spark Cash for Business

The Capital One Spark Cash for Business card is a great tool to create and sustain your business in its opening year. People know that the first few years of a company are the most challenging time for it, and the Spark Cash for Business card helps out tremendously. How? By providing $0 annual fee for the first year and an unlimited 2% cash back on every single purchase you make. Plus, the card gives a one-time $500 cash bonus once you spend $4,500 within 3 months of opening your account. If you need to make a foreign purchase, this card is also great for you because it has absolutely no foreign transaction fees. For all these reasons and more, you can’t go wrong with the Spark Cash for Business card.

The Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express

Everyone is wild about reward points with their credit cards. They are all the rage. The Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express is full of rewards. In fact, you earn 2X Membership Rewards points on business purchases for the first $50,000 purchases per year and then 1 point per dollar spent after that. That alone is enough to sell many business owners and have them sign up for the card. But the 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months is another great reason to take a look at this card when you are getting your new business up and running.