Can faking a smile make you feel happier? | Live Science

April 25, 2024April 24, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

When you’re feeling down and don’t have time for your typical pick-me-ups, you may follow the classic advice to fake a smile to trick yourself into happiness.

But can forcing a smile actually cheer you up?

The question has been controversial among scientists, Marie Cross, an assistant teaching professor of biobehavioral health at Penn State, told Live Science. But in the past few years, research has revealed what she said feels like a clear answer: At least in a laboratory setting, making yourself smile can improve your mood.

A 2019 meta-analysis published in the journal Psychological Bulletin found that grinning could not only amplify happiness but create it.

Career Risks Worth Taking | businessnewsdaily.com

April 24, 2024April 23, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Taking a leap of faith is risky, especially with something as important as your career. But some risks are worth taking. If you play your cards right, you could achieve more than you ever thought possible. Although a career risk may not be easy, here are four that are often worth taking.

4 career risks worth taking

If you’re thinking about making any one of these big career moves, it could be well worth the risk.

1. Choosing a job based on culture rather than salary

When choosing between two jobs, you might be tempted to take the one accompanied by the higher salary.

5 Tips for Negotiating a Raise Successfully | Business News Daily

April 24, 2024April 23, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Most people cringe at the thought of asking their boss for a pay raise. If your company doesn’t do regular annual salary increases and you’re not up for a promotion, asking may be the only way to get the raise you know you deserve. You should understand that it is perfectly acceptable to ask for a raise, and most company managers and business owners want to take good care of their employees.

While the process seems intimidating and uncomfortable, it doesn’t have to be, especially if you know your boss and how to ask for a raise. If you do your research and are ready with facts, you will feel more confident initiating the conversation.

Tips for asking for a raise

1. List your accomplishments from the past six months, the past year and your time with the company.

How to Make Effective Presentation Slides: 5 Smart Strategies | All Business

April 22, 2024April 21, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Though the tech we use in our corporate day-to-day has changed a lot in the past decade, one central business practice remains the same: the presentation. In today’s corporate world, most information, sales, and important decisions are still made in meetings with presentations, either face-to-face or online. And while some important presentations, like investment pitches or important sales decks, warrant hiring a professional presentation designer, most of us still create our slides ourselves.

That’s where these practical strategies come in. They are tried and tested techniques used by seasoned presentation designers—and they don’t require any design skills!

5 Sales Qualification Questions to Ask Your Prospects | All Business

April 22, 2024April 21, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

If you have ever gone shopping for a new TV, with all the different options available, you know it can be a very overwhelming experience. And then the salesperson who’s supposed to be helping you may not even ask you any questions about your budget or your needs. All they say is, “Buy this one.”

How likely is it that you will take their advice? Probably not that likely. When your needs are not adequately understood or taken into account, you have no reason to trust the recommendations of a so-called expert.

Unfortunately, many salespeople and business owners fall into this same trap. They don’t invest the time and effort into understanding their prospects and come across like a snake oil salesperson.

However, by pausing, asking the right questions, and actively listening, you can gain your prospect’s trust and get them excited about working with you.

In this article, we’ll share five of the most important questions you should ask every prospect before you send a sales proposal. These questions will help you drill down to the core of your prospect’s desires and expectations and learn if your product or service is a good fit for them.

These 6 tweaks take MacBooks from great to nearly perfect | Digital Trends

April 18, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

I love getting a new MacBook. The slow-opening box, the fresh install of macOS, even the enchanting new Mac smell (which people have been rhapsodizing about for decades) — it’s all part of the experience.

But you know what? MacBooks don’t arrive perfect out of the box. There are a few things that I always have to adjust, regardless of how powerful the laptop is. From changing the default apps to unlocking a few hidden extras, here are the first six things to do with your new MacBook before putting it to work.

Why Gen Z Should Be Your Small Business’s Next Big Focus | The Startup Magazine

April 17, 2024April 16, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

If you’re hoping to generate more customers within your business, it might help to take a step back and reevaluate it. For starters, what demographic are you targeting? Is there a certain age range? Well, if you’re not targeting Gen Z, then it might be time to move forward and do this! Now, a lot of businesses only see Gen Z as teenagers, but this generation started in 1997, so essentially, the older ones are in their late 20s, slowly creeping to their 30s.

They have just as much spending power as Millenials, so you’re only hurting your business if you’re not targeting them. But that’s not the only reason either; here’s exactly why Gen Z should be your small business’s next big focus and you should use effective Gen Z marketing!

How to Run Your Small Business Much More Efficiently | The Startup Magazine

April 17, 2024April 16, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Running a business is certainly not for the faint of heart. Between having to file taxes and hiring employees, not to mention managing client relations, you may find that you end up struggling more than you realize. Fortunately, there are ways that you can make running your small business a little easier. If you want some business efficiency strategies that will make your life easier then you simply need to take a look below.

Delegate the Small Things

At the end of the day, there are only a certain number of hours in the day. Regardless of your work ethic or even your intellectual ability, you will probably always have something that you could be working on. Most business owners struggle with things like delegation because they are doers. Even though you may delegate, you may find that you end up micromanaging and that this defeats the purpose of what you are trying to do. If you run your business properly and efficiently then you have to make sure that you trust others as much as you can.

Take the time to assess your knowledge and make sure that you take the time to monitor the process. If you can do this and if you can relax a little then you will soon find that you are able to become more efficient and that you are able to handle your responsibilities much better.

14 Best Deals From the Target Circle Week Deals Event (2024) | WIRED

April 9, 2024April 8, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

No, it’s not Amazon Prime Day or Black Friday, but Target is back with yet another Circle Week deals event running through Saturday, April 13. Amazon had a spring sale two weeks ago, so it seems natural that Target would follow suit. The good news? Some of our favorite tablets, headphones, and kitchen items are discounted.

There’s a caveat: You need to be a Target Circle member. However, it’s free to join and nets you some solid savings throughout the year. Unlike prior Circle Week deals events that required you to clip the deals to your account first, these should automatically apply as long as you’re signed in to your Target account.