Sasha Says… – Page 32 – Family and Home. Money Matters. Life in General. And More.

Brain Wave, Entrepreneurship & Business Talks

Bringing A Product To Life Is Never Straightforward

February 27, 2020 No Comments

For some entrepreneurs, bringing a “product” to market is easy: they just sell their skills. The accountant, tutor, and SEO professional can all sit down at a computer and begin making money immediately, so long as they have customers.

Life, however, isn’t so straightforward for entrepreneurs who want to bring a new product to life. He or she has to go through multiple steps before they can satisfy the needs of the market. And the process can last months.

The Ideation Phase

The first step of the process probably doesn’t seem like much of a “step” at all – at least not in the traditional sense. Often it isn’t something that an entrepreneur deliberately sets out to do. Instead, it is something that happens. An idea hits you like a bolt of lightning, and all of a sudden, you know that your life is going to change considerably.

The ideation phase, however, is essential. It’s where you find out whether your idea has legs and if there’s a real market for it.

The Research Phase

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At the research phase, you’re not so much thinking about the concept, but whether you can practically implement it. You might have a great idea, but if the technology isn’t sufficiently advanced to make it a reality at a reasonable cost, you’re stuck. You need a plan.

The research phase is also about collecting feedback from the people who might wind up buying whatever widget you eventually make. You want to know things like how much they’re willing to pay, the features that they want, and the types of materials you should use.

The Prototyping Phase

For many entrepreneurs, prototyping is the critical phase. It’s at this point that you discover whether your design makes sense or not and if you need to go back to the drawing board.

It’s also the stage where you need to start thinking not just about development but risks too. As McMath Woods P.A. points out, product liability lawsuits are a significant issue for startups. Just like everyone else, they have a duty to ensure that their products fall safely within the law. The prototyping phase is where you discover whether you need to make significant revisions to your ideas or not for safety reasons.

The Sourcing Phase

If you want to sell your products to a lot of people, you’re going to need a factory and supply chain to make it happen. You could try and set all this up yourself, but it’ll cost you. Most entrepreneurs, therefore, go to third-party manufacturers who have the skills and tools to create your design.

For many, this is the trickiest part. If you decide to manufacture abroad, you not only have to deal with technical difficulties but language barriers too.

The Costing Phase

The final step in the process is figuring out how much your operation is costing you so that you can set an MSRP. You’ll want to consider factor costs, shipping costs, and the number of units you expect to sell in a year.

Brain Wave, Life in general

How to Help Your Child with Social Skills and Communication

February 25, 2020 No Comments

If your child has social and communication difficulties, it’s important to take steps to change that and start turning things around for them. These difficulties usually mask a lack of understanding or an inability to express themselves. Or it might be the case that they haven’t come out of their shell yet.

Either way, there are things that can be done to help them develop more confidence, better social skills and an ability to communicate better. You simply need to find the right approach. Here’s more information about some of the things you can begin to do as a parent.

Play Storytelling Games Together

First of all, you might want to think about playing storytelling games with your child. This is particularly helpful because it helps them to start understanding how to communicate ideas better. And it doesn’t feel like any kind of chore for them either. It’s fun, it’s communicative and it gets them into the habit of expressing ideas openly and in a way that they find enjoyable. It can help a lot.

Ensure They Can Identify Emotions

Identifying emotions is one of the most important social skills for your child to learn about. They can start to communicate more effectively and convey empathy when they understand emotions. There are ways you can assist them with this if you think they might be struggling with it. First and foremost, make it fun. Use pictures of faces expressing different emotions and discuss what emotions are on display.

Provide an Environment in Which They Can be Social with Other Kids

For your kids to develop the right kinds of social skills, they need to have the chance to play and interact with other kids. If your child is an only child, this is something that you will have to go out of your way to set up. Let them spend time with the children of your friends or take them to play groups where they can interact with kids their age. This kind of direct experience is essential to their development.

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Take Them to Therapy Sessions

Taking your kids to therapy sessions might seem extreme, but it’s massively beneficial to so many children. There are lots of Pediatric Therapy options out there and they can really help with kids who are not sure how to interact with people or to communicate effectively. Of course, therapy can be used for other things too, but not everyone realizes that it’s so helpful with social and communication challenges too.

Discuss Communicating Feelings

Discussing how to communicate feelings effectively is another thing that might really help your child to grow and express themselves. If you know that they’ve struggled with this kind of thing before, don’t be afraid to discuss it openly with them. It can help a lot and it addresses things in a head-on kind of way. Show them ways and strategies that can be used for communicating feelings in a constructive way. It might seem obvious to you how to do these things, but it might not be for them.

Overcome Shyness Problems Together

Shyness is something that many children experience, not to mention many adults too. It’s something that you can work on over time with the right strategies, but it’s important not to pressure your child to be something they’re not. Some people are naturally more shy than others and that’s not always a problem. However, you can help them overcome some of its consequences if you approach it as a team. It can start with simply exploring things together and finding out what triggers shy responses for them.

Encourage Them to Make Eye Contact

With your family, your child might be more open and communicative. But if they struggle with strangers, that’s something for you to work on. One thing to consider is eye contact. If your child doesn’t make direct eye contact with people very often, this might suggest they don’t feel confident communicating with others. Encourage them to do that and it will actually help them communicate better and feel more confident over time too. It’s not a silver bullet cure to these problems, but it’s a good starting place.

Different children struggle with different things and excel in other areas. If your child has so far struggled with communication and social skills, there’s no reason why things can’t improve. Children also learn at different speeds, so you just need to give them the time, space and assistance to develop in this area.

Brain Wave, Money matters

Are These Common Issues Getting You Into Financial Trouble?

February 20, 2020 No Comments

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If there’s one thing that most of us can agree on it’s that the modern world can be a pretty stressful place. There’s no real shortage of reasons for this fact but the truth is that there’s one thing that brings more stress to more people than just about anything else. That thing is, unsurprisingly, money. Whether many of us like to admit it or not, the reality of the modern world is that money really does dictate a great deal of what we can or can’t do with our lives. This means that it’s a factor that most of us have to consider pretty much all the time no matter what we want to do. Of course, the truth is that there will always be certain situations that cause money to become an even bigger issue in many of our lives. A lot of these situations can even become serious problems that go well beyond the general feeling of financial anxiety that many of us experience. With that in mind, here are just some of the most common reasons why you might end up in financial trouble and how you can go about dealing with them.

Unemployment

When it comes to throwing your finances into disarray, one of the scariest and most common is suddenly finding yourself unemployed. After all, unemployment not only has the potential to throw your current financial situation into chaos but it also has the potential to impact your ability to earn any money in the future. One of the most important ways to deal with this is also one of the most common solutions for any financial difficulty: give yourself a safety net. If you’re suddenly without an income, having some money put away in a savings account puts you in a position where you’re no longer going to have to panic about not having enough money to pay any urgent bills. The other thing you need to do is to avoid letting unemployment knock you back too hard. It’s incredibly important that you start looking for something new as soon as you can. Moping isn’t going to do you any good. Having an up to date resume means that you can start applying for new jobs a whole lot faster than if you were starting from scratch.

Injury

Suffering any kind of accident or injury can be one of the most traumatic experiences in anyone’s life. Not only is it an incredibly scary event in and of itself but it can also have a pretty long-lasting impact on your life. After all, if you’re injured then you may not be able to work, not to mention the potential for things like medical bills to pile up. Once again, having some money put away in savings is a great way to ensure that you can get the back on your feet, financially speaking, right away. It’s also a good idea to look into whether or not you’re entitled to any kind of compensation if your injury resulted from something that wasn’t your fault.

Having a balance on your credit card

Credit is something that’s just a natural part of everyday life for most of us. The modern financial system basically relies on credit and a lot of the time it’s necessary for things like getting a mortgage or being able to finance a car. However, having a constant balance on your credit card not only means that you’ve got some debt hanging over your head but it can severely damage your credit score. The best way to deal with this is not to panic. Look at ways that you can increase the amount that you’re paying off from your credit card on a monthly basis and avoid using it at all until it’s paid off. Sure, it’s likely to be a source of stress for a time, but once it’s dealt with, that’s a serious weight off your mind and your wallet.

Irresponsible spending

Far too often, people find themselves in financial danger for the simplest possible reason: they’re spending too much. Now, this doesn’t necessarily come from a lack of responsibility on their part. Often it’s something that happens accidentally. The best way to avoid it is to ensure that you don’t let those little purchases build up over time. That might sound simple but it’s something that can happen to even the most financially responsible people if they’re not careful.

Legal issues

Whatever the reason behind it, having to deal with any legal issues can be both incredibly stressful and seriously expensive. The best way to make sure that it doesn’t totally drain your bank account is to connect with the right professionals, whether that’s a defense attorney or a company like Bad Boys Bail Bonds. By having the right legal support you’re not only more likely to avoid serious consequences, but you can keep your finances in a much more stable position too.

One of the most common issues for a lot of people is that they feel as though they’re stuck in a position where there’s nothing that they can do about any financial difficulty that they find themselves in. However, that’s simply not the case. Remember that you’re never totally powerless. There are always places you can turn for support. From debt-based charities to the people in your life, being willing to ask for help when you’re in financial trouble, whatever the cause, is one of the most important things that you need to be able to do in the modern world. The other common issue that a lot of people run into is that they try to hide their heads in the sand and ignore any potential financial problems that they might be facing. It’s pretty obvious that this is a mistake but it’s surprisingly common due to the sheer level of anxiety that money problems can cause. Because of that, the most important thing that you can do is to make sure that you always face any financial issues head on. As scary as it can be, hiding from them is only ever going to make them worse.

Brain Wave, Careers, Freelancing and Self-Employment

Hiring For The First Time? Let Us Help!

February 20, 2020 No Comments

As a small business, it can be surreal to get to the point that you’re at, at the minute. For you to be considering hiring means that you’ve got your business to a point where it’s making enough profit to be sustainable, pay your own wages as well as whoever you might be partnered with, as well as the wage of someone you need to hire. So for a small business that has battled through everything to even make a small amount of profit, the concept of making enough to hire someone is crazy. But it’s harder than you think. There are so many steps you need to take to make sure that you’re hiring the right person, and make sure that you’re doing everything you need to do legally and ethically. So, we’re here to help you with this. This might be your greatest challenge to date, hiring the wrong person can cause much hassle for your business. So, if you keep on reading, we’ll show you how you can hire the right person, the first time around, and do it all successfully.

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What Type Of Person Do You Want

So this is the first thing that you need to be asking yourself because the right person can do wonders for your business, and the wrong person can set you back months. So you first need to think about the age and the attitude of the person. Generally, you’re either going to want to hire someone who is young, fun, and ready to learn. Or you’ll want to hire someone who is older, mature, and ready to settle down in a career. The vibe of your business and the way you wish to run it should influence your business. If you want it to be ultra-modern and fun, you’re going to have to hire people accordingly. No matter what, the work attitude they have should be absolutely on point. They should be willing to go above and beyond for your business, if not it’s time for them to go!

The Right Steps To Take Beforehand

There are some big steps that you need to take beforehand, and one of them is the interview process. It’s nerve wracking as it is, so if you want to see the candidate for who they really are, make sure it’s as relaxed as it can possibly be. The more they relax, the more they reveal their true selves. Then you need to do a background check to make sure there are no hidden cobwebs that they didn’t tell you about. Even so, it might be that you’re able to look past them for the right candidate, but you should always do a background check to make sure that the person you’re hiring is safe for your company.

Integrating Them Into Your Business

Now you need to integrate them into your business so that they become a functioning member of your team. We think this is best done by making sure that you give them full training, as well as ongoing training to support them. A lack of ongoing support is one of the many reasons why an employee decides to jump ship from a company.

Blogging in general, Brain Wave, Careers, Freelancing and Self-Employment, Money matters

How to Make Money from Blogging

February 20, 2020 No Comments

For many people, working from home and being their own boss is the dream. But many people also think of this as an impossible idea that could never become reality. But more and more people are learning about “passive income”, which seems too good to be true and only accessible to a few very lucky people.

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Making money through blogging takes a lot of hard work, but it can be done! Anyone can do it as long as they are determined. And if you can gain a decent sized readership on your blog, it is entirely possible to start monetizing it and start gaining surprisingly high amounts of passive income.

This straightforward guide will give you practical advice on how to make money from blogging so you too can work from home, be your own boss, and spend more time doing what you love. After reading this informative guide, you will see that all it takes to become a passive income pro is hard work, determination, and a little bit of creativity.

How to Get Started in Blogging

Here are a few ways you could start blogging and growing your network:

Make Your Site
The first step to getting into the blogging game is to create your own website. There are plenty of platforms to use, such as WordPress, Blogger, Wix, Squarespace, and more. It all comes down to your personal goals and which platform can best help you reach them. WordPress has high customization abilities and makes monetization easy so this would be one of the best choices for bloggers seeking possible income.

Pick a Niche
If you want to make a blog that brings in enough traffic for monetization, that blog will need to be specific enough to draw an audience without being so specific as to alienate large groups of people. You will not gain readers, especially loyal readers, if your blog is about anything and everything.

Brain Wave, Shopping and Merchandise

Choosing that Signature Piece to Define Your ‘Look’

February 19, 2020 No Comments

What’s your style? Feminine and flirty? Sporty and athletic? Dramatic and a little goth?

No we’re not describing Spice Girls personas, though if that’s your thing, cool! Everybody has that unique style and “look”; clothing and accessories that show the world their personality, conveys their interests, their aesthetic, and their unique charm at a glance. So what’s yours?

Photo Credit: Juan Mendez

Of course nobody these days has tons of cash to spend on clothes and accent pieces, do we? And yet, we all want to look fresh, unique and fun. That can be hard to do on a budget…but it can be done. We’ll tell you how to choose one or two signature pieces to define your look and show the world that creative, lovable spirit.

How best to go about choosing a signature piece? It’s easy!

Go Handmade

Got a friend who knits beanies? Does your little sister sell hand-made bracelets on Etsy? Are you really good at tie-dye? One creative (and affordable) way to find a unique piece that you know nobody else has is to custom-order something from a crafty person. Sites like Etsy can show you thousands upon thousands of cool hand-made pieces or you can go local and go to craft fairs, or just hit up someone you know! Better still, make it yourself! There’s nothing like a hand-sewn, knitted or designed piece that is one-of-a-kind, made just for you.

Glasses

If the eyes are the windows to the soul, then glasses are the shutters. Everybody needs at least one cool pair of sunglasses; if you’re like us, then you need three or four – one for every season and every mood. For others, who wear glasses full time, you might want to revamp your look. No matter your style – if you like cat-eye glasses with huge rims, sporty Oakley glasses, vintage coke-bottles or something in between, there are great styles available that will provide you with great eye protection while looking chic and trendy. Glasses are one of those things that complete every outfit, that you can’t be caught without. Invest in a great pair and you won’t have to replace them for years!

A Favorite Sweater

Everybody has a favorite sweater. Don’t have one? Well, you should remedy that immediately. A favorite sweater is just like that fave pair of jeans: you can wear it with anything, it’s incredibly soft and comfy, just putting it to your face makes you feel better about your day. Spend a little extra and it will pay for itself over time. Whether you like handknits, cashmere or something else entirely, a beautiful and comfy sweater will quickly become part of your everyday winter style.

Nice Kicks

Anyone looking to boost their fashion capital should invest in a great pair of shoes. If you’re sporty and casual, a pair of cool Vans or Converse are a great choice. If you’re more of a minimalist with a hint of an edge, maybe a pair of combat boots. For the practical and chic, a pair of loafers. If you’re all girl, or need to be polished and classy for your job, a pair of stylish, well-fitting heels can do the trick. You get the drift. It’s cool to bum around in cheap shoes most of the time, but always have at least one pair of shoes that make you feel amazing, that take your outfit into the stratosphere. Wear those shoes whenever you need a little boost!

With these simple style tips, you can make your wardrobe stylish and charming with just a signature piece or two. Best of all, you can do it without breaking the bank.

Brain Wave, Entrepreneurship & Business Talks

How To Diversify Your Entrepreneurial Skillset

February 18, 2020 No Comments

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Every new business feels like a new start. When you are on an entrepreneurial kick you can feel that tangible excitement of starting up a company and watching it grow. But there comes a time when the skills you have won’t be enough. This is when you’ve got to start diversifying your efforts as an entrepreneur you may feel that there are plenty of skills that you specialize in, but there could also be some areas that can do with some improvement. What are the best ways for you to diversify your entrepreneurial skillset?

Go Back To School

You might not feel you’ve got the time but one of the most obvious and substantial ways of diversifying your skillset is to go back to school. One of the most fantastic things about your own self-education these days is that you don’t have to set foot into a class! You can go online to acquire a Master of Science in Predictive Analytics or another niche business-related topic. As an entrepreneur, there are so many different areas that we can access that we could self educate ourselves forever. Going back to school is not for everybody but if you feel that there are areas that could do with improvement, you would be hard pushed to find something better.

Get A Mentor

A mentor can provide a very unique education. When you find someone on your wavelength and can give you the time you need, you have to bleed them dry! Getting a mentor isn’t just about little tidbits on how to run the business but it’s about getting real information from someone who has been there way before you! It’s not just about the professional dealings but it’s also about learning how to cope with the emotional repercussions as well. A mentor can provide such an insight into each process that you will come away feeling ready to tackle everything!

Reach Out

Getting a mentor is one way to reach out for help but don’t forget that you’ve got plenty of resources on your front door! The Small Business Administration (SBA) provides so many resources, from business plan templates to personal support, that they can see you through any difficult patches. When you feel that there are so many different skills you could improve on, if you get in contact with the local SBA they can point you towards various government programs and non-profit organizations.

Don’t Just Look At It In Terms Of Business

If you want to learn something new you don’t just have to acquire skills in business administration or predictive analytics. There’s a lot more that we can take advantage of that will fuel our enthusiasm. Look at it from the perspective of a child and try and find a different angle. We can get boxed in and this means that we become so regimented with our way of thinking that we struggle to break out of it. But if you change your mindset, either by diversifying your skillset just by implementing a new way of thinking, you will benefit the company and yourself.

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