Author: Pamela Miller

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Highlights of the 2020 Business Summit

The 2020 Business Summit by Forbes will be virtual, but it will have a similar agenda to supporting small businesses like its African counterpart did last year.

The Lagos Small Business Summit 2019 brought together a lot of important members of the economies of Africa. Organized in Lagos, you got to see members from academia, private sector, government leaders, policymakers, small business owners. All are innovative game-changers in these various parts of their economies and they discussed the importance and effect of policies that would have an impact on small & medium scale businesses in Nigeria.

This 2019 edition marked the fourth edition of the summit. The theme of the summit was “The Future of Small Businesses: Creating a Culture of Purposeful and Sustainable Innovation.”

Summit Highlights

The summit started with an address to welcome all dignitaries present, and then it set the agenda for the summit from the Executive Director of SME100 Africa, Charles Odii.

The CEO of Interswitch, Akeem Lawal, was the first to present. His presentation was titled: “Creating exponential institutions with a focus on how government and small business owners can keep up with the market,” he also made everyone know his success story through Interswitch.

After his presentation, a panel was held with people like Lawal and Aishah Ahmad, who represented the Dep. Gov. of CBN, and Oby Ugboma, CRO, Chapel Hill Denham.

After the session of the first panel, a tour of the entire exhibition stand took place then the next panel session began.

The second panel had their session at the Lagos Small Business Summit 2019, and it featured people like Paul Adebo of @myfcmb, Seyi Tinubu of @loatsad_promomedia, Omolola Adagunodo of @jumiatravelng, Tope Omotolani of @crowdyvestng, and it was organized and handled by Orode Uduaghan of @terchub. They discussed the topic “Creating a culture of purposeful and sustainable innovation for start-ups and small businesses.”

This panel talked about how start-up businesses and their managers need to make a difference in society and to break out thereby destroying the norm.

After the second panel finishes their session, they had a presentation that was handled by a representative from LIRS.

She spoke on different types of taxation and the essence of taxation to the development and growth of businesses in Nigeria.

After the presentation was done, a third-panel session began with the topic “Alliance to end plastic waste.”

It was organized with people like L. Onaghise Executive Secretary Food, and Amp Beverage Recycling Representative of Lola Akande, Head SME, LSETD, Agherese, and moderated by the Executive Director of SME100 Africa, Charles Odii.

The second day of the summit hit or off with a presentation from Olajire Adeleke, who is the Head of Bank Assurance, Leadway Assurance. The presentation was titled “Insurance for you & your business,” and he spoke on the place and role of insurance in doing business.

In the end, the summit was a huge success, showing ways the nation Nigeria would be better if perhaps all plans go as discussed.

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How is America’s Small Business Community is Doing Since the Coronavirus Crisis

The financial crunch from the coronavirus pandemic has hit all across America, and small businesses have felt the impact. The restrictions have had millions of people taking refuge from the outbreak by staying home and avoiding shopping trips that are not necessary.

An analyst predicted that businesses and their distribution from coronavirus could lead to about a 1,500 or more permanent retail stores that would be closed in the year 2020. The Economic Policy Institute predicts that this disease outbreak could wipe out more than 3 million jobs from the economy of the U.S. before this summer.

These concerns have already started for small businesses all around the country. A recent Goldman Sachs survey of more than a 1,500 small business managers learned that more than 50 percent of them don’t think even after the pandemic they would resume their operations, because of the present conditions they suffered in the hands of the outbreak.

Different states in the U.S. have already told businesses that didn’t sell products that were essential to temporarily close. Even in states where the case is different, some small businesses have already closed shops totally or reduced their business hours dramatically as a result of fear from the pandemic.

The Case of a Small Scale Business Woman in North Carolina

One of these small business owners stated she never could have imagined being closed for weeks. She owned a jewelry boutique store in North Carolina.

This particular business woman closed the doors to her store on March 16, 2020, after a very busy previous day. She was concerned that people around were not taking the threat of the disease seriously enough. Her shop normally sees about 15 to 20 people on a normal day, but that previous day was slower than usual; she still had about 25 customers throughout the day.

She felt like it was her duty as a citizen to serve as part of the solution, not be part of the problem. It was her choice to close her shop instead of being part of those ignoring the instructions from the government and the recommendations of social distancing. North Carolina has not organized everyone on the close of non-essential businesses, but it has ordered bars and restaurants to only offer delivery services or takeout.

Presently for retailers across the country, they continue to remain closed and will be closed for many more months. The owner of the jewelry store has no idea when she can open shop again. It feels like it could take months before some form of normalcy could continue. 

With the cash flow from business cut off abruptly, she is left to think about how she’ll cover the rent for her store, which is about $3,800 monthly. She stated her landlord let her defer the expense for about two months with potential for her position to be re-evaluated down the road.

Times are hard, and we can only hope the coronavirus pandemic will be over soon.

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Is Red Wine Anti-Aging? (Health Benefits of Resveratrol)

Some people believe that red wine has antiaging effects. Let’s see if there is any truth behind this urban legend.

Beauty and Red Wine

There is a great connection between beauty and wine. It is quite surprising the amount of data that is available on wine and how it can be used as an intervention to reduce the aging process and help someone look and age better.

These properties include all the antioxidants present in wine. They help in absorbing up free radicals, which play a huge role in aging and all diseases related to your age. There are a lot of antioxidants present in wine, which include resveratrol and polyphenols. There’s more in wine than when you compare it with the amount present in grape juice. The skin and seeds are part of the fermentation process when making wine, but in the production of grape juice, both of these are removed.

Also, there’s stress. For people who have a lot of stress, the effect wine would have on reducing their aging would be completely different from people who don’t suffer a lot of stress throughout their lives. The type of attitudes and behaviors people who drink wine have tends to have a different reaction than for people with better behaviors.

Consumption of wine is part of the Mediterranean diet, and this diet consists of consuming lots of veggies and fresh fruits, nuts and seeds, fine grains, legumes, yogurt, seafood, and olive oil. The diet is like a lifestyle that includes taking wine while eating dinner. Having the Mediterranean diet is a lifestyle that according to studies has shown that these people live healthier longer lives.

Can I Drink Too Much Red Wine?

Drinking a glass of red wine daily is one thing you can do apart from quitting smoking, eating well, and exercising regularly – from the view of anti-agers – to help your youthful appearance. However, you can also have too much of it. Taking more wine than recommended would increase your aging process, and it is bad for your health. 

At the most, a glass of wine a day may make your skin glow. This is as good as it gets.

Benefits people expect if this advice is followed include you looking better with glowing skin and you would look about five years younger than your present age. You should also have a fewer number of precancerous skin lesions as observed from a study, but more research is needed.

If you’re not a drinker, you can still get the health benefits of red wine by taking supplements like Resveratrol by Pure Encapsulations. Cheers to your health!

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What Food is Most Profitable for a Food Truck Business?

Do you have a food truck, or you are thinking of having one? This is a very profitable business, but you have to know how to run it. Part of this is knowing what food is most profitable to your food truck business. The popularity of food trucks cannot be overemphasized. They have become part of our lifestyle and culture.

These days, food trucks are the moving restaurants of our time. You can find virtually every meal you want to eat there. Food trucks come in various sizes and have different menus, customer base, and appeal. If you want to be highly profitable in your food truck business or you want to know the food that is most profitable to food truck vendors, then this article is for you.

In this article, we are going to explore some foods that are most profitable for a food truck business.

Profitable Food Truck Foods

To be profitable in this business you need to know how to balance using profitable ingredients and making popular food. Some of them are:

1.     Stone-Baked Pizza

The main ingredients used for this are dough and cheese. This is a meal that was created due to necessity. Pizza at its inception was referred to as food for the poor; it was considered street food in Naples during the 1500s. Even the toppings were made from easy to find ingredients that are profitable until this day. There is evidence that stone-baked pizza is highly profitable in the food truck business, because it is easy to make, the ingredients are easy to find and cheap, and pizza is sold for a higher price than it is made.

2.     Burgers

Burgers are about the most popular food you can sell from a food truck. They have been sold by many over decades and are still in vogue today. Burgers are very delicious and appealing, they’re easy to make and do not cost much, and they are very popular, so many customers buy them. The main ingredients they are made from are burger patties, cheese, and a bun. They are arguably the most profitable food truck food out there.

3.     Indian Street Food

Around the world, Indian food is loved. It is mainly made from meat, rice, and sauce. Indian food is sold very well by food truck vendors, as it is easy to acquire the ingredients at a low cost.

4.     Grilled Cheese

The main ingredients used to make this are bread and cheese. Grilled cheese sandwiches are easy to make from easy to acquire and cheap. No matter the variety you make, you can make a profit from them, and they are loved by many.

5.     Loaded Fries

The main ingredients required to make this are potatoes. They can be the main dish or a side dish to things like burgers. They are very cheap to make, their ingredients are easy to get, and they are loved by many. You can use different types of toppings and seasoning to make yours unique, but no matter what they are very profitable for a food truck business.

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Computer Desk Industrial Style and Other Home Office Trends

In this day and age, you can rarely do any business-related thing without using a computer, and working from home has been prevalent, especially in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. It has become important for people to get home offices with a study, multipurpose if you plan to find a good work-life balance.

Picking a computer desk that is right for you can be especially difficult. This is due to the fact that desks are meant to be practical, but we also want them to look beautiful and appealing. In this article, we are going to explore some unique and modern industrial style computer desks for your home office, as well as other home office trends.

Computer Desk Trends

1.     Modern desk, curved and with keyboard panel that can pull out: This type of computer desk comes in a round design that is sleek. After purchasing it, you just have to join the legs and then you are ready to use it. The panel for the keyboard is the pull-out type, and the desk usually comes with storage space in the form of two side drawers. It can carry up to 88 lbs and would fit right into a small workspace and home office space.

2.     Slim computer desk with drawers and cord management: This type of computer desk comes in white with drawers at the front, cord management capacity, and a compartment at the top to hide away your other computer accessories. It has legs made from metal and carries as much as 75 lbs. The desktop space is wide enough so the desk is both beautiful and functional.

3.     Mid-century walnut finish modern computer desk: This type of home office computer desk usually comes in walnut brown with white drawers. This is particularly attractive as the colors contrast to make it a truly trendy home office desk. It is not only beautiful, but it is also functional, as it has two drawers for storage and a big enough top for your office needs.

4.     Scandinavian desk with stylish drawers: These drawers are made of natural wood and have a unique feel and a natural, simple look. The modern trend for home offices to have historic-looking desks that are sleek and affordable does not take away from its durability and strength.

5.     Minimalist rectangular office desk: This is a simple type of desk that gives the modern feel that can blend with any type of home office. It usually comes in white, brown, or cream colors with strong frames made from metal.

Other Home Office Trends

·       Have a lot of storage available in the office and the desk.

·       Home office chairs are not the standard office chairs, as they could be shaped in a variety of ways to suit your comfort and appeal to your taste.

·       Home offices are not overly decorated so that they can have that warm feel and let ideas flow easily. Too much decoration can be a distraction.

·       Since it is not a standard office, the home office trend is to use unique colors that suit your personality and will help you work better at home.

What are your favorite home office trends?

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Does Vitamin C Help You Sleep Better?

Vitamins have so many benefits for our health, and a lot of research has been conducted about vitamin C and its effects, specifically, to help you sleep better. Many people have different sleep disorders that might affect their health in different ways. It can lead to severe health issues over time; therefore, it is advisable to place a premium on getting a good night’s sleep.

The question has often been asked, “Does vitamin C help you sleep better?” In this article, we are going to answer this question.

Effect of Vitamin C on Sleep

You already know that vitamin C has tremendous benefits on the immune system. However, you might not know that vitamin C can also help you sleep better. Much research has shown that if you have a high concentration of this vitamin in your body, you tend to sleep better than people with lower levels of concentration. Vitamin C also helps your body to combat the effects of not getting a good night’s sleep occasionally.

Vitamin C can help you sleep better in these ways:

1.     Increases Sleep Length: Insomnia plagues many people. Almost half of people above the age of 16 suffer from insomnia at one point or the other; this may be due to several reasons including lifestyle choices. Studies have proved if you have a lower concentration of this vitamin, you tend to have more sleep interruptions through the night. You’ll wake up and not be able to go back to sleep.

2.     Reduces Disorders of Movement: There are several movement disorders that a person can suffer from that will affect their night’s sleep. Restless Leg Syndrome, also known as “RLS,” is one such disorder. It makes you feel like there are pins and needles in your legs, so you constantly have to move your leg so it is always difficult to sleep for long hours at a time. This disorder can occur due to iron deficiency, and vitamin C can aid the human body in absorbing and storing iron. This in turn helps to relieve the symptoms that are usually associated with RLS, thus making you sleep better.

3.     Reduces Obstructive Sleep Apnea: This disorder makes it hard for you to breathe while you are sleeping; it blocks your airways and can lead to dangerous effects. Research has shown that vitamin C can help relieve and reduce this disorder due to the fact that vitamin C enhances the blood vessels and makes them function better.

Vitamin C has some other benefits that can indirectly help you sleep better; these include:

1.     Improves Weight Balance and Metabolism: Obesity is a serious health problem in the world today that has affected many people. Obesity can affect the sleep of a person; it can cause sleep apnea and other disorders. Reduced metabolism can lead to weight gain, and studies have shown that vitamin C has the capacity to increase metabolism, which can help you lose weight and in turn improve sleep.

2.     Improvement of the Immune System: The immune system is paramount to healthy living, and a less than optimal immune system can lead to countless health problems that can affect your sleep. Vitamin C is known to improve the immune system and help maintain it. Taking Vitamin C can, therefore, improve and maintain your immune system, which in turn helps to combat a lot of problems that can affect your sleep, thereby helping you sleep better.

For the best vitamin C, try Lypo-Spheric Vitamin C by LivOn Labs, a highly bioavailable, absorbable form of the nutrient that goes easily into your bloodstream to help support your body.

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Market Research Companies in the USA to Help Your Business

This is critically important and should be used in getting your target customers properly engaged. It helps in knowing the parameters of the market and knowing how you could confidently invest. Getting the right partners for your needs could be strenuous, so here are some firms to help get you started.

3 Market Research Companies in the USA To Help Your Business

Adloonix

This is a marketing agency that is digital and it is based in Ukraine. It started in 2018 with a team of about 60 employees. They usually work with clients from different firms. They specialize in strategizing digitally using market research, PPC, SEO, and social media marketing.

It was known for helping a marketing company that wanted to increase the number of leads that were gotten from their social media platforms. They also helped in performing market analysis, also in the creation of online adverts, and shifted using this strategy to improve results.

Their professional work helps in increasing their leads higher than twice with the time they have worked for this company. The sales have increased by about 62%, and it helped in reducing the cost per lead. They were surprised by the rate of success and satisfied with it as stated by the co-founder.

Fresh Squeezed Ideas

This is a global research consultancy that has its headquarters in Chicago and an office in Toronto. From 2006, it has a team with 25 members who specialize in marketing strategy, market research, and branding for clients in the healthcare and consumer products field.

Fresh Squeezed Ideas has helped in conducting market research for a chocolate company. The work was available to add muscle to the position they were in among the brands available. The stakeholders of the company responded positively to the ideas from this market research company.

Emerging Strategy

This is a strategy consulting firm which is based in Arlington, Virginia, and was founded in 2006. Their team had 23 employees and it specializes in business consulting, market research, and marketing strategy, which is used for basic clients in education, healthcare industries, and business services.

The emerging strategy is mostly known for how it handled marketing research for an educational company. They conducted basic market research, which included customer and stakeholder interviews, and they got a secondary analysis report on the global education industry. The client reported that they got a high level of insights from the workers in the firm in less than a month.

These market research companies are available to help your businesses grow in the USA. Which one will you choose?

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How Do I Add Participants to a Zoom Meeting?

If you have a very important presentation which you need to layout for people who are in charge of your firm or your organization, but you do not know how to add participants to your Zoom meeting, then this article is for you. From this article, you will learn how to create and host a screen-sharing conference using video chatting within the Zoom app.

Instructions on Adding Participants to a Zoom Meeting

First, you need to have downloaded the Zoom app on your smartphone, tablet, or computer and start the following processes.

Step 1: Open the Zoom App

If you need to host a meeting immediately or organize a meeting for another time, go to one of these following sections :

·       Host a Meeting

·       Schedule a meeting

Step 2: Host a Meeting

Touch either the Start without video or use the Start with the video button, which depends on your needs.

Step 3

Touch the Invite button at the bottom of the meeting window.

Step 4

You can share invites in a few different ways to all the people you want them to join you at the video conference:

·       Touch one among the email service buttons. Your chosen mail service will appear with an invitation.

·       Touch the Copy URL button, next, paste the URL into an email to the people you want to invite.

·       Touch the Copy invitation button, after that, paste the message into a mail to the participants you wish to invite.

Step 5

To schedule a meeting, touch the Schedule button.

Step 6

Enter a meeting title, in the Topic field. This meeting title has to do with the reason you are inviting the participants into the video conference.

Step 7

In the When options, enter:

·       Start time ( which is the time you want the video conference meeting to begin)

·       Duration (maximum of 45 minutes for Basic accounts)

Step 8

Select from the following options:

·       Video: Participant and Host video appearing when about to join a meeting

·       Audio: Telephone, VoIP Only or Both

Step 9

Select additional Meeting Options, including Require meeting password, if desired.

Step 10

Select which type of calendar you wish to create the invitation with. If you choose other calendars, you’ll be able to copy and paste the information of the meeting into the calendar programs of any other type as you desire.

Step 11

Touch the Schedule button.

Step 12

Your meeting will be scheduled.

From this point, you should touch the copy to clipboard button then take the information and paste it into the calendaring program so you would be able to invite other participants to your Zoom Meeting.

And there it is. Very simple, easy ways in which you can join your friends, managers, colleagues, co-workers, lecturers, and any other person you want to be in a Zoom meeting with you. This could be done using any device that can download the application with good Internet connection for the video conference to be clear and so you would be able to see everyone without problems from the service provider.

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How to Set Up a Healthy Home Office Space

Freelancing or working from home most times requires you to create a healthy home office space. For people who spend a lot of time on their mobile phones or laptops, making a workstation must follow healthy guidelines. Here are some tips to help you get started.

4 Ways to Set up a Healthy Home Office Space

Set Up the Home Office Space

Most times, we start little by little while we work from home, and before we know it, we are spending our entire time in a poorly designed home office space. It is best to start by getting the appropriate work desk, and make sure you don’t convert just any desk around to a work desk. The height of the desk is important in knowing your posture while you work. A short desk will make you hunch in a fashion that is not healthy. A desk that is too high would cause shoulder and wrist issues. The standard height should be around 34 inches. This could be altered to the specific requirements of your type of body.

Get a Proper Work Chair

Getting the chair necessary for your desk is as important as getting the desk itself. Some might be too expensive, while others could demand an environment that seems too serious. Try to get the best work seat you can afford, because the level of quality affecting your work productivity is related to the type of chair you get.

Get Rid of the Noise

Imagine working in a home office space with distractions and  noise. That kills off the work vibe, especially for those that are involved in creative fields. Even a hint of noise could change your train of thought and destroy whatever creative plans your mind had.

Without noise in your home office space, you get a healthier environment and a more efficient working environment. That’s why real offices have sliding glass doors and bi-fold doors. You could also keep an eye on the little ones with everyone being quiet as you work without being disturbed.

If you can’t get a quiet home office space, then your basement, attic, or den would be the next best thing. They can create a home office space that feels like it is not a part of your home anymore.

Try Good Ventilation and Natural Lighting

Natural light is a very important element that is necessary for your home office space. Mixing task lighting and ambient in your home office serves as the way forward to enjoying the combination of both. Nothing matches the benefits of natural lighting, not even a combination of all the artificial lighting around. Make sure the windows are airy for cross ventilation. The natural breeze is also very important. To support relaxation and mental focus, try essential oils in an aromatherapy diffuser from NOW Foods or Dr. Mercola.

These are the simple ways you can create your very own healthy home office space.  Good luck!

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Top Business Aspirations You Can Actually Achieve

Having aspirations is vital to human growth. Without growth, we become relegated to a rather meaningless life. Things need to move to stay healthy. If a stream stops flowing, the water becomes murky and dirty. The same thing applies to humans – once we stop flowing, moving and growing, we are not truly living. You should have aspirations for your personal life, relationships, and also your career. Here are some business aspirations you may choose to pursue.

Dream Big

Business aspirations are simply goals you have for your business, and they are quite tricky. Yes, it is important to dream big, but you must remember to put in the effort else you are simply setting yourself up for disappointment. To build proper business aspirations, you must first define them.

There are several ways to go about defining your business aspirations. The steps you can take to define your business aspirations are to have a mission and a vision. Try making a vision board and then setting clear priorities.

What these steps do is create an outline that you can build on and follow. Without defining your business aspirations, you won’t achieve much, because your goals aren’t clear. It makes it hard to focus and work towards a certain stage, because your intentions are unclear. Once again, you need to define your goals before you begin to aspire.

Once that is done, if you still aren’t clear on your business aspirations, here are some aspirations you can personalize to work for you and your business.

4 Business Aspirations for Your Company

  1. Develop a brand – This is a basic business aspiration. Having a brand means having a niche of customers to offer your services to. Developing a brand is one of the first business aspirations you should try to attain. It’ll help your business grow a lot faster if your business is known for a certain quality. For example, let’s examine luxury fashion brands. Their clothes are sought after, because those companies have a brand that their consumers are familiar with.
  1. Upsizing – As your business grows, the next step is to upsize. This means employing more people to cater to your growing number of customers or working with more manufacturers if you sell products. If you run an online store, perhaps it’s time to get a physical space for administrative work. Upsizing is a product of growth. If you’re not sure whether you should upsize or not, ask yourself these three questions. Do I have more customers? Am I doing more than I used to? Am I working overtime in situations I never used to? These questions will help you make your decision.
  1. Executive team – Now that you have more employees, perhaps you should look into giving some of these employees the power to delegate responsibilities. Building an executive team gives you more time to focus on product design, customer satisfaction, and other aspects you’d like to pay attention to.
  1. Profit and value – This is a business aspiration that lasts as long as the business. Once your business is successful enough to bring in steady profit, you have to find a way to maintain that profit and increase your value without diminishing the quality of the product. This is a tricky step, and it may take years to perfect; therefore, you must remember to exercise patience.

These four models are not in any way the only business aspirations you should have. Business aspirations vary from business to business. That is why we provided a generalized model that you can customize to fit your particular company. Remember, Winston Churchill once said: “Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”