Mamma Musings

We think it really is pot luck whether your business makes it through or not. A business becomes successful because the right idea is backing it, and the right processes have been put in place to make sure that a business can be successful. But as a small business who is just starting out in business, how are you ever going to know what is the right and wrong thing to do? This is exactly why we think it’s far harder to run a business than it is to do any other job. Although you might not see it as a job, it’s a job that you’re stuck with for the rest of your life. If the plan you have doesn’t form success, you’ll have wasted all the time and money you put into it. This alone is enough for someone to be so motivated to make their business be one of the ones that’s successful. So if you feel like you’re not making all of the right choices for your business at the minute, it might be that you just need to know who the right people are to bring into your business. The right people can mean the difference between finding success for your business, and finding a new job to do. We want to make sure that your expenses are as small as possible so that your income is as big as possible. If you keep on reading, the following people might help you to do just that. 

Your Employees

Pic Credit: Pixabay

Your employees are your biggest asset without even realising it. Your employees are the bread and butter of your company, but we know that they’re going to be people who you take for granted. In fact, you might spend most of your days having a good moan about something silly an employee has done, because of course you can do it better. But the reason you started hiring these employees is because you couldn’t cope with the work that your company was throwing at you. So, without realising it, you have this group of people, or perhaps just one person at the minute, who is readily available to do anything that you want them to do so that they can get their paycheck at the end of the month. There will no doubt be an employee improvement area that you need to focus on. You would be a fool to think that they go through every day without doing something wrong. Perhaps they’re coming in with the wrong working attitude. Perhaps they’re coming in and getting parts of their job wrong, delaying a customer’s order. Or perhaps they’re not gelling with the team that you have. All of which might not be their fault. It’s so easy to jump to blame the employee for being poor at their job, but how much have you supported them? Have you given ongoing training? Have you simply asked them if they were OK at the start of the morning? If you can say you have done everything and more for your employees and they’re still not thriving, they might not be right for the job. You are well within your rights to get rid of employees if they’re not right for the role! 

Marketing Specialists

Now to someone who is external for your company, but almost just as important as any other person that you could utilise for your company. Marketing is pretty much the most vital part of your company if you want to focus on growth. Marketing is the way that the rest of the world sees your company. You can reach out to parts of the world that you would never have hoped to, if you market right. For example, trading between countries to Australia is far harder than it is for the UK and the US to trade between Europe, for example. Australia is at a disadvantage is the sense that it is on the other side of the world to most of the countries it could trade with. However, marketing bridges that gap. People in the UK would not have the connections they do to Australia if it were not for marketing. Making use of marketing is done by using a range of different techniques, rather than just focusing on the cheapest. For example, so many small businesses only use social media as a way of connecting to the world, when methods such as SEO and PPC can give such a better reach than just focusing on social media. Social media marketing is effective but we truly believe it’s only effective when used in conjunction with other methods. In todays media driven word numbers matter and often firms utilise companies like Twicsy Instagram likes to give a boost to help beat the algorithm and get your post shown to wider audiences. 

To make sure you’re using the right marketing methods you need to be able to work with a company you can jel with. Flicking from company to company prevents continuity. If you can get the same company to work for you they will be able to understand your needs and create campaigns that are far better for you. 

Investors 

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Investors are key if you feel like your business is going downhill. Investors are someone you might have reached out to when starting up your business. You will usually come to a deal with how much money they’re going to give you, and the percentage stakes that they’re going to take away from it. There’s no reason why you can’t reach out to investors again if you need ways of boosting the income of your business. Perhaps you have a new project that you need funding. Or perhaps you know your company is on the brink but you need to have some money invested to follow through with an idea that you know will boost profit. You need to be careful with this one because there’s always going to be the chance that you won’t be able to give the investors back what they have put in. You’re signing a contract which promises them their money back and some more on top of that, which is just like taking out a bank loan. So, if you know the investment is going to boost the profit of your business, you need to make sure you have a good pitch to put forward. You need to sell yourself and your business in order for them to want to put their money into your business! 

Business Analysts 

A business analyst might be essential if you really feel like there is no way out for your business. If you have been struggling for a while now and you can’t figure out why, bringing a business analyst in can help you to see a side to your business that you didn’t know existed. You can get tunnel vision when you spend the whole day thinking about the different elements of your business and why they might not be working. It’s literally enough to drive you mad. Because what’s worse, it’s hard to admit the faults in something that’s your own. If you truly believe in what you’re doing it can be hard for you to admit what might be wrong. Business analysts are impartial people who can bring a business back from the brink. They have built their own expert skills in business and are ready to share that knowledge with you. All you need to make sure is that you can find one that has expertise in the area that you specialise in. For example, if you can get a business analyst who used to be a fitness instructor running their own personal training business, and you now run your own gym, they’re predisposed to be a good analyst for you. 

Note: This is a collaborative post

In the US, it’s common for employees to turn down the opportunity to take vacation days. As the infographic below suggests, this could have a negative impact on both employers and workforces. If you run a business, or you’re an employee, and you haven’t taken time off for as long as you can remember, it’s worth taking a look at this intriguing image in more detail.

Around 53% of employees in low-paying jobs and 80% of workers in mid-high paying jobs have access to paid vacation time. Despite this, uptake is relatively low. Only 16% of traditionalists take vacation days, with the figures higher among millennials (44%) and generation X (53%). In the US, people in the North East are most likely to take advantage of paid leave. 

In 2015, 55% of Americans didn’t use their vacation allowance, with employees forfeiting the equivalent of $61.4 billion worth of benefits. The average worker took just 16.2 days off work. The most common reasons for not taking time off were planning to roll days over to take a longer break and having too much work to go on vacation. 

Many people might assume that spending more time at work is beneficial for employers, but research suggests that taking time out can actually be mutually advantageous for bosses and employees. Vacations can boost morale, health and wellbeing and make employees more productive, which also benefits the organization. Using vacation time can also contribute to national economic benefits, including $160 billion in total sales and $21 billion in tax revenue. 

To capitalize on the benefits of employees taking time off, employers can actively encourage workers to book vacations, introduce measures to promote a healthy work-life balance and enable employees to completely disconnect from work once their out of office email response is active. 

Infographic Designed By Norwich University

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Right from the outset, savvy entrepreneurs saw social media as an inexpensive tool to get their messages out to customers and build their brand. These platforms allowed them to communicate with their audience in a way that wasn’t possible before. 

For starters, they could use demographic information to target their advertisements better. Moreover, they created content that presented their firms in a more comprehensive light, explaining to clients what they were really about. 

A lot of entrepreneurs, however, avoided social media – at least in the early days. It seemed like a gimmick and wasn’t really relevant to their operations. How could they use it to make money? The answer wasn’t obvious. 

It turns out, though, that there are several ways that companies now use social media. Platforms like Instagram and Twitter help with sales, internal communications with employees, customer feedback, ratings, telling the brand story, and sharing information about products and services. Thus, these platforms provide practically every outreach service that you can imagine. 

The trick, as the following infographic points out, is to do it correctly. When it comes to social media marketing, there are some tried and tested techniques that you need to follow. It is nothing like traditional branding activities, so you’re not going for the hard sell. 

The best place to start is with education. It would help if you learned about how to use these platforms and offered training to your team. Once you have all the right skills in place, you can use social media to improve your marketing ten-fold.

Infographic by University of Alabama Birmingham

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Being in business can be a lot of fun. Doing your own thing and being a business owner takes a lot of work, but it’s incredibly rewarding too. It’s nice to be able to create something of your own and do a lot of good with it. But, in order to do that, you have to focus on the idea of doing good. And that means running a good business. These are the three key values your business should operate on to do that.

 Integrity

 If you want to be able to build a good business, you need to make sure that you are moral. You have to be in it for the right reasons. You should care about the kind of business that you’ve built and that you’re creating something that does good in the world.

 Relatability

 At the same time, your audience should be able to relate to you. If they are going to connect with your business and want to buy from you – no matter whether you’re selling a product or service, you need to speak to them. So make sure you connect with your audience.

 Honesty

 Finally, it’s important for you to be honest. And this means operating in the most honest way possible. Don’t trick your audience and don’t do anything that could be considered illegal – like white collar crime. If you’d like to learn more about white collar crime, just take a look at the infographic below.

Infographic Design By USC

Note: This is a collaborative post

Pic Credit: Pixabay

There is nothing like hearing the words tax and audit in a sentence together to strike fear in any business owner. Sales tax compliance is something that must be on the minds of any business audit. As the old saying goes when it comes to sales tax audit think of when not if. That way being sales tax compliant remains at the forefront of your mind. The first thing to do if you received a notification of a sales tax audit is – do not panic. I know this is easier said than done but stressing genuinely wont help. You need to be able to think clearly and act rationally and deal with the matter at hand as effectively and efficiently as possible. Bearing in mind that it is mostly a documentary process conduced via mail so the chances are you may not even meet somebody from the IRS.

So what is a sales tax audit?

According to Wikipedia  it is the examination of a company’s financial documents by a government’s tax agency to verify if the proper amount of sales tax has been remitted to the proper authority.  According to Bob Meighan from Huffington Post stated that “most people don’t realize that only 1.1 percent of individual taxpayers receive an audit letter every year“.

So if you are in the unfortunate 1.1% so what should you do?  Talk to the experts. Companies like TaxConnex use their years of experience in  the are of sales tax audit you get all the know-how – From wayfair nexus to managing audits. They effectively act as an intermediary between your company and the audit assisting you long along with way.  Particularly in a stressful situation it can be invaluable to have somebody deal with the queries, pull the paperwork, give further clarity and context especially for independent contractor taxes

It is important to bear in mind that tax should not just be reactive. It is something you need to be considering on an ongoing basis again utilising experts if this is not a skill set you have in house.  It may sound simplistic and that im overly simplifying this but you really do need to maintain a tax calendar with all your key reporting/ filing dates on it.  Also note that it may change over time and with legislative changes to keeping up date is critical.

A couple of tips

• Don’t panic
• Call the experts
• Every letter from the IRS isn’t necessarily an audit
• Submitting an amendment does not necessarily mean you will increase you chances of being audit -if you spot a mistake correct  it
• Most audit are conducted via mail – you might not even meet somebody from the IRS
• A lot of articles in this area suggest businesses which deal a lot in cash, bars, restaurants, etc are more prone to audits to ensure controls around cash and reporting are operating effectively.
• Research suggests that if you sell outside of your own state is increases your likelihood of sales tax audit
• Expect the auditor to use some form of sampling method around your data
• Don’t evading taxes that are legally due
• The auditor is not the enemy that are only doing their job.

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Choosing a hand held shower head is an important decision because your choice of shower can make a huge impact on the style and feel of your bathroom. When choosing which one to get it’s important to consider things like: what style of shower do you want; is it going to be the focal point of the room or will it be more of a decorative feature? What fixtures do you prefer and which ones do you not? All these questions are important when making your choice!

There are currently four main high-pressure hand held shower head styles. These include wall-mount, handheld, rain shower, and three ways. The style that works best for you personally will likely depend on personal preference, bathroom size, and preferred design. Here is a quick breakdown of the four types:

Wall-Mounted: Wall-mounted hand held shower heads are the standard, but they are typically larger than handheld and rain shower heads. They can also be expensive depending on where you purchase them from. They generally require that the outlet in your wall is strong enough to handle the weight. They are great if you want a large shower hose but can be bulky.

Handheld: Handheld shower heads can be small and compact, or very large. They are generally inexpensive, easy to install, and come with their installation manual. Some can even be installed by yourself. However, if you choose a handheld shower head holder that has an extra-long spray, it can be difficult to get it set up if the outlet is not long enough. This can result in having to extend the outlet by at least two feet.

Fixed: Fixed shower heads can be attached to your walls, or you can purchase an add-on attachment. With fixed shower heads, the actual head will rest against your wall. These are the most common, and many people prefer them. However, fixed shower heads are prone to leaking, especially if the spray nozzle is not properly attached. You need to be careful when setting up fixed shower heads since they can be quite heavy.

Combination: A combination shower fixture may not look like a shower fixture at all. These are typically easy to install, and many companies make them with their combination capabilities. These units have the features of both a hand held shower head holder and a standard shower head fixture. They often look like cabinets (on which you can hang a shower curtain), or they may be small and just used as a hand held shower head. The most popular combination units are the two-piece fixtures, which are either one-piece units that come with a built-in handheld shower curtain wand, or two-piece units that come with the wand but include a separate shower rod that attaches to the base.

Nickel Finishes: All of our Hand Held Shower Head brands offer nickel finishes, which give the units a very nice look. These nickel finishes vary from an antique nickel to modern chrome finish options. These are very nice, if somewhat on the expensive side, and the various hand held shower head brands offer different price ranges. If you want a finish that is on the luxurious side, you should check out some of the higher-end options available.

If you are building a new home, we recommend that you check out our complete selection of Hand Held Shower Fixtures. Our professional installation specialists will make sure everything works so that you can enjoy your newly remodeled bathroom. There are multiple styles to choose from, and we even have options for you to customize your Hand Held shower heads! No matter what you are looking for, you can find a top-quality product that fits your needs. Feel free to browse through our entire selection, and contact a professional today.

Note:  This is a collaborative post

Pic Credit: Pixabay

You just had a baby and you are unsure of what to expect based on the baby’s sleep schedule. However, when your baby is only a few weeks old, there won’t be a sleep schedule to go by and your baby will be sleeping from 18 to 20 hours a day completely broken up. That is because they run completely on instinct as they will not have the days and nights together as they would not know since they were in the womb in the darkness for 9 months. And they would be rocked to sleep during the day because of the mother being active and be more active themselves at night as the mother goes and sleeps. They also need to feed every 2 to 3 hours because their stomachs are very small and can only hold in so much at a time. Additionally, they are growing constantly and will be hungry whenever they are ready which is why they will literally feed 2 to 3 hours each day and night. 

And it does not matter what they are wearing when they go to sleep. They could be wearing their sleepers or one of their brand new baby christmas outfit and they will sleep because there is no point in changing them for naps they will take during the day if their clothes are clean. However, in order for you to understand your baby’s sleeping patterns, this newborn sleep guideline will be helpful to you:

First Born To 4 Weeks Old

During this time your newborn will be sleeping most of the time but they break often to be fed and changed. They will sleep from 2 and a half to 4 hours at a time and in between sleep phases they can sleep for 45 minutes to an hour. This is why they are up all the time to be fed and changed and it is important to interact with them as well as they are taking in everything in their environment. 

Next Phase 5 To 8 Weeks

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This is the time when you will notice that there are some slight changes in the baby’s sleeping patterns. The newborns are beginning to see that there is a difference between day and night, and they will be napping from 45 minutes to an hour for 3 to 5 times a day and will be sleeping longer at night. This is the time when you will want to start implementing bedtime routines as well so that they become used to sleeping through the night quicker. They will also not require feedings in the middle of the night so often once they are closer to 8 weeks. 

The Third Phase 9 Weeks To Close To 4 Months

The baby will be awake more during the day and will begin to sleep longer at night which is what the parents have been wanting for so long. They will nap 3 times a day for 45 minutes to an hour an a half. One nap will be in the morning, the next will be in the afternoon, and the next will be in the early evening. And it will be predictable at this time when the baby will wake up. They can sleep from 4 to 8 hours in the night as well but don’t despair that they can regress with their sleeping right around the end of this phase as well which will be temporary. 

The Fourth Phase 4 Months To 8 Months 

This is the time when you are able to set a real schedule for your baby as they have their internal clocks set at this point. They will need a morning and an afternoon nap, and a quick nap from the afternoon to bedtime. The way it can go is from 8 to 8:30 am they go in for their morning nap and they are napping for 2 hours to get up and feed. And in the afternoon they nap starting from noon to 12:30 and wake up 2 hours for a feeding. And then between the afternoon and evening, they can get a 30 minute to 45-minute nap which is known as the buffer nap. 

This way they can nap quickly so they are not too cranky for bedtime which could cause them not to sleep well as the one way to prevent a baby from being overtired is if they nap enough. However, you don’t want them to nap too much which is why they should not nap for longer than 5 hours during the day which has been broken up based on their nap schedules. 

The Last Phase 8 Months To 12 Months

This is the time when infants only need to have 4 hours of napping time in a day which is 2 hours in the morning from 8 to 8:30 as their start time and sleep for 2 hours. And they have another nap in the afternoon which would be around 1 pm and they will wake up at 3 pm and be up until bedtime. You will want to start the bedtime routine a half hour before they go to bed for the night. That means at that time before they get a bath, get those onesies for babies, if that is what they are wearing and then get them bathed so they are drowsy enough to sleep. 

Then after their bath, get them into their pajamas and they will be drowsy enough to sleep. And don’t be surprised as well if there are sleep regressions here and there especially around 9 to 12 months of age due to teething or growth spurts. 

Your baby will sleep as he or she gets older and there will be some rough nights where he or she is sick or has a bad dream and needs your comfort. But just know that there will be more restful nights than not as the baby matures and grows older. It will not last this way forever and that is a promise. 

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It is important to show your child that you care about their education, that you are available to help with their school work and that you are proud of their achievements. The more supported a child feels at home, the better you will find they perform at school. 

To help your child make the most of their time at school, here is some great advice from Banstead Preparatory School

• Get to know your child’s school and try to establish a good relationship with the teachers. This will allow you to keep up to date with current classwork and help you to support your child’s learning at home.
• Develop a love of learning by regularly sharing as a family what you have learnt at school or work. You could even ask your child to play the teacher at home and explain to you what they learnt in class. Repeating what they have learnt will help them to memorise important facts.
  

  Pic Credit: Pixabay

  
  

• Teach your child that learning can happen anywhere, not just in the classroom. For example you can learn a lot from nature, by simply going out in your garden and observing the trees, weather and wildlife.
• Always show encouragement and praise your child’s achievements. This will help to boost their confidence and keep them motivated. Attend school assemblies where your child’s achievements are recognised.
  
• Help your child to practice their organisation and time management skills. This will help to prepare them for homework and exams. Create a study schedule together or set up a special study area at home.Try to incorporate learning into your weekend family activities. This could include visiting a museum or an art gallery where your child can learn interactively.
  

• Try not to put too much pressure on your child. If they feel under pressure to reach certain grades, this can negatively affect their performance and can cause emotional stress. Allow your child to develop at their own pace and give them the freedom to make their own choices.

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Respect is important, both at home and at school. In order for your child to succeed academically and develop important social skills, they must understand how to respect school rules, as well as other people.

To help your child understand why respect is so important and why they should do their best to follow school rules, here is some great advice from Dover College

• The first step towards a respectful child is to ensure they understand what respect means. Do they know the difference between respectful and disrespectful behaviour? It is important to set a good example for your child and demonstrate respectful behaviour, both in public and at home.
  

  Pic Credit: Pixabay

• Explain the importance of having rules at school. Help your child to understand that school rules are created to ensure that students and teachers benefit from a safe and happy learning environment.
• Stress that in the classroom it is important to listen to the teacher. Explain that they should always follow the teacher’s instructions and be kind and helpful to others. 
• School rules often include instructions on how to respect school property and the environment. This means never causing damage to school property and always using rubbish or recycling bins to dispose of waste. It is essential that they have pride in their school environment and want to play a part in keeping it safe and clean.
• Teach your kids to value other people’s ideas and opinions and always treat others as they wish to be treated.
• Finally you should encourage your children to value their own learning and success. They can demonstrate this by being on time to school, working to the best of their ability, completing homework and being polite to their teachers. 

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Children change schools for lots of reasons. Perhaps they have finished their journey at primary school and they’re moving onto secondary. Maybe they were being bullied at their last school and a fresh start is what they need. Sometimes it’s because their parents have to relocate due to work commitments. If you are considering moving your child to a new school, here is some information from pre-prep school in London on how it can affect them.

All children respond to change in different ways and while one child might hate the thought of moving to a new school, another might find it an exciting prospect. Regardless, there are big adjustments to be made at a new school. Firstly, your child will have to adapt to a new teacher and their unique teaching style. There might even be an entirely new curriculum. As a result, your child might fall behind in class and then become disinterested in their learning. It’s important that parents and teachers observe new students carefully and provide extra support if necessary. 

Your child may suffer from anxiety at their new school where they don’t know anyone. They may be upset at having to leave behind their old friends. With this in mind, it’s important to let your child stay in contact with their old friends so that they feel a little more in control. You could also arrange a playdate with the children at the new school so that your son or daughter has a couple of friends to support them when they start.

Make sure you talk to your child in-depth about the change and how they feel about it. Be honest and explain to them why they have to move schools so that they understand. Highlight the positive things about the change and give them the reassurance they need to move forward with confidence. 

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