5 Benefits of Having A Toll-Free Number for Your StartUp | The Startup Magazine

June 18, 2020June 15, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Despite of the numerous advanced technologies, there are still some things that remain as a constant in the business industry. One of these, is your toll-free number. Regardless of your business size, as in this case, you’re still starting up, there are so many benefits that you can gain from having one.

First, it begins with improving your reputation and credibility, as it makes your business look more professional. Accordingly, it also increases the excellence factor of your customer service. These are only a few, and other advantages are discussed briefly as follows:

It Improves Your Customer Satisfaction

On the business’s operational side, one cannot deny that you’re going to encounter problems, one way or another, with your customers. At any given time of day, these clients will need to contact you to have their issues resolved.

Americans May Be Ready to Spend–but Some Businesses Aren’t Ready to Sell | Inc.com

June 17, 2020June 15, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The coronavirus pandemic has hit hard. More than 100,000 Americans have died. Businesses nationwide shuttered, and more than 44 million people have filed for unemployment insurance since mid-March. The stock market wobbles. However, as the economy reopens, and many Americans benefit from federal assistance, businesses across the country may be in line for a healthy dose of increased consumer spending.

“If jobs are coming back relatively quickly,” which the May jobs report indicates, spending should pick up, says Scott R. Baker, an associate professor of finance at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. Baker recently co-authored a study for the National Bureau of Economic Research, which found that consumers had curtailed spending since March, while incomes remained largely untouched. Baker suspects that consumers largely pushed off purchases because of financial concerns or because the businesses they’d typically patronize weren’t open.

How to Clean Up Your Old Posts on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram | WIRED

June 16, 2020June 14, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

AS SOCIAL MEDIA platforms have evolved, they’ve become more and more about the moment—what you’re doing now, rather than what you were doing five years ago. While looking back through photos and posts can be heart-warming and provide a buzz of nostalgia, it can also be painful and embarrassing.

If your social media life spans more than a few years then you might not want friends, family, or prospective employers looking back on the sort of person that you used to be. Here we’ll show you how you can scrub your timelines on the three biggest social platforms, using both built-in tools and third-party add-ons.

Snazzy Garden Shed Doubles As Rainwater Runoff Solution | CoolBusinessIdeas.com

June 12, 2020June 9, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

When most people think of a garden shed, they more than likely conjure up simple images of utilitarian boxes stored with barely-used tools and oodles of clutter. However, when Maryland-based practice Gardner Architects was tasked with installing a small garden shed for homeowners in the community of Bethesda, they came up with a gorgeous 100-square-foot shed that not only blends in harmoniously with the main home, but actively helps manage stormwater runoff to be re-used as irrigation for the native plants found on the property.

Although the task of building a garden shed may seem pretty straightforward at first, in reality, the team from Gardner Architects came up against quite a few challenges before they could get to work on the design. First and foremost, the landscape surrounding the main home is comprised of dense woodland, which the homeowners wanted to protect at all costs, meaning that no trees could be removed to make space for the shed. The solution then was to build the shed just mere steps away from the home, preserving all of the trees found on the property’s .34 acres.

How To Make Cereal Pancake, Latest TikTok Trend | HYPEBAE

June 12, 2020June 9, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

If you’re bored in the house and you’re in the house bored, pancake cereal is the next recipe to add to your list of TikTok-famous foods. Essentially a batch of mini pancakes doused in maple syrup and butter, the new trend has even led to IHOP teasing a new cereal dubbed Panflakes. To learn more about the recipe and variations to try, read our quick guide to the delectable treat.

Just like most other viral TikTok food trends like the three-ingredient peanut butter cookie and dalgona coffee, pancake cereal is easy to make. The recipe begins with making regular pancake batter, which can be store-bought or made at home using flour, eggs and milk. After pouring the mixture into a Zip-loc bag or squeeze bottle, all you need to do is make mini pancakes by squeezing out small portions of the batter onto a buttered pan. Once they’re golden brown, toss them around and let them cook a few minutes more to achieve a crispy texture. To finish off, serve in a bowl with butter, maple syrup or any topping of your choice, along with milk if preferred.

Best Instant Pots 2020: A guide to the Duo Nova, Ultra, Max, and more | Mashable

June 11, 2020June 9, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

What does an Instant Pot do?

Translation: Why can’t I just get a regular slow cooker? Instant Pots use 70 percent less energy than the average pressure cooker, but somehow cook food, as their title states, instantly — well, 2-10 times faster, but it’s the closest to instant you’re gonna get. But they’re also slow cookers. Crazy, right?

This means that dishes that traditionally need all night to cook can be ready in 20 minutes, which makes the torture of impatiently waiting to eat far less painful, and saves you from the “screw it, let’s get takeout” mindset after a long day. All Instant Pots can pressure cook, slow cook, sauté, cook rice, steam, and warm, and as you climb the ladder of different models, buttons for things like cake making, roasting, and sous vide appear. When one appliance can do so many things, it also nixes the need to purchase and find storage for a separate kitchen devices, like a slow cooker or egg cooker.

How to Beat Common Workplace Confidence Killers | Business News Daily

June 10, 2020June 9, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Some people seem to have it all together. You know the type: The peppy employee who is always ready to share their ideas or take on new assignments. Their can-do attitude manages to convince those around them, including themselves, that they’re an asset. There’s one feeling they embrace that many struggle to find: confidence.

Some workers are wracked with doubt and fear, unable to take necessary risks or voice their insights. However, confidence is as much a skill as it is an outlook.

To succeed in business – and life – it is important to avoid confidence-killing beliefs and manage, sometimes with great restraint, difficult personalities.

5 Ways to Get Out of a Bad Mood (Backed by Psychology) | Life Hack

June 9, 2020June 8, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

There is nothing worse than being caught in a bad mood, especially when it seemingly comes out of nowhere. It can be caused by one thing, one off comment, a snide look, or an empty coffee cup, and the negativity overwhelms us and throws us into a bad mood.

But now that you find yourself in one, it’s pointless to continue to stay there. Being in a bad mood is okay for a short time, but you don’t have to stay in a bad mood. It isn’t productive or conducive to you being happy and living your best life.

How Free Accessibility Plugins Create Fresh Problems for Small Business | Small Business Trends

June 8, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ 1 Comment

Problems with Free Accessibility Plugins

A 2018 statement by the Department of Justice confirmed that ADA requirements to make your business accessible to customers with disabilities applies to your internet presence as well as your physical stores. Recent headlines about the Supreme Court ruling against Domino’s Pizza for running an app that can’t be used by blind pizza-lovers only underlined the importance of this issue.

Web accessibility should concern every small business owner

Web accessibility isn’t just for the big fish to worry about. Disability activists, tired of waiting for companies to comply with web accessibility guidelines like WCAG 2.0, are increasingly sending lawyer demand letters and initiating lawsuits against small businesses that have an online store or simple web presence that doesn’t comply with ADA title III requirements for web accessibility.