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Can a Finance Broker Get You a Loan?

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There are many reasons why you may need to take out a loan. Perhaps you need a new car or new appliances for the home? Or maybe you want to improve your home by adding to it? Loans are readily available from a range of lenders. Your first option will probably be your bank, yes? Hold on a minute, because there are better options. This article explains why you may want to talk to a mortgage broker rather than go directly to the bank so let’s get started.

Why Choose a Finance Broker?

What is a finance broker? Let’s say you go to your bank and request a loan. The bank is happy with your request and offers you the branded loan that they deal with. This is your sole option when you go to a bank or other financial institution. The loan may be a decent offer, but what if you could ‘shop around’ for loans as you do with other products?

That’s the main benefit of the finance broker. He or she does not work for a bank or financial institution. A finance broker knows the market inside and out and has relationships with many lenders. They are trusted by the lenders in the industry and have contacts who keep them updated with the latest loan deals.

Put simply, the finance broker is a middle man between the lenders and the customer. They will assess your situation and talk to the lenders who are most appropriate for your individual case. This way you get the best deal. You can learn more by checking out a reputable finance broker.

What Loans are Available?

As the finance broker will be up to speed with the latest finance news they will be able to offer you a choice of deals. However, we strongly recommend you follow their advice should you be looking for the right deal. The finance broker is an authority on the world of loans and financial transactions and will be able to show you the way towards a great deal.

Be aware the there will be a fee for using the broker’s services. This will be either a set fee or a percentage. However, when you compare the repayment amount to that from a bank’s branded equivalent you will see the difference is quite considerable and easily covers the fee and more. It could be said that the finance broker is there to help you, and the bank to make money for itself!

The Best Loan Deal for Me?

The simple fact is that loan interest rates change all the time, and can be pegged to central bank operations. Your finance broker will be aware of the rates at the time you apply and may be able to find a rate that changes with the base rate. This can be beneficial across the years as your loan may be one that lasts a number of years. A mortgage, for example, could take 25 years to repay.

For smaller domestic loans – especially for home improvements – the repayment period will be less, and the monthly payments determined by the length of the loan and in the interest rate. For the layman this can be complicated to get to grips with, but a finance broker can put together a deal and explain it to you in simple terms.

If you are looking for a loan for whatever reason, remember that the car or appliance you buy will be considered security. Talk to a local finance broker now for the best deals around, and you’ll find them more than happy to help.

Economic Trends Post Pandemic

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The world wasn’t ready for a pandemic and some of the strongest businesses in the world were forced into bankruptcies. The economic activity came to a standstill across the globe and while things are slowly returning back to normal experts predict that the world won’t be reaching the pre-pandemic levels anytime before 2024.

There isn’t enough data available as it is the first pandemic in a century and the world economic face is totally different from what it was back in 1918 when the world faced the influenza pandemic. Despite the technological development and a much stable health and economic structure, many countries are still facing new variants and waves of the COVID-19 virus and hence economic decline.

The virus has significantly impacted the employment landscape of the world and has forced humans into a very different kind of working environment.

Here are a few deviations and trends that the world economy faces post-pandemic.

Post-Pandemic Economic Trends

There have been very significant changes in the way the global economy functions, and these are impacting the daily lives of everyone. The best A Level Economics Tuition in Singapore will equip you with the necessary knowledge and techniques that you’ll need to keep up with the fast-changing world in the post-pandemic and will keep you up to speed with the rapidly changing economic landscape. This also helps you gain necessary insights that can help you ace your exam with the best grades.

Some of the top post-pandemic economic trends that you need to be aware of include:

Rising Unemployment

The employment levels have gone down globally, and millions of individuals are no longer in employment because of the complex requirements and lack of IT literacy. Although work is shifting back to physical premises, some companies are sticking to remote work even in high-income economies. This is leading to a sharp decline in the aggregate demand worldwide and shrinkage of the global workforce. In the US alone, out of work people reached a total of 8.9% of the total workforce.

High Disregard for Sustainable/Green Projects

The sharp decline in aggregate demand has affected everyone. Be it the oil-driven economies of the Middle East or the manufacturing factories in Chine, all have faced the problems associated with low demand and most businesses have doubled back to conventional manufacturing/production methods. Experts predict that the 2050 vision of a green globe with no non-renewable usage is no longer achievable.

The adaption of electric vehicles has also seen a decline and so has the deployment of solar panels for electricity generation globally.

Experts predict that this can be changed and tackled easily with incentives that will drive up demand and motivate people to take up more sustainable projects to set the global economy back on track.

Rising Fuel Prices

The fuel prices have gone up significantly and are now as much as 3 times more expensive than before the pandemic hit us. Several factors are causing the upward trajectory of the prices and things like the flooding of coal mines in China, ban on Iranian oil, and reopening of the Asian and European economies are all playing a role in driving up the prices. This is because the demand is growing rapidly as economies reopen and supply can’t just keep up. If past experiences are taken into account, the shortage and rising prices won’t be going away any time soon.

Silicon Chip Shortage

The pandemic forced many businesses into closure but still, the demand for new appliances and devices that use micro conductors has refused to falter as smartphone sales have reached an all-time high. Although silicon is abundant, it might take a year or two before the supply again matches the demand.

Takeaways

The economic landscape is changing rapidly across the globe and learning about it is more important than ever before. The trends will definitely reverse in the near future but the global powers need to work closely to ensure smooth sailing into the uncertain post-pandemic future.

Best Forex Brokers UK in 2021

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Forex is today one of the rapidly developing markets, where not only currency transactions (buying and selling) are carried out, but also trading in metals and other currency equivalents. The profit from such operations is the amount of the difference that is formed between the purchase/sale of currency. Most private traders prefer to use brokers to conduct business, acting as intermediaries.

Broker functions

What tasks does it perform:

  • uses reliable financial instruments of activity;
  • lends funds from an account opened by a trader in the same equivalent;
  • analyzes information provided by leading news agencies.

Each transaction made brings the broker interest. Their activities are controlled by official government means. To check the validity of the license of the company represented by the broker, you can go to the website of the authority that issued the permit.

How to Choose a Reliable Forex Broker?

Let’s list the points that a reliable forex broker must match:

  • Authoritative regulation and licensing.
  • Transparent system for depositing and withdrawing money.
  • Segregation of profits in reliable banks.
  • Availability of innovative systems for obtaining liquidity and processing quotes.
  • Stable conditions for trading.
  • Availability of quality technical and informational support.
  • No emphasis on bonus programs and promotions.

The main thing is to realize where you are investing money. Before starting funds, you should study the broker very carefully and collect as much information as possible about him.

Best UK Forex Brokers

Responsible choice of best forex brokers UK is a significant component of future success because the size of your profit is determined mainly by how favorable the terms of cooperation offered by the intermediary are. In addition, a trustful broker is the guarantor of your stability and financial security. The broker rating will help you to make your choice.

eToro is a relatively new but fast growing brokerage firm with over 5 million traders in 140 countries. Unlike the vast majority of brokers, Etoro strives to engage its clients in the trading process while educating and preparing them for the difficult and stressful environment of foreign exchange trading.

FXPRO is an international broker of the Forex financial market. The company is headquartered in London. In addition, the FXPRO brokerage company has official offices in Monaco, the UAE, Cyprus and other countries. The company’s strengths are the almost complete absence of slippage, competitive spreads, quick withdrawal of funds.

Admiral Markets positions itself as a UK broker headquartered in London. It has been working in the Forex market since 2001, at the moment the company’s turnover is about $ 40 billion per year. The enterprise is quite popular, which is confirmed by numerous positive reviews about this company.

AvaTrade is headquartered in Dublin. The broker offers retail, options, and professional accounts. AvaTrade has branches in 11 countries and has a variety of web, desktop, and mobile trading platforms. It offers Forex and CFD options on multiple asset classes, including cryptocurrencies.

Despite its young age, the British broker Tickmill has become very popular among traders worldwide due to its safety and quality of service. The broker offers services for trading CFD contracts on currency pairs, indices, oil, metals.

Exness is an online broker founded in 2008 in Russia. Since then, it has cdeveloped into a large company. This is not surprising since the firm is one of the few online forex brokers that perform their work as transparently as possible.

Saxo Bank is one of the financial organizations specialized in providing Forex broker services. It also allows clients to trade on the CFD, ETF, and stock options market. The company enables private and corporate users to trade on specially designed accounts and master the unique functionality of the platform

MT4 Signals – Useful Tips for Choosing a Free Provider

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Now there are many offers on the market with free Forex trading signals. Can you make money with them? What should you pay attention to when choosing?

Free forex signals can be found in large numbers on the Internet. A novice trader or investor who has come to the foreign exchange market and wants to make money by spending a minimum of time is promised ready-made deals from professionals that will only need to be displayed on their account. Free online forex trading signals are not that free. It can be beneficial to the client, as well as to the one who gives them. 

How it works?

  • Free Forex signals are often offered by brokerage companies when opening a trading account with them. Yes, the client does not pay for signals. But he trades them on his account, pays the broker a commission for each transaction. This is a smart “win-win” strategy: the client is motivated to increase turnover and pay a commission to the broker, the trader himself makes money on this, without wasting time on market analysis and mistakes.
  • Free forex signals can be conditional. The client does not pay for them in advance but gives the person who generates these entry points a percentage of the profit earned from the signals. This is also mutually beneficial cooperation. The client pays only for the result, and the one who gives the signals is interested in the trading algorithm being profitable.
  • The third option for free signals is a temporary test period in order to make sure they are profitable. Then you will have to pay for the service.
  • Another explanation for why signals can be free is a marketing ploy. Forex trading signals for free is just one of the services, thus attracting a client, they intend to sell him something else.

How to find a provider

A comprehensive search for signal providers is carried out through specialized platforms. Options for trading through MT4 are available. Subscribers and those who are just about to become them have full access to detailed statistics of signal providers’ trading. All information about MT4 Signals is displayed in a convenient visual form, allowing you to flexibly evaluate trading parameters – profit factor (profitability factor), total profitability, maximum drawdown, etc.

A subscriber can receive trading signals from multiple providers. At any time, you can change the parameters for copying signals, disconnect the current provider or connect a new one. A fairly convenient feature is the free connection of Push-notifications about trade transactions to your mobile phone.

Best Free Forex Trading Signals

The best MT4 signals for free, in our opinion, are those where the payment goes for the result as a percentage of the profit. This motivates the trader who gives them to take care of the profitability and that the client applies everything correctly and earns.

Free online forex trading signals from many large brokers are also good, especially if they are provided by experienced traders. You can receive signals online in the messenger, in your personal account, in a special application that is installed on your smartphone.

WYSIWYG HTML editor – 3 advantages

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WYSIWYG HTML Editors are practical tools that allow you to quickly create and edit code. WYSIWYG stands for What You See Is What You Get, meaning code writing and the result happen simultaneously in real-time. It is particularly useful for project teams – here is why.

See the history in WYSIWYG Editor

Some WYSIWYG HTML Editor allows you to save any changes you make to a document. The history of changes is shown as successive versions, which can be given any name. However, changes are also recorded without additional interference and can be accessed at any time with the date and time of a particular edit. The history of changes is saved for all persons editing a given document in order to facilitate the tracking of amendments and code additions.

The best solution for teams – collaborative editing

Documents created with the code editor are stored in the cloud, allowing access for many people at one time. Therefore, it is a perfect way to organize work in a team, especially in the era of remote working. A collaborative real-time editor allows all authorized users to read and edit the document. They can also observe changes made by other users in real-time. The editor also allows users to add comments and discuss changes. Users can be added to different models of authorizations, which give them the ability to edit the text or only to add comments or read the document. Users can see the results of their work thanks to split screen preview.

Best HTML editor gives you many possibilities and flexible programming

The program is a rich text editor, which gives the possibility not only to create HTML pages, but also allows you to conveniently add external media. So you can put in a document photos from disk or videos from YouTube, which will be responsive. The editor also works with other formats – it allows you to conveniently copy content from other editors and format it for different extensions. The finished file can be downloaded in any document format, such as doc or PDF. It also allows creating an HTML page.

Automation and pleasure of working in WYSIWYG Editor

The editor has built-in automatic text formatting, including a WYSIWYG HTML Editor. It allows you to keep an eye on the output from the code you are writing and speeds up the pace of your work. In addition, it allows you to edit other programming languages and access a number of plugins to make your work easier. Moreover, the user interface is very friendly – operation is intuitive and simple. The editor has many features that not only make work easier but also more enjoyable – these include customized user avatars and a clean design which makes it a beautiful JavaScript Web Editor. There is also API documentation available for users. Therefore, it will work well for both small projects and large corporate processes.

A qualified victory for trader against regulator

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Financial regulators around the world will be approaching the fourth quarter in a vigilant mode. Over the summer, the credibility and impartiality of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) came into question in a judgement following a prolonged legal fight. The judgement went substantially against the regulator and provided a moral victory for a day trader whose company, Select Vantage Inc (SVI), had already seen ASIC’s investigation into them dropped. Daniel Schlaepfer, SVI’s CEO, had been suing ASIC since 2016 for defamation following comments their Head of Market Supervision made to brokers in 2014 implicating SVI in potential market manipulation.

Schlaepfer commented on the judgement that: “We are glad that this lengthy process has come to a conclusion. Suing powerful regulators for inappropriate conduct is not an endeavor one enters into lightly. We felt forced to do so in light of what we perceived to be unfair behavior by ASIC.” The judgment found that while ASIC was not without cause in the communications it made that they had nevertheless defamed Mr. Schlaepfer – in essence ASIC officials were found to have played the man and not the ball. The victory is partial because the judge allowed that ASIC was permitted under qualified privilege to raise suspicions about market manipulation, even though their suspicions proved to be unfounded.

The regulator had suspected SVI traders might have been engaged in illegal ‘layering’ activity, which involves placing orders for a stock which the trader never intends to fulfil, creating interest in the market by suggesting there is demand present. The fake orders quickly disappear but can have an impact on the price which the trader can make a profit on if they act in seconds.

The context is that in 2010, a firm called Swift Trade for which Schlaepfer worked was accused of layering, fined $100,000 and its founder Peter Beck eventually barred from trading. Schlaepfer bought the company’s assets to set up Select Vantage with the aim of professionalizing the business by implementing rigorous compliance systems.

Schlaepfer’s firm quickly grew to engage over 2,000 traders in 264 offices in 39 countries around the world, including Australia. So when he learnt that the Australian regulator had implicated to brokers without evidence that SVI was itself engaged in layering, it struck a nerve. Schlaepfer chose to sue the regulator in 2016 and refused to settle, eventually taking ASIC to court in Sydney in 2019.  A three-week trial was unsuccessful, with the judge stating that the regulator was merely responding under its market integrity rules when it communicated its concerns about SVI to major stockbrokers, despite never having informed Schlaepfer about their concerns, let alone their communications about them.

Core to Schlaepfer’s case was that his firm should have been informed about the regulator’s concerns and provided with the opportunity to respond, in this case to explain any trading patterns which ASIC might have thought suspicious. However, the regulator did not contact SVI about any specifically suspicious activity before it called around the market to voice its concerns. As such Schlaepfer claimed their communications to brokers amounted to no more than damaging unsubstantiated hearsay – or in other words, defamation.

The ruling was appealed on this basis, with Schlaepfer’s lawyers arguing that the judge had “worked a miscarriage of justice and produced a mistrial.” The decision to appeal was vindicated. The judge found that the fact that ASIC’s communications “were made without any opportunity for Mr. Schlaepfer to respond was fatal to the element of reasonableness required to be established in order to make out the statutory defence.”

The conclusion to the appeal judgment was even more emphatic, stating that Schlaepfer had been found “successful on most issues including the defence of truth, which occupied a substantial portion of the proceedings. That success has achieved what was said to be an important outcome of the appeal, namely, the vindication of Mr. Schlaepfer’s reputation. Although ASIC has succeeded in establishing the defence of qualified privilege at common law, that is a defence of confession and avoidance. To put the matter another way, Mr. Schlaepfer has established in the appeal that he was defamed, but defensibly so.” The regulator was also ordered to pay two-thirds of its costs arising from the proceedings.  

A central issue raised by this case is the need for greater and more frequent communication between regulators and market participants. This is especially important as financial technology continues to develop at a rapid pace, creating more areas where misunderstandings may arise concerning what constitutes legitimate practice, particularly in the sphere of trading. Unless a culture of deeper communication is cultivated, we will see more cases in which regulators feel bound to express opinions on financial technologies and trading practices they do not fully understand.

Why Should Business Professionals Overcome The Fear Of Public Speaking?

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Public speaking is a typical fear among people. The nerve-racking idea of standing in front of a crowd or even just to a small group could make even the toughest man tremble in fright.

However, several experts have encouraged business professionals to leave their comfort zone and appear on camera to talk directly with their audience. If you’re someone suffering from social anxiety, you should consult with a medical expert who will give you more info about this condition.

On another note, why should anyone attempt to be good at public speaking? For this article, we’ve compiled the top three benefits of speaking with the public:

It builds confidence

By engaging in public speaking, business owners could build their confidence that could be helpful in every aspect of their lives, mainly in the workplace. 

Pursuing a career in the business industry involves a lot of risks. If you’ve built confidence about yourself and the skills you have, it’s unlikely that you would come across hesitation in standing in the limelight. In fact, you would see it as an excellent opportunity to showcase how valuable your products or services are.

More importantly, having confidence makes you a better presenter and communicator, making it easy for you to handle conflicts. As a result, you close more deals with investors and justify your prices by being adept at explaining your business model to other entrepreneurs and addressing the concerns of trade show attendees.

Enhances critical thinking

If you’re looking for a method to improve your critical thinking abilities, then we highly recommend stepping up on the podium. As a public speaker, you are challenged to create practical solutions to various problems in keeping your audience engaged with the discussion.

Hence, you would be motivated to create compelling presentations based on the public’s perceptions. Additionally, critical thinking will dictate you to be a better researcher and come up with outstanding analysis on the information you’ve gained from reading books and watching the news.

Overall, you’ll pave the way to an exciting dialogue that takes a creative yet logical angle. Maybe, you could even uncover new potential issues that you can tackle in your next talk while retaining a great sales tactic.

Establishes expertise

As a business owner, you must establish your authority in the industry. This is because authority is usually related to turning yourself into an expert.

When you have the expertise, people are keener on listening to what you have to say about a particular subject so long as you get to address their pain points or pique their interest by making them think of questions. As soon as you successfully learned leadership skills, you would get to share these concepts with your own employees.

Moreover, this action prompts you to make the necessary changes in the workplace and align your product or service to what your customer currently needs, which will expand your customer base in no time.

So don’t be afraid to present yourself to the crowd. People don’t trust those who hide behind cameras. Still, if you take the time to communicate directly with them, you’d be able to understand how to bring the best to the table while also becoming a trusted entrepreneur.

Innovative nature inspired hybrid piano launched

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Created by Goldfinch by Edelweiss, the “Le Silex” amazing creation combines the high level functionality you would expect from the well respected brand, with beauty and creativity from the high level in-house design team at the Piano house.

Mark Norman, Design Director for Edelweiss, is known for creating show stopping acoustic piano designs that defy not just the appearance of the traditional piano but rival the greatest piano makers on sound and functionality.

Edelweiss hand build their acoustic, self-play pianos in a Cambridgeshire workshop, making them one of the only remaining piano makers in the UK. As well as making the worlds smallest grand piano the team take special commissions from around the globe one of which is Le Silex.

‘The design of Le Silex came about whilst on a countryside hike’ explains Mark Norman, the creative brains behind Goldfinch. ‘I stumbled over a piece of flint and marvelled at how one side was exposed and exceptionally shiny while the surrounding exterior was rough and grey. It looked beautiful and I considered if this could be translated into a piano sculpture’.

The design itself sat nestled in the exclusive Goldfinch design vault until a suitable setting arose. 

‘The clients home overlooked the most amazing and rugged landscape. The first thing I thought of was the Silex concept.’

The vision for the piano was supported by Gareth Knowles, a sculptor who worked with the team to achieve the overall shape and form of the piano. 

The project did not come without its technical hurdles. The client requested a hybrid system, mixing both the acoustic piano, self-play and electronic keyboard. All seamlessly hidden in the sculpture itself.

It also defies gravity with the absence of a prop stick making the lid soft closing and adaptable. A bespoke design was engineered for the hinges, holding the lid in place. The intricate design detail and specialist finish meant the Silex took more than a year to complete and over 5,000 hours!

Goldfinch pianos are a rarity, with only a limited amount design and produced each year. The bespoke designs are usually created in specialist finishes and materials including marble and liquid metal.Edelweiss Pianos Collection Range offer creative design possibilities at affordable prices for the modern home. The range include a grad piano, upright and worlds smallest baby grand designed to fit in smaller spaces. In addition, the team have also engineered a specialist yacht specification piano suitable for all climates.

For more information on our range and the design capabilities in our studio visit our website at edelweisspianos.com.

Should You Start a Remote Business?

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There are many reasons to start a remote business. Many bricks-and-mortar businesses with an office have gone remote and stayed remote since Covid-19 hit our shores. While the pandemic forced many companies to adopt remote working operations, many have found that it is more productive and profitable thanks to reduced overheads. While remote work remains a necessity in some areas of the world, in the UK, it is now an option. An option that many are embracing.

Thanks to tools and platforms such as WordPress, Shopify and Zoom, there has never been a better time to start a remote business. The technology is in place, the questions around productivity have been answered. With lower overheads, remote companies mitigate the startup costs that have put many would-be entrepreneurs off the idea of founding their own business.

This article will look at the challenges of running a business remotely and how to prepare for the market.

Please note that this article is for entertainment only and does not constitute business or financial advice.

Advantages of Starting a Remote Business

There are many advantages to starting a remote business; these include:

– Lower startup costs

– Lower overheads

– Scalability

– Productivity

– Reduced carbon footprint

– Flexibility

– More control over the work environment

– Save time on commuting

There are, of course, several disadvantages too. Team communication and company culture can be challenging. Without an office, personal communication can become less ad hoc and therefore less natural. In person, conversations make it much easier to interpret body language and tone, which can help to avoid misunderstandings.

Remote Working Tips

In this Ted Talk YouTube video, Matt Mullenweg, co-founder of WordPress, outlines some of his best tips for starting and running a remote business.

– Document everything

It is easy to make decisions and understand “the why?” behind them when everyone is working together in the same room. If anyone is not present in a conversation, they may see decisions being made without them and not understand the thinking behind it. Document where you were, what you were thinking and how you came to each decision. This documentation will allow others to pick up from where you left off.

It is also important to document processes and onboarding procedures so that new hires know exactly how everything is done.

– Catch up in Person

With clients and colleagues, it can be important to have some face to face time. Meeting in person can help to make sure that everyone is aligned and understands what is going on. It can also help to facilitate a deeper connection, allowing future collaboration to work with greater fluidity.

Communication

One of the potential issues and stumbling blocks with remote businesses relates to communication.

From the offset, make sure that you have all the correct tools in place. A video conferencing and chat program such as Microsoft Teams is essential, as is a project management tool such as Trello.

To enable collaboration, you will also want to invest in a tool such as Google Drive to ensure that all employees have access to live documents and spreadsheets.

Tools of the Trade

Technology has made remote work not only feasible but, in many instances, more productive and profitable than office-based work.

Communication tools such as Zoom and Teams are fundamental and necessary to allow efficient communication if you work directly with freelancers, employees and/or clients.

Mobile and desktop applications can be beneficial when it comes to running a remote business. Virtual receptionists, also known as telephone answering apps such as Moneypenny, can help you give the appearance and the level of customer service that comes with having an in house receptionist, even if you are working from your shed.

Project management tools such as Trello or Asana are also extremely helpful for organising workflows and projects. Even if you work alone, it can help these tools can help you manage your different clients’ work and keep everything structured.

A good screen recording tool is also very helpful whilst working remotely. The adage states that “a picture speaks a thousand words”, so a video must speak at least ten thousand. A video tutorial is the most efficient way to explain or show colleagues or clients who to do something on your computer. Fluid is a screen recorder that enables multiple people to collaborate on one video. Fluid is great for training videos, onboarding training, video presentations and demonstrations.

If you are a solopreneur, chances are you will have to fulfil many roles of the business during a typical working day. When it comes to graphic design, there are many great tools for those who are not savvy with Photoshop or Illustrator. Canva and Venngage are great tools for creating video thumbnails, infographics and social media graphics.

You should also consider investing in some additional security software. NordVPN allows you to create more secure connections to the internet. NordVPN can be installed and set up quickly and works on all devices and browsers.

Before You Start

Before you invest any money into your business idea, do some preparation.

– Create a business plan

– Identify your target market

– Identify gaps in the market

– Analyse your competitors

– Evaluate the size of the market

You can use a tool such as UberSuggest to examine the online competition. Start by making a list of your competitor’s websites and write down any “search terms” that potential customers would use to find your business. For example, if you are a digital marketing freelancer, you might want to appear in the Google results for terms such as “digital marketing freelancer”, “hire digital marketing executive”, and “SEO consultant”.

Enter your search terms into UberSuggest, or another tool such as SEMRush and look at the search volume and the competitiveness. These tools will help you assess the size of the online market and the cost of using Google Ads for relevant search terms.

Think too about the operational flow of the business. How will products and services be delivered?

If, for example, you are starting an eCommerce business, what software will you use to create your shop, which hosting provider and will you stock or dropship products?

As well as delivering products and services, you will have to consider how you will deliver your marketing messages to your target audience.

First, identify your target audience – their age, gender, income, hobbies and pain points. Once you know exactly who you are targeting, find out where they hang out online. For example, if you target small business owners, join small business groups on Facebook and Reddit. Take time to read some of the popular posts and get to know your customers.

By understanding your target market, you can create relevant and helpful blog, video and social media content and target them via the correct websites and channels. Content marketing and sharing useful, helpful content that will resonate with your target market is a great way to build your brand online. Unfortunately, content marketing takes a lot of time, effort, research and skill to put together. You can, however, hire freelancers for a relatively affordable fee on websites such as UpWork and PeoplePerHour. For example, if you need a video editor or graphic designer.

Using Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and if you are in the business to business sector – Linkedin Ads – can be a direct and fast way to drive sales and leads. Before you commit to spending any money, however, it is definitely worth watching or reading some recent step by step tutorials on how to optimise the campaigns. Unfortunately, it can be very easy to spend lots of money inefficiently, and it’s easy to spend thousands without anything to show for it if you are not up to date on the best practices.

Conclusion

Running your own business is never easy. However, the legitimisation of remote work has made it more affordable than ever. Whether you start the business as a side hustle or a full-time venture, you can streamline your workflow by using the right technology and outsourcing. Get to know the wants, needs and issues of your target market and create a product or service that makes life easier for them. A combination of content marketing and paid advertising gives any business a good chance of reaching and engaging with potential customers online.

Dave Antrobus has 10 Tips for First-Time Chief Technology Officers

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Here’s how you can thrive in your new role.

One of the biggest career moves a web developer like Dave Antrobus can make is the jump to becoming a chief technology officer (CTO). Although only the most successful developers typically make this move, the amount of development work CTOs get to do is minimal. With a host of new management responsibilities to contend with, becoming a CTO can feel like a very different job – especially when it comes to fostering a technological approach that complements the company’s business strategy, developing project management capability, and perfecting your leadership skills. This can be especially demanding for new CTOs who haven’t come from a business or management background.

That’s why Dave Antrobus, CTO of the award-winning business group Inc & Co and the capital investment agency Fresh Thinking Group, has shared 10 strategies to help first-time CTOs succeed in their roles.

1.    Get to Know Your Responsibilities as a CTO

Every company has different requirements for its CTO, meaning that no two CTOs do the same job. Therefore, it’s important that you know exactly what’s expected of you. Discuss the details and requirements of your role with the board and then confirm these in your own words. Make sure you get these details in writing, too. Dave Antrobus notes that it can be helpful to join the board in a meeting to discuss your progress after a certain timeframe (perhaps three months). This way, you can keep management up to date with your progress, raise any difficulties, and receive feedback.

2.    Tell the Board if You Have Too Many Responsibilities

As a CTO, you can expect many questions and queries to come your way. You’ll need to advise on and complete a high volume of tasks, and you’ll need to manage these responsibilities carefully. If you do find yourself unable to complete everything on the job list, let the board know straight away. You might be able to postpone some tasks. Where this could be possible, prepare a timeline with proposed deadlines and suggest your alternative solution to the board.

On the other hand, the board might help you balance your workload by giving you the go-ahead to hire more people. If budget allows, it may be possible to hire a direct assistant or additional staff who complement your skillset. For example, a human resources expert can be an invaluable hire for a CTO who has too many management duties. Meanwhile, a financial expert can be a great hire for a CTO who spends a lot of time checking and approving salaries. You may be able to hire an external candidate or promote someone internally.

Alternatively, if you’re lacking developers, you could build an in-house team, contract freelancers, or hire a software house. There are all sorts of ways to fill this need.

3.    Work Out How to Prioritise Your To-Do List

As tasks build up, you’ll also need to learn how to prioritise your to-do list. It should get easier to work out what’s most important and what can wait over time. However, as a starting point, avoid burying yourself in one non-urgent, time-consuming task when you have a long to-do list of pressing matters to contend with.

Dave Antrobus also recommends delegating tasks to make your life easier. You need to know everything about the company’s services, technologies, and tools. This means you don’t have time to micromanage others. While you’re working on the big picture, you can trust developers to work on coding tasks.

4.    Speak Up When You Know Something Won’t Work

As a CTO, if you know something won’t work, it’s important to say so. Members of the board will likely be strong characters. So, if you don’t speak up, they’ll make decisions without your input. This can leave you managing tasks and leading projects against your better judgement. Carrying out some research can make it much easier to hold your ground here. If you can support your point of view with evidence and facts, you’re more likely to get people on board with your perspective and respond effectively to counterarguments.

If you’re worried about causing conflict by speaking up, it can be a good idea to suggest that decision makers sleep on the matter. Postponing the meeting can give everyone time to think the problem through and brainstorm potential solutions.

5.    Allow Yourself Time to Think

Though the role of the CTO can vary hugely, the position is always about strategy. This means you need time to plan. Don’t let others book your calendar out every day. You need time to react to real-time project changes and plan according to emergencies.

On top of this, keeping up to date with advances in technology takes time, and no one can do this research for you. Don’t underestimate the importance of making time for this research. A lack of technical knowledge can lead to many negative implications, including technical debt. And no CTO wants to tell their developers to rewrite a whole system because they didn’t do enough research beforehand.

6.    Draw Up – and Approve – a Financial Vision for the Company

With some research, you can draw up a financial vision for the company and plan the steps to get there. Be prepared to invest time into this process; it can take several years to reach a vision, especially when that vision involves accelerating technologies, gaining competitive advantage, consistently evolving methodologies, and adapting to meet market requirements. That’s not to say you can’t celebrate milestones along the way though.

Once you’ve envisaged the company’s future and mapped steps towards this, you’ll need to present your strategies to the board. Make sure your plan offers a solid route towards increased profits and a strong reputation for advanced technology. Your vision should also suit the company’s business strategy.

7.    Leave Coding to the Developers

As a CTO, programming likely formed the core of your role for many years. But once your development skills get you to the top, it’s time to let go of coding. Many CTOs find this difficult, but the sooner you leave the programming to the developers, the sooner you can start growing the business.

If you don’t leave the coding to the developers, you’ll put them in a difficult position. For example, if you provide them with code that includes an error or is inconsistent, they’re unlikely to feel comfortable correcting your mistake. Developers also won’t appreciate micro-managing. Dave Antrobus suggests that if you want to get involved in your developers’ code it can be a good idea to arrange consultations or progress checks with them. Meanwhile, you can spend the time you gain researching the company’s next technological developments.

8.    Uphold Company-Wide Communications

Communication is key to your role as a CTO, and it’s up to you to let everyone in the company know what’s going on with technology projects (not just the developers). The company’s sales team, marketers, and graphic designers all need to know about technical updates so they don’t give the wrong information to clients and leads or make errors in marketing materials. Your updates should explain what the technology projects are and how, why, when, and where they will take place.

You can ensure effective communication by:

  • Hosting regular project presentations with Q&A sessions. Developers can share their progress in these sessions.
  • Providing technical training for the company’s non-technical teams.
  • Arranging for commercial departments like sales and marketing to feed back to the developers. These departments can explain how they need to promote the company and what this means for the project at large.
  • Maintaining a project database with all the relevant information that anyone in the company can access.

Note: remember that while upholding communication is important, you can expect to handle confidential information at times, too.

9.    Take Care of Yourself – Your Mood Affects Others

Once you’re a CTO, you can expect your mood to impact more people than when you were a developer. As a leader, you become a public figure in the office. Many people will take note of how you handle pressure, watch your reactions (verbal and non-verbal), and adjust their behaviour accordingly. For example, employees can read a simple question like ‘will you meet the deadline?’ in different ways. This question could come across as ‘I like the idea, but do you have time?’ or ‘There’s no way we’ll make the deadline if you run with this idea’. Your body language and tone of voice can undermine someone’s confidence or make their day without you even realising.

As the CTO’s mood can dictate the office atmosphere, it’s vital that you take care of yourself. Dave Antrobus explains that if you’re unhappy in your role, your unhappiness will translate to others, who will feel your discouragement. So, delegate the tasks that you can’t do to someone who is enthusiastic about taking on more responsibility. And take note of the things that make you feel your best. When you take care of yourself, you can take care of the company.

10.  Complete a Management Course

If you don’t come from a management background, you might struggle with soft business skills as a first-time CTO. If so, you could hire a consultant to provide management training for you and anyone else who would benefit. While some training may take a few days, you might find a longer-term mentor particularly beneficial. Either way, investing in management training can spotlight areas for improvement and help you effectively manage your team much faster than you could if you were figuring out your leadership strategy alone.

Strong management skills are essential to your role as a CTO. Think back to the CTOs you worked for when you were a developer. When did they help you grow as a developer? Did they ever neglect to help you? Now, you’re responsible for supporting developers. They’ll look up to you for guidance, so, if you need help, make sure you access it.

Succeeding in Your New Role as a CTO

Making the shift from developer to CTO isn’t easy, but it should be rewarding. Hopefully, Dave Antrobus’ strategies will help you enrich your technological expertise with business awareness. When you can cultivate a healthy environment for you, your developers, and the wider company, you’ll reap the rewards in the long run.

About Dave Antrobus

As the CTO of Inc & Co and Fresh Thinking Group, Dave Antrobus drives these business groups’ financial planning and mentors several teams of web developers. His consultancy-driven approach helps these IT teams consistently build their skills so they can conceptualise and develop advanced technology solutions. Dave Antrobus adopts Agile and Scrum methodologies to help both Fresh Thinking Group and Inc & Co achieve optimised client outcomes, streamline operations, uphold open communication, and ensure efficiency.

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