Should You Buy or Lease an Office Copier? | business.com

If you need a copy machine, you have two options for getting one: You can buy it outright or lease one. Before making a decision, understand the pros and cons of buying versus leasing.

Regardless of the industry your business operates in or its size, there is likely a good chance that paper documents have some sort of role in your business. And while many organizations are making an effort to reduce their paper use to become more eco-friendly, printing a contract, presentation or a simple spreadsheet is something many still need to do. When it’s time to invest in an office copier, which for many these days doubles as an office printer, for your business, a good place to start is assessing the needs of your organization.

Would you prefer to own and maintain your equipment for the long haul, or does it make more sense to pay a steady monthly bill to lease the latest tech with regular updates and scheduled maintenance? There are benefits and drawbacks to either route, and understanding the differences could be critical to how your business operates in the future.

Read More

Tips to Understanding the Terms of Online Payday Loans | The Startup Magazine

Emergency financial expenses can be a serious drawback to most individuals and families. Very few people can manage to pay such expenses from their pockets without feeling the heat. The reason behind this is because not so many people have a saving culture, and even the few who do not earn enough to cater for their daily expenses and have enough to save. About 61% of families in the United States (US) are not able to pay an unexpected $400 without struggling. It is this lack of insufficient cash flow that pushes people to take an emergency or payday loan to cater for such expenses.

Much as they can assist you to cover those unexpected expenses and give you a short term relief, they can later affect your financial well being and your credit report if you do not understand their terms and conditions. Here are some things you should know about online payday loans to ensure that you choose the right one, and one that you will manage without a lot of pressure.

Read More

How to Manage the First Day Back in the Office (Hint: No Parties, but Lots of Flexibility) | Inc.com

Many businesses plan to officially reopen their workplaces by the summer. And with so many colleagues meeting in person for the first time in over a year, things are bound to be a little awkward.

“Initially, it was kind of eerie; it was kind of weird,” says Wilbur You, founder and CEO of marketing agency Youtech, a four-time Inc. 5000 honoree that reopened its Scottsdale, Arizona, office last summer and its Naperville, Illinois, headquarters this January. “We’ve never been in a situation like this before.”

Inc. asked CEOs of fast-growing businesses and workplace experts for their thoughts on the best way to execute a safe and equitable return to the office. While each company’s strategy looks different, business owners tend to agree that for now, leaders should listen to employees and stay flexible. Here’s their advice.

Read More

President Joe Biden Gave His First Address to Congress. Here Are the Four Takeaways You Need to Know. | Entrepreneur

President Joe Biden announced a $1.8 trillion plan on Wednesday to help low- and middle-income families. In his first address to Congress, Biden spoke about his American Families Plan that will be funded by taxing America’s richest.

Biden believes that his plan is needed to make a “once in a generation investment in our families and children.” Here are the four takeaways from his speech to a joint session of Congress, according to the Wall Street Journal’s executive Washington editor Gerald Seib.

Read More

How To Engage Your Clients | Getentrepreneurial.com

For the last 20-plus years, email has become the standard form of communication for reaching out to clients. Ask any marketer for the last 10 years in particular, and they’ll say one of the top things a business should focus on is building their (email) list.

Snail mail is just too slow, and this increasingly-fast paced world makes a classic phone call unrealistic – what, are you going to call each person individually on your list? Or worse, are you going to have an automated bot interrupt their day with a phone call that is devoid of actual communication?

But now, email too is reaching a ceiling. Is your email going to their SPAM folder? Is it going to their “junk” email address that they use to sign up for all the mailing lists? Is it getting lost between an advertisement from their favorite clothing store and a digital copy of their phone bill?

Read More

Artist draws attention to the single-use plastic crisis | Inhabitat

New York City is famously a center for culture and creativity in the U.S. But even in a city that’s filled with so much to see and do, one art exhibit is standing out among the crowd. Artist Dionnys Matos is using art to draw attention to sustainability and why it matters so much, what it means for the Earth and how it can be used as an influence to create beautiful things.

Matos recycles and reuses items like foam bowls, plastic cups, bubble wrap and packaging materials in his art. His work focuses on what single-use objects really mean and the impact they have.

One work, titled “Wave”, is a four-panel mural created with bubble wrap that was injected with acrylic. According to Matos, this work showcases how our oceans are being overtaken by plastic. In this piece, the sea is getting its revenge.

Read More

Can a night owl turn into an early bird? | Live Science

Some people wake up before the sun peeks above the horizon, go for a run and eat a hearty breakfast, all before many others roll out of bed. Waking up that early might sound exhausting to late risers, but can a night owl become an early bird?

It is possible to make the switch, but it’s not easy, said Michelle Drerup, director of behavioral sleep medicine at the Cleveland Clinic. “A true night owl doesn’t really feel great first thing when they wake up, especially when they’re starting to shift this.”

A person’s tendency to be a night owl, early bird or some place in between is known as their chronotype. Depending on their chronotype, people are likely to be more awake and alert during certain times of the day and sleepier during others.

Read More

Why You Should Stop Working Long Hours (And How To Stop It) | Life Hack

Have you ever wondered about the effect of long working hours on your health, wealth, relationships, and overall well-being? It’s no surprise that hard work has been idolized as something that gets you all the success you could ever want. Unfortunately, what most of society thinks about the idea of “hard work” are long working hours.

Our upbringing has thought us that long working hours show dedication, commitment, and perseverance. But when the need to work starts to interfere with health, personal happiness, and social functioning, it becomes a weight around our necks.

It’s understandable that when famous successful people brag about working long hours, we follow their lead. We believe that it will do it for us as well. When someone like Elon Must, the CEO of Tesla Motors and founder of SpaceX, proudly announces that 100 hours a week highly improves the odds of success, one might think that that’s the definite way to success.

Read More

How to Become a More Effective Office Manager | AllBusiness.com

Managing an office isn’t easy. There are lots of moving parts, different personalities, and daily crises to deal with; the job can become overwhelming very quickly. With that said, effective office managers are worth their weight in gold and should always be able to find great career opportunities.

If you want to become the best office manager possible, then it’s important to work on some specific skills and learn how to use the most popular office tools so that you’re ready to do anything. Here are some areas to focus on as you build your office management career.

Read More