Tips for Creating a Successful Morning Routine

It can be difficult getting up in the morning without the aid of a helpful routine to get you started and motivated to get out of bed. Feeling tired and slightly moody isn’t uncommon. The temptation to crawl back into bed and get more sleep is certainly real and often overwhelming. Before you give into it though, you can try these special tricks for establishing a successful morning routine and jumpstart your day.

Prepare your body

For some, rolling out of bed is deemed a huge success. Once this has been accomplished, it’s time to take a nice, slow stretch. This is believed to increase blood flow in the body and will have a person feeling wide awake within minutes.

These days, cereal with milk is a popular breakfast choice. The problem with this food is that the focus is on dairy, rather than on protein. A couple of pan-fried eggs or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich are both good options instead of, or in addition to, cereal. Because of their high protein content, they’ll give a person the fuel and energy he needs to get through his busy day.

Besides these, an exercise routine comes in handy. During a workout, the body actively engages in various, quick movements, and a person will be left feeling more awake and energetic.

Get the mind ready

Drinking water is good for bodily health, but the simple act has exceptional benefits for the mind, too. It can improve a person’s mood in no time. A grueling, drawn-out morning routine that leaves much to be desired, can make an individual feel like he’s practically homebound. He can skip his usual morning shower and take it the night before instead. Also, he can save a few extra minutes in the morning, by setting the timer on his coffee maker then, as well. That way, the coffee will be brewed and ready to go the moment he gets out of bed.

That innocent looking snooze button on the alarm clock is supposed to be a friend. In reality, though, it’s the enemy. Not only does it interrupt your sleep, it makes it more difficult to accept the fact that the day has, indeed, begun. The snooze button is like the part of the brain that keeps trying to deny it.

By changing the usual, tedious morning routine, anyone can become a morning person. Getting the mind and body both on board may just be the key to the new one’s chance for success. It doesn’t hurt to try.

3 Reasons You Should Use an Open Coworking Space

We’re used to the traditional layout of offices where people working for a single company share the area and are placed in different offices or cubicles. Now, a new trend is growing; coworking spaces. Coworking spaces act just as dynamic and flexible as the people who work in them every single day. When a business owner gets into one of these spaces, they soon see that they will get a lot of functionality and malleability from performing their daily work tasks in them. Coworking spaces operate as a viable option for many businesses because they are a lot more affordable than the average commercial space and also make collaboration more of a reality.

Company owners that don’t have the means to lease commercial space, this article gives them three reasons why they should move their team into a coworking space.

The offices have a central location

If a business owner needs their clients to meet them at their office, this won’t act as a problem as most coworking spaces are located in some of the most populated cities in central locations. If entrepreneurs think they might want to rent an office, a downside to this option is that they will probably have to sacrifice getting a prime location if they want to pay a lower rent amount every month. When entrepreneurs and freelancers have a shared office, their office will sit in a key area. If they work in centrally located coworking spaces, people also have access to other amenities also located in those areas.

The offices have a low cost

Coworking spaces let entrepreneurs and freelancers do their work in a professional setting without needing to rent expensive office space. When they get a shared space for their company, they can do their work without needing to pay for equipment, different types of insurance, monthly building rent, and a lot of other expenses.

Even if a company made enough money to rent their space, the time they will spend talking to contractors, buying office furniture, and obtaining all of the licenses that they need would not be worth it. Renting a coworking space takes that task off their to-do list.

The offices give people an opportunity to network

When a freelancer or business owner do their work in a coworking space, they are surrounded by hard-working people with a lot of achievements under their belts. Every day, they have the opportunity to network with these hard-charging, interesting professionals. They can explore potential partnerships, invest in the projects of their space mates, and outsource some of their work to freelancers in the office.

2 Ted Talks You Need To Watch As An Entrepreneur

Entrepreneurship is both a rewarding and potentially isolating way of doing work. A lot of people desire to work for themselves, but the reality of doing so is sometimes more of a challenge than what people had bargained for. This is why those who do this kind of work need frequent bursts of inspiration from others who have done the same or similar types of projects before them. A great place to find some of that inspiration is through Ted Talks.

How I Became An Entrepreneur At 66

Age really is just a number if you are asking Paul Tasner. He went on to defy social stereotypes that someone who is well into AARP membership age could not start their own business or be an entrepreneur. He didn’t become one until the age of 66. However, at that point he took it on with a passion that most of us desire for the things we do in our lives.

He had worked for other people for more than forty years, but he was not ready to hang up the hat and contribute nothing more to society. Rather, he took the experience that he had gained through all of those years along with some of his own ideas about business and mashed them together to form his own ventures. His talk is definitely one to check out.

There Is No Shame In Taking Care Of Your Mental Health

Scroll through your Facebook or Twitter feed one of these days and take note of the number of people describing mental health issues that they are having. They might be trying to laugh them off, but in reality there is a desperate cry underneath those jokes saying “something is not right here!”.

This particular Ted Talk helps explore the issues of how we treat mental health, and how we sometimes brush it aside in our own lives in order to avoid taking time away from our work or other responsibilities. This talk makes the argument that doing so is more costly than whatever work we are missing out on in the meantime. This talk is definitely one to watch for anyone suffering from mental health issues, but also just for those who know someone who may have these kinds of struggles as well.

How to Write a Top-Notch Business Plan

There are many people who are interested in owning their own business. Owning a business is a lot of hard work and it requires the owner to take on numerous financial risks. Writing a business plan before getting started is also critical. However, writing a business plan is not easy to do. There are numerous areas of the company to focus on when writing a plan and plenty of thought that must go into your business plan.

Start with goals

Before writing a business plan, it is critical for a business owner to understand the goals of the business. Writing down goals is one of the best ways to have success in life. There are numerous studies that show the impact of having strong goals in a business. When starting a company, it is difficult to find time to plan for the future, which is why writing a business plan is so critical. If you plan out your ultimate goals before you even start your business, you’ll find it easier to focus on and achieve them.

Financing

One of the biggest issues with starting a business is getting the required capital to invest in a business idea. There are some people who try to raise money from investors. Other people would rather borrow money from a bank. In the business plan, the financing plan needs to be carefully outlined. Some business owners get into financial trouble because they borrow too much money in the beginning and do not understand how to budget or properly use this money. This issue can be avoided through proper planning and fundraising before opening your business.

Be realistic

As a general rule, starting a company is harder than many people realize. Although there are success stories of business owners who have become millionaires, this is not the normal experience. When writing a business plan, it is critical to be realistic. Some people have lofty goals and get discouraged when they do not reach them. By writing down realistic and attainable goals, a business owner can have a plan to follow over the course of time.

Focus on customers

Some business owners never spend time interacting with customers. It is critical to understand the customers who could be purchasing products or services from the company because they’re the reason your company will succeed or fail. By understanding customers, business owners can design marketing plans that improve sales and profits at the company.

With the economy improving, many people are considering starting a company. Although it is hard work, owning a business is one of the most rewarding things that anyone can do in life. Writing a solid business plan can greatly increase the chances of managing a successful business.

How to Create Positive Relationships Between Your Coworkers

Positive working relationships are imperative in any workplace. When coworkers get along and respect one another, they work well together and the office is that much more productive. Establishing and maintaining healthy relationships in the office requires effort and these tips can help anyone foster a positive relationship with the people they work with at their job.

Recognize a job well done

When people recognize the hard work their coworkers put into a job or a project, it makes their coworkers feel good. They feel appreciated and valued and that benefits everyone working in the office in numerous ways. The first is that it makes people continue to work hard so they can earn more appreciation. It also helps people realize their coworkers want them to have credit for their work rather than trying to take it for their own benefit.

Encourage teamwork

Collaboration is the best way to ensure people are given the opportunity to work together and appreciate what their coworkers bring to the table. Each person is different, and it’s one way to teach people to learn to appreciate the talents and skills everyone in the office has so that they can work together for more success.

Set goals

When an office sits down together and discusses their goals, they bring themselves closer together. Putting the entire office in a room to share their goals with one another helps everyone. When one person shares their goals, their coworkers can help them figure out how to achieve that goal, and the same goes for anyone who works in the office. Everyone is different, but they are working to achieve the same thing and motivation works no matter what your end goals are.

Create fun

The workplace is often serious and busy, and the demand to produce great work and make positive changes in the lives of everyone connected to the business is sometimes overwhelming. It’s easy to forget to have fun and focus on just getting the job done, but coworkers who have fun together are more likely to enjoy working with one another. Create time for employees to unwind and have fun, such as an office dinner party or quarterly party to celebrate a job well done.

Fostering a creative and happy workplace is as simple as taking a little time to make people feel good about their role in the company. Good manners, a happy work environment, and recognition when it’s warranted is all it takes to foster healthy relationships in your workplace.

3 Tips for Starting Your Own Charity

For those looking to give back to the community and the world at large, there are several options. You can volunteer your time to a cause you care about or you can donate money to an organization you respect. However, another option is starting your own charity. If you don’t feel that there’s an organization out there that fits your mission, you can start your own philanthropy. A charity can be an excellent way to give to those in need and can positively impact all who are involved with it. While starting a charity may seem a bit daunting at times, it can most certainly be done successfully. That being said, it may be difficult to know where to start with such a venture. Below are some tips to consider when starting a charity.

Do research

Before attempting to start your own charity, do adequate research. This tip comes from Joanne Fritz’s article in The Balance. This step is vitally important, as poor planning and preparation can dissolve a charity rather quickly. If you want to lead a successful charity, you need to know what you’re doing. Make sure to research any laws and regulations regarding charities. Research the marketplace of charities as well, such as which ones are successful, and for what reasons. This can help organize a charity that is just starting. Also, make sure you aren’t starting a charity that’s too similar to another or will be overshadowed by an organization that already exists.

Figure out what the charity is all about

Steve Odland’s article in Forbes, highlights the importance of understanding what exactly you want your philanthropy to accomplish. Odland suggests creating both a vision and mission statement. According to the article, a vision statement includes the broad, general goals of an organization and should be qualitative in its descriptions, not quantitative. The mission statement includes more of the quantitative measurements and descriptions such as who and what the charity helps. Mission statements should also include goals for the charity to reach, according to Odland.

Bring out the uniqueness of the charity

This is an important tip that Odland mentions in his article as well. There are many non-profit organizations out there vying for the attention of donors. This competition can make it difficult for a new charity to gather the funds to operate. Having a unique idea and way to contribute to society can help bring attention to the charity. This feature can then help bring in donations that further the charity’s cause.

In the end, there are many ways to give back to the community, both globally and locally. A great way to achieve this goal and make lasting change is through creating a charity. Though starting a charity from the ground up can be challenging at times, it can also be immensely rewarding. Hopefully the tips above help anyone thinking about starting their own charity.

Businesses that Donate Portions of Your Purchase to Charity

Charity is a wonderful way to give back to your local community and the world. There are many ways you can participate in philanthropy; volunteer your time, donate your money, or simply raise awareness. You can also patronize businesses that use your money for a good cause. There are a number of businesses who give back to their communities and others by allocating a portion of certain purchases to be donated to a good cause to help people in need. Here are two excellent examples of these kinds of businesses.

Bombas

The name “bombas” comes from the word in Latin for bumblebee. The company’s mantra is “bee better” because bees all work together in a hive with their combined actions having a big impact on their world.

The company puts that slogan on the inside of each pair of their socks to let it be known that you helped someone through your purchase because Bombas donates a pair of socks to someone in need for each pair sold to the tune of more than five million donated thus far!

Bombas had spent two years developing the perfect pair of socks that would give extra support and comfort with extra cushioning on the footbeds, prevent irritation by placing blister tabs by your ankles, reduce moisture, and provide a tight fit at the arches by using a special honeycomb stitching at the middle of each sock. These are carefully crafted socks and many people love them.

The Company Store

The Company Store, primarily a direct-to-consumer retailer of textiles and home goods, has offered everything to outfit your bed including sheets, pillows, mattress pads, and more. When you purchase one of their comforters, their “Buy One, Give One” program also donates one to a child in need.

On Thursday, December 21, 2017, Home Depot announced that it had acquired The Company Store, an e-commerce and catalog retailer. The Wisconsin-based store also has five physical locations, but they were not a part of this deal.

This acquisition adds to Home Depot’s online arsenal, which is an important growth area for the company. Almost 60 percent of store-based and online sales are influenced by a prior digital visit, and online sales of 6.4 percent are double that of the retailer’s nearest competitor. Home Depot’s online business has grown by approximately $1 billion in each of the past four years so it is a key growth engine for their overall business.

With the acquisition, Home Depot has an extra way to help customers complete every room in their house and expand their online décor business into broader categories. The Company Store could also receive a marketing benefit by being a part of Home Depot with its close to 2,300 stores.

These are just two companies that help others when purchases are made by consumers, so feel confident that your money is going to a good cause.