How to Build Great Relationships

October 30, 2020

Relationships are very key to the success of any business. And when you have allies on your side, there are chances that you will get much further than going about things alone. Besides that, with the right mindset and the good character, you can even strengthen a wide range of relationships in your life and take them as far as they can be. Check out the simple keys below to help you build great relationships.

Build trust. The key to building trust is being honest. Never take advantage of people. Don’t even let them think that you’ll do so. It’s the fastest way to ruin a relationship and even build a bad reputation. When you are willing to let go of your own interests to help someone else, then they know that they can begin to rely on you.
Network. Networking is the key to building successful relationships. If you go out a lot, meet more of new people and constantly expand your social circle, you’re much more likely to meet people you match up well with, and these people have a tremendous potential to become good friends with you or even reliable partners.
Keep up with people. It is good to learn how to maintain your relationships. Keep some records of who you have networked with and check in with them every so often. If they’re online contacts on a digital network, keep up your conversations with them. And if they’re colleagues or people with whom you’ve swapped business cards, you can simply send an email, text or make a call every month to check up on them.
Talk about the Things That Matter To You. A relationship becomes the strongest when two people find out that they believe in the same things and have similar interests. It is these similarities regarding values and interests that often create the strongest emotional connection.
Show Interest in Others. Listen to what people have to say and show a sincere interest in them. Ask questions about their family, welfare, or job. Keep track of what they’ve brought up in the past and follow up with them. People are often impressed when someone shows they’ve taken the time to remember their stories.
Work hard. It takes effort to build relationships with colleagues, friends, or family. Usually, people want to invest in someone who is going to provide results. You might have to show them that you can deliver before you can expect them to have your back or put in a good word for you. When someone asks for something, go the extra mile to deliver early and also take initiative to assist in ways you weren’t even asked.
Be There for Others. Connections between people grow firmer if they can rely on each other for support when it’s needed, whether that support means a few kind words or actions. Identify the genuinely important people in your life and then seek to be there as much as possible, at least for them.
Have Integrity. Be honest with the people around you, even when this will initially hurt them. It’s more important for them to trust you than to not feel hurt. And always do what you promised. Even better, think twice before you promise anything, and only promise what you really can and you are willing to do. Trust is one of the central pillars of a strong relationship, both in your personal and your professional life.
Focus on giving. Practice thinking about how you can always help people in your network. They’re far more likely to return a favor than they are to go out of their way for you, especially early in your relationship.

5 Powerful Tips for Building Strong Brand Awareness!

obbuuz

October 28, 2020

A proper brand strategy takes time, patience, and lots of work to execute. But you’ll be able to develop a good brand awareness over time by following these simple tips.

1. Be Consistent with Branding

Brand awareness requires consistent messaging. And crafting a consistent message requires keeping your channels harmonized. That is, your website, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, email, and others. Being consistent with your branding message ensures that your message gets amplified.

2. Identify What Makes You Different

The first step of building a brand identity is identifying a trait (or traits) that sets you apart from your competitors. i.e your USP. Study your competitors to see how they define their brands. Look for something that makes your business unique and make that the cornerstone of your brand strategy across your platforms/channels.

3. Creatively Craft Your “Our Story” Page

With time, lots of your brand awareness efforts will in one way or another lead to your website. So your About Us page is one of the focal points of your website. If you want to develop your brand strategy better, you may want to consider crafting an exciting “Our Story” page or “About” or “About Us” page. This is also where you get to explain why your brand is different and why people should feel great about doing business with you.

4. Know Your Audience

There is no way you can successfully build a good brand awareness if you don’t know who your audience is. Before you create a brand that will attract the right people, you need to define your target audience. Make sure to keep your customers informed during your rebrand. You may even invite one of your biggest customers into your office and ask them what they like about your logo, tagline, and other key identifiers of your brand. Having these unique characteristics will ensure that your brand awareness will be seamless.

5. Use Your Brand Name, Logo, and URL to Strengthen Brand Identity

Your logo, brand name, and URL are big brand awareness opportunities. That’s why your website, social media channels, newsletters e.t.c should all deliver the same message. Let your brand name, logo and tagline inspire your target audience.

Good luck!!

How to Sell Clothes Online and Make Extra Money

obbuuz

October 27, 2020

6 Places to Sell Used Clothes Online

Selling used clothes for cash online can be a way to reach more potential buyers and get a better price for your items. A garage sale might not be the best option when you’re looking for top dollar. And, thanks to the following websites, you can use a number of ways to send money online.

1. thredUP

If you want something simple and easy, thredUP is the place to go. It’s the largest online consignment and thrift shop.

Order a “clean out” kit and send your clothes in. Someone else will sort them, and decide which items to accept. You’ll be offered money based on the selling price, and some items might be available on consignment. You can also choose to have the company donate items it doesn’t accept to charity on your behalf.

Be aware, though, that certain brands are preferred, so if you don’t have a lot high-end stuff, you might not get much money — or even have your clothes accepted.

2. Poshmark

With Poshmark, you have to do quite a lot of work. You need to offer styling tips, attend in-app “events,” and generally be a part of the community. However, you do set your own prices (Poshmark takes a cut), which can be an advantage.

The more involved you are, the more likely you are to get the price you want for clothing and accessories. They also send you a pre-addressed, prepaid shipping label once your item sells.

3. Tradesy

As with other online selling websites, Tradesy takes a cut of your clothing sales. However, it does offer you a nice service. The photos you take will be enhanced by Tradesy, ensuring that they are market-ready, so you have a little less to worry about. You also get a pre-paid, pre-addressed kit to use when you’re ready to ship.

4. eBay

If you don’t have a lot of high-end or designer clothes and accessories to sell, eBay can be a good choice. You can list your items, including in sets. You have more control over the listing, even though eBay will take its cut.

5. VarageSale

Use this website to sell clothing (and other items) online to people in your locale. You don’t have to wait for people to come by your house with VarageSale. Instead, you reach them where they are — online. Once you have a deal, you’ll have to set up an in-person meet to make the exchange. Consider a public place where you’re more likely to be safe.

6. Instagram or Facebook

It’s even possible to sell your clothes for cash using social media. People take photos and post items for sale on Instagram or Facebook. With Instagram, you don’t have to worry about someone else taking a cut. Just make arrangements in the direct messages, collect the money, and send off the clothes.

Tips for Successfully Selling Your Clothes Online for Cash

Whether you sell used clothes or are interested in selling fresh designs, there are a few things you can do to be more successful. Here are some of the main strategies that will help you make the most of the situation — and be more likely to get top dollar:

High-quality images: Rule number when selling clothing online is to take a lot of high-quality photos that showcase what you’ve got. Take photos from multiple angles and use good lighting.
Provide details: Shoppers want details. Include brand, size, color, and other important information. If the item is a designer brand, make sure to highlight that.
Be honest about condition: Your photos should show the condition, but you also want to be honest. Don’t say something is in excellent or “like new” condition, when it’s in good or fair condition.
Be realistic about pricing: No matter what the item is, you need to set a realistic and reasonable price. You aren’t going to get back what you paid for an item. Do a little research to get a feel for what items for selling for. A general rule of thumb is that you can get about one-third of your original price for used clothing in good condition.
Offer unique designs on original clothing: If you’re selling your own designs, make sure you have something unique. You need photos, details, and realistic prices, but you can sell items for more when you can demonstrate the uniqueness of your original designs.

Culled From https://www.crediful.com

7 Simple Financial Habits You Should Practice To Live a Debt-free Life

obbuuz

October 26, 2020

Being debt-free is a lifestyle choice that you can make. All it takes is a little persistence to tweak your current habits. It’s absolutely important to be mindful of where your hard-earned money goes and to save a portion of it no matter how small because it’s the habit that matters, not the amount. Here are 7 great financial habits you should practice to live a debt-free life.

Always Save a Portion of Your Earnings

Make it a habit to always save a portion of your earnings. It’s not a matter of how much you save, but that you do it consistently no matter how small. If money is tight for you, even $1 a day will go a very long way towards cultivating this crucial habit.

Set Goals

Writing and setting goals is key to your success! Setting goals allows you to take a moment to think about what you want to achieve and the steps you’ll need to take to get there.

Track and Analyze Your Spending Regularly

A good habit to practice to be debt-free is to always incorporate a budget into your personal finance plans while tracking your spending. Budgeting allows you to analyze your spending so that you can be more aware of where your spending habits may be costing you.

For instance, before you make your budget each month, look over your personal and work calendar to see if there are any trips, birthdays, holidays, or anniversaries that you need to include in your budget. Also, set aside spending money for yourself. You can spend money on what you want when you’re on a budget, you just have to plan for it.

Live Within Your Means

Living within your means can be defined as not spending more than what you make. While this seems simple enough, it can be difficult to control due to the wealth of credit options we have today in our society.

Think Long-term

Building wealth is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes time to build your credit score and grow your savings. So when you save that extra $3 dollars for the cake you didn’t buy today, it goes towards your bigger goals. Planning for the long haul will help you control your spending and make better purchasing decisions.

Teach Your Kids About Money

Children need to know that money is not handed to them, but it is earned for hard work and effort. One of many things you may want to also teach them is how to be responsible with money. It is a good thing if children your children have a strong foundation in money before they turn 18.

Practice Delayed Gratification

Success in nearly every field requires you to ignore doing something easier (delaying gratification) in favor of doing something harder. When you’re faced with a choice to spend on something, ask yourself if you can wait it out for a greater reward in the future. Take for instance, if you delay the gratification of getting the latest iPhone today that everyone is raving about, it would have a tremendous effect on your savings over time.

The bottom line is that being debt-free is a liberating feeling and is certainly achievable wherever you are now in your financial journey. All it takes is the willingness to slowly and patiently implement a few everyday habits into your decision making.

Good luck!!

How Do Dividends Work?

obbuuz

October 23, 2020

Say you buy 10 shares in a company and they announce a $1 dividend per share for this quarter, so you get a $10 dividend payment. If they do this for each quarter throughout the year, you’ll end up with a total dividend of $40 for that year. Pretty simple, right?

Some companies also offer dividend reinvestment programs, called DRIPs (I know, not a great acronym). These let you reinvest the cash dividend back into the company’s stock—often at a discount. And of course, if the company pays the dividend in new shares of stock instead of cash, it just means you own a little more of that company.

The company’s board of directors makes the call on how the company pays its dividends and how frequently they’re paid out—monthly, quarterly (most common in the U.S.), or annually. The catch is that the board also has to get shareholder approval on the distribution of the dividends through a vote.

Types of Dividends

On top of getting bonus money, a lot of folks like dividends because they can come with some tax advantages. But these advantages depend on the type of dividend you’re dealing with—qualified or unqualified.

Qualified: If you’ve owned the stock for more than 60 days before the ex-dividend date (or ex-date)—aka the day that determines your eligibility to receive the dividend—and the dividend was paid by a U.S. company or qualified foreign corporation, that dividend is qualified. Qualified dividends get better tax rates because they’re actually taxed at long-term capital gain rates rather than income tax rates.
Unqualified: Also known as ordinary dividends, these dividends are unqualified because you didn’t own the stock for more than 60 days before the ex-date. These dividends are taxed at your regular income tax rate.

Dividends From Other Sources

Now, dividends don’t only come from single stocks. Other investments, and even some insurance companies, also pay dividends. For example, mutual funds contain shares of multiple companies’ stocks, so you’re considered a shareholder and can receive dividends.

In the case of mutual funds, the dividend is based on a fund’s net asset value (NAV) calculation (that’s just a fancy way to say assets minus debts) when the stock market closes. If your shares in the fund earned a profit, the mutual fund company can choose to use that money to reinvest in the company, pay down debt, or give you a cut of the profit in the form of a dividend.

Bonds are another type of investment that can pay dividends. As a refresher—when you buy a bond, you’re lending money to a company or government entity. In exchange for your loan, the company or government agrees to pay you a fixed rate of interest, aka a dividend. Unlike stock dividends, bond dividends are a legal obligation, but I don’t recommend betting your retirement on bonds—you’re better off investing your money in a mix of growth stock mutual funds.

Another vehicle that might pay a dividend is a surprising one—life insurance. Some insurance companies are called mutual insurance companies, because they’re not publicly traded and the policyholders own the company “mutually.” If the company makes a profit, they can declare a policyholder dividend. But remember, people: Life insurance is not an investment—it’s insurance. So, skip the gimmicks here and go for a solid term life insurance plan.

How Do Dividends Affect Stock Prices?

Once the news of a dividend payment becomes public, you can see a rush to purchase the stock before the ex-date. (Have you ever seen the running of the bulls? It’s like that.) In this case, you’ll see the share price go up. Another thing you’ll often see is the price going down after the ex-date because anyone buying the stock on or after that date won’t receive the dividend, so people sell the stock.

Should You Invest in Something for the Dividends?

While dividends might feel like a bonus or reward, it doesn’t make sense to invest in something just for the dividends. That’s like playing football for the shiny helmet.

When you get to the point where you’re investing 15% of your income so you can retire inspired, stick with employer-sponsored plans, like a 401(k) or 403(b), and Roth IRAs with good growth stock mutual funds. And, hey, some of those mutual funds might pay dividends, so you may still get a reward after all! Just look at it as the icing on the cake.

By CHRIS HOGAN (Ramsey Personality)

Culled from https://www.daveramsey.com

Paypal Customers Can Now Buy and Sell Bitcoin

obbuuz

October 22, 2020

Payments giant Paypal says its customers can now buy, sell and hold bitcoin and other virtual coins with the company’s online wallets. The company also says its customers will be able to use cryptocurrencies to shop at the 26 million merchants on its network starting in early 2021.

A report quotes the company’s President and Chief Executive Dan Schulman saying they hope “the service will encourage global use of virtual coins and prepare its network for new digital currencies that may be developed by central banks and corporations.”

“We are working with central banks and thinking of all forms of digital currencies and how Paypal can play a role,” said Schulman.

According to a report, U.S. account holders can start buying and selling cryptocurrencies in “the coming weeks” while there are plans to expand “this to Venmo and some countries in the first half of 2021.”

The report adds that Paypal, which has secured the first conditional cryptocurrency license from the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS), “will initially allow purchases of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies called ethereum, bitcoin cash, and litecoin.” Paypal has partnered with Paxos Trust Company to offer the service.

Meanwhile, the report further explains:

Cryptocurrency payments on Paypal will be settled using fiat currencies, such as the U.S. dollar, meaning merchants will not receive payments in virtual coins.

The news of Paypal’s entry into the cryptocurrency space is a huge endorsement for crypto assets and it comes as more mainstream organizations are buying bitcoin and other digital assets.

The payments giants’ entry is likely to spark the wider adoption of cryptocurrencies given its wide reach. According to the report, Paypal “has 346 million active accounts around the world and processed $222 billion in payments in the second quarter.”

Culled from bitcoin.com

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