10 Tips for Taking a Break Before the New Year|allbusiness.com

Want to take time off from your business but worried that it might be more stressful than relaxing? The truth is, the holiday season can be a great time for taking a break and sneaking in some much-needed R&R before another busy year begins.

In order to get some solid advice about how to let go, we asked a panel of 10 entrepreneurs from the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) the following question:

Q. What’s one tip you’d give a fellow business owner who wants to take some real time off before the new year?

Their best answers are below
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5 Myths About the Light Bulb Ban | LiveScience

When the Energy Independence and Security Act EISA was signed into law in 2007, among its provisions was the eventual phasing out of an icon of 20th-century life: the familiar but notoriously inefficient incandescent light bulb, which wastes 90 percent of its energy use as heat, not light.

In response, conservative pundits howled in protest, claiming the law would destroy the free market, bankrupt consumers and unravel the very fabric of American life. The destruction and mayhem hasn’t happened yet, but that hasn’t stopped the grumbling from certain hidebound commentators.

As a result, many people have heard a number of ill-founded stories about the effect of the phasing-out of incandescent bulbs, which use a heated tungsten filament to produce light, and the dangers of compact fluorescent lamps CFLs and light-emitting diode LED lights. Here are a few facts that shine a light on some of the more odious myths being circulated today. [Light Bulbs: Incandescent, Fluorescent, LED Infographic]

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10 Interview Questions Your Job Candidates Should Be Asking You|allbusiness.com

Since most job candidates tend to say what they think you want to hear during an interview, it can be challenging to evaluate how they really think. For this reason, world-class interviewers pay just as much attention to the questions they’re asked as to the answers they’re given, because they reveal a lot about the candidate’s level of interest and ability to do the job. Here are 10 interview questions from job candidates that should be music to your ears.

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The Best Deal Sites Can Save You up to 95% | lifefactopia

Everyone loves the idea of the killer deals that days like Cyber Monday and Black Friday bring, but they often come at a price. Either you find yourself waking up super early to secure the best deal, or the savings are to be had on specific products that don’t interest you. Worst of all, nobody wants to stand in line for hours only to find out the deal is no longer available.

What you’ll also discover during the season is that not all deals are created equal – some sites offer bigger discounts on better products than others. Some offer up to 95% off brand new popular gadgets like an iPad whereas others offer up to 50% off a Jelly-of-the-Month membership!

Savvy deal seekers spend hours each year discovering which sites have the best deals listed, and what online retailers are willing to offer insane deals.  You’ll be surprised that you might not have heard of these sites.

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How to Prepare Your Business for 2014|businessnewsdaily.com

4 Ways to Prepare Your Business for 2014

Key things you should do to prepare your business for the future.

With the year starting to wind down, it is important that business owners are prepared for any dangers and risks that may lie ahead.

Judy Coblentz, chief underwriting officer at small business insurance provider Travelers Small Commercial, said this is the perfect time for business owners to evaluate their business to ensure they are properly prepared for any unforeseen circumstances that could arise in 2014.

“As you cross over calendar years, whether you do it in your personal life or whether you do it in your business life, I think most people view the end of the year as time to take stock,” Coblentz told BusinessNewsDaily.

With that in mind, she says there are four things business owners should be doing to ensure they are properly protected in 2014 from any risks they may encounter in the new year, including:

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8 Steps to Having Wildly Productive Mornings | Entrepreneur.com

You’ll wake up for about 25,000 mornings in your adult life, give or take a few.Once I realized this, I started thinking about how I could develop a better morning routine. I still have a lot to learn, but here are some strategies that you can use to get the most out of your 25,000 mornings.Here are eight strategies that I’ve found to be most effective for getting the most out of my morning:

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A Simple Guide to Taking Better Holiday Party Photos | Wired.com

It’s holiday party season. Chill the eggnog, steal a bottle of bourbon from the accounting department’s file cabinet, and get ready for some awkward dancing. Sure, some parties will hire a professional photographer, and maybe even dress up the IT guy as Santa Claus for some photos. But the real party photos will be the ones you take. Here are a few tips to make sure those photos actually look good enough to get you all the Instagram likes you deserve.

Lighting

If it can be helped, get a photo with lights pointing at your subject. If a bright light is behind your subject, the camera will try to expose to that light and your subject will be end up being under-exposed. If you’re having a day party lame, get between the windows and your subjects. The natural light will be better than your office lighting.

Speaking of office lighting, beware of overhead fluorescent lights.

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