Practical Ways to Make your Business Greener

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Do you want to make your business greener? Maybe you feel as though your practices are harming the environment and you want to put an end to this. Either way, there are many ways you can turn things around. Take a look below to find out more.

 

Conserve Water

 

One way to support the environment would be for you to try and conserve water where possible. It may be that you try and fix your leaking faucets and that you also make changes to your business processes, so you can reduce your water usage.  Remember, there are eco-friendly water systems out there that you can use if you want to avoid wastage.

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Use Green Cleaning Products

 

The chemicals in a lot of cleaning products have very harmful implications for the environment, as well as your health. Switch to non-toxic products if you can, as this will help you to protect your skin from harmful ingredients. It will also stop your team from breathing in toxic fumes. If you want to help your company here then one thing you can do is hire a green cleaning service.

 

Use Solar Energy

 

If you have a lot of land around your business, then why not get some solar panels installed? If you want, you can even sell any energy you don’t use. If you want to go into the solar business on a bigger scale, then one thing you can do is explore community solar customer acquisition, so you can make money from solar panels while helping the environment.

 

Ride a Bike to Work

 

Riding a bike to work comes with a lot of benefits. You may find that you can take advantage of improved cognitive function as well as better vascular health. If you have a very long commute then you can try and create a carpool with other people who are going to the same place. You can also take the time to reward team members who are doing their bit by carpooling, by giving them incentives based on how often they carpool.

 

Plant Trees and Shrubs

 

Shrubs and trees are a huge part of the ecosystem. They act as filters for pollution as well. The great thing about shrubs and trees is that they make your company appear way nicer from a visual perspective and the upkeep of them isn’t too much either. They produce oxygen and they also improve the air quality all around you as well. Shade from trees may also cool down your office if you are having a problem with powerful sunlight so make sure that you keep this in mind.

 

Recycle

Creating some bins for recycling is a very good way for you to make your company as green as possible. When you have clear bins that can be used for plastic, cardboard, paper and more, you will soon find that your staff get into the habit of using them and this is great, to say the least. People are often more than happy to do their bit for the environment, if they have the means to do so.

 

You Are What You Eat: What That Really Means

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What kind of diet do you follow? Maybe you’re not too fussed about what you eat, and just go with the flow regarding the ingredients in your fridge? Or maybe you like to be more strict with your intake, and take care of the things you prepare for your meals?

 

 

Either way, that common saying probably plays in the back of your head: you are what you eat! But what does that really mean, and what does that really make you? Well, it depends how much you subscribe to the theory in the first place! Here are a few details you need to know about.

 

 

 

Pexels Image – CC0 Licence

 

 

It Could Mean You’re Not Doing What Your Body Needs

 

 

Your body is going to let you know when it’s unhappy. And when you’re not eating quite right, you’re going to be what you eat in the way you react to what you consume. For example, if you’ve got a chronic illness – you could be eating things that lead to flare ups of your symptoms, or make it harder for your medication to work.

 

 

Similarly, if you’ve got intolerances or if you eat a lot of junk food and not much else, a lack of variety in your food groups can lead to further health issues. Being careful about what you consume only takes you so far; refining your diet in a much stricter manner might benefit you much more in the long run.

 

 

It Can Mean You’re Low on Nutrients

 

 

No matter what diet you consume, you could be low on certain nutrients. Of course, one of the benefits of a carnivore diet is that you’ll take in a lot of protein, but you can lose out on the right amount of the other vitamins and minerals you need. And that’s just one type of diet we’re talking about here – they’ve all got their problems.

 

 

Think about this when you open your fridge or go through the food cupboard – what’s missing? A few veggies? A bit of healthy fat? Because if you’re not eating these on a regular basis, you might notice a few side effects on your health in both the short and long term.

 

 

But Ultimately, it’s Different for Everyone

 

 

Yes, you are what you eat means a different thing for everyone. Your body works differently to every other person’s, and there’s no telling just how different until a doctor takes a look for themselves!

 

 

And even then, your metabolic rate, your need for hydration and nutrients, and the level of energy you get from your meals are going to be hard to understand. The way we break down foods is very complicated, and trying to work out the calories you’ll gain from the way you diet is never straight cut.

 

 

If you are what you eat, make sure you understand what that means personally for you. The more you look into your diet and how it affects you, the easier it’ll be to feel well in yourself.

AMAZON PRIME DAYS – JULY 11-12 – PLAYFINITY

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Playfinity is participating in Amazon Prime Days (July 11-12) with their amazing products Gaming Baseball, JumpGames and SmartBall all discounted at 30% off! Super Summer Fun – Getting Kids Outside – Up and Moving!

 

GAMING BASEBALL:

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JUMPGAMES:

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SMARTBALL:

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John Wick Chapter 4

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We got John Wick Chapter 4 free on exchange for an honest post al opinions are our own.

We are huge John Wick fans and could not wait to see John Wick 4.  I am so happy to say that we were not disappointed.  We have a few sad deaths and a few of the old people come back.  I love that in every one of the John Wick’s you never know how you are going to be able to trust and who you can not.  The action and suspense was amazing. I am sad that it came to a conclusion , but it could not have been a more action packed fun film to watch .  As always Keanu Reeves is amazing and so much fun to watch.  if you are a John Wick fan make sure to add this to your collection.

 

 

With the price on his head ever increasing, legendary hit man John Wick takes his fight against the High Table global as he seeks out the most powerful players in the underworld, from New York to Paris to Japan to Berlin

4 Easy Tips For Improving Customer Service

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Customer service is all about making sure your customer is happy before a purchase, during a purchase, and after a purchase. From the moment they discover your business until they have received their product or service. Making this experience more pleasant than your competitors can be difficult, but it’s important that you’re going the extra mile to make sure your customers are happy. Smaller businesses often have to try harder than bigger businesses, but it will make a significant impact on your sales and reputation.

 

Make payment easy

 

When you’re trying to make things more enjoyable for your customer, you shouldn’t just be thinking about the product or service that you’re selling or the way your employees act in front of customers. You should also consider anything else that could make an impact on their buyer’s journey. Was it easy for them to find the product or service? When they found it, were they able to pay for it conveniently? For example, it might be a good idea to accept payments using a credit card on file or to start accepting other payment options. Your customers may have different preferences, so it’s a good idea to be flexible when it comes to accepting payment methods.

 

Take customer feedback

 

As a small business, it can take time to adapt to what your audience wants and needs, but there are ways to make it faster. Listening to what your customers want, and the complaints and criticisms they have about your business is a good way to learn what you’re doing wrong, what they might be getting from your competitors, and what could help your business. Of course, you can’t listen to every complaint and make a change, but taking feedback and making changes based on common issues is a step in the right direction.

 

Learn how to deal with difficult customers

 

There are going to be times, that you’re going to need to deal with customers who can be difficult. Some customers who you interact with may be in a bad mood, they may be unhappy with the product or service, and they might not be as cooperative or pleasant as the rest of your customers. In times like these, it’s important that you and your employees are prepared and professional. Understanding how to de-escalate these confrontations, and handle them in the most efficient way possible can help to improve the reputation of your business among other members of your audience.

 

Communicate with customers

 

It’s important to your customers that you’re communicating with them clearly. If they have questions about your products or services, you need to be ready to answer. If they’ve got a problem with what they received from their purchase, it’s important that someone is ready to respond to them. Being ready to communicate and respond to criticism can help your customers to feel safer with their purchases, and you’re a lot more trustworthy if you show that you’re going to be ready to fix any mistakes you make.

How To Create A Safe Online Experience For Your Customers

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Finally, when itAs a business, it’s your responsibility to ensure the safety of your customers online. While you can’t protect them fully, especially if they’re vulnerable to falling victim to online scams, you can still do as much as possible.

 

The more you protect them, the more opportunities they’ll have for a great online experience with your business. The one time that they experience a problem through cyber crimes when shopping via your site, is the one time it takes for them to walk away from your business for good.

 

There are many ways to help create that safe online experience. With that being said, here are some top tips to help your customers enjoy a safe shopping experience with your business via the Internet.

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Provide plenty of options for communication

First and foremost, make sure your communications are top-notch for all customers both old and new. Whether that’s a live chat service to help customers in real-time to email and social media direct messaging, there’s plenty to choose from.

 

The more communication channels you offer as a business, the better experience your customers will have as a result. If they, therefore, run into any problems at whatever time of day, there should always be communication available for them to interact with.

 

Chatbots are also worthwhile if you’ve got a sizeable knowledge base available. As a business, you should be actively building your knowledge base so your customer agents are spending less time answering the same queries over and over again.

Use the right software for merchant accounts

When customers are making a purchase online, they’re likely to be cautious about making a payment on a site they’ve never used before. Even if it looks legitimate to them, there will likely be some hesitancy, which is where your business comes in.

 

Offering a secure and trustworthy payment process is important, especially for new customers to the business itself. A platform like Humbolt provides high-risk merchant accounts to those that are wanting to create the safest and most secure online experience for customers. 

 

There will also be businesses that operate in a more risky industry, which is why a high-risk merchant account may be needed.

Enable multi-factor authentication

Multi-factor authentication is one of those features that is greatly appreciated in the security domain. If you’re new to multi-factor authentication, it’s often offered to those platforms where you want that extra layer of security like online banking for example.

 

By enabling a multi-factor authentication feature, you’ll be able to give your customers the opportunity to add that extra layer of security that might be needed. Think about introducing it on your site for those who might want to implement it on their account. It shows you’re going above and beyond to help keep customer accounts as secure as possible.

Educate your customers about security and safety online

As a business, it’s important to educate your customers when it comes to security and safety online. Not every customer is going to have the same proficiency when it comes to online security and protecting themselves.

 

By providing them with educational content, resources, and general guidance on staying safe online, they’re more likely to have a positive experience with your business as a result. While you can’t guarantee their safety online to the full extent, you can do your best to ensure they’re shopping and navigating the online world as safely as possible. 

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Use fraud prevention tools

To help with fraudulent activity and potential cyber attacks, it’s worth investing in some fraud prevention tools. There’s a lot out there that can give you that extra set of eyes you’ll need to spot and monitor anything that doesn’t seem quite right.

 

Cybercriminals are good but they can often make mistakes. Having fraud prevention tools to hand can be useful when these individuals slip up online. These are helpful tools that will ensure your business is more secure as a result. 

Install an SSL certificate

Finally, when it comes to showing reliability and trust as an online business, it’s worth installing an SSL certificate. This is a digital identifier that’s worth having in place to show your customers that you’re a legitimate business online.

 

This is particularly useful for new users who are only just discovering your business for the first time. These are easy to install and are great for those who are looking to secure their online experience for your customers.

 

Create a safe online experience for your customers by using the tips above.

5 Body Confidence Tips Worth Knowing

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A survey of 2000 people revealed that 59% are not confident in their body. Body confidence is crucial to self-esteem while being a vital aspect of self-acceptance. It enables you to break free of the pressure of trying to meet what’s regarded as the “ideal” body. It also encourages self-love, meaning you will feel happier in your skin without needing validation. Here are five body confidence tips worth knowing. 

 

  1. Focus on your health, not your appearance

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Many people invest time, money, and energy into looking good, even without feeling good. But a better strategy is to shift your focus from appearance to overall health and well-being. Moreover, the healthier your body is, the better it will look. So, engage in activities that make you feel strong, energetic, and vibrant rather than limiting yourself to a particular body shape or size. Start with your nutrition, ensuring that you eat healthy. Likewise, exercising often is essential. However, don’t jump into any exercise; focus on the ones you can enjoy. The reason is in the next point. 

 

              2.  Move your body in a way that you enjoy

 

There’s a strong link between exercising and body image. Some studies show that women with low body confidence felt much better after 20 to 30 minutes of exercise than women who spent the same time reading. When moving the body, most people first think about exercising. While it is super important, it can be frustrating and even miserable if you don’t enjoy it. It’s even worse if you’re insecure about how your body looks when you exercise. Therefore, exercising or moving your body in a way you enjoy is important. If you’re not a fan of hitting the gym and lifting weights, consider more different activities, like dancing, swimming, or walking. You may have to try different forms of exercise until you find one you love. 

                  3. Fix your smile

 

A good smile is a massive confidence booster. Several studies show that a smile can directly impact your self-confidence and improve how you feel about yourself. On the other hand, discolored teeth can have the opposite effect on confidence, making it almost impossible to wear a good smile. So, fix this issue by addressing any oral or dental issues that stop you from smiling. For example, if crooked teeth prevent you from feeling confident about your smile, consider seeing reputable local dentists to have them corrected. 

 

               4. Give genuine compliments to others

 

Complimenting others directs your thoughts away from your body or appearance, but it’s surprisingly a good way to feel more confident about yourself. However, for this tip to work, your compliments must be genuine, not simply trying to make others feel good. So, how does this work? Before you can give a genuine compliment, you must actively observe something admirable in another person. In so doing, you can realize the things you love and kickstart the process of seeing the good things about yourself. 

                   5. Don’t skimp on self-care

Image credit 

 

Nurture your physical and emotional well-being with proper self-care, which can significantly contribute to body confidence. Invest in your health, but take the time to pamper your body and treat yourself through a massage, relaxing bath, meditation, or other activities that bring you joy and help you relax.

 

Are You Allergic To Your Pets?

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Pet allergies can develop at any point in a person’s life – even if you’ve always had pets. Just how do you know whether you’ve got a pet allergy? This post delves into some of the telltale signs, as well as some advice for living with a pet allergy.

What causes a pet allergy?

Allergies are the result of the immune system misinterpreting a non-harmful substance as a threat. This causes the immune system to react as if that substance were a poison or a virus.

A pet allergy is triggered by contact with proteins found in an animal’s skin cells, saliva or urine. Shedded fur can cause allergic reactions too, although this is generally not caused by the fur itself but because of saliva and skin cells (dander) within the fur.

Cats are the most common animal to be allergic to, followed by dogs. Other animal allergies are less common, but can still occur. 

What are the signs of a pet allergy?

If you are having an allergic reaction to one of your pets, you will usually start experiencing one of the following symptoms:

  • Runny nose
  • Sneezing
  • Itchy eyes

Other symptoms that some people can experience include:

  • Asthma symptoms such as shortness of breath and wheezing
  • Coughing 
  • Skin rashes or hives

How to tell if pets are the problem?

It’s possible that you could be allergic to something other than your pets. Hay fever, dust mite allergies and mold allergies can all display similar symptoms, so you may need to rule these out first. You should also make sure that it’s not a cold or a sinus infection.

A simple way to determine whether your pets are the problem or not is to spend some time away from your pets. This could include getting away from your home and wearing fresh clothes that aren’t likely to have hair on them.

Can I still live with my pet?

The good news is that you don’t have to get rid of your pet. In cases where an allergy is fairly mild, it’s usually possible to continue living with a pet – however you should be diligent with cleaning and limit physical contact with your pet (such as letting a dog lick your face).

Taking antihistamines each day should help you to overcome symptoms like sneezing and itchy eyes. Compare reviews to find the best rated antihistamines so that they are likely to be effective.

There are also ways to solve breathing problems such as practicing breathing techniques and making sure that your home is well ventilated. You can also ask a doctor to prescribe you an inhaler.

If you’ve got an allergy and have been thinking about getting a pet cat or dog, it’s also worth noting that some breeds may be better suited than others. For example, low-shedding dog breeds tend to result in less allergy symptoms than high-shedding dog breeds.  Also, consider feeding your dog Nextrition since it’s great for their skin and coat.

Is there a cure for pet allergies?

There is sadly no current cure for pet allergies. Once you’ve developed an allergy, you’ll likely have it for life. There are occasions where allergies can fade away on their own, however there are also cases where allergies can progressively get worse. All in all, allergies are very unpredictable. 

One long-term solution could be to look into immunotherapy using allergy shots. This can give people a temporary immunity for several months but is not effective for everyone. 

Could Your Home Be Making You Sick?

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Your home should be your safe place. 

 

However, if it’s not properly maintained or cared for, it could actually be putting your safety at risk, leaving you vulnerable to sickness, infection, and other health complications. 

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

 

With that in mind, here are some surprising ways in which your home could be making you sick – and what you should do about it! 

 

Clutter. 

While it’s easy for a bit of clutter to accumulate throughout your home during the course of a busy week, you’d be surprised about just how much this can impact your health. For example, studies have found that “clutter can affect our anxiety levels, sleep, and ability to focus.”

 

As such, if you’re looking to take care of your mental health, it’s important that you declutter your home. The easiest way to approach this task is to simply ensure that you’ve got plenty of storage options available to you while also throwing away or selling things you no longer need or use.

 

Mold.

There are many different ways in which mold could build up in your home – often without you even realizing it. For example, moisture can enter your property through windows, vents, damaged roofing, and more. Once mold is present within your home, it can lead to a wide range of health issues. For example, it could trigger allergies or lead to respiratory conditions. 

 

As a result, if you’ve noticed any mold within your home, you should reach out to a 

mold removal company that can remove it quickly and efficiently. This is often a better approach than trialing out at-home remedies, as these techniques often ‘cover up’ the mold instead of removing it. 

 

Dust. 

The build-up of dust and other allergens throughout your home could also leave you more vulnerable to sickness, especially if you have pre-existing respiratory conditions such as asthma. Exposure to dust can also trigger allergy symptoms such as rashes, itchiness, and sneezing. Fortunately, this is a relatively easy issue to tackle, such as by vacuuming and dusting regularly, avoiding the build-up of clutter, and ensuring that you clean every area of your home – including spaces behind furniture.

Poor ventilation. 

If your home is poorly ventilated, this could again lead to various health complications. This is because it impacts indoor air quality quite considerably, leaving you once again more vulnerable to sickness, allergies, and respiratory problems. Furthermore, many studies have found that spending time in poorly-ventilated spaces leads to headaches, nausea, and shortness of breath.

 

As such, if you want to improve your health, you must improve the ventilation within your home. For example, you could simply make sure you open your windows more often to allow a steady stream of air to enter the space, or consider installing ventilation or AC units. 

 

Beyond this, you could work to improve indoor air quality within your home by using plants as decor. Not only will this liven up the space, but various studies have found that the presence of plants improves indoor air quality quite considerably. 

Creating The Perfect Business Office Takes Time

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Creating the perfect business office is going to take a fair amount of time and dedication from you. It’s not the easiest thing in the world to do, and you can’t just copy other businesses as they may have different goals to you. As such, you’ve got to think carefully about what you need for your business, and how you can create the perfect business office to achieve this. In this article, we’re going to be giving you some ideas on how you can do this, so keep reading if you would like to find out more.

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Hire A Professional

 

The first thing that you can do is hire a professional. If you want to get some professional help, we recommend that you do your research before you go ahead and hire anyone. This is going to mean taking your time, looking through the different options that are available to you, talking to different companies or people and so much more. You want to hire a professional who has their own vision, but who also takes into account what you want for your business office. You need someone who can suggest ideas and changes that can be made for the best possible results.

 

Look At Comfort

 

Another thing that you are going to need to look at is the comfort of the office. You need to be looking at workplace furniture that is designed for comfort and practicality, instead of just focusing on one of these things. Everyone who comes into your business needs to be able to sit comfortably while they wait for you to call them through, and your employees need to be in comfortable furniture as they have to sit here all day. Never forget that comfort has got to be a priority when it comes to creating the perfect office, else people are not going to want to visit your place of business!

 

Productivity Is Important

 

Last but not least, productivity is important. You might not think so right now, but productivity can be altered by the design of the office. For example, if you have the wrong color on the walls then you are going to struggle with keeping your employees engaged with their work. It’s important to understand brain association with color, and choose something that will work in your favor, but also looks nice. 

 

Also think about the way that you are arranging the furniture as this will have a massive impact on productivity!

 

We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now see some of the things that you are going to need to do in order to create the perfect business. It’s going to take time, and it’s not going to happen overnight, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t going to be worth the time that it takes. We wish you the very best of luck, and hope that you manage to achieve your goal of creating the perfect business office. We wish you the very best of luck with this,