Category: Blog
The Big Idea
Every successful small company and major corporation started with one feature in common: a great idea. Without a compelling and inspiring central idea, your company is doomed to a limited lifespan, no matter how much capital you can crank into it. This basic idea is generally very simple in and of itself, addressing a specific need in the local or global community and answering it with a plausible, implementable solution. It is not enough, however, to simply have a great idea. After all, plenty of people have million dollar ideas every day but are unable to get their concept off the ground.
In order to achieve success, this idea must be clearly communicated, so that the company itself stands for exactly what it claims to offer. Especially at the onset of a new business venture, it is essential for employees, clients and business owners alike to have a firm grasp what the business is all about, so that its product or service is not misrepresented, intentionally or unintentionally. When the big idea either cannot withstand the test of time or is not clearly communicated through all channels, the company is plagued by unreasonable expectations across an evolving business landscape. To steal from an old proverb, your business should not be a house made of sand, in other words, a loosely integrated stream of thoughts, products and theories. Instead, make sure the concept is clearly thought out from a variety of angles and all ideas that stem from the base concept are clearly integrated to promote the same identity. If your business rests on a firm foundation, in the form of a concrete idea, from there you can continue to build upwards, expanding in a way that is consistent with the company’s established codes and values. This allows for on-strategy innovation while limiting the unexpected surprises that spring up all too often when the central concept is not clearly communicated.
Creative Incentives to Keep Employees Happy
Keeping employees happy is a struggle for employers every single day. It brings a challenge to businesses looking for creative ways to keep people happy and staying around longer to work. The key to keeping employees happy may be in some creative and simple incentives.
One way to keep employees happy is by allowing them to have a flexible work schedule. Family time for special functions or just being home at the dinner table together can mean a lot to an employee. Allowing employees time off when needed, working on flexed time schedules, and being creative with their work time will make them want to give something back to the company.
Another simple way of keeping employees happy is the simple gift of coffee and teas. It’s been a proven fact that those who are given unlimited benefits of free coffee and tea are much more effective and happy employees.
Work function and events that involve family members are fun ways to allow personal and business to mix and as well gives the employee a free way to entertain the family. These small rewards are very appreciated by employees.
Incentives that allow employees to pay less money into insurance programs can be a great benefit to an employee and keep them around longer. A 401K program where the employer matches up to a certain percent of what you put in is a great benefit to an employee. Health clubs and gym memberships being waived or paid by an employer can be another great incentive to keep an employee happy.
POTLUCK LUNCHES: ENJOYING DIFFERENT DISHES, DISCOVERING INTERESTING CULTURES
By definition, a potluck is a gathering of people in which each person or group prepares a food to be shared to others. A potluck is also known as Jacob’s join/Jacob’s supper, pitch-in, and dish-to-pass, among others. The word ‘pot-luck’ dates back during the 16th century; however until today, we can still see a lot of people organizing potluck lunches within the neighbourhood, in churches, and even in offices.
The Essence of Potluck Lunch
A potluck lunch is not merely the act of preparing and sharing foods to other people and consuming the foods other people have prepared in return. Aside from having the chance to taste the dishes that your new friends have been boasting of, a potluck lunch is also a great chance to learn where they came from and discover their interesting cultures.
Perhaps, your neighbours, church mates, and office mates are not all of the same race. Some are white, some are black, and each comes from different corners of the globe. This diversity should not be something that would cause issues; instead, this should be a means for all of you to unite. But how can potluck lunches make this possible?
Planning a Potluck with Neighbors
Let’s take your neighbourhood as an example. Plan a date where every neighbour is free, weekends perhaps. To add a twist to the potluck lunch, ask each
neighbour/family to bring a dish that is native to their country of origin and require them to wear their national costume. Wearing a costume during a potluck lunch may sound odd but if only everyone will participate, then you will realize how fun and memorable it could be.
Ok, the date for the potluck lunch is set. Now, your next problem is the foods you will bring to the table. For this matter, making use of the internet would be a great help. Typing ‘potluck recipes’ in Google will give you more than ten pages of search results. From sweet treats like cookies, cupcakes, and salads to appetizers, side dishes, soups, and the main course; you will realize there are countless of recipes for you to choose from.
A potluck lunch does not only gather people together. It also opens doors of meeting new people and makes way for new friendship. In your area, do you have a lot of neighbours but only know them by name? Or, are you getting too busy with work that you could not find a time to say hello to the people living next door? If your answer to these questions is yes, then it is about time to plan a potluck lunch.
SMART TIPS FOR AVOIDING WINTER FLIGHT PROBLEMS!
Winter can be a fickle mistress. You’ve bought your tickets to travel home for the holidays or to a sunny local, and BOOM, snowmageddon happens. Suddenly, your world goes into a tailspin as you scramble to fix the problem mother nature started. Don’t fret, we’re going to make sure you little get to your destination with these helpful tips for Avoiding Winter Flight Problems!
When I was still a call center agent in a travel company, the call volume is usually high starting from the last few weeks of November until the first few weeks of January. Why? Well, the traffic is not all because of Christmas and New Year itinerary bookings; but also because during these times, bulks of customers call to change and/or cancel their flights due to heavy flurries and some other issues related to the winter season.
As a customer, regardless if you booked your flight directly from the airline’s website or a travel agency, keep in mind that speaking to a customer service representative to make changes or perhaps cancel your flight due to weather-related reasons will not only take one minute of your time. Therefore, to avoid waiting for an hour for someone to answer you and another hour for your concern to be resolved, take note of these tips on how to avoid distress when travelling amidst the inconvenient winter snow.
#1: Be vigilant.
Preparing for a future travel does not end after booking your flight. Especially when travelling during winter, it is your responsibility to always be knowledgeable regarding weather updates and the current status of your flight. Remember that heavy flurries mean low visibility, which most of the time leads to flight delays and/or cancellations. Hence, if you are not the type of person who loves to sit at the airport for hours (who would want it, anyway?), then follow the next tip.
#2: Either rebook your flight for free or ask for a full refund.
If you think travelling on an earlier or later date is a good option, then call the airline/travel agency immediately to have your flight changed without paying additional fees. However, there’s a catch. Rebooking your flight for free is only possible when the airline has already issued a travel advisory. Sometimes, even if the news already says it is not good to travel at a particular date but the airline did not issue a travel advisory yet, then making changes to your itinerary will be at your own expense. Furthermore, the ‘change’ in your flight only means changes in the date and time, and not to the origin or destination, even if it’s a nearby airport.
Otherwise, if you decide not to go at all, then ask if a full refund is possible. If yes, then that’s good news. But do not be too confident; not all airlines are generous when it comes to processing a refund. Most of them will just give you a flight credit. Meaning, in cases of full cancellation, the amount you have paid can be used for another flight within a year from the original date you have booked the cancelled flight.
Sounds tricky? To put it simply, say you have booked your original flight on December, but decide to cancel; you will be given the chance to book another flight using the amount you have paid (credit) and you must travel on or before December. Of course, you are required to pay any difference in the rate of the new fare.
#3: The Power of Void!
I will tell you a secret. For instance, you have booked your flight on December. You are given roughly 23 hours to cancel your flight for ANY REASON and have a full refund even if your flight is non-refundable. In the airline industry, this is called void. Meaning, you have to call the airline/travel agency before midnight the following day you have booked the flight to cancel it. But then again, there are qualifications. The flight should not have commenced yet and the cancellation must be at least two hours before the flight.
In addition to the tips mentioned above, you must also arrive at the airport at least two hours before the flight (for domestic travel) and three hours before for international travel. This is true especially when travelling during winter. Lastly, it is not advisable to have an online check-in if you are flying on a snowy day. If you have checked-in online but found out, upon arriving at the airport, that your flight is delayed or cancelled, then the process of asking for a free flight change or cancellation gets even lengthier.
So now, like He-Man, YOU HAVE THE POWER! Remember, nothing is more important than the health and safety of you and others, so please review your plans with this in mind before travelling. Also, the people that you speak to at these travel providers are humans, similar to you, so please treat them as you would want to be treated. As my Dad used to say, “You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.”
Hiring the Right People
You may be an astute and savvy businessman, but when it comes to starting and growing a new business, it is not something you can do completely on your own. At some point in the early stages of your company’s development you are going to have to start surrounding yourself with the right kind of people to help your goals come to fruition. Most business owners and founders have been employees themselves at some point or another, but this does not necessarily mean they know what to look for when they’re on the other side of the interview table. Here are a few qualities most crucial in early stages of employee hiring:
- Trustworthy – Sometimes in the early stages it is best to go into battle with someone you already know you can trust. Friends and old business associates who are good for their word should be the first people you turn to. The umbrella of trustworthiness also includes confidentiality and reliability. You need someone you know you can count on to put in extra work and not leak the new ideas and innovations that will ultimately make your business successful.
- Manageable – A new business is no place for multiple egos. In moving forward, you will want to make sure that the entire company is on the same page, including yourself, so that you can present a united front when promoting your company. There will also be a lot of paper work, cold calling and other undesirable tasks at the onset, which is made increasingly difficult with employees who do not take direction or do what they’re told.
- Diverse in Thinking – Just because a new business isn’t a place for multiple egos doesn’t mean it can’t be a melting pot of ideas. One mistake a lot of employers make is hiring only likeminded people. This doesn’t necessarily promote a united front, instead often leaning towards a one-dimensional platform. Hiring people who think differently than yourself will help to solve problems that arise in ways you may never have considered and enable your business to be more well-rounded as a whole.
FIVE QUALITIES OF THE BEST HOTELS
Travelling to a new place, especially overseas, is never easy. You have to deal with the weather, the language, the culture, and the attitude of locals. To somehow ease home sickness, you certainly want to stay in a hotel that you can consider your ‘home away from home’. However, a lot of travelers end up in bad or perhaps, worst hotels because of rush bookings. To avoid being stuck in a low-rate hotel and pay for terrible services, every traveler should keep these qualities in mind when booking a hotel stay.
#1 Honest Information
When I was still working as a travel agent, many people call to cancel their hotel reservation and ask for a full refund. Processing a refund is not an issue if the reservation is fully refundable; however, not all reservations are.
To attract customers, it is a common propaganda of some hotels to advertise low rates, give one free night for a three-night stay, and to promise that the reservation is fully-refundable in times of cancellation. But, not all hotels live up to what they are advertising.
Some hotels would hardly process a refund even for extenuating circumstances (ex: death of a family member), even if you talk to the manager or supervisor directly. To avoid being deceived, ALWAYS read and understand the full cancellation policy of the hotel so won’t put your hard-earned money to waste.
#2 Homey Ambiance
What do you expect when staying in a hotel? Perhaps, a comfortable queen or king size bed and big, soft pillows that would make you think you are sleeping in your own bedroom. And of course, elegant shower, fully-furnished room, breakfast in bed, and complementary newspaper.
Almost all hotels in the world promise these things but only some of them offer these in reality. Do not be fooled by pictures hotels posts on their official website. Instead, search for them in travel websites such as TripAdvisor and read reviews from previous clients.
#3 Clean, Serene, and Secure
Good hotels are always clean. Better hotels are both clean and serene. The best hotels are clean, serene and secure.
#4 Excellent Service
Some four to five-star hotels are exceptional because of their modern and intricate architectural design. However, some hotels are ‘unforgettable’ because of their excellent service.
Excellent service means that the hotel employees think outside the box and anticipate your possible needs just to provide you with great satisfaction.
#5 Extra Assistance for NO Additional Cost
For instance, you need to extend your stay for one night because the schedule of your business meeting was moved to a later day or because you simply want to stay a little longer. The best hotel should be willing to change your reservation without charging you a change fee. And if the rate of the additional night is way more expensive than the rate you had for the original nights, the hotel should be willing to go an extra mile and charge you the same rate as with the other nights. Yes, ‘business is business’; however, if a hotel values their clients enough, then they will do this without hesitation.
The best hotels in the world do not mean the most expensive. Most of them are those that offer services beyond compared.
Have you stayed in a hotel that you can consider the best? Or perhaps, have you slept in a hotel that only gave you a nightmare? We want to hear your story.
SNOWY, COLD, AND CANADIAN – NIAGARA FALLS
Well, it’s been a few days since I’ve posted anything. I was in Niagara Falls visiting my family for my days off from work. I drove down from Ottawa, but was delayed and didn’t leave until the afternoon. I would have left sooner if WestJet hadn’t put my baggage on a different flight! However, they were very accommodating, and I received my luggage by courier at 4pm. I like to bypass Toronto whenever possible when not directly visiting the city, so I decided to drive through New York state, crossing through Syracuse and going under Lake Ontario. I find it to be a much more scenic drive with access to things I wouldn’t normally get… like Dunkin Donuts….which makes the trip heavenly.
Travel Tip: Whenever travelling in the winter, check road reports. Even when it may look good, remember that weather can change quickly.
On the first day I took my mother to Buffalo, NY for some belated birthday shopping and lunch! We are so similar. She had no shame whatsoever in obliging for an impromptu photo shoot at the Duty Free Shop. We ate lunch at Ruby Tuesdays and spent the afternoon at the Walden Galleria.
The following day I spent with my father, driving around town running errands here and there. We decided to all go out for dinner together to a local pub for wings & beer. It was the most relaxing time with family. I really look forward to these times.
The trip was short and sweet, and I left Niagara Falls at noon on Friday. I snapped a 360 degree photo from the bridge to New York state. There were earlier reports of the American Falls being frozen. I couldn’t see it from where I was, but water was flowing well from the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. I would have liked to have taken some more photos closer to the falls, but those will have to wait until the weather heats up. It was far too cold to snap any.
On the drive back I went through some bad weather, but it cleared up pretty quickly. Make sure when you drive in certain states, especially New York, that you have some pocket money as you will sometimes need this for toll highways. I stopped at Cracker Barrel for some food and snapped this photo of a rainbow which appeared in the ice crystals in the sky.
This was a fun little road trip. There are many new articles coming your way, so stay tuned!
Staycation Idea #6: Transform Your Boring Backyard
If you cannot afford a luxurious vacation out of town for a week or even just for few days, then rather stay at home and enjoy a ‘staycation’. One fulfilling staycation idea is to transform your boring backyard into a beautiful flower garden and/or relaxing herb garden. Right now, what you probably see in the backyard is a field of grasses; but wait until you are done with this home project slash staycation!
Here are 4 ways on how to transform a backyard into a beautiful garden:
- Gather your thoughts and make a plan.
First and foremost, imagine how you want your new backyard to look like. If you have too many ideas and you can’t seem to stick to one design, then look for styles on the web. Choose which of these styles is closest to the design you have in mind. If possible, print out a picture of the garden you want to realize in your own backyard.
- Flowering plants, herbs or both?
What type of garden are you after? A flower garden, an herb garden, or a fusion of both? Knowing the type will help you decide the plants you are going to use. According to hgtvgardens.com, there are 13 low-maintenance perennials recommended for a flower garden. These are:
- Siberian Iris – white, yellow, pink, and purple
- Bleeding Heart – blossoms in mid to late spring
- Elegant Candy Daylily – blooms all season long
- Purple Coneflower – drought-tolerant
- May Night Salvia – blooms in early summer
- Black-Eyed Susan – best planted in average soil under full sun
- Garden Phlox – attracts butterflies and hummingbirds
- Vulcan Hosta – best grown in partial shade
- Blazing Star – can grow up to three feet
- Jack Frost Brunnera – best for ground cover
- Winter Glow Bergenia – grows in part- to full- shade
- Hibiscus Cranberry Crush – needs consistently moist soil
- Peach-Leaved Bellflower – needs average to full sun
- Add the right pieces of furniture.
Choosing the right pieces of outdoor furniture that would look harmonious with your garden theme can be tricky. Remember that in
addition to style, comfort, durability and size are among your top priority.
First, choose a classy and long-lasting couch which is not too big. If it is huge and your space is small, then it will only make your backyard look overcrowded. Second, choose a table and chairs that can withstand heavy rains or extreme heat knowing that they will be placed outdoors. To make your backyard/garden look more relaxing, you have the option to build a hammock.
- Provide a shady retreat.
Yes, you want to hang out in the garden during summer and feel the heat of the sun. However, this does not mean you can and should tolerate the sun’s rays for hours. Use a big umbrella or build a pergola. A shady retreat would be a perfect spot for lunch or afternoon snack with family and friends.
A paradise in your own backyard! Now, who says relaxing and spending a vacation is not possible without leaving home?
What is TF (TransFlash) Card, How is it Different from Micro SD?
Nowadays smart devices are obtaining a lot more storage for saving large amounts of data or numerous applications. Many phones included the alternative of exterior storage, where customer can use micro SD card for expanding their phone storage space. Several users are questioning what TF cards are as well as just how are they pertaining to SD Cards. TF or TransFlash is a barely understood name for memory cards and also numerous individuals are uninformed of this name. In this post, we will speak about TF Card and also the distinction between TF as well as mini SD cards.
What is TF Card?
TF or T-Flash represent TransFlash. This was the initial name for the micro secure digital (SD) cards. These cards were released by the SanDisk firm in 2004. TF card functioned as the smallest memory card of regularly and also it is utilized to store information in electronic kind. Micro SD and TF Cards can be utilized in different kinds of tools such as smart devices, cameras, computers as well as other such tools for keeping info like video clips, pictures and so. This memory card was considered to be the world’s smallest memory card with the size of the fingernail.
In easy words, TF Card was the beginning name as well as item of SanDisk Firm that later changing into the micro SD card. Updating and enhancing the item is an usual thing for any kind of firm, the same was for transforming the TransFlash name.
Note: If the issue is with your computer or a laptop/notebook you need to try making use of Restoro Repair work which can scan the repositories as well as replace corrupt and absent files. This operates in most cases, where the concern is come from because of a system corruption.
Micro SD (SD represents Secure Digital) and a TransFlash sd card are very much alike as well as can be made use of instead of one another. Nonetheless, there is little difference in between them. Micro SD cards can support SDIO setting, which indicates they can carry out tasks unassociated to memory, such as Bluetooth, GPS, and also Near Area Communication. Whereas a TransFlash card can not do this kind of job.
Transflash was the name for the beginning item, so you can locate most of the TF cards in 16MB and also 32MB sizes. From 2014 until now, mini SD and also TransFlash cards are taken into consideration to be the same. TF as well as mini SD cards have the very same measurements and specifications, and also both cards are totally compatible with each other. Both cards are still used up till today on smart phones, although it is hard to locate the initial TransFlash memory cards.
What is FileRepMalware and also Should You Remove it?
A number of users have been reaching us with concerns after their third party Anti-virus discovered a questionable file named FileRepMalware. 2 third-party antivirus collections are recognized to find this possible safety and security hazard– AVG as well as Avast. The problem does not appear to be details to a particular Windows variation given that it’s verified to take place on Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10.
What is FileRepMalware?
FileRepMalware is just a tag that numerous 3rd celebration anti-viruses suites will assign to a file. It’s often related to a deceptive KMSPICO– a 3rd-party tool that is utilized to turn on Windows without acquiring the OS. This safety and security risk exists for several years currently– It was formerly called Win32: Evo-gen [Susp]
In Avast’s case, a data will certainly receive the FileRepMalware tag if every one of the list below conditions are satisfied:
- The documents is not included in the Antivirus tidy chest
- The file is not authorized by any kind of publisher or the AV doesn’t rely on the signature.
- The data isn’t common enough– indicating that insufficient users have tried to download, launch or utilize the data yet
Note: If we’re talking about the DomainRepMalware tag, there’s a 4th problem that requires to be fulfilled:
- The domain name is not prevalent sufficient– suggesting that not enough individuals have actually downloaded and install data from that domain name yet
If the safety hazard is actual, FileRepMalware is not one of the most harmful malware out of the bunch. Security researchers are saying that the malware is just capable of setting up adware on the contaminated COMPUTER and also has no trojan abilities.
Is the FileRepMalware security threat real?
Several third party anti-viruses collections are recognized to flag this particular file as questionable, but that does not imply that the hazard is real. Avast and also AVG are infamously recognized for causing a lot of false positives when it comes to examining data that are apparently infected with the FileRepMalware virus.
Avast will appoint the FileRepMalware tag to a documents as a warning in circumstances where few Avast customers have actually downloaded and install, set up, or made use of the file. So while it does not state anything concerning just how dangerous the file is, it gives you a suggestion of just how preferred the data is among other users.
In many cases, this tag is given to a documents when it has a low online reputation score. This commonly happens with broken applications but can also occur with reputable documents because of an incorrect favorable.
If you presume that you may be dealing with a false favorable, the quickest way to determine whether the hazard is actual is to publish the file to VirusTotal. This malware aggregator will certainly examine the dubious data with 50+ malware scanners to find out whether the documents is really contaminated or otherwise.
To check the data with VirusTotal, click on Choose File, then pick the file that is being flagged by your 3rd event AntiVirus service. Then, wait till the results are shown as well as see the results.
In this particular instance, the documents that we evaluated is absolutely not infected considering that the documents is not being flagged by any type of safety and security scanners utilized on the test.
Note: If the issue is with your computer or a laptop/notebook you ought to attempt utilizing Restoro Fixing which can scan the databases and replace corrupt and missing documents. This operates in the majority of instances, where the issue is stemmed due to a system corruption.
Generally of thumb, if the variety of safety engines that identify the file as being infected is below 15, there’s a very high chance that you’re managing an incorrect positive– This is even more likely if the documents in question belongs to a split or something similar.
How to Remove FileRepMalware
If the VirusTotal scan you did above disclosed that the documents is in fact a safety risk and not an incorrect favorable, you ought to take the suitable steps to make sure that you eliminate the virus infection entirely. To do this, you’ll require a trusted protection scanner.
Based on our investigations as well as personal experience, Malwarebytes is one of the most trusted safety scanners that can be utilized free of cost. Follow this article (here) to download and install & mount Malwarebytes and also use it to perform a Deep Scan on your computer to make certain that any kind of infected data are removed.
Nonetheless, if the VirusTotal check disclosed that the documents is certainly a false positive, you’ll require to take a various approach. If this circumstance is applicable, you should have the ability to resolve the issue either by upgrading your AV to the most recent variation. Typically, when a brand-new documents is falsely labeled with the FileRepMalware, the following security update will certainly whitelist the file so that the false positive doesn’t happen once again.
Both Avast as well as AVG will update instantly whenever a newer infection database trademark is available. However, a hands-on individual modification or various other third celebration application may inhibit this capability. If you see that your AV customer doesn’t upgrade on its own.
If you still obtain an incorrect positive with the FileRepMalware also after upgrading the infection trademark variation to the most up to date, a fast means to resolve the issue is to move to a different antivirus collection. Or better yet, uninstall the present 3rd event collection and begin utilizing the built-in Safety and security suite (Windows Defender).
If you decide to uninstall your present 3rd celebration suite, this write-up will certainly show you exactly how to do this fast and effectively without leaving behind any type of remaining files.
