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Lilium Lee, Historic Downtown Murrieta

Lilium Lee, Historic Downtown Murrieta

Welcome to Lilium Lee! Located in Historic Downtown Murrieta, just a hop, skip and a jump away from Old Town Temecula & Temecula Wine Country. Our quaint little Downtown is surrounded by some of the Valley's most popular restaurants such as Downtown PUBlic, Anthony's, Wine Ranch, and The Mill. Alongside us we have been joined by fabulous women opening Gypsy Sunset Boutique, Studio No. 3, The Press Espresso and Astutia Hair Salon, creating not only a strong community but making it a destination for locals & visitors alike!  Here at Lilium Lee we provide our community access to luxury home decor accessories, permanent botanicals (faux florals & succulents), and unique gifts! With a variety of collections, and our grandeur arrangement designs we always have new and exciting things bringing customers back regularly. Our team is always searching for new, up and coming, one-of-a-kind finds as they shop from home markets, local artisans, & flea markets. We believe shopping should be an experience, and our team creates just that! We invite you to come visit us in the shoppe and become Lilium Family. CREATING SPACES OF BEAUTY We believe your home should be your sanctuary to enjoy with your family and friends. You should feel confident whether you are entertaining, relaxing with family, or enjoying a little bit of you time. We specialize in creating spaces that you love and enjoy with our luxury permanent botanicals and unique finishing touch designs. Let us help you create spaces of beauty in your life!

CUSTOM DESIGNED • HAND CRAFTED • PERMANENT BOTANICAL ARRANGEMENTS AT LILIUM LEE

for home interiors, retail/office spaces, weddings and events. Create spaces of beauty and luxury to your life with our one-of-a-kind arrangements. Freshen up any space with flowers that last!

HOME DECOR ACCESSORIES

We believe every space needs its finishing touch. Shop our Home Decor Accessories to create your own unique look & style. "Decoration is really about creating a quality of life, and a beauty in that life that nourishes the soul, that makes life beautiful. That's what all this is about, not just what's in and what's out." - Albert Hadley

UNIQUE GIFTS

Shop local for your gifts and feel confident that you get one-of-a-kind specialties for all occasions. With our ever changing gift lines we hand select only the best for your friends and family. CHECK US OUT ON INSTAGRAM We feature all of our designs and "behind the scene" moments at the shoppe to help inspire you! Share with us your Lilium Lee flair #liliumleeandme and be featured on our Instagram feed!

----------------- Altek, Media, Group, Altek Media Group, Business Insights, Riverside, County, Video, production, services, Video production services, Contact / 951-218-6081 Altek, Media, Group, Altek Media Group, Business Insights, Riverside, County, Video, production, services, Video production services Read the full article

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Gryphon Fencing & Fitness Studio

Gryphon Fencing & Fitness Studio

The mission of GRYPHON Fencing & Fitness Studio is to help people find excitement, challenge and personal fulfillment through the experience of archery and fencing. We strive to create a community of athletes who are encouraging, practice good sportsmanship and seek excellence. Why a Gryphon (griffin)? For thousands of years, the mythical gryphon has symbolized the strength of the lion, the intelligence of the eagle, and the courage and nobility of both. As such, it is the ideal mascot for our fencing club. Gryphon Fencing is a member club of the United States Fencing Association, the nonprofit organization that oversees amateur fencing in the USA including our Olympic fencing team. Gryphon Fencing serves and supports amateur youth and adult fencers in the north Orange County area.

STRENGTH

Fencing promotes coordination, flexibility, muscle tone, and stamina. A dynamic and enjoyable physical exercise, it provides an excellent cardiovascular work-out. INTELLIGENCE

Fencing requires both observation and analysis of your opponent and the referee, so instruction emphasizes strategy, tactics, and the ability to think on your feet. INTEGRITY

Fencing fosters personal discipline and good sportsmanship. Courtesy and adherence to the rules are important in making fencing a safe and fun activity for all participants.

“I’ve met some of my best friends through fencing, pushed myself harder and further than I would have thought possible, and grown a lot as a person.”  Amelia

“The most unique aspect of Gryphon is its extremely friendly and talented coaches who constantly seek out new ways to teach, recruit fencers, and expand people’s worlds – of all ages. If I had a place to call home in the fencing world, it would have to be Gryphon Fencing.”   Algird     Altek, Media, Group, Altek Media Group, Business Insights, Riverside, County, Video, production, services, Video production services Altek, Media, Group, Altek Media Group, Business Insights, Riverside, County, Video, production, services, Video production services Read the full article

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LifeStream Blood Bank of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties

LifeStream Blood Bank of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties

WHO WE ARE

LifeStream is a non-profit 501(c)(3) blood center founded in 1951 as the Blood Bank of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. In 2008, the organization’s name was changed to better reflect the breadth of services offered and its expanding geographical service area. Today, LifeStream provides blood products and services to more than 80 Southern California hospitals and medical facilities in six counties. To fulfill patient need, LifeStream must collect 600 blood donations daily. LifeStream is an affiliate member of Vitalant, a national blood services provider in 40 states. For info about LifeStream’s 501 (c)(3) status, click here.  OUR MISSION Our mission is to help save lives by connecting donors and patients through the gift of blood. To make this mission a reality, LifeStream has fixed-site donor centers in San Bernardino, Riverside, Ontario, Victorville, La Quinta, Murrieta and Rancho Mirage where generous, volunteer blood donors can give the gift of life. To further ensure the convenience and comfort of donors, LifeStream conducts about 1,700 mobile blood drives annually throughout our service area at schools, churches, businesses, government offices, hospitals and service clubs.

COMMUNITY AND WELLNESS PARTNER LifeStream cares about the health and wellness of our community. Each blood donor receives a mini-physical prior to donation, information on maintaining a healthy diet, which is essential for a successful blood donation, and can also participate in LifeCare, LifeStream’s medical reimbursement program. Our involvement doesn’t stop there. Voluntarily donated blood needs to be on hospital shelves 365 days a year in preparation of everyday and emergency needs. To increase education and awareness of this vital health care issue and help ensure patient needs are met, LifeStream partners with donor clubs, community leaders, and local media and businesses. Altek, Media, Group, Altek Media Group, Business Insights, Riverside, County, Video, production, services, Video production services Altek, Media, Group, Altek Media Group, Business Insights, Riverside, County, Video, production, services, Video production services   Read the full article

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LifeStream Blood Bank of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties

LifeStream Blood Bank of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties

WHO WE ARE

LifeStream is a non-profit 501(c)(3) blood center founded in 1951 as the Blood Bank of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. In 2008, the organization’s name was changed to better reflect the breadth of services offered and its expanding geographical service area. Today, LifeStream provides blood products and services to more than 80 Southern California hospitals and medical facilities in six counties. To fulfill patient need, LifeStream must collect 600 blood donations daily. LifeStream is an affiliate member of Vitalant, a national blood services provider in 40 states. For info about LifeStream’s 501 (c)(3) status, click here.  OUR MISSION Our mission is to help save lives by connecting donors and patients through the gift of blood. To make this mission a reality, LifeStream has fixed-site donor centers in San Bernardino, Riverside, Ontario, Victorville, La Quinta, Murrieta and Rancho Mirage where generous, volunteer blood donors can give the gift of life. To further ensure the convenience and comfort of donors, LifeStream conducts about 1,700 mobile blood drives annually throughout our service area at schools, churches, businesses, government offices, hospitals and service clubs.

COMMUNITY AND WELLNESS PARTNER LifeStream cares about the health and wellness of our community. Each blood donor receives a mini-physical prior to donation, information on maintaining a healthy diet, which is essential for a successful blood donation, and can also participate in LifeCare, LifeStream’s medical reimbursement program. Our involvement doesn’t stop there. Voluntarily donated blood needs to be on hospital shelves 365 days a year in preparation of everyday and emergency needs. To increase education and awareness of this vital health care issue and help ensure patient needs are met, LifeStream partners with donor clubs, community leaders, and local media and businesses. Altek, Media, Group, Altek Media Group, Business Insights, Riverside, County, Video, production, services, Video production services Altek, Media, Group, Altek Media Group, Business Insights, Riverside, County, Video, production, services, Video production services   Read the full article

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Proven Ways To Earn Income From Your Blog

11 proven ways to earn lifestyle income from your blog

Over the past several years the blogging has emerged as a strong career option. It may sound almost impossible to earn 8-figure monthly income from your blog (like the top bloggers) but even considering the ground realities, you can expect a decent and regular income stream out of your blog. What you need is just the right strategy, incessant efforts, and determination. There are several ways to earn a good income through your blog. In this article, we are going o discuss some of the best ways to earn a lifestyle income from your blog.

Be committed and practical to the core-think like a businessperson

Every sweet success has a history of incessant efforts and failures. It is good to be impressed by the top bloggers earning 6-figure income but at the same time you should be prepared to put into that much of efforts, day in and day out- without being affected by the outcome. Be practical to the core and attach a quantity to everything- right from the number of daily posts to the weekly social media metrics (shares, likes, tweets & retweets, Linkedin engagement, etc.) It will offer you a definite way to monitor your progress and precisely optimize the efforts for better output.

Create high-quality content and build traffic

Keep on investing and reasonably multiplying your efforts until you have published as many as 40 posts on your blog, across different categories. The easiest way to earn readers’ trust is to post a continuous stream of high-quality content that delivers them the real value. It helps you to create and increase the dedicated traffic which is the key criterion for assuring and determining the regular blog income with reasonable efforts. Adopt definite strategies to build a dependable stream of visitors on your blog (Start with a minimum number). Make sure that your blog is indexed by the major search engines, especially Google. It makes your blog technically eligible to show up in the relevant search queries (though it doesn’t guarantee inclusion or assurance)

Gain social media traction

Social traction is a must. Building a dedicated social community not only helps in increasing blog audiences but can also be instrumental in turning your blog posts into viral success. Of course, there are many other benefits like more shares and engagement, increased trust level and better income opportunities. The social media community and traction is a vital criterion in determining your commercials while negotiating for sponsored articles and guest posts. Once you have got good traffic and traction, you can then start exploring the different income options. Here are a few of the genuine and popular ways of earning blogging income:

Google Adsense

It is undoubtedly the best income option for beginners. You can expect a regular income without having to invest too many efforts. In short you earn a commission depending upon the unique clicks on the Google ads displayed in your blog post.

Salient features

Joining Google Adsense Program is free There aren’t any hidden agendas, costs or obligatory terms (like purchasing their products or services) Only contextual ads are inserted into your blog posts which increases the chances of unique clicks The ads are attractively designed and retina friendly and they do not interfere with the reading experience The ads can be customized to match the theme of your blog in terms of design, colors, and fonts There are multiple ad types available - text ads, video ads, and graphic ads You don’t need complicated technical knowledge or a tedious process to start showing the ads. Just copy the code and paste it on your blog and you are good to go.

Sell services or products

With Google Adsense program you can earn a decent income with zero investment. However, you would only earn a commission- a fraction of the original cost. If you want to play an entrepreneur and enjoy complete control over your earning potential and revenue opportunities then you can start selling products or services through your blog.

Pro tips for beginners

Be reliable, transparent and authoritative to win the trust of your audiences. Build strong one on one relationship with them by active interactions, inviting their thought and promptly replying to their emails or comments. It builds credibility and helps you to convince them to invest in your products. Audiences and potential customers are much smarter than you think. So, avoid fooling them by selling flimsy sounding products like becoming a millionaire in 1 week or similarly named eBooks/presentations) Invest some time in researching the unique pain point or requirements of your target audience and offer the product that provides a precise and practical solution to them Marketing plays a vital role in selling your product. Before launching your products create the buzz. Attract people’s attention by posting about the upcoming products on social media and publishing detailed, engaging posts around your product Have a well-designed strategy to get maximum reviews for your new products/services not only on your blog and social media properties but also across other relevant channels. You can also consider other promotional activities like guest posting about your products on relevant industry blogs and offering exclusive discounts to your blog audiences An easier way to sell your product is via specific marketing mediums like Clickbank. It has a dedicated team and proven strategies to digitally sell your products in different ways and you just need to pay a modest percentage on each successful sale.

Become an affiliate

If you don’t have good entrepreneurial skills or are not ready to take the risks then you can seriously consider joining affiliate programs. The best thing about affiliate programs is that you won’t need to invest any capital. All you have to do is to spread the word about various products and services through your blog and on each successful sale you will earn a specific commission.

Benefits of affiliate programs

You don’t have to incur efforts in creating a product or services There are several exciting affiliate programs available but it is highly recommendable to focus on relevance rather than the commission. For instance, it is impractical to sell fashion accessories on your technology-related blog just because you are getting a high commission. On the other hand, you can expect a good income by selling a relevant technology gadget (even with lower commission) on the same blog due to the higher possibility of sales. No capital investment is required It saves you from adding digital architecture like an order form, checkout, etc. There are no strict corporate formalities or legalities No after-sales worry is involved as you won’t be involved in resolving the customer issue or offering customer services By utilizing your writing and marketing skills you can make a decent income regularly During peak season like Black Friday, Christmas and New Year you can multiply the sales volume earning potential by investing little extra efforts

Join Amazon Associates

If you blog around a specific industry or a product like technology, mobiles, video games or healthcare then you can seriously consider joining Amazon Associates Program. Unlike general affiliates, Amazon Associates promote only relevant products rather than the brand. It helps in connecting better with the audiences’ intent and their precise requirements. Promoting specific products instead of a brand as a whole also allows you to help your audiences in making a well-informed buying decision.

Ad space selling

You may also choose to sell the ad space to private clients but it needs good marketing skills and certain knowledge about the digital ads industry. In short, you sell specific ad spots on your blog to the private parties based on the specific term- say for 6 months or 1 year. For that term, the rented space would be used for displaying their ads. Depending upon the age and traffic of your site, you can either earn just a sufficient amount to cover your running costs or may also expect a substantial revenue source for your blog.

Things to remember

You need to incur your efforts, identify and reach the potential parties and explain to them why they should place their ads on your blog and what are the benefits they can expect out of the same To be frank it is very difficult to convince the potential clients and you would need excellent marketing and communication skills It would most likely involve multiple follow-ups, different communication methods, and even some legwork Unlike AdSense or similar programs, you are solely responsible for taking care of legal/professional aspects in terms of deliverables and payments So, be very careful while creating terms and conditions as the instances of cheating and spamming are not uncommon

Advice to the readers

In short, if you are just a beginner and aren’t good at marketing or corporate legalities then it is best not to consider this option as yet. However, if you are a peoples’ people, have good convincing skills, and are too smart to be fooled by the clients then you can expect a really good income out of this method. Having said, that we would just like to repeat that you would need strong credentials and high traffic to earn a substantial income out of this method.

Other blogging income options involve

Chitika: Chitika places ads on your blog posts but unlike AdSense, these ads aren’t necessarily relevant to your blog post. The positive thing is that it is easier to get your blog approved by Chitika (as compared to getting approved by Google Adsense) Feedburner: You can also include ads on your Feedburner stream and earn through them Exclusive content: If you have unique research and writing skills then you can also offer in-depth, well-researched article available only for the paid subscribers Training Sessions: Offer relevant training to the people through video, chat or personal classes. For instance, if you are a financial blogger then offer finance management training to start-ups or teach people with financial limitations/issues on how to take care of their financial health Syndicated Content: It refers to selling your content to the third party. After creating a good volume of high-quality content on your blog, you can start selling your licensed content at a good price tag

Conclusion

To earn a good income out of the blog you need to invest incessant efforts and time. It is equally important to remain focused and dedicated. After gaining good traction and traffic you need t carefully choose the ideal income option based on your blog traffic, topic, income targets, and your personality traits. In this blog, we presented multiple blogging income options but the readers are advised to use their discretion while choosing the option that best suits their targets, skills and blog traffic.

Articles By Jitendra Bhojwani worldofwords1970@gmail.com Expertise: Jitendra Bhojwani (Jatin) is a versatile creative/tech writer and regular blogger and he loves sharing the latest news and information on WordPress and Blogging. He is a keen advocate of Open Source Technology and considers and respects writing as a meditative technique to get rid of negative thoughts and stress. His favorite niches include history, travel, lifestyle and technology. For certain types of start-ups, NGOs, social businesses he offers free writing services.  

Pulkit Expertise: As the CEO of Softaculous, Pulkit is passionate about different types of software and how to utilize them for the betterment of business and society. He possesses a special interest and knowledge on WordPress and Blogging which he freely shares with beginner and seasoned bloggers alike. More recently he has also started wp Central, a WP plugin to manage multiple sites with ease.       Read the full article

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ENCOURAGING MONTH FOR CALIFORNIA EXPORTERS

ODDLY ENCOURAGING MONTH FOR CALIFORNIA EXPORTERS

While October 2019 exports of California-made products were up handily over last year, but a sharp drop in re-exported merchandise meant that the state’s overall export trade was lower than in October 2018, according to Beacon Economics analysis of the latest U.S. trade statistics released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. California businesses shipped a total of $15.48 billion in merchandise abroad in the latest numbers, a nominal 3.0% decline from the $15.96 billion exported in October 2018. However, shipments of manufactured goods rose 3.3% to $9.77 billion from the $9.46 billion, while exports of non-manufactured goods (chiefly the state’s agricultural products and raw materials) increased 5.0% to $2.31 billion up from $2.20 billion. Dragging down the state’s overall export trade number was a 20.7% collapse in re-exports, which fell to $3.41 billion from $4.30 billion. The declining numbers were mirrored by a 3.5% drop in the number of loaded export containers from the Ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Oakland. Export airfreight tonnage at Los Angeles International airport was down 9.6% from last October. “The real take-away here is the remarkable growth in the value of exported goods that are produced by California manufacturers and farmers. Yes, there was a sizable drop in re-exported merchandise, but October’s numbers for ‘domestic exports’, which are actually produced by California businesses, were up 3.6% over last October’s figures,” said Jock O’Connell, Beacon Economics’ International Trade Advisor. “By contrast, U.S. exports of such domestically-produced merchandise slipped by 2.4%.” The nation’s re-export trade has been ebbing substantially in the past several months, principally because higher U.S. import tariffs have made American trading companies less attractive intermediaries in distributing products internationally.   California accounted for 10.9% of the nation’s overall merchandise export trade in October, the same as one year ago. Through the first nine months of the year, the state’s $144.54 billion in merchandise export trade was lagging last year’s $149.43 billion total by 3.3%. Note: The U.S. Commerce Department has been publishing state-of-destination import statistics since 2008. Beacon Economics has long felt that state import data provide a highly misleading indication of the state in which imported goods were ultimately consumed. As a major gateway for the nation’s foreign trade, California has consistently been credited with an out-sized share of U.S. merchandise imports. However, we now believe that the process by which state-of-destination import statistics are compiled has become stable enough to be used to measure relative increases or decreases in the value of imported goods consumed or otherwise used by residents or businesses located in California. We strongly emphasize that we are solely interested in identifying trends. We continue to believe it is not useful to use state export and import statistics to calculate a state trade balance.

Christopher Thornberg, PhD Founding Partner Beacon Economics LLC Office: 310.571.3399 Chris@BeaconEcon.com BeaconEcon.com Learn More … Read the full article

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Business Planning - What's Your Strategy?

Business Planning - What's Your Strategy?

Business Planning Meets Building Design We now WORK in a changing world!

“The Rates in Spain Fall Barely Below Subzero Plain”. They spoke of Spanish bank customers who “PAY the government for the privilege to lend it money”! On April 7, 2015, Nita Pichedvanichok, CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Member for commercial realtors) told RIAOC (Realty Investors Association of California) that some Asian banks charge customers to keep the customer deposit, in lieu of paying the customer interest! For Southern California, as global funding resources look for ROI, business expansion may make sense. Given world-class businesses offering ROI, how do we use new funding with clear thinking? Today, business leaders address strategic planning to gain mastery and steer the business ahead. With thoughtful global strategy, we may use tools that may be a little fuzzy in our memories given our recent major economic bust. Many of these tools are actually tried and true. Many elements of comprehensive organizational planning have been proven over the centuries. Independent of history, capital investments, in either new buildings or major remodelings, provide new and long-lasting benefits. Generally, these benefits address issues of strategic leadership – productivity, economy, technology, and organizational benefit. The client organization's combined real estate, plant, and equipment is typically it’s a second most valued asset. Combining thoughtful business planning WITH building planning is necessary for proactive strategic leadership. Rarely, do we discuss the in-depth combination of these two concepts to support business strategy? Unless we work in a large company, we do not really have in-depth processes to provide qualitative and quantitative benefits for our capital investments. This starts with a complete analysis of strategy and tactics and continues to develop with an operational audit to examine how to meet business forecasts. These leadership issues directly impact today’s on-going, operational cost, and sales tactics. Many organizations may not have the internal skill to undertake the operational audit to then explore new strategies. An operational audit can address, but not necessarily be limited to issues such as: 1. Efficient personnel locations & configuration 2. Fundamental work process and floor plan changes with new automation 3. How just–in-time delivery changes floor space requirements 4. Provide greater market penetration and better work delivery with new locations 5. How new or leased sites may support specific expansion Insightful business planning combines business goals, facility use, and new technology with real estate. Using a comprehensive site and floor plan to illustrate all-access, location, process, furniture, equipment, storage, and personnel issues is illuminating. This leadership tool graphically and quantitatively describes new benefits. The idea of examining operational effectiveness using a floor plan may be new to some folks. One picture is worth a thousand words. The effective floor plan can illustrate how to save many dollars. After the floor plan is analyzed, then project plans and specifications outline leadership tools such as: A) New features to create market differentiation B) Requirements for building & equipment C) Resource schedule and construction sequencing D) Coordinating operations, revenue & cost reduction The company's new workspace with appropriate finishes, lighting, furniture & support systems is a personnel recruiting asset. Properly configured workspace to limit equipment noise improves the work setting to reduce personnel turnover and enhance performance. Effectively designed workspaces reduce environmental stress, possibilities of injury, and contribute to reduced operations costs. A good deal is obtained when the total benefits of new construction exceeds the cost. Each project is unique, and each local market has preferences. By intelligently matching local needs with professional standards, the capital investment is custom-fitted for optimal performance. … I hope this helps. Carl Sherrill: 951-286-1503 Business Planning / Construction Management / Architecture 43980 Mahlon Vail #1104 Temecula, CA … 92592 Carl Sherrill (carl@sherrillco.com) as the owner's representative and construction manager, has delivered many capital investments in large corporate and Federal settings - nationwide. This includes, but is not limited to, restaurants, jewelry/toy stores / sporting goods, banking / financial facilities, nursing homes, a Federal lab / courthouses / offices, miscellaneous military, security, and production facilities, and shopping centers. 951-286-1503 Business Planning / Construction Management / Architecture 43980 Mahlon Vail #1104 Temecula, CA … 92592 Read the full article

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Marketing for Manufacturing

Marketing for Manufacturing: The Three Things You Need To Ask Yourself

Marketing for Manufacturing / You’re a manufacturer - you make things.  Good things.  While that should be enough to bring new customers to your door, unfortunately, it is not.  You see, all of your competitors are claiming they make a product that is just as good as yours.  Perhaps they boast different features, higher outputs, or a lower price that makes their product more appealing - the possibilities are endless.  The point is this; whether you operate in a Business-to-Consumer (B2C) or Business-to-Business (B2B) environment, your competitors are shouting just as loudly as you, if not louder, to get the attention of your target audience. If you think just being a good manufacturer is enough, you need to think again. Three Things You Need To Ask Yourself:

Am I an Engineering/Manufacturing or Sales/Marketing Driven Company?

If the answer is engineering/manufacturing then you need to think about making some changes (and this list is that much more important).  Engineering/manufacturing excellence are critical in the creation of high-quality products that customers will rave about and keep coming back for more, but without a sales/marketing focus your business is running blind and betting on whether your perfectly engineered product is a good fit for the market you are going after.

Do I have the Right People? 

Marketing is not Sales and Sales it not Marketing.  You need strong, talented people in both roles.  Sales is responsible for immediate, short-term revenue and helping provide feet-on-the street information on your customers.   Marketing is responsible for developing medium and long term strategies to get your product in front of the right people and making sure your messaging represents your company properly and gives you a competitive advantage. A good marketing team should work in cooperation with Sales and have enough time in the field to understand the customer and market needs and incorporate that street information into their strategy development. I have never been a fan of “Ivory Tower” marketing and you shouldn’t either.  Marketing people need field time and first-hand customer interaction to be effective.  Think that kind of insight doesn’t matter in manufacturing? A Quick Story: Earlier in my career, I was working for a manufacturing company that had run out of a specific product.  Suddenly, we couldn’t keep that product on the shelves.  The factory immediately made plans to source more materials, add a third-shift, and ramp up manufacturing to make sure we were swimming in that product in the next 60-90 days.  I asked for a few days to look into the matter before we committed to essentially doubling our forecasted inventory for that product.  A few discreet calls yielded that a key competitor had run out of a component to manufacture their product that competed with ours.  We were getting their orders because they couldn’t fill them. They were making moves to correct the problem and were planning to be back on their production schedule in 60 days.  Clearly, we had a short-term opportunity to realize sales and potentially to move some customers over to our product, but it was not the long term win that the plant thought we had.  We adjusted the orders properly to make sure we could cover the short-term need without leaving us too deep in inventory and focused our sales efforts on getting to know more about some of these new customers and how we could win them over long-term. Marketing insight and Sales contacts were able to stop the factory from over-producing and leaving us in an undesirable inventory position.

Are you Budgeting Properly for Marketing?

I am sometimes amazed at how many companies do not have a set budget for their marketing department.  No budget demonstrates a lack of forethought and planning on what marketing activities are crucial for the coming year.  No plan is perfect and no budget is perfect, but it is a place to start.   If you are not sure what your crucial activities are, start with a task list.  What do you want to accomplish by the end of the year?  What activities will help yield that result?  Again, this is a job for a seasoned marketing professional who understands how to look at short and long-term objectives and turn them into tactical deliverables with associated dollar values. If, by year end, you find the budget was greatly under-utilized then go back to your task list and determine if you accomplished everything you set out to do.  If so, job well done and start planning for the next year.  If not, find out what you need to do to tackle those objectives. If you go over budget before the year is out, then go back to that same task list and prioritize it - cut items, if needed.  You also should do a review to find out where you under-estimated costs. As a percentage of sales, marketing budgets are anywhere between 1-20%. That is a lot of variance. 1-3% is your large corporations with revenues significant enough that 1-3% is still a lot of money.  15-20% are small independent companies with no sales force, such as a medical professional or a skilled craftsman where the only sales and customer acquisition-related activities are accomplished via marketing.  Depending on your size, your company is probably somewhere in the 4-14% range.  That is still a lot of variance.  Your head of marketing should be able to make a recommendation on the budget and support it. That is why you hired them.

“If You Build It, They Will Come.”

was a wonderful sentiment from the movie Field of Dreams.  Unfortunately, in manufacturing it is probably closer to “If you Build It, Build It Well, Market it Well, Follow-Up Promptly on Customer Requests, Provide First Rate Customer Service, Excellent Sales Support, and Make Sure You are Properly Differentiated in the Market and In-Front of Your Target Audience, They Will Come.”  Not as romantic, I know.

Seth M. Avergon President, Avergon Marketing Group Tel: 562-243-7822 Seth@AvergonMarketing.com AvergonMarketing.com Learn More ... Read the full article

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5 prime benefits of AI for start-ups and small businesses

AI or Artificial Intelligence combines the dual power of computing capabilities as well as human-like adaptability. It offers AI a distinct position...much better than traditional computing. In many instances, the AI can be as reliable as a human employee. Thus investing in AI can prove to be a great decision for the enterprises, especially for the start-ups and small enterprises with limited resources to spend on hiring human talent. Here are a few ways in which AI can help start-ups and small businesses to manage their business affairs confidently. Here are a few ways in which AI is helping small businesses across the world: Getting more insights out of the available data Data is rightly called the new gold for digital businesses due to the vital role it plays in recognizing the latest trends and planning better business strategies based on key insights. A growing number of progressive small businesses are actively collecting and utilizing data for improving their business potential. The problem, however, is that it is a time consuming and tedious activity and the present technologies only present the half-solution as they still require consistent human intervention for categorizing the data, presenting it incomprehensible format and most importantly analyzing it from different aspects. Expensive costs and management hassles associated with hiring data scientists or outsourcing analytical tasks like Statistical Regression Skills prevents the small businesses from harnessing the actual benefits of their data collection exercises that may defeat the very objective of such tasks. AI can offer the precise solution here due to its evolving model, better automating skills and strong analytical capabilities. By employing the advanced analytical techniques like statistical regression analysis the AI tools can deliver deeper and diverse business insights to the small businesses. It helps them in managing various aspects of their business like retaining the present customers, acquiring new clients, recognizing the actual strengths and weakness of their business model and exploring new avenues with higher possibilities. By identifying and wisely linking the diverse elements of the available data the AI can tell that how the different factors are affecting the business that allows them to take a wise decision and modify the changes for better benefits. Strengthening Human Resources Small companies lack the brand value and high packages and perks required for attracting bright talent. Due to budget and time constraints, they don’t have the privilege to dedicated an expert HR panel and implement elaborate hiring processes for deeper analysis of the candidate’s viability. They end up hiring a mediocre candidate and it results in lukewarm, static work culture. It places them in a disadvantageous position, especially when compared to their bigger counterparts. Instead of humanly wading through a high volume of resumes and selecting the best candidate the companies can delegate this entire exercise to the AI tools. It not only saves them from unnecessary stress and efforts but also promises a more rationalized ad elaborate approach while deciding the most relevant candidate for the job. l With its quick automation and well defined analytical capabilities, the AI can capably find the best candidate irrespective of the volume and diversity of the resumes. Based on its algorithm backed deep learning capabilities the AI can sift through the past hiring techniques and deeply analyzes the outcomes to pick the most fruitful HR practices. Depending upon the same it can suggest the best hiring process for selecting the right candidates that are perfectly fit for the job. It helps the HR department to concentrate efforts in the right direction and base their decision on solid analysis supported by stats and facts instead of following intuition based approach with uncertain results. Going a mile further the AI can also help the HR with other details like best places to find the ideal candidate, align their communication with the candidates’ persona to get desired outcome and accessing insights of their past work history to know about major factors like stability, professional commitment, performance, job-specific skills and overall potential of the candidate in the long term. It helps the HR team to hire the top talent that is the best fit for the job role. Independently managing petty daily tasks The employees of small businesses are generally overburdened with multitasking due to the lack of sufficient manpower strength. Their time and efforts are divided between the front end and backend operations that severely affect their performance and reduce their productivity. With its deep learning capabilities and self-evolving model, the AI can efficiently reduce the workload of the employees by independently managing miscellaneous mundane and tedious backend tasks like scheduling, basic accounting, and other petty daily activities. It allows the staff to concentrate on their key responsibilities that eventually boost their performance. Taking ownership of R&D activities Marketing research plays an essential role for small businesses and helps them to gain better traction the market. Thanks to AI the businesses no longer need to divert their manpower resources to conduct market research. AI can actively help the businesses in entire research exercises right from collecting and filtering the data to conducting deep and wholesome analysis. Conclusion AI has several distinct advantages over traditional technology. It can not only save time and efforts but more importantly, it can actively learn and evolve with the time. While the big businesses across the globe have already started employing AI technologies, it is equally beneficial for the start-ups and the small businesses. By wisely implementing AI technologies the start-ups and small businesses can gain a competitive edge without inflating their overheads. In this article, we have presented some of the major ways in which the AI can help starts and small businesses to enjoy better benefits and increase their profitability.

Articles By Jitendra Bhojwani worldofwords1970@gmail.com Expertise: Jitendra Bhojwani (Jatin) is a versatile writer who considers and respects writing as a meditative technique to get rid of negative thoughts and stress. His favorite niches include history, travel, lifestyle and technology.

And Naveen Sharma Expertise: Naveen Sharma is a visionary entrepreneur with over 2 decades of experience in Information Technology (infrastructure as well as Software & Automation) who extensively writes on latest technologies   Key Words Business Insights, Business, Insights, Altek Media Group, Altek, Media, Video, video production, online, online magazine, digital marketing strategy, digital, marketing,  strategy, Blogging, social media, Marketing Funnel, Brand, Content Management System, logistics, Lean manufacturing, manufacturing, CEO, infograhics, instagram, facebook, linked in, google, Key Performance Indicator, Automation, Optimization, exit planning, Public relations, video, Advanced Manufacturing, Agile, lean, oem, smart, supply chain, Net Neutrality, Big Data, Data Mining, Actionable Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Personalization, Voice Recognition, Chatbots, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Smart Factory, Industry 4.0, Quantum Computing, BlockChain, Technological Unemployment, Digital, benchmarking, flexable, Kaizen, prototyping, robotics, six sigma, Business Insights, Business, Insights, Altek Media Group, Altek, Media, Video, video production, online, online magazine, digital marketing strategy, digital, marketing,  strategy, Blogging, social media, Marketing Funnel, Brand, Content Management System, logistics, Lean manufacturing, manufacturing, CEO, infograhics, instagram, facebook, linked in, google, Key Performance Indicator, Automation, Optimization, exit planning, Public relations, video, Advanced Manufacturing, Agile, lean, oem, smart, supply chain, Net Neutrality, Big Data, Data Mining, Actionable Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Personalization, Voice Recognition, Chatbots, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Smart Factory, Industry 4.0, Quantum Computing, BlockChain, Technological Unemployment, Digital, benchmarking, flexable, Kaizen, prototyping, robotics, six sigma Read the full article

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Jay Goth Co-Founder, Murrieta Genomics

Murrieta Genomics is dedicated to advancing the use of genomic sequencing

  On the episode of Business Insights Dwight Cromie talks with Jay Goth Co-Founder of  Murrieta Genomics which is dedicated to advancing the use of genomic sequencing in precision medicine, agriculture, forensics, veterinary and direct to consumer applications by offering entrepreneurs access to the specialized equipment, know-how and mentors that can transform research into the commercial enterprise. They are a true incubator, offering dedicated bench space to fledgling companies at basically zero cost, helping them to define their business model and validate their science, and then investing in the companies that “graduate” the incubator. Located in the 16,000 square foot Murrieta Innovation Center in Southern California, in close proximity to Los Angeles, San Diego, and Orange County. They welcome inquiries from researchers, entrepreneurs, scientists, investors, and business professionals who share our passion for advancing science and sparking economic development. They have established a number of partnerships with like-minded organizations from around the world. Murrieta Genomics is a member of Genomics England’s Discovery Forum. It is estimated that one in seventeen people are born with or develop a rare disease during their lifetime. At least 80% of rare diseases have an identified genetic component, with 50% of new cases of rare diseases being identified in children. However, it can take considerable time and expense between a patient first presenting at doctors and receiving an accurate diagnosis. The time taken to sequence a whole human genome has been dramatically reduced and will become more affordable for routine use as the price continues to fall. Genomics England is a company set up and owned by the UK Department of Health to run the 100,000 Genomes Project, which aims to sequence 100,000 genomes from NHS patients with a rare disease and their families, and patients with cancer. Genomics is made up of many moving parts − from the understanding and consent of the public, to truly pioneering research, to building an effective NHS infrastructure. The Discovery Forum and the industry partnerships it builds are every bit as important to the success of genomic medicine. Murrieta Genomics is a member of the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health. The Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH) is an international, nonprofit alliance formed in 2013 to accelerate the potential of research and medicine to advance human health. Bringing together 500+ leading organizations working in healthcare, research, patient advocacy, life science, and information technology, the GA4GH community is working together to create frameworks and standards to enable the responsible, voluntary and secure sharing of genomic and health-related data. All of our work builds upon the Framework for Responsible Sharing of Genomic and Health-Related Data. GA4GH Connect is a five-year strategic plan that aims to drive uptake of standards and frameworks for genomic data sharing within the research and healthcare communities in order to enable the responsible sharing of clinical-grade genomic data by 2022. GA4GH Connect links our Work Streams with Driver Projects—real-world genomic data initiatives that help guide our development efforts and pilot our tools. Murrieta Genomics is a member of SoCalBio. Southern California Biomedical Council (SoCalBio) is a nonprofit, member-supported trade association that serves the biotech, med tech, IVD and digital health communities in the six counties that comprise the Greater Los Angeles region (Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Riverside, and San Bernardino). SoCalBio’s programs help local firms gain access to capital, potential partners, and other business services. The Council also promotes technology transfer and workforce training, while informing policymakers and the public at-large about the benefits of the region’s bioscience industry. SoCalBio is open to membership by firms and organizations engaged in all aspects of bioscience research, technology development, and commercialization. All of the incubator companies at Murrieta Genomics receive a complimentary membership to SoCalBio.

Murrieta Genomics has partnered with Hello Tomorrow. Hello, Tomorrow is a non-profit organization bringing together a community of actors aiming to unlock the potential of deep technologies to solve the world’s toughest challenges. We source deep tech projects and startups and facilitate collaboration between entrepreneurs, industries, and investors in order to propel innovation from the lab to the market. Hello, Tomorrow organizes startup competitions, mentorship programs and a series of events around the world, as well as educating and consulting relevant stakeholders on the emergence of deep technologies. Hello, Tomorrow is fast becoming a key reference platform in deeptech innovation and entrepreneurship. Read the full article

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Always Be Convenient

The day you forget you are in business for the customer is the day you start going out of business. Smart companies try to do everything they can to make things simple, easy, and convenient for their customers. One of the companies I have worked with had a motto that set the tone for every interaction they had with their customers. E Z T D B W … which stands for Easy To Do Business With. Today, (a Saturday) I went to make a deposit at my bank. There was a sign on the door that said they are no longer open on Saturdays and they will also be closing earlier during the week. If most people work until 5 p.m. and the bank closes at 4 p.m., that sure does make it hard to do business with this bank. If you put off your banking until Saturday, when most people are off, you can no longer do business with them. BUT, right across the street from my bank is Bank of America and Chase Bank, who are both open on Saturdays and they close at 6 p.m. during the week. It should be noted that both banks were extremely busy. I guess convenience is no longer important to my bank. When I see companies making decisions like this, I start to wonder about their profitability, success and stability. Their competition is offering more convenience while they are cutting back. Amazon basically destroyed Sears by offering convenience. Customers want it faster, better and on their terms. I feel any time a business decision is made, convenience for the customer needs to be paramount in the decision process. Convenience is defined as, “the state of being able to proceed with something with little effort or difficulty.” Synonyms are benefit, comfort, ease, enjoyment, satisfaction. The state or quality of being suitable (for the customer) or opportune (for the customer) needs to be thought through, because if it isn’t … you will soon be without a customer. I recently went to a new doctor and they sent me all the paperwork to fill out via email, verified my insurance and had my pharmacy info. My wait was minimal, and everything was seamless. Years ago, I would have spent 30 minutes in the doctor’s office just filling out the paperwork, but not anymore. All successful companies, regardless of industry, are paying attention to “convenience” for their customers. Are you EASY TO DO BUSINESS WITH? Are you open when customers need you open? Can you cut down on the time a transaction takes? Can you shorten the paperwork? Do you have real people I can talk to, so I can explain my problem, rather than having to send you an email and hope you will contact me back? Is your return policy complicated? Are your hold times under five minutes? When I call your company, how easy is it to navigate your phone system? No matter when I call, do I get a message that I have called at a busy time, so please call back later? Understand this: Ineffective call flow can lead to frustrated customers, terrible customer service reviews and eventual loss of business. Sometimes I wonder how some BIG companies stay in business. By the way … most of them won’t. In the next 10 years, 40% of the Fortune 500 companies will be gone. The lifespan of a Fortune 500 company 75 years ago was 50 years. Their life span today is 15 years. By 2020, the number of banks in America will shrink by 20%. There are big profits in Convenience. Remember, only one company can be the cheapest. All the others have to do something else to set them apart from their competition. One excellent place to start is with Convenience.

Robert Stevenson Seeking Excellence, Inc. 3078 Woodsong Lane • Clearwater • FL • 33761 Office: 727- 789 – 2727    Cell: (727) 421 – 7622 Rob@robertstevenson.org robertstevenson.org Learn More …     Key Words Business Insights, Business, Insights, Altek Media Group, Altek, Media, Video, video production, online, online magazine, digital marketing strategy, digital, marketing,  strategy, Blogging, social media, Marketing Funnel, Brand, Content Management System, logistics, Lean manufacturing, manufacturing, CEO, infograhics, instagram, facebook, linked in, google, Key Performance Indicator, Automation, Optimization, exit planning, Public relations, video, Advanced Manufacturing, Agile, lean, oem, smart, supply chain, Net Neutrality, Big Data, Data Mining, Actionable Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Personalization, Voice Recognition, Chatbots, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Smart Factory, Industry 4.0, Quantum Computing, BlockChain, Technological Unemployment, Digital, benchmarking, flexable, Kaizen, prototyping, robotics, six sigma, Business Insights, Business, Insights, Altek Media Group, Altek, Media, Video, video production, online, online magazine, digital marketing strategy, digital, marketing,  strategy, Blogging, social media, Marketing Funnel, Brand, Content Management System, logistics, Lean manufacturing, manufacturing, CEO, infograhics, instagram, facebook, linked in, google, Key Performance Indicator, Automation, Optimization, exit planning, Public relations, video, Advanced Manufacturing, Agile, lean, oem, smart, supply chain, Net Neutrality, Big Data, Data Mining, Actionable Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Personalization, Voice Recognition, Chatbots, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Smart Factory, Industry 4.0, Quantum Computing, BlockChain, Technological Unemployment, Digital, benchmarking, flexable, Kaizen, prototyping, robotics, six sigma Read the full article

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Diversify Your Income, Make More Money

A "PORTFOLIO CAREER" APPROACH

In today’s rapidly changing work environment, it is important to seek ways to diversify your income. The typical corporate job has a very short life span, on average two to four years. You should always have at least one alternative source of income such as consulting, teaching a course one night a week or representing a product or service. Ultimately, it’s advisable to convert to a “portfolio career” using your core skills and experience over multiple streams of income. Consider consulting as your base work, perhaps as a part-time CFO, CMO or CTO serving several clients, and supplemented by teaching or owning a small franchise that spins off $50K or $60K annually which could be overseen by a spouse or employee. I have several clients who have purchased franchises that produce passive income. In my work with executives in transition over the past 25 years I have seen many examples of clients either consulting or choosing some of the following: Buy and own a small franchise or business Teach a course one or two nights a week Paid work as a corporate board member Write articles, a blog or even a book Play an instrument two nights a week Become a sales rep for a line of products or a service for which they have a passion Join a network marketing group Build or repair items such as in computers, furniture, crafts or autos Work as an artist, painter or sculptor The possibilities are endless! I have several pages of examples I share with my network of executives. I have been spreading the following message for many years: You are the Enterprise. Often the first “ah-ha” to getting a shot at income other than your traditional job is teaching a course one or two nights a week. This is usually the beginning of the realization that there are ways to earn money outside of your regular work. THE "GIG" ECONOMY & UNRETIREMENT It is estimated that about 20 percent of the professional workforce is working in the “gig economy” and outside of traditional work. Another contributing factor here is the rapid erosion of even professional work by machines using artificial intelligence (AI). There just will not be as many full-time, secure jobs in the future. The executives I have worked with and who are the most challenged going forward are the ones that have had a long and stable career; now out on the street at 62 without much of a network and no idea how to create a new one. I tell my clients if you are around 60 years of age and are taking care of yourself with proper diet and exercise, you will have the opportunity to work at least part-time in something you love for another 30 years. Work and health go together, and it is important to stay in the game particularly for brain health. The basic principle of brain operation is that it improves – creates more cells – when stimulated; and declines without stimulation. Once you reach 50+ years in your career it’s time to prepare for the future by getting off the corporate ladder and building out your portfolio. The latest books on fitness and health are all writing about the possibility of living a healthy life through 100 years of age. The sooner you transition to being a "free agent" the better you will be in the long run.

Bill Ellermeyer Founder, Ellermeyer Connect Bill@EllermeyerConnect.com / (714) 803-9805 EllermeyerConnect.com Expertise: Retired Executive Career Management Services Learn More …     Key Words Business Insights, Business, Insights, Altek Media Group, Altek, Media, Video, video production, online, online magazine, digital marketing strategy, digital, marketing,  strategy, Blogging, social media, Marketing Funnel, Brand, Content Management System, logistics, Lean manufacturing, manufacturing, CEO, infographics, Instagram, facebook, linked in, google, Key Performance Indicator, Automation, Optimization, exit planning, Public relations, video, Advanced Manufacturing, Agile, lean, OEM, smart, supply chain, Net Neutrality, Big Data, Data Mining, Actionable Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Personalization, Voice Recognition, Chatbots, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Smart Factory, Industry 4.0, Quantum Computing, BlockChain, Technological Unemployment, Digital, benchmarking, flexible, Kaizen, prototyping, robotics, six sigma, Read the full article

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The Silent Killer to Business Value

The Silent Killer to Business Value

Is my company operating in a comfort zone? If yes, what is this doing to my business value and possibly my personal net worth? Asking these two questions is something every executive should do frequently to ensure they avoid a silent killer of business value that could be lurking in their midst. In over 20 years as a CEO of manufacturing and service businesses, I’ve seen firsthand that a silent killer to company value, and even a private owner’s personal net worth, can be from being caught in a comfort zone. A comfort zone is defined as the “level at which one functions with ease and familiarity”. A business operating in this way is a well-oiled machine, and this business is certainly building overall value. But far too often, “ease and familiarity” is another way of saying “caught in a rut” and stale, directly hurting business value. Let’s dismiss common myths about comfort zones – • Comfort zones relate to individuals, not companies – False! We commonly hear the phrase used in reference to a person, but entire organizations can fall into the trap. • If my organization is busy, we can’t possibly be in a comfort zone – False! Businesses can be busy and even working at a hectic pace, but this can be done inside the dangers of a comfort zone. Don’t confuse motion with progress. • If my organization is in a comfort zone, leaving it will be a daunting process – False! There are basic steps that can be taken to begin to pull your organization out of a comfort zone. The cost of staying inside the comfort zone and the negative impact on your company value is far greater than the cost of stepping outside of it. Comfort Zone as a Silent Killer Why would your organization being in a comfort zone be a silent killer to your business value? Because organizations operating in comfort zones aren’t innovating, aren’t improving their efficiencies, aren’t developing their people, aren’t forging new points of competitive differentiation or strengthening the value they are delivering for customers. The lack of any or all of these things may not jump out at you which is why it’s a silent killer. And as Jack Welch, retired CEO from General Electric once said, “if the rate of change outside your organization is greater than the rate of change inside your organization, the end is in sight”. I encourage business owners and executives to think about how a future banker, investor or acquirer will assess their company one day as they certainly won’t place a premium value on your business when the comfort zone it is in is keeping progress from occurring. Anyone placing value on your business will see the symptoms of a comfort zone and will see it as a risky investment that they will either back away from or reflect their concerns in their valuation. Symptoms Your Company Is Caught in A Comfort Zone How can you determine if your company is operating in a comfort zone? Sometimes the comfort zone is specific to a department (ie: Sales, Operations, Marketing) and other times it permeates across an entire organization. But like any malady, symptoms will be apparent if leadership looks close enough. And whether it’s isolated or across the enterprise, addressing it is essential to building your company value.

How To Move Your Company Out of A Comfort Zone Once you have identified your company is being held back by a comfort zone, there are multiple avenues you can take. For some, it’s a matter of taking evolutionary steps to exit the zone methodically, while others may want or need something more radical or revolutionary. The answer depends on how deeply entrenched in the comfort zone your business is, the true root cause, how deep it goes, your overall appetite for making change, and the speed at which you want to move. Regardless of which path you decide to take, it will start with the leader/leadership team of the business. The culture and the energy level of the organization starts at the top and this is where the process for exiting a comfort zone needs to be initiated. Many times, the steps toward improvement are not complex and once the root cause of the comfort zone is known, there are many options for driving change.

  My recommendation to business owners and leaders is to always use time as your friend in driving positive change for your business. No business owner or leader ever wants to work hard only to one day have regrets about the outcomes they ultimately achieved with their company. When it comes to building long term value in your business, keeping your company out of the rut of a comfort zone is one of the most important jobs you have as its leader.

Larry O’Toole Founder, Yosemite Associates Larry.OToole@YosemiteAssociates.com Expertise: CEO, Corporate Director, Author, Consultant, Keynote Speaker /Exit Optimization, Planning, and Management Learn More …   #YosemiteAssociates #BankYourMoment #business #Technology #Situational Awareness #Operational Effectiveness #BusinessOwners #Trends #CEO #ConsultantsLink #CalfironiaCEO #Executives #Manufacturing #Robotics #Nanotechnologies #StrategicPlanning #CompanyValue   Key Words Business Insights, Business, Insights, Altek Media Group, Altek, Media, Video, video production, online, online magazine, digital marketing strategy, digital, marketing,  strategy, Blogging, social media, Marketing Funnel, Brand, Content Management System, logistics, Lean manufacturing, manufacturing, CEO, infograhics, instagram, facebook, linked in, google, Key Performance Indicator, Automation, Optimization, exit planning, Public relations, video, Advanced Manufacturing, Agile, lean, oem, smart, supply chain, Net Neutrality, Big Data, Data Mining, Actionable Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Personalization, Voice Recognition, Chatbots, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Smart Factory, Industry 4.0, Quantum Computing, BlockChain, Technological Unemployment, Digital, benchmarking, flexable, Kaizen, prototyping, robotics, six sigma, Read the full article

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Certain APPS Will Never Exist

It seems that everything in our daily lives is influenced by technology. Now, it seems, if we need something, we can just go buy an APP for it. As of March 2017, there are approximately 2.8 million APPS for Android users and 2.2 million for Apple users. Yes, if we need it, it would seem there will probably be an APP for it. Right? Wrong! SensorTower tracks data about mobile applications use. Below is a list of the world’s Top 10 most downloaded non-gaming apps. Apps are not just for fun or laughs … they can help run a business. Slowly, but surely, mobile applications have evolved from novelties and time-savers to tools that companies rely on day-to-day. Here are the Top 10:

All of these applications are being used in business! The top mobile apps aren't just for fun and games. They're turning out to be great productivity and communication tools at work, too. Yes, these APPS all help run a business, but they certainly don’t make a business great. People do that. I have yet to find an APP for passion, heart, ethics, courage, commitment, common sense, open mind, respect, positive attitude, strong work ethic, wisdom or good manners. The things that are really important in making people and businesses successful have NO APP. You don’t buy these. You can’t order them on a phone or get them with a simple click on a computer. They aren’t for sale. The things companies need the most ... begin and end with the things they can’t buy. We should never forget, technology is merely a tool … it takes far more than technology and innovative APPS to make a company successful. It takes AMAZING PEOPLE. For companies to be able to withstand all the difficulties of fighting off competitors, constantly changing consumer trends, and keeping fickle customers happy … they need dedicated and talented people. Your APP might bring them to your company, but if you don’t have the right people, YOU WILL FAIL. The business landscape is littered with powerful companies who thought they were invincible all because they had the latest technology. Leon Gorman, the former Chief Executive Officer of L.L.Bean once said: “Customer service is just a day in, day out, ongoing, never ending, unremitting, persevering, compassionate, type of activity.” APPS have nothing to do with that – PEOPLE DO. Never forget, your greatest asset is PEOPLE, so nurture them, encourage them, protect them, appreciate them and let them know how much you value them.

Robert Stevenson Seeking Excellence, Inc. Office: 727- 789 – 2727    Cell: (727) 421 – 7622 Rob@robertstevenson.org robertstevenson.org Learn More …   Key Words Business Insights, Business, Insights, Altek Media Group, Altek, Media, Video, video, film, near me, the Best, production, online, magazine, strategy, digital, marketing, blogging, social media, funnel, Brand, Content Management System, logistics, Lean, manufacturing, CEO, infograhics, instagram, facebook, linked in, google, Key Performance Indicator, Automation, Optimization, exit planning, Public relations, Advanced, Agile, oem, smart, supply chain, Net Neutrality, Big Data, Data Mining, Actionable Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Personalization, Voice Recognition, Chatbots, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Smart Factory, Industry 4.0, Quantum Computing, BlockChain, Technological Unemployment, Digital, benchmarking, flexable, Kaizen, prototyping, robotics, six sigma Read the full article

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3 Ways To Protect Your Retirement

The top 3 ways to protect your assets and family in retirement

I had a friend and colleague in the financial services industry that had a saying, “the unfortunate reality of life is, few people are ‘happy, happy, happy...dead.” That pretty much always caught people off guard! But it also got their attention, which is what is was meant to do. Put another way, very few people die without some period of time in which they need assistance going about the normal activities of daily life. According to a recent, and very well documented statistic, out of 100 people...100 will die. Shocking right?! But the bigger issue we are dealing with here is what happens between “happy” and “dead.” On a more serious note, the numbers on the realities surrounding long term care are pretty daunting: According to recent stats1, 7 out of every 10 people 65 and older will need long term care. According to one of the leading long term care insurance providers in the country, over 59% of long term care claims last more than one year, and of those, the average length of time care is needed is 4.2 years. The California median cost for home care is $57,204 per year. The average cost of nursing home care is $97,368 for a “semi-private room” and $116,436 for a private room.2 Few circumstances in life will utterly drain your assets like paying for good long term care. As the old saying goes, the question isn’t “can you afford to buy a policy or plan?”, because you can’t afford not to put a plan in effect. First of all, let’s set the record straight on some common myths. Doesn’t my medical insurance cover this stuff? Nope. It doesn’t. What about Medicare or Med-Cal? Well, they may provide 1 2017 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 10/10/2017. 2 Genworth cost of care survey, 2017 limited coverage, but only if you meet certain criteria...primarily involving impoverishing yourself. Another thing most people don’t realize is that federal law requires that states recover the money spent on people’s behalf for long term care from their estate after they pass away! Another thought some people entertain in order to put their mind at ease is that their family will take care of each other. Ok, let’s talk hard truth for a minute. Imagine your loved ones having to help you daily with dressing, washing, and using the restroom. Is that really what you would want?  If you, or anyone you know, has been through this scenario, you know how demoralizing it can be, and how much of a strain it puts on the family financially, and in just about every other way. One of the biggest reasons for planning right now how you will finance the costs of long term care is to preserve your dignity, and that of the ones you love, so that you are able to spend your final days interacting with your family in the best ways possible. So what are your options? Well, you may be surprised to find that you have more than you realize. Here’s a quick summary of the top options you should consider, along with some pros and cons to help you narrow down what makes the most sense for you: 1. Long term care insurance. This is the most straightforward method, and will usually give you the most value for your dollars in straight long term care benefits. You might also find this to be more affordable than you think. It is based on providing a set “cost per day” benefit, for a certain number of years. Another key factor that affects you premiums is your choice of “elimination period.” Think of it like a time deductible. You can typically choose from 30 days to 120 days, and sometimes more. As with all insurance, the higher the deductible, the lower the premiums. The primary downside that people see in this product is, if they die in their sleep without needing care, or of some sudden accident of extremely fast moving disease, then the money spent on this insurance is “wasted”. It has one purpose, and is purely protection, just like your auto insurance or home owner’s insurance. 2. Life insurance with an LTC rider. These days you have several life insurance carriers in California that offer a life insurance product with a “Chronic Illness Rider”, or something similar, that will allow you to use up to 100% of your death benefit to pay for long-term-caretype needs. The benefit is triggered by the same thing as long term care insurance - loss of 2 ADLs, (activities of daily living). This can be a very cost-efficient way to cover your bases, and get your dollars multi-tasking, which I strongly believe to be a key principle in wealth accumulation and protection. Some down sides would be that you may not get as great a benefit amount monthly as a straight LTC policy would provide. Also, you need to remember that if you use some or most of your breath benefit for long term care needs, this directly reduces the life insurance benefit paid to your beneficiaries. 3. Long term care annuities, or hybrid whole life policies. This is one of the newer options, and one of my personal favorites. You can typically fund a product like this will qualified or non- qualified funds. Meaning, you could roll money straight out of an IRA or 401k and into one of these without creating a taxable event. So if you have funds wasting away in a retirement account somewhere, this might be a really good option for some of those funds. Also, these products allow you to make sure that no matter what happens, be it the “happy, happy, happy...dead” scenario, or needing long term care, or needing some of the money you put into the policy for paying for life’s needs or wants, you get to “have it all”. Should you need long term care, like most people, the dollars spent on this product will buy far more in benefits than the dollars themselves would ever provide. Should to die suddenly, without needing care, the benefit pays out like life insurance to your beneficiaries. And, should you live longer and healthier than you expected, and need some of that money back out, the principle is liquid, guaranteed, and will also be credited with a typical 3-4% interest earnings annually. Pretty snazzy huh? Again, the main downside here would be that you will typically get more long term care benefits for your dollars when you purchase pure long term care insurance, as opposed to a hybrid like this. So there is some good food for thought, and hopefully, you can find renewed vigor and clarity to make up your mind to get this thing done like you have been meaning to for years. It will never be cheaper than it is today, and if you are already in your 50s, 60s, or older, chances are, you are also about as healthy as you will ever be. Waiting only costs you more, and potentially could cost you the ability to even have a choice, should an unexpected illness or injury render you uninsurable. Getting valuable protection like this can be much more affordable than you think, and you will rest much easier knowing it is in place - securing your future, protecting your loved ones and your assets - making sure you don’t end up broke in a nursing home wondering why.

Luke Kibler Vantage Insurance Solutions License #0E35140 luke@vantageinso.com vantageinso.com 909. 936. 7032   Key Words Business Insights, Business, Insights, Altek Media Group, Altek, Media, Video, video, film, near me, the Best, production, online, magazine, strategy, digital, marketing, blogging, social media, funnel, Brand, Content Management System, logistics, Lean, manufacturing, CEO, infograhics, instagram, facebook, linked in, google, Key Performance Indicator, Automation, Optimization, exit planning, Public relations, Advanced, Agile, oem, smart, supply chain, Net Neutrality, Big Data, Data Mining, Actionable Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Personalization, Voice Recognition, Chatbots, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Smart Factory, Industry 4.0, Quantum Computing, BlockChain, Technological Unemployment, Digital, benchmarking, flexable, Kaizen, prototyping, robotics, six sigma Read the full article

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Ignoring tax issues big mistake

Ignoring tax issues before the deal is struck is a big mistake

Many business owners put tax issues on the “back burner” when selling their companies. Ignoring tax considerations, until after the deal is struck, is a big mistake and can put you in an adverse negotiating position, even if the letter of intent (LOI) or term sheet (TS) is “nonbinding.” Sellers should not agree on any aspects of a deal until they meet with a competent tax adviser who can explain how much they will wind up with on an “after-tax” basis. Seven major tax questions should be considered before finalizing a deal. What type of entity do you use to conduct your business? Is your business is a sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company (“LLC”) or S corporation? These corporate structures are considered “pass-through” entities and will provide you with the most flexibility in negotiating the sale of your business. Your flexibility may be limited, however, if you conduct your business through a C corporation. The possibility of “double taxation” may arise at the corporate and shareholder levels. Is a tax-free/deferred deal possible? Most sales of businesses are completed in the form of taxable transactions. However, it may be possible to complete a transaction on a “tax-free/deferred” basis, if you exchange S corporation or C corporation stock for the corporate stock of the buyer. This assumes that the complicated tax-free reorganization provisions of the Internal Revenue Code are met. Are you selling assets or stock? It is important to know whether your deal is or can be structured as an asset or stock sale prior to agreeing to the price, terms and conditions of the transaction. In general, buyers prefer purchasing assets because (i) they can obtain a “step-up” in the basis of the assets resulting in enhanced future tax deductions, and (ii) there is little or no risk that they will assume any unknown seller liabilities. Sellers, on the other hand, wish to sell stock to obtain long-term capital gain tax treatment on the sale. A seller holding stock in a C corporation (or an S corporation subject to the 10-year, built-in gains tax rules) may be forced to sell stock because an asset sale would be subjected to a double tax at the corporate and shareholder levels. In addition, the seller is often required to give extensive representations and warranties to the buyer and to indemnify the buyer for liabilities that are not expressly assumed. How will you allocate the purchase price? When selling business assets, it is critical that sellers and buyers reach agreement on the allocation of the total purchase price to the specific assets acquired. Both buyer and seller file an IRS Form 8594 to memorialize their agreed allocation. When considering the purchase price allocation, you need to determine if you operate your business on a cash or accrual basis; then separate the assets into their various asset classes, such as: cash, accounts receivable, inventory, equipment, real property, intellectual property and other intangibles. Can earn-outs/contingency payments work for you? When a buyer and seller cannot agree on a specific purchase price, the seller and buyer may agree to an “earn-out” sale structure, and/or contingent payments. The buyer pays the seller an amount upfront and additional earn-outs or contingent payments if certain milestones are met in later years. What state and local tax issues are you facing? In addition to federal income tax, a significant state and local income tax burden may be imposed on the seller as a result of the transaction. When an asset sale is involved, taxes may be owed in those states where the company has sales, assets, or payroll, and where it has apportioned income in the past. Many states do not provide for any long-term capital gain tax rates, so a sale that qualifies for long-term capital gain taxation for federal purposes may be subject to ordinary income state rates. Stock sales are generally taxed in the seller’s state of residency even if the company conducts business in other states. Also, state sales and use taxes must be considered in any transaction. Stock transactions are usually not subject to sales, use or transfer taxes, but some states impose a stamp tax on the transfer of stock. Asset sales, on the other hand, need to be carefully analyzed to determine whether sales or use tax might apply. Should presale estate planning be considered? If one of your goals is to move a portion of the value of the business to future generations or charities, estate planning should be done at an early stage, when your company values are low (at least six months in advance of verbal negotiations and/or receipt of a TS or LOI). It may be much more difficult and expensive to simply sell the company and then attempt to move after- tax proceeds from the sale to the children, grandchildren or charities at a later date. Conclusion: Before deciding to sell your business, work with a qualified tax adviser who can help you understand the tax complexities of various sales structures. Above all, do not enter into any substantive negotiations with a buyer until you have identified the transaction structure that best minimizes your tax burden.

Gary Miller CEO. GEM Strategy Management 970.390.4441 gmiller@gemstrategymanagement.com gemstrategymanagement.com), Learn More …   Key Words Business Insights, Business, Insights, Altek Media Group, Altek, Media, Video, video, film, near me, the Best, production, online, magazine, strategy, digital, marketing, blogging, social media, funnel, Brand, Content Management System, logistics, Lean, manufacturing, CEO, infograhics, instagram, facebook, linked in, google, Key Performance Indicator, Automation, Optimization, exit planning, Public relations, Advanced, Agile, oem, smart, supply chain, Net Neutrality, Big Data, Data Mining, Actionable Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Personalization, Voice Recognition, Chatbots, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Smart Factory, Industry 4.0, Quantum Computing, BlockChain, Technological Unemployment, Digital, benchmarking, flexable, Kaizen, prototyping, robotics, six sigma Read the full article