e-lifeandwork: Learn New Skills Online | Online Courses & Real-World

How many entrepreneurs are as confident now as they were before the Covid-19 pandemic began? Yes, we know the majority of the S&P 500 are companies that began in down markets. And yes, the best entrepreneurs intuitively use hard times to lean in and listen even harder to their market and customers, innovating where necessary and making their companies more resilient than ever before. But for many of us, the current climate feels different. The exits many or even most were aiming for are now delayed or entirely different. Consumers are different in ways we could not have predicted. Employees are different and even the fundamental forms of employment have changed. Given this, is it still possible to become financially secure enough to retire? From my perspective, it absolutely is, but quite possibly through different methods than the ones you’d expected. I believe we can build a map for what we need to do now in four words: Think like Warren Buffett. That’s it. But when I s...

Whatever the size of your company, you’ll need to consider marketing. This article goes over all of the essential elements, whether it’s acquiring new consumers or developing campaigns that appeal to certain audiences.  At its most basic level, marketing is all about connecting with your consumers and potential customers at the right time and in the appropriate setting.  Many companies believe that marketing is only for large businesses, but this is not the case! Small businesses as well as larger corporations can benefit from marketing.  Small businesses can benefit from learning from these examples, which are a few of the best small-business marketing efforts:  + Using social media to engage with current and potential customers/consumers  + Creating a website to transform leads into paying customers (and show up on search engine results pages)  + Connecting with friends, family members and other company owners to promote your business.  As you c...

Many people think that the hardest part of bringing a new product to market is the original idea or the development stage. The truth, however, is that getting your product into stores and selling it to customers is often far more difficult than you might expect. Most inventors or product developers are incredibly creative people but don’t have the knowledge or experience which is required for effective branding, marketing, and customer outreach. Convincing big retailers about the merits and potential saleability of your product can be particularly difficult as they are pitched literally thousands of products every year.  So what can you do to give yourself the best chance of success?  In this article, we will explain everything you need to know, from how to identify your target customers to how to get your product in stores that are best suited to guarantee sales.  1. Make sure your product is ready  Before you approach retailers to see if they want to stock your ...

In response to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, many SME businesses in the UK have now set out their hybrid working policies, enabling employees the freedom to choose where they work best either all the time or at least some of it. According to research, 71% of SMEs plan to implement hybrid working long-term, though many of those may not have considered the new challenges that may arise for finance professionals – especially when tracking expenses. Clear hybrid working policies and investment in technology to manage budgets will be needed. What’s changed with expenses tracking? Global manufacturer, Barco, recently revealed in its latest survey that a third of UK employees felt their company has not prioritised investments needed for better hybrid working. While there is ‘no one size fits all’ approach, it’s crucial to consider what has changed during the pandemic and if working models are changing, how businesses need to adapt to ensure finance professionals feel suppo...

Eighteen months into the COVID-19 pandemic, just about everyone who works in front of a screen has experienced some degree of "Zoom fatigue." What's worse, all of those videoconferences don't always add up to true collaboration, a new study confirms.  According to Cisco's new Hybrid Work Index, more than 61 million meetings take place globally every month. Yet, in any one of them, only 48% of participants are likely to speak. The lack of participation speaks to the need for a broader range of collaboration tools, including the sort of asynchronous meeting products that vendors like Cisco, Slack and Zoom are rolling out.  The Hybrid Work Index, which Cisco plans to release quarterly, draws on millions of aggregated and anonymized customer data points from Cisco's collaboration (Webex), networking (Meraki), internet visibility (ThousandEyes) and security (Talos, Duo, Umbrella) platforms. The data is supplemented by third-party research surveying over 39,0...

SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- News Summary: + New Index from Cisco -- based on millions of aggregated and anonymous customer data points - provides global insights on people's preferences, habits, and technology usage in the era of hybrid work + Over 200% growth in the use of AI capabilities shows people's desire for improved meeting engagement + On-the-go mobile meetings increase by 300% during pandemic + Security remains paramount: hybrid workforce was targeted with more than 100 million email threats daily in September 2021 alone Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) today unveiled its first Hybrid Work Index (HWI) based on millions of aggregated and anonymous customer data points. The Index, which will be updated quarterly, examines how people's habits and technology interactions have permanently reshaped work a year and a half into the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings show hybrid workers expect greater flexibility, accessibility and security, while businesse...

Moving your business to a new city can sound like a desirable prospect at first glance. There might be better opportunities, better living conditions, or perhaps the city may be more aligned with your political and social convictions. However, the purpose of business is to make a profit in a way that does not detrimentally impact your stakeholders, staff and family. This is why relocating a business should be done with careful consideration and analysis for all the parties. The further the distance that you are moving, the higher the costs. You should consider both the long-term and short-term financial impacts of relocating. Besides the financial, there are a few other necessary considerations you should take into account as well 1. Tax consideration When you decide on a city, county or country to move to, it is essential to assess the tax situation of your new location. The taxes in your chosen location can have a significant impact on the profitability of your busines...

People have lots of questions about saving for retirement. “Am I saving enough?” is a really common one. As my colleague Amy Arnott explored in “Do You Really Need to Save That Much for Retirement?” the hardest part for many people may simply be scraping together enough of their paycheck to make regular contributions. Many planners recommend investing 15% of your pretax salary, which is no easy feat. (But remember that any employer contributions also count toward that number, so if your employer matches up to a certain amount, contribute enough to get the full match!) Beyond your savings rate, though, you also have some control over how much you will need to save. That’s because, to some extent, your choices determine how expensive your lifestyle is. In effect, by being mindful of how much you spend and ratcheting up your savings/investing rate as needed, you will be able to save more--and you will ultimately need less--money for retirement. Fred and Sarah Here’s the tale of t...