The open enrollment period for most companies and for those who buy plans through the Affordable Care Act is about to end. Insurance decisions are particularly challenging for parents. Kids get sick and you never know when your kid will break a bone or have another injury.
Learning About Your Market
If there’s one thing you need to understand as a business owner, it’s your market. If you don’t understand who you’re selling to and why they’re buying then you’re decision making is arbitrary: not guided by anything, it’s simply shot in the dark after shot in the dark and eventually that ends in closed businesses – sooner rather than later.
If, for example, you make fresh homemade food and so you’re looking to get your product in grocery stores, you’re going to need to do your market research thoroughly. You will have to listen to your customers and learn from them just how you can target them most effectively, in your stores, with your products, and with your marketing. Working with a market research company will help you out here: they can provide not just the work of surveying customers but expert interpretation that turns that raw data into insights that will drive your business forward! Click through to find out more about working with market research firms.
Demographics
The first thing you need to look into are your demographics. Who are these people who are shopping with you? Who makes up your market? Learning about the demographics of your market will tell you about the age of your customers, where they’re from, where they get they news, where else they shop and perhaps most importantly, how much money they have to spend!
A handy way to get hold of a demographic breakdown of your market is to pay for a question or two in what’s known as an omnibus survey. This collects questions from dozens of different brands for a relatively low price. It’s not a good way to get deep answers from your customers but it’s a great way to find out who they are! Even if you’ve only got one question in there – to help you pick out relevant customers from the great mass of respondents – you also receive the full demographic dataset! If you can interpret that, you can learn a great deal about your market.
Brand Strength
Your brand is one of the most important assets you have, but it’s a complex issue. A brand is your customers’ understand of your business, built from all the different ways they can interact with it. You can’t affect that directly. You can try to influence it with adverts, with sales, with designs, but to make sure all your efforts are having the desired effect you need to check in with your customers.
Brand tracker surveys are a good health check for your brand, and if you keep up the research effort throughout the year, you’ll find you’ll find you can start to predict which choices have good outcomes and which ones bad, so you can optimise your marketing for your market and meet with success just when you need it!
What Happens If You Struggle to Pay Your IVA
Once you’ve entered into an IVA you’ll be aware that it’s legally binding between you and your creditors for a period of 4-5 years.
Whilst your chosen Insolvency Practitioner will have discussed your long-term intentions and plans things sadly can (and do) go wrong – including not being able to pay.
Your commitment to pay the set monthly amount to your Insolvency Practitioner can occur for a number of reasons, with one of the most popular one being unemployment. Of course, you might not have planned on losing your job (for whatever reason) when you first entered into the IVA but redundancies and job losses are often a sad fact of life.
What should I do if I can’t pay?
The first thing to do is to contact your Insolvency Practitioner and explain the reason why you’ll be unable to meet your monthly payment. By now you should understand what an IVA is and how it works.
If you miss a payment then you’ll probably be sent a ‘notice of breach’. This will ask you why payment hasn’t been made and will ask how you intend to rectify the situation. It’s important to engage with your Insolvency Practitioner as quickly as possible so that you can work together to find a solution.
What if I just don’t pay?
If you fail to pay within a reasonable period of time (usually 2 or 3 months) then your IVA can do one of three things:
- They can change the terms of the IVA. For example they might look to lower the repayments if you’ve explained your current circumstances and reasons for non-payment.
- They can end your IVA and issue a certificate of termination.
- They can apply to the Court to make you bankrupt. This course of action can lead to serious consequences and it’s important you take timely advice if this is looking likely to happen.
Can my Insolvency Practitioner help in any way?
Yes – but only if you get in touch with them straightaway. He or she may be able to give you a payment break for a few months by relying on the IVA Protocol. This is a voluntary code of practice which all practitioners and most creditors have now signed up to. The key aim of the protocol is to ensure that all IVA company’s processes are clear and fair.
If you’re eligible for a payment break then the length of your IVA will simply be extended to cover any payments you might have missed. The length of any payment break will depend on when your IVA was set up. If, for example, it was set up after 1st January 2016 then you’ll be entitled to a maximum period of 9 months.
The most important thing – whatever the reason for non-payment – is to seek advice from your Insolvency Practitioner as soon as possible. Remember, if for any reason your IVA fails (i.e. due to non-payment) then you’ll have to find other means of repaying your creditors and also find the means of repaying your Insolvency Practitioner under the terms of your agreement.
Keep Them Busy This Year With Cheap Holiday Activities for Kids
Soon your kids will have a lengthy holiday break and it will be up to you to keep them occupied. You don’t have to spend a lot of money taking them to see the latest light show or event. Here are some creative and cheap holiday activities for kids to help you keep your kids happy (and keep your sanity) over the holidays.
Can You Get a Personal Loan with Bad Credit?
Most people with bad credit can easily get discouraged when looking for a financing option. That’s because finding a convenient loan when you have bad credit can be a tad more challenging.
Nonetheless, there’s no need to despair, there are still some lenders, such as www.micropaydayloans.com, which offer more lenient terms. Leaving that aside, we’d like to focus on the ways in which you can still obtain financing, in spite of your credit rating, which isn’t the best.
Defining Bad Credit
We hear a lot of talk about good credit and bad credit, but what is, really, the distinction between the two? Each borrower has a credit history, which incorporates details concerning late payments, collection accounts, bankruptcy records, and the list may go on. Usually, these are the aspects that are prone to negatively affect your credit rating.
Since different lenders define bad credit differently, we cannot assign something specific to the bad category. That’s because each lender has a given perception. In fact, your credit might be better than you think it is. You should take the time to verify it before applying for a personal loan, and you’ll know for sure what to expect. And while some problems might still be there, there is still the possibility that some of the listings there are incorrect.
What Options Do You Have in RegardtoBad Credit Personal Loans?
Happily, gone are the days in which there weren’t many options when it came to lending money. In the past, if you didn’t fulfill the lending criteria of a conventional bank, you didn’t get the chance to get financing for your needs. The good thing is that this doesn’t apply anymore.
You have a bunch of options to choose from. So to speak, there are payday loans, installment loans or cash advances.
- Payday loans
In general, payday loans are provided by short-term lenders. Note that this type of financing is created expressly to address unexpected emergency expenses that may arise. To that end, we don’t encourage you to turn to this financing solution on a regular basis. This should constitute an alternative for emergencies only.
At the same time, granted that you don’t manage to repay the sum you borrowed in the form of a payday loan, the interest and penalties are likely to add up, further complicating your financial situation.
- Installment Loans
Moving on, installment loans are also worthy of your attention, as they entail making equal payments over the course of a couple of months. In comparison with payday loans, for instance, the APR is lower. Nonetheless, if we were to compare installment loans with other types of personal loans, the APR would be higher.
To conclude, it’s as simple as this: if a lender’s criteria are more lenient, it implies that the additional fees and interest rates will be higher. This is because the lender must compensate for the added risk one takes when lending money to a risky borrower.
Tips for Surviving a Shopping Trip With Your Kids
Tis the season to shop and if you have to shop with your kids, you may not be in a jolly mood. Lucky parents can find a babysitter and others have to prepare themselves for the battles that will likely happen in the aisles. But you don’t have to fight with your kids if you establish some ground rules before you get into the car.
5 Things to Know Before You Start Your Business
Life as a business owner or entrepreneur can be both an exciting and nerve-wracking experience. On the one hand, there are few things more thrilling than running your own company, where you get to choose your own hours and decide how much you want to charge for your products or services. On the other hand, running a business means taking on a lot of stress. Sometimes, you won’t know for sure how much you’re going to earn on any given month.
To help you launch your business with no regrets, we’ve put together some quick things that you need to know before you start running a company. This blog will help to guide you through the first few months in your new venture.
Your Business Plan is Crucial
In today’s fast-paced digital world, a lot of would-be entrepreneurs assume that they can get by without any business whatsoever. After all, business plans take a lot of time and effort, and if you’re keen to jump straight into action, you might assume that you can simply make things up as you go along.
Business plans are useful for a range of reasons. First of all, they ensure that you know exactly what you’re getting into from day one. When you write your business plan, you’ll figure out how much money you need to earn, and how much work you’ll have to do to earn a reasonable income. Additionally, your business plan will also be crucial when you decide to pursue funding from investors and banks.
Passion is Crucial
The best businesses solve a significant problem in the marketplace. If you can design a product or service that other people genuinely need, then you shouldn’t have too much of a hard time selling your product. However, it’s not enough to merely have a great idea. You also need to be passionate about whatever it is you’re going to promote or sell.
While there’s more to a great business than just passion, it’s your commitment to your niche that will help you to keep going when times get tough. Since any business can have its ups and downs, make sure that you’re getting into something that you can genuinely commit to from day one.
Know Where You’re Going to Get Funding
Money is crucial in any business. There’s the cash that you’re going to make from your customers and clients, and then there’s the money that you’re going to need to invest into your organization tog et it up and running. As they say, sometimes you need to spend money to make money.
Unfortunately, unless you’re a very lucky person with a lot of extra cash, the chances are you won’t have enough cash to simply fund your company out of your own pocket. This means that you’re going to need to speak to a bank about getting a loan. Remember, when you’re searching for the right business loan, compare your options online. The lower your APR, the less you’ll have to pay out each month when you have other expenses to deal with.
Be Ready to Get Some Help
Even if you plan on running your business as a one-man band, to begin with, that doesn’t mean that you won’t need help to thrive. Most business owners start off on their own, then hire other people and contractors to fill the gaps in their skillset. One of the most obvious professionals you’re going to need to begin with is an accountant.
Managing the financial and tax-based side of your company can be very difficult, particularly when you don’t have any experience with tax law. An accountant will help to keep your books on track, so you don’t have to worry about explaining mistakes to the IRS when it’s time to send off your tax returns.
Be Prepared for Anything
Finally, as exciting as it can be to run your own business, it’s also a nerve-wracking experience too. You need to go into it preparing for anything – including failure. Remember that things won’t always go according to plan with your company, but if you can stick to your guns and continue working on your strategy, you might be able to pull ahead again.
Sometimes, running a successful business is about knowing how to push forward when the going gets tough. Other times, you might need to understand when it’s time to step back and change your strategy. Be flexible and be ready for anything.
Owlet Smart Sock 2 Review: Is the Owlet Worth It?
Bringing home your baby from the hospital is a joyous occasion, but it’s also scary, especially for first-time parents. You may be even more scared if your child has health issues. For this reason, many parents turn to baby monitors for help. The Owlet Smart Sock 2 is the most unique type of baby monitor on the market. Created by Kurt Workman, Zack Bomsta, and Jordan Monroe, the Smart Sock is getting rave reviews after just a few years on the market. Is the Owlet worth it? Here’s what you should know.
Kid’s Clothing Consignment Sales: Are They Really Worth It?
You have likely seen ads in your area for kid’s clothing consignment sales. Usually, a group will set up in an abandoned storefront or maybe in a civic center or gymnasium for a weekend. Many communities have permanent consignment stores that sell items from kids clothing to baby items including furniture.
Learning Through Games: 5 Best Educational Gift Ideas for Kids
Learning through play is one of the most effective forms of education. Different toys and games hone cognitive and motor skills and stimulate creative thinking.
By giving your children the right toys, you can expedite their emotional and linguistic development. Games can teach children to deal with adversity and challenge, as well as being gracious in defeat as well as victory. Here are 5 great educational gift ideas for kids that you don’t want to miss.
Subscription Boxes
Monthly subscription boxes for kids are a great way to spark a child’s interest in a topic. There are boxes available on subjects like science, nature, engineering and art. There are even specifically-designed sensory therapy boxes for children on the autism spectrum.
Every month your child will receive a box packed with activities, reading material, games and arts and crafts on their chosen subject. They are a great way for children to learn about the world and have fun doing it.
Lego
Lego has been a permanent fixture in children’s toy chests since the bricks first went on sale in the 1940s. They have managed to stand the test of time in the constantly shifting world of children’s toys because both kids and parents love them.
Kids love them because they are fun. Parents love them because they allow children to unleash their creativity. They teach children basic engineering principles, hones fine motor skills, and the kits teach them how to follow instructions.
Walkie-Talkies
Role-playing is a good way of building effective communication skills. Seeing a child convey the world they are imagining inside their head to another child is a beautiful thing to see.
What better way to encourage communication and role play than with a two-way walkie-talkie? Your children will have endless fun creating imaginary worlds and scenarios in which the walkie-talkies are essential and required.
Snap Circuits
Last year I saw a Snap Circuits Electronic Discovery Kit for sale online and bought it on a whim. It ended up being a real win, and one of the few toys that comes out of the toy box again and again.
It is basically a child-friendly circuit, complete with batteries, snap wires, switches, music and speakers. It comes with instructions on how to build more than 100 circuits, including a doorbell, a lamp, a flying saucer and a police siren.
Snap Circuits give children a basic understanding of electricity and how it works, starting them off by building a simple circuit with a light and building up to more complex projects like a replica circuit board for a TV.
Science Kits
Nothing quite captivates the mind of a child quite like potions. There are now plenty of kits on the market allowing children to make their own eye-catching potions through basic chemical reactions.
The chemicals used are always child-friendly and non-toxic, like baking soda, citric acid or cabbage powder. As your child becomes more intrigued and capable, there are also plenty of more specialized science kits, including microscope sets, perfumery sets and even a science kit that lets them make their own ice cream.
Science kits are a great way of showing children the science behind everyday activities because they allow them to learn by doing. Instead of a teacher explaining how ice cream is made, they get to get stuck in and do it themselves. This creates a more meaningful and memorable learning experience.