Career Archives - Inscrib'd

How To Write A Press Release - 5 Do's And 5 Don'ts

Published on Wednesday, 03 April 2013 11:31

There’s a good way how to write a press release and then there’s a bad way. We want our press release to stand out, but only for the right reasons.

Anyone can submit a press release that is sent to major search engines like Google, Yahoo! and Bing, as well as 30,000+ journalists and bloggers around the world for just a few hundred dollars.

The publicity that can be generated has the potential to bring in more business than you can imagine. Companies like the #1 press release agency PRWeb offer 25% off your first news release as well as a free expert guide.

PRWeb also deliver your press release to 250,000+ PRWeb subscribers and keep your news release on PRWeb.com forever, serving over 3 million visitors each month.

Visit PRWeb.com

If you go to the trouble of learning how to write a press release, there are some things to keep in mind. Let’s start with things not to write in a news release. Commit any of these errors and your efforts will go to waste.

How To Write A Press Release – The Don’ts

1. Don’t Be Demanding

No-one likes being told what to do, especially journalists and bloggers. Remember, when writing a press release, your target audience are primarily journalists.

Journalists are very busy people who see hundreds of press releases each week, so always be courteous, polite and don’t ask straight out to be given free promotion. Obviously, that’s the goal and journalists know it, but give them something to write about, so show some thought and appreciation.

2. Don’t Render Press Release Text Into An Image

Presentation goes a long way to make a good impression, but press releases are usually found in a specific format. When using images, don’t render a chunk of small font text. Sending a press release as an image (jpeg, gif, etc) makes it unusable because text is likely to become distorted when resized or printed. You can’t include clickable links in the image and the text is unsearchable by the search engines.

3. Don’t Blast A Press Release To Unwilling Recipients

Don’t spam people! If you have an existing mailing list, make sure they are your target audience and not just random people. If you have collected email addresses of journalists, bloggers and news agencies, blasting spam through the wrong channels could just get you into their bad books – forever. If someone asks you to stop sending them emails – don’t send them emails!

People working in the media industry subscribe to services like PRWeb to find news stories so they are already a willing audience.

4. Don’t Be Self-Centered

Don’t write your press release in the first person using words like “me” and “I” unless you are using a direct quote. Journalists would have to change everything to the third person because they need to generalize the story to not have it written from your perspective. Write in the third person.

5. Don’t Be Boring

Why would a journalist want to write about a boring story? Press releases don’t have to be boring. What makes your business interesting? What is interesting about you, the business owner. What makes your product better than your competitors?

Think about why it’s interesting and be sure to make a point of it. Don’t make the press release all about how great you are.

How To Write A Press Release – The Do’s

1. Do Introduce Yourself

Write a very brief, factual statement about who you are and what your business does. If you want someone to promote you, your business or your product, the least you could do is introduce yourself.

2. Do Include Your Website Address

This should be a no-brainer. Get your website in order prior to sending out a press release. Make sure to include either a ‘media’ section for journalists to gather more information about your services or products and also write a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions).

Include a link to your website within the main text portion of the press release. This allows journalists and general readers to easily click through. Press releases are also great for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) purposes when linking your website to your target keyword. eg. “John offers a comprehensive service of mufflers in Chicago.”

3. Do Include Images or Video

Give readers a face to your name and include an image of yourself or your product or business. If you have the resources, also record a video specifically for the press release which will make a great impression on journalists.

4. Do Give Great Consideration To The Headline

A great headline is all you need to ensure a journalist or blogger will read your press release. But writing a great headline can be tough and it’s recommended to spend at least 50% of the time it takes to write the press release on the headline itself. If it takes an hour to write the press release, spend at least 30 minutes working on a great headline.

Read our article How To Write Great Headlines

5. Do Follow Up

If a journalist or blogger has written an article based on your press release, follow it up with a thank you email.

By doing so, it’ll establish a positive connection between yourselves and open the opportunity for further publicity down the track.

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Career - 10/29/2019

Save Money. Get Your Personal Budget In Order - Inscribd

Published on Tuesday, 16 April 2013 12:32

Sometimes just hearing the word ‘Personal Budget’ is enough to make us shudder. Budgets have been given a dull reputation by overzealous financial fanatics, yet they are nothing to be scared of and neither should they be avoided. In fact, a personal budget is something all of us should have.

In fact the great entrepreneurRobert Kiyosaki even said,

“It is important to create a budget and stay faithful to it. Keeping track of what you spend is the best way to avoid buying things you cannot afford.”

A personal budget is an accurate plan of how much money we have coming in and going out each week, fortnight or month, depending on the timeframe we choose to set. It lays out in black and white all income, fixed expenses and discretionary spending money we may have.

A budget is a great way of keeping track of where we are spending money. Once we know where our money is going, we are able to tweak our spending habits to gain more control over our money.

In order to create a workable budget, we first need to know and do these four things:

1. What is our income?

Generally our income is our wages, but this can also include any interest from savings accounts and any social welfare benefits.

The figure that is important to note is our net income, this is the amount we have left in our hands, so to speak, after any taxes are paid.

It would be helpful to record your budget on a excel spreadsheet or notepad to make it easier to read. When doing so, place your net income dollar figure at the top of the page, as this is the amount we need to start with to create a working budget.

2. What are our fixed expenses?

Fixed expenses include payments like rent or mortgages, insurance and rates, utilities such as power, phone, internet and gas, transportation expenses such as petrol, insurances, registration or train and bus ticket costs and finally any other debts or loans like student loans, car payments or hire purchases.

Other possible fixed expenses will change depending on your circumstances, such as needing to pay for childcare or any gym or club memberships you might have.

These fixed expenses do not vary much, if any, each week/fortnight/month. This makes is easy to budget for them, or in the case of petrol, to make an accurate estimation.

Simply subtract each expense from your net income and you are left with your discretionary income.

You can create a column for each of these areas under your total income figure and this makes it easier to see the amounts of money that each area spends.

3. What is our discretionary income?

Our discretionary income is a nice name given to the money we have left after we have paid all our bills.

However, our discretionary income is not just for buying clothes, entertainment or shopping money, but also the more fundamental things such as groceries and pay for doctor appointments, for example.

So, record the dollar amount of your discretionary income underneath the fixed income expenses columns and then we move onto identifying our variable expenses.

4. What are our variable expenses?

Variable expenses include everything else we might use our money for such as groceries, entertainment, regular saving deposits, clothing, medical appointments, haircuts, vet bills, lawn mowing and any little shopping spree splurges we might have.

Everybody’s variable expenses are different, so take the time to record each item in its own column underneath the dollar figure of your discretionary income.

Then, it is time to allocate a fixed amount to each area and make an educated guess of how much you usually spend.

Now comes the fun bit, you get to add up all your estimated variable expenses and see if you have enough discretionary spending money to buy the things you want!

The goal is to have your fixed and variable expenses equal your net income. If you have spent too much, simply reduce the dollar figures you have allocated for your variable expenses. While if you have surplus money, add it to your saving deposits.

A personal budget should be seen as our friend. Yes that does sound weird, but a budget allows us to see where we are spending money and gives us the chance to change our spending behaviors.

Don’t worry if your budget does not work the first time you use it, instead tweak it until it fits. After all, one size does not fit all.

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Tags: discretionary incomefinancial budgetpersonal budgetsave moneyvariable expenses

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Career / Make Money - 10/29/2019

Amazing Business Card Design Ideas That Clients Wont Throw Away

If you’re anything like me and have a few of your own amazing business cards tucked into your wallet or handbag, you’ll be ready to whip one out any time you meet a new prospective client. We’ve had it drummed into our heads that first impressions count, so think about your own impression when you’re handed ultra budget business cards or one with an awful design.

Do you judge a book by it’s cover? Are budget business cards actually a waste of money? Do you immediately think the business must be doing it tough or they may not be very good at what they do?

I’ve designed several of my own amazing business cards over the years so I tend to take a good look at business card designs. I get mine done through UPrinting online.

Put your hand up if you’ve ever been given a business card only to bin it as soon as you got near a trashcan? I have. I’m not a collector of budget business cards. Most people aren’t and a majority of business cards will hit the garbage sooner than you can scream ‘Wait! I paid good money for those!’

So the real question is – do you really need a business card? Perhaps. But only if it’s amazing! What impression does an amazing business card give a prospective client?

You are serious about your industry and good at what you do.
They can contact you directly without going through organizational levels.
How you can help by listing services you provide.

An innovative or interesting business card design can do wonders for first impressions. When it comes to great design, it’s not just what is printed on the card that matters.

Card thickness, known as grams per square metre (gsm) also gives the card holder a sense of quality. That’s not all. Business card design also takes into consideration shape, type of material and texture. 2 sided business cards also have several benefits such as including more information or separating services you provide.

Let’s take a look at some amazing business card design ideas that clients would be reluctant to throw away.

Clear Business Card

Transparent UV printed business cards have a look of sophistication and innovation. A business showcasing this type of clear plastic card gives off the persona of a company on the cutting edge. Don’t go printing on both sides of clear business cards though. Looking through the transparency and seeing the mirror-writing of the opposite side just makes you want to turn over and see what’s on the back. Can you see a vicious circle emerging here?

Letter Press Business Cards

Add extra style and “pop” to your awesome business card by using a letter press indentation or embossing. Show off some flair and let client’s know you are trendy and fashionable.

Rounded Business Cards

Coupled with other design elements, rounded corners and cuts in your card can have a lasting impact that demonstrate your company has an eye for detail.

Unusually Shaped Cards

Rounded corners are one thing but using an unusual shape for your business card gives it a whole new dimension. Don’t get too wacky though, especially if you want clients to take you seriously.

USB Business Card

Who in their right mind would throw away a flash USB drive? I wouldn’t! Give clients the impression that your business is doing SO well and you have the cash to splash, by giving away electronics.

Other Amazing Business Card Design Ideas

Your card can be made out of other unique materials rather than paper or plastic. How about:

Cotton business cards,
Magnetic business cards,
Aluminum business cards,
Wooden business cards,
Sponge business cards (yes, really!).

Bonus Tips

Allow for White Space

Don’t design your card with so much information that you have to use a tiny font size. Make sure your card has a good amount of white space to give the design some breathing room. I find sparsely populated cards look best.

Additionally, if you have a 2 sided business card, leave space on at least one side for clients to write notes on. You may also want to sign your card before giving it to clients for that personal touch.

Avoid Double-Sided Glossy Business Cards

A glossy finish to your business card often looks good, but they are near impossible to write on. Make sure to keep at least one side of your card in a matte finish.

Readers, let us know in the comment section about some awesome business cards you have received or created yourself.

Disclaimer: Links to 3rd party sites included within this article denoted with /go/ in the URL may result in commission being earned if you decide to make a purchase.

Career - 08/22/2015

Make Money On The Side In 5 Different Ways

You might be in between jobs or simply have some spare time on your hands, so what better way to put your valuable time to good use and make money on the side using the Internet.

While I’ve written many articles about how to earn money on the side or putting your full force behind a business model, this article is more geared towards casual earnings. This is something you can do when you have a few extra minutes here and there. All you really need is a spare email address.

I don’t recommend using your personal or work email address for any of the following. Why? Well, you’ll be spammed. You’ve been warned, okay? Get a new email address from gmail.com or yahoo.com. If you already have a website and domain, create a new email address such as [email protected]

Also, be sure not to fudge your details. Use your real name and postal address when asked, otherwise you won’t receive any money or cheques won’t be made payable to the right person.

Okay, so let’s get started.

Make Money On The Side

1. Fill Out Surveys earn money on the side

Source

Marketing and product companies love hearing from their customers and potential customers. These companies pay agencies to conduct market research so that they can better understand their target market.

Those agencies, such as Get Cash For Surveys help conduct the research and will pay you for taking part. There are hundreds of different surveys to participate in, and most of the forms only take a few minutes to complete.

While Get Cash For Surveys have examples of people who have earned thousands of dollars, I’d expect those are extremely rare cases and not the norm.

There is a joining fee, but you can find 50% off by scrolling right down to the bottom of their website and click on ‘Order’.

The joining fee can quickly be re-paid after taking a few surveys and then it’s all profit from there.

Paid Surveys At Home offer a similar scheme where you can take online and phone surveys as well as participate in focus groups.

2. Sell Sketches, Photos and Artwork

make money on the side

Source

If you are the artistic or creative type, why not sell your artwork?

Not only can you sell sketches, drawings, paintings, computer generated graphics and other digital art, you can also sell your photos, regardless of whether you’re a beginner or an expert.

Especially for those who have a smartphone with a decent camera, you already have all the equipment you need to make money on the side.

Get Paid To Draw is just one example of a broker who will publish your art across multiple locations to give you a broader reach and higher potential to earn money.

Get Paid To Draw and Get Cash For Surveys is run by the same guy, so they have a vast network of resources to help you be successful. Like before, there is a joining fee but you can find 50% off on their website by scrolling to the bottom and click on ‘Order’.

3. Be A Mystery Shopper

wedges shoes

Source

Dollar Frog offer paid surveys like option 1, but also the opportunity to become a mystery shopper.

You are shown how to get paid to shop, eat out, play golf, take a cruise or watch movies. It sounds too good to be true, so I advise caution with this one.

4. Upload Videos To YouTube

youtube alternative

If you’re a bit shy to put your face on camera, don’t worry. You can still make money on the side by sharing other people’s videos.

TubeLaunch offers a model for businesses to promote their videos and products to viewers on YouTube. In order to do that, they need lots of regular people like you and me to re-upload their videos and help them get more exposure.

After choosing which businesses you want to be affiliated with, you download their videos to your computer and then upload them to YouTube. TubeLaunch teaches you exactly how to do this.

You will also find tutorials and tips to gaining more YouTube views, bringing more exposure to the companies you promote, and therefore get paid more money for doing so.

5. Sell Other People’s Products

make money on ebay

Source: Flickr

Have a read of Affiliate Marketing Basics. Earn Hefty Commissions The Easy Way.

In the above article, Jackie talks about several affiliate networks where you can sign up and browse through thousands of products that you can sell on your website.

You can also learn How To Make Money On eBay Without Any Products In Stock

Disclaimer: Links to 3rd party sites included within this article denoted with /go/ in the URL may result in commission being earned if you decide to make a purchase.

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Career / Make Money - 08/15/2015

7 Essential Tips From Famous Entrepreneurs

Famous entrepreneurs are great at making commitments. They are good at making decisions, finding niches, selling their products and taking smart risks.

Small business entrepreneurs are experts in making great daily habits and the more famous entrepreneurs have some great tips to help us hone our mindset.

Tips From Famous Entrepreneurs

1. Persevere

Steve Jobs once said,

"Half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance."Steve Jobs

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He is so right. To be successful entrepreneurs we must keep on persevering towards achieving our goals, even if things turn sour sometimes.

After all, it pays to keep in mind the advice from communication and entertainment innovator, David Sarnoff who said,

"The will to persevere is often the difference between failure and success."David Sarnoff

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2. Keep Meetings Brief

Time is precious to entrepreneurs. Consequently we should not waste it by sitting in unproductive meetings that go on and on about tiny issues or have massive amounts of information to discuss.

Fred Smith, the creator of Federal Express, understood this concept when he said,

"If your business revolves around one idea, keep that idea foremost. Hammer away at it."Fred Smith

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By setting a time limit and a specific focus to our meetings, we are able to share and receive useful information in a short period of time, leaving us more time to do what we do best, being entrepreneurs.

3. Proper Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance

The 6 P’s acronym is one entrepreneurs should remember.

It is essential that we plan our days so that we will achieve our goals. Scott Cullather, founder and CEO of inVNT, meets quickly with his team at the end of each working day to plan for the next.

He says,

"We review and forecast what tomorrow is going to look like and how we’re going to get through that … You get there the next day and are much more efficient and productive."Scott Cullather

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So we too should plan, plan, plan!

4. Delegate, Delegate, Delegate

Theodore Roosevelt said,

"The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it."Theodore Roosevelt

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In order to be successful entrepreneurs we must do what we do best and let others do what they do best. Careful analysis of each task needs to be done and delegated to the right person.

This is a very important skill to learn as sometimes our time can be more productively used elsewhere.

5. Identify Your Market Niche

Thomas Edison once said,

"I never perfected an invention that I did not think about in terms of the service it might give others … I find out what the world needs, then I proceed to invent."Thomas Edison

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A good entrepreneur knows that they must concentrate on researching, developing ideas, researching again and then implementing the ideas.

We need to ensure that we find what is missing, find out what consumers want and find a way to give it to them.

6. Work Hard

William Harley, co-creator of the Harley Davidson motor bike said,

"Life offers few guarantees, but generally the harder and longer you work, the more likely you will succeed."William Harley

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This is true with the making and keeping of our habits too. If we keep good working and life habits, we are more likely to reach our entrepreneurial goals. The trick is to choose which habits are useful to us and which are not.

7. Take Smart Risks

Benjamin Franklin said,

"To succeed, jump as quickly at opportunities as you do at conclusions."Benjamin Franklin

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While we don’t need to jump at every single opportunity that comes our way, we do need to jump at quite a few of them. It is a matter of picking and choosing ones that will benefit us in the long term.

Don’t be frightened of failure though. All successful entrepreneurs have failed before, but they just looked beyond the failure and think of it as a lesson that they had to learn in order to be more successful next time.

Entrepreneurship is a wonderful thing to accomplish. By keeping these six important tips of highly successful entrepreneurs in mind every day, we too will continue to follow in the footsteps of the world’s great entrepreneurs.

Tags: Benjamin Franklin David Sarnoff entrepreneur Famous Entrepreneurs Fred Smith Scott Cullather steve jobs Theodore Roosevelt Thomas Edison William Harley

Career - 08/11/2015

The Secret Story Writing Formula Used In Hollywood Blockbuster Movies

If you’re not aware of the secret story writing formula, you don’t have to look further than the most recent Hollywood blockbuster movies.

Here’s the plot. In the first 15 minutes, our hero gets a dressing down by his mentor (Star Trek Into Darkness, Battleship). The villain gets caught … on purpose (The Dark Knight, The Avengers, Skyfall, Star Trek Into Darkness). Then 30 minutes before the movie ends, our hero has a moment of hopelessness only to succeed in the end (Olympus Has Fallen, Oblivion, 21 Jump Street, Fast & Furious 6).

Anyone of us who has thought about writing a novel, eBook or screenplay knows, coming up with original ideas can be tough.

But is there really a secret formula, a step-by-step guide, to writing the biggest Hollywood blockbusters?

Is it a closely guarded secret, limited to only a few of the richest directors, locked away in a wall safe at Universal Studios?

Well, no. You can buy the formula on Amazon, of course.

The not-so-secret formula comes in the form of a screenplay guidebook called Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need by Blake Snyder.

When Snyder published the book in 2005, the effect on Hollywood was as if Bruce Willis really did set off a nuclear bomb from deep within an asteroid that was heading towards Earth.

The Hero’s Journey

Joseph Campbell possibly served as inspiration for Snyder, who developed the theory of the Monomyth that sees all mythic narratives as variations of a single great story.

This story pattern is found throughout many cultures, languages and time periods, even in the Bible itself. The pattern is often referred to as the hero’s journey, as Campbell first described it in The Hero with a Thousand Faces.

This infographic is the Monomyth. Start at the top and read counter-clockwise.

HOW_TO_WRITE_STORIES_campbells_monomyth

In Snyder’s book, 15 pivotal events need to occur within the story, called “beats”. He give these beats a name and even a screenplay page number. Since each page of a screenplay is expected to equal a minute of film, this makes Snyder’s guide essentially a minute-by-minute movie formula.

The page numbers don’t need to be followed strictly, especially when applying to formula to writing novels or short stories, but it’s important to get the proportions and distance between events fairly close.

story writing

Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby was apparently adapted to fit this formula. Star Wars, Die Hard, The Matrix, The Amazing Spider-Man, and The Avengers all follow something like the story path that Snyder laid out.

If you look close enough, you will find Snyder’s beats in the exact order, and almost by the minute, in virtually every major movie release in theaters today.

writing stories

Even Pixar, the master storytellers, have studied Snyder’s book very closely.

Monsters University hits every one of Snyder’s beats, including an opening image that is mirrored in the final scene, an act break when Mike and Sully reluctantly join forces to compete in the Scare Games, a false victory about three-quarters of the way through when they win the final Scare Games challenge, and an all-is-lost moment followed by an emotionally charged dark night of the soul next to a moonlit lake afterward.

Once you know the formula though, spending a few hours in the theatre will make you feel like Nostradamus. You’ll know what’s coming, even if you haven’t seen the movie before.

Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need tells aspiring screenwriters to go for stories about young men, because that’s “the crowd that shows up for movies.”

This is why you’ll see a multitude of Hollywood movies about adolescent men coming to grips with who they are (ie John Carter, Battleship, The Bourne Legacy, Tron: Legacy, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, every Marvel movie).

If you are writing stories, the beat sheet is very useful, even if you don’t plan to stick by it word-for-word. It will help order your thoughts and figure out what comes next.

It can make writing easier, but conversely, it can also stifle creativity.

Career - 07/26/2015

15 Invention Ideas To Give You That Light Bulb Moment

Have all the great invention ideas already been taken? Not much has changed since I was a young boy wishing to be an inventor. The spirit of invention lies deep within the hearts and minds of all entrepreneurs.

One of the greatest innovations in recent memory was the introduction of the iPhone which went on to spur all smartphone makers into a touchscreen frenzy.

But was Apple the first company to introduce a touchscreen phone? Were they the first to introduce a hand-held MP3 player? Nope. Were they the first to introduce anything? Well, I’m not so sure.

But that’s the thing… all the great invention ideas have already been taken.

"Picasso had a saying. ‘Good artists copy, great artists steal.’ We have always been shameless about stealing great ideas."Steve Jobs

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From Picasso to Steve Jobs, the advice to entrepreneurs is that there is no need to re-invent the wheel; just tweak it and add something a little different.

Let’s take a look at the reinvention of old products.

Actual Invention Ideas

invention ideas

What a great way to start by showing a product that re-invented the wheel! Well, technically the wheel has just been modified to remove the spokes.

great ideas

Forgot your bike lock at home? Not a problem! Just twist your entire bike around the pole.

reinvention

If you’re low on vertical poles and don’t have the twisty bike, fling your bike up onto this parking wheel.

reinvented

Let’s finish off the reinvention of the wheel with this bike backpack. If you can’t find a giant parking wheel, this might be handy. I never knew foldable bicycles were so in fashion.

invention ideas

Speaking of fashion and backpacks, why not marry the two and produce a baby. Such a simple idea, yet effective for those who are hoodie inclined.

great invention ideas

We can’t talk about fashion and invention ideas in the same article without showing a fashion faux pas. If you think it’s rude to check your phone or tablet at the dinner table, how about constantly staring down at your pants?

mobile-charging

If your pants -er – phone has run out of battery, there is a solution. Use these rechargeable batteries to give your phone a little more juice until you get home.

glass-holder

While you’re staring at your wonderful new pair of jeans, you might have missed the waiter showing off his new invention ideas – multi-glass-holder. Tasty AND efficient!

hourglass-traffic-signal

You’re on your way back home from the restaurant (I presume on your foldable bike and wearing your creepy jeans and hoodie backpack), stopped at the traffic signals wondering how much longer you need to sit there. Take your eyes off your pants and look up, doofus.

slide-keyhole

If it’s late at night and you can’t see what you’re doing (or you sampled each item from the multi-glass-holder), this funky keyhole should help you get in the door quicker.

table-tennis-door

Let’s hope your front door is not like this. It’s a great idea though, for you space saving, table tennis loving sporty-types.

eco-toilet

You’re back home now and head into the bathroom. It’s a good thing you’re eco-conscious because no-one likes wasting water.

digital-measuring-cup

Getting a precisely measured cup of water can be trickier than you think. Now you have no excuse for messing up your favorite recipe.

cup-holder

Don’t have a permanent spot in the kitchen for your drinks? Not to worry. You can hang your drink over the bench, instead of putting it ON the bench.

zip-ear-buds

Do your ear buds constantly get in a tangle, especially when they’re just sitting in a drawer? These zipper ear buds are the answer. This is a great example of marrying two separate products into one for practical effect.

"Necessity… the mother of invention."Plato

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What two products would you like to see married together to form a new product?

Career - 07/15/2015

49 Quotes On Success To Inspire Even The Laziest Slacker

Here at Inscribd, we love dishing out quotes on success, inspiration and motivation. All bloggers and entrepreneurs need a little pick-me-up once in a while, so instead of sinking time into Facebook or Youtube, read some quotes about success instead.

Quotes On Success

"Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out."John Wooden

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"In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure."Bill Cosby

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"Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears."Les Brown

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"When your life flashes before your eyes, make sure you’ve got plenty to watch."

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success quotes

"Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower."Steve Jobs

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See 24 Inspirational Steve Jobs Quotes That Help You Suck Less

"As long as you’re going to be thinking anyway, think big."Donald Trump

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"Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value."Albert Einstein

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"Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome."Booker T. Washington

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"Success depends upon preparation, and without such preparation there is sure to be failure."Confucius

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10.

"Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another."Napoleon Hill

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quotes on success

11.

"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm."Winston Churchill

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12.

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."Winston Churchill

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13.

"If your ship doesn’t come in, swim out to meet it."Jonathan Winters

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quotes on success

14.

"Identify your problems but give your power and energy to solutions."Tony Robbins

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15.

"People are not lazy. They simply have important goals – that is, goals that do not inspire them."Tony Robbins

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See Tony Robbins Quotes 15 Ways To Embrace Your Unlimited Power Within

16.

"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will."Vince Lombardi

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17.

"People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily."Zig Ziglar

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18.

"Action is the foundational key to all success."Pablo Picasso

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19.

"A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him."David Brinkley

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20.

"Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway."John Wayne

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quotes about success

21.

"Screw it, Let’s do it!"Richard Branson

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See 20 Sir Richard Branson Quotes On Business And Leadership

22.

"The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary."Vidal Sassoon

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23.

"If you want to achieve excellence, you can get there today. As of this second, quit doing less-than-excellent work."Thomas J Watson

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24.

"Going into business for yourself, becoming an entrepreneur, is the modern-day equivalent of pioneering on the old frontier."Paula Nelson

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25.

"I find that when you have a real interest in life and a curious life, that sleep is not the most important thing."Martha Stewart

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26.

"Big pay and little responsibility are circumstances seldom found together."Napoleon Hill

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Damn you, Napolean Hill! Why can’t I have no responsibility and big pay? Why!?

More Success Quotes

27.

"As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others."Bill Gates

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28.

"Let no feeling of discouragement prey upon you, and in the end you are sure to succeed."Abraham Lincoln

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29.

"Every day I get up and look through the Forbes list of the richest people in America. If I’m not there, I go to work."Vinnie Rege

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30.

"Make your product easier to buy than your competition, or you will find your customers buying from them, not you."Mark Cuban

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31.

"If you don’t have a competitive advantage, don’t compete."Jack Welch

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32.

"If you are not willing to risk the usual you will have to settle for the ordinary."Jim Rohn

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33.

"Trust because you are willing to accept the risk, not because it’s safe or certain."

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success quotes

34.

"The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing."Walt Disney

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See 32 Disney Movie Quotes Of Encouragement

35.

"Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere."Albert Einstein

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36.

"The worst part of success is trying to find someone who is happy for you."Bette Midler

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37.

"I’m a success today because I had a friend who believed in me and I didn’t have the heart to let him down."Abraham Lincoln

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38.

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."Thomas Edison

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39.

"A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between he does what he wants to do."Bob Dylan

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40.

"Some people dream of great accomplishments, while others stay awake and do them."

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41.

"Don’t spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door."Coco Chanel

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quotes about success

42.

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose."Dr Seuss

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43.

"Capital isn’t scarce; vision is."Sam Walton

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44.

"It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed."Theodore Roosevelt

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45.

"Failure defeats losers, failure inspires winners."Robert Kiyosaki

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46.

"A thinker sees his own actions as experiments and questions – as attempts to find out something. Success and failure are for him answers above all."Friedrich Nietzsche

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47.

"Eighty percent of success is showing up."Woody Allen

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48.

"It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation."Herman Melville

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49.

"Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly."Robert F. Kennedy

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Let us know your best quotes on success so that we can add more success quotes here.

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Tags: quotes about success quotes on success success quotes successful quotes

Career - 07/08/2015

8 Reasons Why The Best Small Business Accounting Software Is QuickBooks

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QuickBooks is arguably one of the best small business accounting software available today, used by over 4 million businesses worldwide.

Accounting is a fundamental component of every business, and also one that causes the most angst and confusion.

MYOB once was the market leader in accounting software installed on Windows PCs, but the trend to moving business tools online have sprung up many competitors and also alleviated many of the hardships associated with standalone accounting software.

QuickBooks Online is a reliable, fast and secure accounting software in the cloud that allows businesses to do their accounting from any computer, anywhere in the world.

There is a free trial of QuickBooks Online available here

Here’s how QuickBooks can help your business.

1. Easy to Use Small Business Accounting Software

QuickBooks has been developed for ease-of-use for non-experts. The software offers great flexibility, visually appealing charts and graphs, and saves a LOT of time by automating many of the previously manual tasks like data-entry.

best small business accounting software

2. Tracking Online Transactions

Automating any business process not only saves you a lot of time, in the long run, it will save a lot of money too. Especially if you’ve been paying someone else to handle your books.

QuickBooks solves this by managing all transactions online, with the ability to link bank accounts and credit cards for full system tracking and collation.

You can freely do online banking and QuickBooks will automatically add any transaction to your accounting ledger and keep the books balanced.

You also have the ability to accept credit cards and receive payments online, all tracked and invoiced through the system.

3. Managing Payroll

QuickBooks Online takes on the lofty responsibility of paying your staff and yourself automatically and on schedule.

QuickBooks ensures that your employees will not face any delays in receiving their pay.

4. Tax Accounting

Remember when EOFY was the weirdest acronym you’ve ever heard? The End Of Financial Year is a busy time for tax accounting and can lead to a lot of back and forth with your accountant and cause plenty of headaches.

Because of the fact that QuickBooks Online tracks all your business transactions throughout the year, an enormous burden has been lifted for generating tax forms and submitting returns.

All tax preparations are done quickly, accurately and can be generated easily online.

If you pay sales taxes by the month, the system will show you ‘Sales Tax Payable’, making it easy to see how much amount you will have to pay.

accounting software

5. Access Anywhere Anytime

Fancy balancing your books from the beautiful beaches of Hawaii? The idea might seem like a dream (or a rather boring holiday!), but it’s entirely possible with QuickBooks Online.

Being able to access your accounts from anywhere in the world with an Internet connection makes QuickBooks one of the best small business accounting software packages.

Your data is securely stored in the cloud that is accessible from any computer via Internet. You can also install Apps on your smartphone to access your data and send out invoices.

6. Visually Appealing Reports

QuickBooks generates reports including profit and loss statements, accounts receivable and payable, and overall cash flow statistics and projections.

quickbooks accounting

Charts and graphs make your data easier to read and understand so that you can manage your business from a higher level of attention.

7. Easy Invoicing

Creating new invoices through QuickBooks is fast and simple. Applying payments received to invoices can be done manually or automatically when received via a linked bank account.

Additionally, QuickBooks keeps your customer informed with invoices emailed directly to them instantly. The savings on postage alone is well worth it, not to mention time and printing costs.

8. Pricing The Best Small Business Accounting Software

Before you buy any software that will potentially transform your business, wouldn’t it be nice to try it out first?

QuickBooks Online has a 30 day trial, so you have no risk or obligations to try it out for free.

Beginners can take advantage of paying by the month, or upgrade to discounted yearly rates once you feel comfortable to commit.

Do you agree that QuickBooks is one of the best small business accounting software on the market?

Rating: 4 Star Rating: Recommended

Disclaimer: Links to 3rd party sites included within this article denoted with /go/ in the URL may result in commission being earned if you decide to make a purchase.

Tags: accounting software best small business accounting software myob quickbooks taxes

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Career - 06/23/2015

Creative Business Cards With Less Clutter Show More Class

When you have just met a potential customer, handing over visually appealing and creative business cards instead of a cluttered plain business card can mean the difference between getting a sale and seeing your business card go straight into the bin.

Everyone in business is familiar with business cards, ones with both good and bad designs.

Business card design is important because first impressions last. A horrible design can make the recipient feel like your business doesn’t have much authority, leading to a lack of respect for your business.

Creative business cards are not just about the graphics and layout. Creative business cards take into account the actual material of the card, the card thickness and shape.

We discuss business card materials in detail at Amazing Business Card Design Ideas That Clients Wont Throw Away

Graphic Design Of Creative Business Cards

You probably have a few business cards scattered around your office or in your desk drawer. Take a good look at them. Notice which cards immediately stand out and shout “classy”. Throw away the rest.

Here is a card I designed a while ago. It’s double-sided.

creative business cards

Some things you should take note of are:

Type of font and the size relative to the card and amount of text,
The white-space around the logo and blocks of text,
The line height of blocks of text (the space between lines),
Color usage in text, background and logo,
Position of logo, phone number, email address, person’s name,
Whether the card has a double-sided design.

This is the other side of my card.

creative business cards

If you design your own card, they can be printed professionally online by companies like Uprinting.

Creative business cards don’t need to be packed full of information, which can make the design look cluttered. In my particular case, I decided not to include a postal address on my business card. Why? I typically do business through email, so I felt the website and email address were more important.

Creative Business Cards Have Great Logos

A well-designed logo can have a large impact on the perception of your business. The same applies for badly designed logos giving a bad impression. It is better to have no logo at all than to have a badly designed one.

If you’re not the creative type, you can purchase a ready-made logo online through 99 Designs and have it customized by the designer to your requirements.

I did this for the Qwrist logo and couldn’t be happier with the results.

Once you have a great logo, it can take pride of place on your business cards, website, social media profile pictures, stationery and promotional material. Logos are pretty important, so get it designed by a professional.

Creative Business Cards Are A Marketing Tool

Your business card is not just a piece of paper with contact information on it. It’s marketing material.

While you’re talking to a potential customer about the benefits you can offer them, by the time they get home, that information has vanished from their memory.

Make sure your creative business cards include a succinct summary of the benefits your business offers. If you don’t have the space on the main side of your business card, put this on the back.

Should You Include An Email Address ?

Dumb question, right? Well, that depends.

Yes, should absolutely should include your email address under only one condition: You have a personalized email address with your own domain name, not a free address like imanamateur71@gmail.com or your internet service provider.

Professionalism speaks volumes. If you don’t have a website, that’s not such a big deal. You could include your Facebook page address instead – as long as you frequently post valuable updates.

But you absolutely should have a personalized email address with your own domain name included on your business card.

That is, [email protected]

You can register a cheap domain at GoDaddy and setup an email address relatively quickly.

Let’s look at a badly designed card.

bad business card design

Source

Photographs rarely work well on business cards,
Avoid using clipart images,
Avoid high contrast background gradients (single color works best),
Keep blocks of text aligned both vertically and horizontally to other elements.

Creative business cards with a well balanced design along with an awesome logo for your business goes a long way to impressing potential customers. A great business card will result in more sales as well as more respect for you and your business.

What other tips do you have for designing creative business cards?

Disclaimer: Links to 3rd party sites included within this article denoted with /go/ in the URL may result in commission being earned if you decide to make a purchase.

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Tags: business card business card design ideas business cards creative business cards

Career - 05/19/2015