Autocar India – The Leading Automotive News Magazine in the Country

Autocar is clearly the established world leader when it comes to automotive news media. With a history of over 100 years, it easily bears the legacy of the world’s oldest automobile magazine. Autocar was first introduced in 1895, as a weekly British automobile magazine published by Haymarket Motoring Publications Ltd. Today, along with the UK, there are other editions including India, China and South Africa.

Launched in September 1999, Autocar India is the country’s leading authority for motorbike and car owners; always seeking to be a forerunner. The magazine is known for pioneering road testing in India, and is the last word on new cars and bikes because of its authentic road test verdicts. It was also the first magazine to explore the Tata Nano, and showcase its interiors. Other magazines are envious of its reputation for exemplary editorial content, as well as high production standards with the magazine receiving accolades from both the industry and consumers alike.

The Autocar India editorial team ranks among the most experienced editorial teams in India, producing daily news and reviews on the latest cars and motorbikes. Hormazd Sorabjee is the Editor, with an experience of over 25 years in writing about cars; from a 65-ton battle tank to a Formula 1 car, he has driven it all. Shapur Kotwal is Deputy Editor and a part of each of the magazine’s extensive road testing activities. He also supervises test instrumentation, data acquisition and has commanded the most experience as a road tester in India. Akbar Merchant leads the staff writers, who cover all the latest scoops, launches, developments, and breaking news in the Indian automotive industry.

Autocar India’s monthly content includes exclusive news, features, and fascinating automobile stories. The magazine was the first to pioneer the concept of advertorials in India. Incidentally, it contains the largest and liveliest classified services section among any other monthly automobile magazine.

Autocar India promises to- “Get you the perfect fix of heady automobiles and dish out thorough reviews of the latest cars and bikes on Indian streets.” The world of cars is exciting to so many of us and Autocar brings alive its piquant stories and engaging features; making it the must-read magazine for everyone interested in cars.

Autocar India has always remained true to its heritage with its exhaustive and authoritative road tests. The best in the business, they have grown from being just a car magazine to becoming the expert on any car brand. The magazine boasts of a readership of more than twice the readership available for the closest rival, making it, by far, India’s best-selling car magazine. But more than the numbers, it is the content that makes it India’s best car magazine.

Autocar is known for being the only magazine to provide content towards leading dailies like The Telegraph, The Hindu, The Hindustan Times and more. Editor Hormazd Sorabjee also hosts the popular show on UTVi on cars and bikes.

According to a report, the Indian vehicle manufacturing industry has increased its growth by 13% over 10 years now, and contributes 6% to India’s GDP. Autocar India had joined hands with Bloomberg TV to present the awards praising the role of the automotive industry for increasing the growth rate of the Indian economy. Awards include: Renault Duster for “Car of the Year (Jury’s Choice)”, “Viewer’s Choice Car of the Year”, and “SUV of the Year”. Mahindra and Mahindra won the ‘Manufacturer of the Year’ award. “Bajaj KTM 200 Duke” won “Bike of the Year (Jury’s Choice)” and “Viewer’s Choice Bike of the Year” awards.

With India being the third largest internet user in the world, there is little doubt that at least a quarter of them will be hooked onto digital reading, which gives them access to an Autocar India digital subscription. Going by the population of the world and the number of internet users, there is no doubt that digital magazines are the future. Also with the access to mobiles and tablets that can be used as readers, the development of apps for publishing and reading has taken the market by storm; to announce that the future is here! Publishers that have made the switch have already realized the benefits and profits.

Autocar being the oldest automobile magazine has also been the first to switch to the digital version of the magazine. With an Autocar e-magazine you can do much more than you would with a paper magazine. As the magazine is always in the cloud, you can access it at any point in time from practically anywhere; get interactive content on the go and within the app too. Consumers who are unable to carry their favorite magazines around during travel can switch to the digital format of the magazine with ease.

Entrepreneurship – Craze of Present Generation

An Entrepreneurship sets up an enterprise for profit motive and rightly so. But if you start your business with the ‘Show me the money’ attitude, rest be assured that you will not go very far!

Ever wondered why in the world of Entrepreneurship, some carve a niche for themselves and stand out from the crowd, while others, even though successful, have a mundane existence?

Well it all lies on certain qualities that an Entrepreneur may possess or the way certain activities are conducted by him/her. Here are special skills which you need to hone to become the Successful Entrepreneur.

Everybody has a certain goal in life which just refuses to go away or change. You must understand this goal to be the calling of your life. Write down this goal – It will time and again remind you, how important it is to achieve this goal and will not let you sleep till you achieve it and become a celebrated Entrepreneur.

Share your Dream with Right people Law of Entrepreneurship

In this world of make belief, you should be able to distinguish between the good, bad and the ugly. Many Entrepreneurial dreams die a quite death because somebody labelled it ‘stupid’ and constantly put you down till you also started believing your dream to be stupid and chose to abandon it. Share your dreams with only those whom you trust and are actually the propellers of your life.

Find yourself a MentorKey Role in Entrepreneurship

Someone who has already been there after many trials and turbulence is the right person to advice you. Somebody who has been there and done with can impart some priceless wisdom which you can use to carve a niche for yourself. But you must be very clear about what you will gain from the mentor-men-tee relationship. This will determine whom you can tap for assistance. The right Mentor will always short-cut your leaning process and give you the push you need and help you to stay task focused.

Observe deeply and Practice Incessantly

An Entrepreneur must consciously set aside some quite time to take on board any new ideas, things to learn and allow your mind to wander. You never know what your ‘downtime’ can fetch your business! Similarly only incessant practice will make an Entrepreneur perfect. Short cuts have never helped anyone in life. It is only your endurance for more and more practice that will give you results.

Seek Challenges in Life

The yardstick of success of an Entrepreneur is measured by the challenges he/she has overcome. Never be scared to consciously seek challenges in your Entrepreneurial life. Remember challenges are not setback of life. They are simply life’s way of requesting you to make full use of the resources and tools available with you to resolve them.

As an Entrepreneur you must have the skill set to select the right tool at the right time to overcome the challenge.

Welcome Criticism – Challenge in Entrepreneurship

In your journey as an Entrepreneur, be ready to welcome criticism from associates/stakeholders/clients/ and sometimes even friends and family. There will be people out, there highly critical of your product/service. You must possess the gall to take such criticism in your stride and take them positively. If praise motivates you, then criticism must stimulate you to do better and better, not the opposite. If you cannot accept criticism, then your ego is getting in the way of your best judgement.

Be Self Driven not Ego Driven

An Entrepreneur must be proud, confident, self assured but not ego driven. Be humble and let your feet be planted firmly on the ground. Let your actions and achievements speak for you, not your boating and bragging. The more you brag, the more will sound phony. Remember, it is the empty vessel which makes the most noise.

Carve a niche for yourself

An entrepreneur must try to find out his niche area. Each of us has a special ability, a quite story which sets us apart from others. Play around with this strength and craft your own persona. Of you try to become a carbon copy of some you admire, you will never be able to make a name for yourself. Remember, the original always looks better than the copy. So leave your idol on the pedestal to be admired from a distance.

What Goes Around Comes Back.

As an Entrepreneur, you must try and help and benefit others. Give whatever you have in abundance- your time. your service or knowledge to those who are badly in need of it. You will be amazed at what you stand to gain when you give it to others.

Value Learning over Money – Basics of Entrepreneurship

An Entrepreneur sets up an enterprise for profit motive and rightly so. But if you start your business with the ‘Show me the money’ attitude, rest be assured that you will not go very far! Instead show humility and value what you have learnt in your journey as an Entrepreneur. Money will follow you steadily and surely, if you apply what you have learnt.

Be Thankful

Be thankful that you could become an Entrepreneur, be thankful that you could learn your failures, be thankful that you are at the receiving end of so many blessings and above all, be thankful that you are alive!

Gratitude always unlocks the fullness of your life and indeed will make you the celebrated “A Successful” Entrepreneur.

Create Blog Posts to Your Heart’s Content

Blog posts can be an incredible traffic vehicle for those who understand how to write them effectively. Among the many benefits that lucrative bloggers enjoy include being asked to contribute to other blogs in their niche, great interaction each day with your readers, and the chance to send visitors to other web properties that you promote as an affiliate. Simply put, bloggers can make wads of cash in many different ways.

If you have ever wondered what makes a blog different than a static website, there are some very sharp contrasts between the two sites. Firstly, a blog contains plenty of new content. These words can be posted daily, weekly, or even more than once each day. One of the reasons that blog posts are so successful is because they give your readers an opportunity to interact with you on a routine basis. You can actually see what these visitors are thinking because their very thoughts are displayed in the words that they are writing in the comments which are left. Readers love to feel important and have their opinion valued. A good blog is the perfect location to make both of these needs a reality.

Additionally, you do not have to be a computer geek to master the fine art of blogging. We live during a time where setting up your own blog can be as easy as baking a cake. You just follow a short recipe and your message can be broadcast to the masses in rapid fashion. Once your blogs are installed, you can maintain it with little effort.

Below are 3 tips to help you to be a successful blogger.

1. Select a blogging platform with which you feel comfortable.

When you are ready to begin your blog posts, the first decision that you must make is which platform to use. You can go with Blogger or WordPress. I think that WordPress is fast becoming the choice for most blogging pros because it can be made to look like an actual website, is easy to install, and has a vast array of plug-ins that make it very powerful. I feel that the main reason one should use this blogging platform is because Google finds it very attractive in terms of SEO.

2. Write new content each day of your online life.

Do not fail to post new content to your blog of choice each day. This can be easily accomplished by staying up to date with what is going on with your particular niche. If you are focusing on a certain niche, you can write a short blog post giving your opinion about any events that relate to your target area. Planning ahead will help you to have your content written in advance. Once your content is written, you can set it to post at a later date.

3. Turn your blog into a money machine.

Making money with your blog property is not difficult if you know what you are doing. In fact, using AdSense on your site is an easy method which will allow you to monetize your blog very quickly. I am sure that there is no shortage of website owners who would love to have their ads displayed on your blog for the entire world to view.

In the end, while blog posts should be made daily, it is also smart to plan ahead by writing your posts in advance. You can set up your WordPress site to store your posts and this will also give you a true auto-pilot business that others would love to imitate. Adding AdSense to your blog is another method by which to create money out of thin air. After you have mastered blogging in one niche, add other blogs to your mighty army one by one.

Planning a Staycation in Victoria, BC

There’s a reason Travel + Leisure ranked Victoria the #3 city in Canada (1) – people from all over the world hope to one day reach this beautiful B.C. capital city. But what about those who already live here? When you live in a place that so many people desire to see, it almost seems like a shame to pack your bags for somewhere new. It’s time to play tourist in your own town. Here are some reasons to book a stay-cation in Victoria, B.C. and tips on how to do so in a wallet-friendly manner.

Reasons to Plan a Staycation

1. Home away from Home

How often can you feel at home in a place and have someone else wash your dishes, clean the toilet and make the bed? Be surrounded by your favourite sights and sounds with a touch of luxury. It can be as simple as staying in an Airbnb loft whose rent you could never afford long term, or as luxurious as splurging on a few nights at a resort and spa.

2. Remember how to Enjoy your City

When you’re busy and stressed with work, life and responsibilities, it can be easy to forget the reasons you fell in love with where you live in the first place. Staying in Victoria while on vacation gives you the chance to fall in love all over again. Bask in the glow of the harbour at night without feeling guilty about the paperwork sitting on your office desk. Relax; you’re on vacation.

3. Get to your Victoria Check List

If you’re like most people, you’ll have a list of things to do in Victoria that you’ve never had the time to go see. Unlike visiting another place, living somewhere gives you the chance to assume that you’ll get around to seeing that exhibit, visiting that gallery or trying that restaurant some other time. Planning a staycation gives you the perfect opportunity to go out and put some checkmarks on that neglected list.

4. You Won’t get Lost

A lot of time while traveling (especially for those who are particularly directionally challenged) can be spent simply trying to find your bearings. You’ll wander streets, not have time for activities due to getting lost and sometimes, you can end up in the wrong part of town. If you’re playing tourist in your own city, however, chances are, you already have a good idea of how to get to your destination. Plus, you already know some great, secret spots.

5. Playing Tourist is Kind of Fun

Grabbing the camera and gearing up with a map or guidebook of things to do in Victoria can be a surprising amount of fun. In the summer especially, you’ll blend right in with the thousands of other tourists the flood the streets. Once you get into the tourist mindset, it’s amazing how many things there are to do. Especially things you’d never consider doing as a resident -a scenic floatplane tour, or whale watching for example.

Tips to Planning your Staycation

1. Book Accommodation in the Off-Season

Accommodation in Victoria can be a hot commodity. The fact that it is a top destination on Vancouver Island is reflected in the prices, especially for upscale resorts, or hotels that are along the Inner Harbour. Booking in the off-season, however, can reduce the cost by as much as half.

2. Look for Last-minute Deals

If your schedule is flexible and it doesn’t really matter when you steal those days off, then booking something last minute could be a rewarding option. Oftentimes, tours and accommodation will be looking to fill seats and rooms, especially if they had a late cancellation.

3. Look for Locals’ Deals

Places that see a high influx of tourists, like Victoria, will find businesses hoping to cater to their local crowd as well. Search for places that offer locals rates and discounts. Another option is checking out Groupon or Island Daily Deals.

4. Think of what you’d Suggest to Someone Coming to Victoria

Struggling to think of what you’d do on your staycation? Try to think of what you’d suggest to a friend who is coming visit. Chances are, hundreds of things come to mind, many of which you’ve likely never done. Curiosity is key.

5. Treat it like a Vacation

Sometimes it can be hard not to think of work when you’re surrounded the things that remind you of your daily routine. However, being on vacation means getting away from all that. Try to get into vacation-mode, even though you’re still in your city. Find new places, try new things, push your boundaries and sign up for tours and activities you’re genuinely interested in. Once you’re “back” from vacation, your knowledge and appreciation of Victoria is likely to have grown.

A stay-cation can be as luxurious, or as budget-wise as any other type of travel. Even more so if you choose to stay in your own house and just explore like an avid tourist. You can take the money you save on accommodation and splurge on a meal at a restaurant you’ve always wanted to eat at, or on a spa treatment at a resort. The opportunities are endless. With such a tourist-friendly and beautiful city at your feet, why would you go anywhere else?

How To Entertain A Child While Working From A Home Office

There is no doubt that the benefits of being a work-at-home parent outweigh the drawbacks. However, some days can prove to be difficult when your two year-old is determined to climb on top of your filing cabinet while you’re trying to participate in an important conference call.

Here are ten tips that can help make your life easier, and your little ones happier, while you work at home.

Set up a little desk for your tiny assistant in your home office, close enough for you to keep an eye on him, but far enough away for you to focus on your work.

Tell your child that he is your personal assistant-in-training and emphasize what a big deal it is for him to have this title and his own work area.

Provide your child with some tools similar to those on your desk. Carefully select only the safest items that are virtually indestructible. Your child’s active imagination and natural curiosity can easily lead to disaster if he gets his hands on the wrong gadget.

Assign your new assistant with important job responsibilities. Young children love to imitate adults, especially their parents. Depending upon what type of business you operate from home, you can dream up duties that mirror what your child watches you do every day.

One duty that may delight your toddler is opening mail. Give the child junk mail, advertisements or anything else you don’t want to read. Provide a little trashcan or place for him to pitch the envelope if that’s what you usually do.

Another job that may thrill your child and can potentially occupy him for more than an hour is organizing your out-dated files, old business cards, duplicate copies, rough drafts and any other impertinent papers. The key to this little task is to place files to be organized in a basket or file bin and provide an empty desk drawer or old briefcase for your toddler to transfer the papers to and from – possibly repeatedly. If you can manage to concentrate on your work and coach your new assistant at the same time, you may stimulate their thinking by beginning to count the papers he or she is moving from the basket into the desk drawer.

A must-have for your new little employee is a notepad or notebook similar to the type you use for taking notes, and crayons (if he or she will accept such a “childish” writing implement.) Encourage your child to draw a picture for you and make sure you praise the final product. The more compliments he or she hears from you, the more your child will want to keep creating special drawings for you, or Grandma and Aunt Jeannie and Uncle Timmy etc. Either take a brief time out or make it a routine at the end of the day to hang your child’s masterpieces in your office. He will feel like he accomplished something that made you proud. Let your child help you tape his work on the side of your desk or up on the wall. You may be surprised by how intrigued your toddler is with tape!

A chalkboard is an easy, inexpensive addition to your home office that you may never need, but your assistant-in-training will probably use it every day. If you buy the big sidewalk chalk, your toddler will be less likely to decide to taste the bright colored sticks. If he or she does try to take a bite, the chances of choking are reduced with these fat pieces of chalk. Make a production out of adding this new item to your office. Pretend you need it to use it to record your daily business reminders. Your child will be more eager to get his little hands on something he sees you using. One little warning: Although this cheap addition to your office may offer a new outlet for your child’s creativity, it will usually lead to the need for a quick bath at the close of the business day!

There are a few items that are actually “toys,” but may be able to pass for “tools” (similar to the machines you use every day) to be added to your new assistant’s desktop. Various toy companies manufacture mini-versions of adult products, like little battery operated computers, designed to teach your child the alphabet or animal sounds; play telephones that ring by themselves and talk back to your child; and musical keyboards that perform tunes automatically and also allow your toddler to make his own melodies. Your toddler may be content to imitate you with toys, like these, that look similar or sound the same as your desktop devices.

Depending upon the location of your office, layout of your house, and your child’s level of independence, you may be able to designate duties that require him to leave your office to go find a phone book for you, or to locate that big envelope that came in the mail the other day. You can purposely forget to collect all the items you will need to complete your job that day or you can ask your little assistant to seek out objects that you don’t really have to have immediately. Toddlers usually like to look for things, especially when they think they are helping mommy or daddy. Be sure to thank your child and compliment him for being able to find exactly what you wanted!

Kids & Divorce – What to Consider When Deciding Your Family’s Time – Sharing & Parenting Plan

In Florida we no longer use terms like “custody,” “visitation,” and “primary residential parent” which suggest that a child is a possession to be argued over. These terms mislead parents into thinking that ultimately one of them can win and the other can lose their children.

It is critical that divorcing parents understand that only their marriage is ending. In fact, their familial bond will remain long after the legal divorce is done. As the old adage goes blood is thicker then water. And, children have a special way of keeping people connected.

Every child needs and deserves two parents. So, divorcing parents should avoid the win/lose illusion and instead focus on how they will share time with their children and what each parent will be responsible for.

Here are ten things to consider before you decide on your family’s time-sharing and parenting plan.

1. Your family is unique. And, your family is undergoing restructuring. Be open to a variety of possibilities. Allow yourself to look at the big picture and focus on the needs of your children.

2. The time to work on feelings of betrayal and abandonment is not while you are making decisions related to time sharing with your children. Put these issues to the side and deal with them later.

3. Consider which parent is best able to undertake, manage and complete day-to-day parenting responsibilities such as shopping, homework, sick trips to the doctor, routine check-ups, playtime visits with friends, chauffeuring, daily hygiene and discipline. However, just as important as a parent’s ability to perform parenting responsibilities is his/her commitment to (a) encouraging the child’s relationship with the other parent, (b) conferring with the other parent and (c) keeping the other parent informed on all child related issues such as report cards, illnesses, and extra-curricular activities.

4. Consider your children’s connections to their communities and extended family members. Do all you can to keep these relationships consistent.

5. Your child’s primary residence and time-sharing arrangements are not permanent. As your children mature the arrangements you make should change to fit their lifestyles, needs and desires.

6. Consider the distance between your homes and the children’s school(s). How will this effect the morning and afternoon commutes, participation in school activities, playing with school friends after-school?

7. How can you best set your schedules in order to maintain consistency in your children’s bedtime, homework, bath, meals, activities etc. during school time.?

8. In an ideal world each parent would have some play time, some work time (carpooling, homework, etc.) and some alone time with each of their children.

9. Children should be expected to follow the rules of the household that they are in. Be consistent in your own house, with your own rules. If the other parent has different rules that is OK.

10. Babies and younger children may be best served by shorter times with each parent.

Homeschool and Covid-19: What’s the Problem?

Let’s look beyond the mask.

Homeschool parents and students must be looking at the problems traditional schools are facing with no small degree of wonderment. As homeschool families require minimal change in their routine, classroom teachers are scrambling to find the balance between in-person and online learning.

Of course some change is inevitable, even for homeschoolers. Soccer matches are on hold, parks and hiking trails closed, even the workout gym isn’t available.

While those closings are disappointing and disturbing, homeschoolers know how to create, to innovate and how to survive mentally and emotionally.

Even if the weekly group meeting is electronic, homeschoolers confidently connect online with other students and parents who understand the dynamic nature of learning and life.

Homeschoolers get it!

They know life changes daily, yet they continue to grow as individuals and community. Every day is an adjustment to change, some changes subtle, others profound. Families who homeschool are not totally controlled by autocratic decision makers or government decrees.

The homeschool system of learning is founded on solid learning principles, one of which is that you confidently adjust as needed to a changing environment. There is no waiting for extended committee meetings or infinitely delayed administrative dictum. Your mind matters most and enables you to make the proper decisions in this rapidly changing cultural environment.

In fact, the present pandemic can become an effective teaching tool, integrating something real in our lives with traditional “school stuff.” This integration, while not in the books, can create lifelong learning while increasing our analytic ability, knowledge base and creativity skills.

It’s not in the books, but who cares!

Actually, it’s in life… and we should all care!

Take a close look at the following list of how the Covid-19 Pandemic is related to traditional school courses.

1. History: What are some historical worldwide pandemics?

2. Math: Plotting various graphs of infections, hospitalizations, deaths, etc.

3. English: Write short stories or poems about masked people and not seeing smiles.

4. Science: How does a virus differ from bacteria?

5. Politics: Does the pandemic being continued favor one political party over another?

6. Literature: Is this a sequel to 1984 or Brave New World?

7. Debate: Government Control versus Individual Independence.

8. Physical Education: Build a workout place using household items.

9. Economics: Why are some business essential, others not?

10. Art: Depict peaceful protests and violent riots in watercolor.

11. Music: Compose mood music or words showing internal emotions of the elderly currently living in nursing homes.

12. Psychology: Dig deep. What’s going on in your mind?

13. Technology: What would this be like if we didn’t have our smart devices?

Those suggestions listed above are only kick-starters for our minds. Each of those sections can have multiple related assignments. Start with a blank paper and do a mind-map of where you can go with each of these.

Always look at the bigger picture.

Face the truth. We are in a pandemic and it is not fun. It isn’t fun, but we can learn from it. We must not become victims of media manipulations. It is critical we keep our minds alert and active. By looking seriously at the relationship between the pandemic and real learning we may find relationships of a greater nature than first appears.

Our nation was founded on solid principles based on genuine truths. Our independent minds must continue to be focused on those truths. We need to continue that tradition. We cannot allow anarchy and riots to change the nature of our country.

Fight the fight.

Keep the faith.

Man Skin Care – Tips For Your Man

If you would like to have your man’s skin say good things about him to those he is in contact with (including yourself) these tips will be useful and timely. If you are a man and wonder what women want from a man when it comes to man skin care then read on as well.

Women like smooth, supple skin on a man. But men don’t generally enjoy talking about skin care so the best thing to do is for the woman to provide a limited thoughtful selection of products for his use in a convenient location. A good, unscented active body lotion next to the couch nearest your flat screen TV is a great choice. Male skin care products to cleanse, moisturize and occasionally deep-clean are usually sufficient. TOO MANY CHOICES ARE THE KISS OF DEATH for this renovation project.

Start with hand care, or even better, begin with a lotion to rub on his feet while your man is distracted by his ESPN addiction. Silky feet are a great addition to any relationship. Men and women should certainly both note this fact. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander in this particular case. Products containing vitamins and natural oils are superior to those with synthetic chemicals or preservatives for this budding young man skin care routine. An unscented lotion would be best for this first foray into men’s skin care. After the hands and feet are well tended and happy you can move on to more complex areas like the face.

Facial care is a delicate subject for some men. A rugged manly look may be a great thing in a young man but male skin care becomes more and more important as he ages. The skin becomes extremely weathered if certain restorative steps are not undertaken. Occupational hazards such as exposure to strong sunlight, harsh weather and chemicals are a big problem for men. The goal here is to retard the aging process, limit damage from free radicals and nourish the cell regeneration process. Good grooming, including skin care is a wonderful investment in the future of everyone’s career and personal relationships. Self-esteem shown by good grooming indicates good habits are probably found in other areas of the person’s life. Consistency, patience and attention to detail are never bad characteristics in a person’s temperament. Avoid explaining this to a man.

Perhaps a better idea would be to approach it as something you would like to do for him. Once he feels how good his skin can feel he will be hooked for life. And very soon, after you move into the face care process, he will notice a difference in the way other people treat him, too. It is a fact that good looking people are more likely to be promoted and respected by their peers.

Here’s one more reason to consider man skin care. Several recent studies, including one by the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank have shown that the more attractive a person is, the more they make. Indeed, the survey, published in the Tampa Bay Business Journal, found that “Good looking people earned 5% more an hour than their less comely colleagues.” This might be another way to get your man started in the good habit of daily male skin care.

Just don’t expect him to carry his own skin care products in a make up bag.

When considering the needs of a man, skin care creams and lotions are plentiful. Continue educating yourself about ingredients that will feed the skin, as well as male skin care ingredients that can damage the skin. Doing so will assure that you find safe effective products.

Why Workflow Automation Is Crucial for SMEs Today

According to the Asia-Pacific Economic Corporation (APEC), small and medium scale enterprises make up nearly 97 per cent of all businesses. These SMEs employ the majority of the workforce across the APEC economies. Suffice to say that SMEs are the drivers of growth, and we cannot deny their immense contribution to the GDP. However, it seems that the surging digitization has escaped most of them. A large chunk still depends on antiquated workflows and business processes. Imagine the level of productivity and growth they can achieve with workflow automation and optimized processes?!

Owners of small enterprises are under constant pressure from low revenue streams, rigid budgets, and finite resources. Irrespective of the fact that the primary goal of these enterprises is to reduce expenses and labour costs, they still find it incredibly difficult to deal with the up-front cost of investing in this very outcome.

Areas of Workflow Automation for SMEs

Small businesses today face the threat of lagging behind their competitors if they fail to automate routine processes. Today, technologies like enhanced computing power and robust networking are developing at a rapid scale. Now it has become more than easy for SMEs to deploy automation solutions for their daily processes and manage numerous tasks between their workers.

Put simply, workflow automation solutions are no longer a luxury that can be leveraged only by large organizations. Given below are some of the most effective spheres of automation that SMEs should regard as an investment for their future expansion and growth.

Payroll Solutions

Numerous small business payroll solutions streamline the process of automating payroll from scratch or automate transitioning from another system. Managing employee payroll is necessary for success. A payroll software solution from a reliable workflow management company will automate activities in areas like:

• Running payroll

• Management of payroll taxes

• Compliance with existing payroll legislation and guidelines

Staying away from such a solution will only lead to more expenses and a wastage of time and resources that you can deploy elsewhere. It is no wonder that nearly 40 percentper cent of SMEs consider taxes and bookkeeping the most frustrating and time-consuming parts of owning a business.

Benefits of Payroll Automation

Many small business owners spend endless time managing the scheduling of employees to guarantee them sufficient coverage. Payroll systems offer features that facilitate the automation of scheduling according to the individual employee data. You can also integrate the software with systems that monitor worker’s paid time off, sick leaves, and vacation days. Their efficacy lies in the fact that the reporting functions filter down to every single user.

The significance of reliable payroll software becomes more pronounced in certain scenarios. For example, you may feel entirely at ease with the employee reports display data but still find workers with queries on payday.

Payroll automation is an all-inclusive solution for SMEs, manageable from a mobile device. It allows owners to keep a tab on things when they are on the move.

Automation for Enhancing Team Collaboration

Teamwork lies at the heart of any business. Smooth interaction between team members is critical to sustained success. Workflow automation solutions like project management board allow teams to monitor their work progress together. Many cloud-based solutions work well with remote team members as well.

There is also scope for engaging in more confidential activities like signing contracts, discussing acquisitions, investments, and negotiations. Many software solutions can create ‘virtual data rooms’ that safeguard sensitive information. Collaboration tools with such a feature can manage functions like access control and printing permissions and impart granularity that enables you to decide who can make changes.

Marketing Automation

Automating your workflow is perhaps the best technology practice that you can implement to enhance productivity. Going by the recent trends, automating might just be what your organization needs to overcome the market-wide productivity slump.

With the dominance of online marketing, SMEs find themselves with no shortage of marketing options. Thankfully, the trend is complemented with an equal, if not more increase in the number of marketing automation options. Marketing automation provides marketers with the ability to form one-on-one cross-channel journeys that impart consistent and connected customer experiences. It entails providing the right content to the right customers at the right time, thus nurturing their trust.

Automation of Customer Service

Today, the customer is king. Nurturing a bond with customers is a crucial priority for managers and their staff. At the same time, there’s no escaping the fact that providing excellent customer service can turn out to be quite draining on the finite resources of an SME.

Providing quality service can be best achieved by streamlining this function through a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution. They collect and manage customer-related information and interaction. By availing such a solution for themselves, SMEs better align themselves with customer needs and provide customized recommendations according to customer history with their organization.

As you can see, there’s no end to the benefits that SMEs can get by leveraging workflow automation. It enhances collaboration, reduces overhead costs, boosts productivity, and frees up the team to concentrate on innovation and creativity. However, it is wise not to view workflow automation as a magic solution to all business concerns. You need to think every time you implement such a solution carefully. Step back and take a moment to analyze your workflow and then figure out the solution to help you manage it in the best way possible. Reach out to Ezofis to reap the full benefits of workflow automation.

Remaining Relevant – Edging Out Your Competition in the Hotel Industry

Unless they’re historic bed and breakfast inns, most hotels are modern and up-to-date, boasting high speed internet, sound wave alarm clocks and versatile hangers, among other hotel supplies. If you’re like most people who work in hotels and handle the amenities, in some capacity, on a daily basis, after a while you might not notice the details anymore. As with most day-to-day tasks, buying hotel supplies and amenities can become routine especially when you’re tasked with balancing budgetary constraints, style needs and guest preferences. If hotel supplies such as towels, ice buckets and bed spreads become dated, hotels can become dated, too, and get lost amongst the competition.

Hotels that are successful long-term attribute their success, in part, to their ability to remain relevant which means they know themselves and their brand identity. They also know the hotels near them and what makes them stand out. When you think about your hotel, what do people pay for? Is your service exceptional?

Maybe the views are amazing and the hotel supplies and amenities are unique. If luxury and convenience define your business, plush robes and bed linens and complimentary breakfast would be relevant hotel supplies and amenities. To maintain their place among the masses, hotels must keep current with trends to remain competitive and relevant.

Timeliness very likely isn’t a high priority for you or anybody else who works in hotels. However, if hotels want to maintain occupancy rates, attract new business and offer a great overall experience ensuring that everything from the amenities and hotel supplies to the color palettes and furniture are current and inviting is paramount. Have you ever gotten a room in a modern hotel and, upon walking into the room itself, felt like you traveled in time back to the early 1990s or worse, and it’s not a historic hotel? While it might not affect the visit, most people think less of hotels that are dated, especially when the amenities, hotel supplies and conveniences one would expect are either not offered or unavailable during their stay.

Whether you’re working for an eclectic bed and breakfast or a posh spa resort, conveying value to your guests is important. Quality amenities and hotel supplies, amazing views, superb locations and complimentary meals or snacks all convey the “we’re trying to maximize your dollar” message. It’s important, especially when consumers of every stripe are counting their pennies and paying more attention to what they’re getting for their money than ever before. While hotel supplies and amenities are important components of hotels, they aren’t everything. The cleanliness of your hotel, a responsive staff, spacious guest rooms and modern furnishings all play important roles in the overall guest experience.

Being and remaining competitive in the hospitality industry is no small feat. Maintaining your edge by providing quality hotel supplies and amenities helps you as the competition among hotels is stiff almost everywhere. When people feel like their opinion matters, when they see updated fixtures, renovations that modernize hotels and high quality hotel supplies, they know they’ve been heard which typically translates into more business for you. That said, focused on details though you might be, it’s important that those same details remain fresh and relevant to both guest and hotel alike.

Exit mobile version