Mohit Tater's Blog, page 483

The Most Common Slip and Fall Accidents

Slips and falls are actually more common than you might think. Falls account for over 8 million hospital emergency room visits each year, making up around 21.3% of all hospital visits. On the other hand, slips and falls combined account for over 1 million visits, or around 12% of all falls. This is a substantial number that can’t be ignored, but what exactly causes this drastic number of slips and falls? 

The most common causes include wet or uneven surfaces, distractions and rushing, poor weather conditions as well as fraudulent situations.When proper safety precautions are not taken, such accidents may become a legal matter and one may need experienced slip and fall injury lawyer who will help you in assessing the value of your claim and suggest an appropriate action plan for a successful case. 

Wet or uneven surfaces

According to the National Floor Safety Institute, around 55% of slip and fall accidents across the globe happen due to wet and uneven surfaces. This could be anything from weather conditions like rain causing a surface to be slippery, or uneven surfaces caused by poor construction. In reality, there are many things that could contribute to an uneven or wet surface.

Walking on these surfaces is hazardous and could cause many sudden changes that would lead to an injury. For instance, defective sidewalks could crack, causing your foot to make a misstep. Similarly, loose floorboards could shift under your weight, causing you to slip and fall.

Wet and uneven conditions are everywhere. While most people are extra cautious when they notice a wet or uneven floor, it can occur in many places with a lot of foot traffic. Whether it’s a domestic, commercial or industrial situation, wet and uneven flooring can affect everyone, hence why it has such a high accident rate. To avoid this, it’s essential that you take good care of your floors and always put up warning signs should the floor be wet or hazardous.

Distractions and rushing

Many slip and fall accidents actually come from distractions. In many cases, distractions can cause missteps in footing, such as accidentally kicking a curb or tripping over something on the floor. Situations like these can easily be avoided by paying more attention to the floor. In some cases, rushing to a destination may cause a slip and fall accident, especially if you’re not keeping your eyes on the floor ahead of you.

Distractions can also amplify other causes for slip and fall accidents. For instance, you might be rushing to get to a destination while the floor is wet, causing you to slip and potentially hurt yourself. You might also be distracted (such as talking to a colleague) while traversing an uneven floor on a construction site which could lead to a high chance of injury.

The best way to avoid this is to always take caution and to avoid distractions as much as possible. If you need to look at a phone or book, it’s best to stop and take a break. If the weather conditions are bad or there’s an uneven floor, take extra care to watch your step and avoid distractions.

Poor weather conditions

Adverse weather conditions can lead to slip and fall injuries. We’ve already discussed wet floors being one of the main causes of slip and fall accidents, and it can be amplified when there’s a lot of rain. However, snow and icy floors can also increase the chances that you face a slip and fall injury. Thankfully, this can be prevented by taking the safety precautions for winter weather. This involves a number of things such as using the right footwear, having warning signs around to alert people, and also using deicers to clear walkways and common footpaths. Snow removal companies may also be used in circumstances where there is a lot of ice or snow.

In some circumstances, it may be difficult to avoid poor weather conditions. In this case, you’ll want to try and avoid rushing across hazardous floors, avoid distractions and keep your eyes ahead of you. You should also wear the appropriate footwear to cope with certain weather conditions like snow and ice.

Fraudulent causes

Surprisingly, around 3% of slip and fall cases are actually fraudulent. This means that they are staged, such as a person dramatically throwing themselves to the floor or purposely pouring a slippery substance on a floor and slipping on it. There are also a small number of cases where someone has claimed a slip and fall accident, but nothing actually took place.

In short, as long as you provide people with the right equipment to traverse hazardous floors, avoid distractions and are more mindful about uneven surfaces, you can avoid many slip and fall accidents.

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7 Reasons Entrepreneurs Must Maintain a Clean Business Environment

Entrepreneurs have many challenges ahead of them if they want to thrive and grow in their career path. They have to manage to make a name for themselves and maintain that notoriety as individuals. After all, they don’t have a brand name to hide behind when they are the brand name.

They have to manage employees if they have them. They also have to make sure that they maintain work relationships with clients and other stakeholders.

Having to juggle all this can be not easy, which is why some might neglect their business environment.

Maintaining a healthy and clean business environment is crucial before, but even more so now. It is in the best interest of any entrepreneur to ensure that their business environment is always neat and tidy.

There are many reasons why entrepreneurs should give office cleanliness a priority. Here are seven that will help open your eyes to this issue’s importance.

1. Safety

Cleanliness doesn’t only involve having a work environment that’s free of dust and germs. It’s also about tidying up your mess and clutter in your office space. If you let everything hang out without organizing them, you’re going to compromise your employees’ safety.

It can be challenging to find or notice hazardous conditions in the office. More so, when there’s so much visual noise around, that’s left out on your work floor.

Instead of creating a dangerous work environment, it would be best to keep your office clean.

If you don’t want to clean the office yourself, hire professionals to do it. As long as you get a sparkling clean office out of it, it doesn’t matter who cleans your office.

2. Health

At Planet Maids Cleaning Services NYC, we emphasize the health benefits of cleanliness.

Before, people might have been able to get away with living a dirtier life, but it’s not so right now. Even in the future, cleanliness should be a priority when it comes to maintaining one’s health.

If you share the floor with other businesses, keeping things clean and tidy is essential. Otherwise, you will not have a space conducive to work.

The places you should clean most often would be the communal spaces, such as the pantry, the bathroom, and other common areas. Remember to pay special attention to the handles and doorknobs as well.

Having many people in the office may make it easier for you to get sick if one person in the office is sick. Thus, it would help if you were mindful of how sanitized everything is. It would be advisable to keep several hand sanitizers and critical areas of the office.

3. Impression

When you entertain work associates and clients in your office, they’re going to judge your office’s interiors. The people you plan on hiring are going into your office for a job interview. And they can discern tidbits of information based on the impression that your office gives. With that said, if your office is dirty, what sort of information do you think people are getting from you?

If the office looks dirty and messy, it tells people that you might be careless and irresponsible, even if you think you aren’t. It makes people have a poor impression of you and how you run your business.

Mind you, it can be challenging to change that negative first impression. So, might as well as put your best foot forward from the get-go.

4. Productivity

Productivity is something that people always aim for, but there are days when it can be difficult, no matter what. There are also plenty of things out there that make it difficult for people to stay productive. One of the factors that affect everyone’s productivity is the state of the physical environment they’re in when working.

Cleanliness affects people’s productivity in many ways. If you have a cluttered and dirty environment, the clutter can be distracting, and the dirt can be a detriment to your health. Aside from that, nobody likes working in a messy situation, even those who say they function in “organized chaos.”

If you want to motivate everyone in the office to be productive, consider cleaning your work environment. It will add a sense of starting anew whenever you do a deep clean of your workspace.

5. Costs

Cleaning can cost you money, but it will be more expensive for you in the long run if you don’t spend that money on office maintenance. If your office equipment isn’t clean, it gathers dust, and that can damage the equipment. That means that you’re going to either replace it or spend money on repairs.

There is a lot of equipment in the office that needs to be clean, from the computers to the air conditioning system that you have. They all need to stay clean so that they function well.

Keep in mind that keeping your office clean is cheaper than replacing or repairing the office equipment.

6. Air quality

When you clean your business environment, you get rid of the dust settled and floating around in your work environment. Since dirt can trigger allergies and make people go into sneezing fits, cleaning the office that you have can improve the air quality around you.

7. Professionalism

Keeping your workspace clean shows that you have the foresight and sense of responsibility to keep a professional air.

The people who work with you and for you will feel like they’re working with a professional, which can motivate them to do better.

If you leave it be and let dirt accumulate, it makes people lose motivation. Plus, they won’t take you seriously because of it.

To get and maintain a sense of professionalism, you need to treat your workplace like the professional environment it is and keep it clean.

Conclusion

Entrepreneurs need to manage a lot of things to grow in their careers, but it doesn’t mean they can neglect the state of their work environment. Keeping the workplace gives a positive first impression. It makes you look professional, and it has a positive impact on your physical and mental health.

Thus, make sure that you maintain a clean business environment and do regular cleaning sessions to achieve that.

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5 Ways to Operate a Distribution Business During COVID-19

Whether you own a trucking company or you want to dip your toes into the distribution business in the near future, there are a few things you’ll need to do. COVID-19 has changed the way businesses operate all over the world and distribution is no exception. Fortunately, certain actions and priorities will help you keep your workers and business safe from harm. So, let’s take a look at 5 ways to operate a distribution business during COVID-19:

Keep Your Insurance Updated

There has never been a better time to have insurance. Whether it’s health insurance for your workers or collision insurance for your vehicles, you need to make sure that your business is covered from every angle. For most businesses, margins have tightened since the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic. This leads many entrepreneurs to make cuts, but insurance should not be one of them. The last thing you want is a collision between an uninsured truck and roadway barriers or vehicles.

Practice Social Distancing

Some businesses require human contact. Depending on how your distribution business operates, yours may or may not be one of them. If your current operations do require direct human contact between employees, clients, or vendors, you should keep this contact to a minimum. Practicing social distancing, and enforcing it throughout your company, will help keep everyone safe.

Use Masks, Gloves, and More

Your employees should have health insurance, but that doesn’t mean you want them to get sick. Having your workers wear masks and gloves at all times not only protects your workers and anyone they come in contact with, but it also builds trust for your brand. Using proper hygiene and preventative measures shows the public that your business takes COVID-19 seriously.

Make Cuts to Non-Essential Expenses

While most distribution businesses will continue to operate through COVID-19, many will be negatively impacted by the pandemic. As previously stated, your margins could be very thin and you might experience a significant loss of revenue due to Coronavirus. If this is the case, you will likely need to make significant cuts to keep your business running.

However, this doesn’t mean you should completely gut your company. If you have non-essential personnel, you might have to make some tough decisions regarding temporary furloughs. That said, if you can find ways to cut costs without getting rid of workers, you should absolutely do so.

Consider a Remote Workforce

In distribution, workers may not be able to perform some functions from home. However, if you have one or more employees who can do their job from home, this could end up saving you money. For example, if you have high overhead expenses on office space for workers who could easily perform their duties remotely, you could end up saving a lot of money by simply shifting to a remote workforce.

The Bottom Line

COVID-19 is still raging throughout the world, wreaking havoc on many businesses and industries. If you own or plan to own a distribution business, you need to be prepared for the worst. Fortunately, if you follow the tips outlined above, you can weather the storm and keep your distribution business afloat.

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Reshape Yourself to Become a Successful Entrepreneur

Would-be entrepreneurs might have stumbled across a sobering statistic: that most businesses set up in the UK fail within their first five years. Many of these failures can be attributed, at least in part, to the personal traits and habits of those charged with overseeing the business. Successful entrepreneurs possess qualities that unsuccessful ones often lack. It might be tempting to suppose that many of these are innate, and can’t be acquired through training and practice. But is this really the case? 

Flyer and leaflet printer instantprint, created a list of some of the most standout characteristics you can find in a successful entrepreneur. Let’s take a look at some of the traits:

Creative Problem Solving

Creative Problem Solving is so critical that it even has its own acronym (CPS). A successful entrepreneur is, by definition, someone who can identify a common problem and devise (and market) an effective solution. For example, you might invent a new and more effective kind of vacuum cleaner. Equally, it might mean reorganising a supply chain in such a way as to eliminate waste and improve efficiency, thereby putting you at a competitive advantage relative to your rivals.

Being Open-Minded

But coming up with new and revolutionary ideas in and of itself isn’t enough. You’ll also need to be receptive to new ideas and criticism from those around you. If you surround yourself with people whose only role is to say ‘good idea, boss!’, then stagnant thinking and blind spots are inevitable. Groupthink and echo-chamber environments are real problems, especially when there’s a social penalty on being the naysayer. Counter this by encouraging dissent, and be pro-active in your search for potential weaknesses. One common exercise is a pre-mortem; this involves imagining that your business has failed, and then considering the most likely reasons.

Hunger for Challenges

Entrepreneurs love to be challenged. This is essential, as business presents a myriad of challenges. The moment one is overcome, you’ll be moving onto the next – and you might find yourself occasionally stumped. If you’re the sort of person who will give up at the first sign of adversity, then this is probably not a lifestyle for you. instantprint develop on this trait by saying, “being realistic doesn’t mean sticking to your comfort zone. In fact, business owners will generally spend the majority of their time outside of their comfort zone, which for most of the population is employment (as opposed to self-employment)”.

Long-Term Planning

Entrepreneurs also have the ability to think consciously about what’s going to happen in years’ time to plan for it. If you’re merely putting out fires and worrying about the day-to-day running of the business. Then, you may find yourself blindsided by more long term problems.

Knowing Your Limits

Success in business doesn’t always mean working as hard as possible for as long as possible. Occasionally, you’ll hit the limits of your own skillset. Rather than trying to do every job poorly, you should learn when to recognise when you’re outside of your comfort zone, and seek outside assistance. 

Passion

Entrepreneurs need to love what they’re doing and be passionate about the project. Without this, it’s impossible to work to the required standard. The hours can be long and trying, especially when the way forward is unclear, but and your enthusiasm might sometimes be all that sustains you. Printing company, instantprint expand on this point. They say that “a passionate business owner doesn’t only inspire themselves, but they inspire their employees and, most importantly, their customers”. Happy employees and happy customers can only lead to more success, right?

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How U.S. Laws Affect Entrepreneurs?

Do you want to become an entrepreneur in the United States and turn your idea into a reality? In order to launch a business, you have to put in a lot of effort. The first thing that you need to do is create a business plan. However, what many tend to ignore or do not know about is that they should also check about the laws and regulations that can affect your enterprise.

There are various regulations and laws that can have an effect on your business.

1.   Employment Laws

There are several government rules and regulations for an enterprise employing workers or an independent contractor. It protects their right through state and federal labor laws. In case you are new to this, you can take the help of the Department of Labor. This helps in deciding which prime federal employment law is applicable to your enterprise and which is not. It also lets you take a look at federal unemployment clauses.

Here are some of the most common labor laws:

●       Wages and Hours

According to the Fair Labor Standards Act, there are standard wages and also overtime pay. This can affect the public, as well as a private employment opportunity.

●       Equal Opportunity

Entrepreneurshaving a minimum of 15 employees should comply with the laws of equal opportunity that are enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. It states that race, gender, disability, religion, and race shouldn’t influence the hiring practice.

●       Non-Us Citizen Workers

As per the regulations of the federal government, employers need to check if the employees have the permission of working legally in the US. There are many employment categories and each of them comes with different conditions and requirements.

There are various other laws that you need to take into account.

2.   Tax Code

For a majority of the small business owners, state regulations start with taxes. However, you should know that there is more to taxes than simply paying them. You need to know the company taxes that you will have to pay and how you need to set up the business to ensure that future tax payment can keep you away from loads of headaches.

Here is a complete detail of the different taxes for your business. Take a look at it to determine what taxes you have to file for your enterprise.

●       Income Tax

Almost all businesses have to file for their annual income tax return. Businesses should pay income tax since they earn and then file for an income tax towards the end of the year.

●       Estimated Tax

This is an alternative to paying income tax. You pay tax throughout the year as and when the enterprise earns money. Partners, sole proprietors, and corporation shareholders should make estimated tax payments in case they expect to owe $1000 or more when you file the return.

●       Employment Tax

In case your company has employees; you have to pay taxes that are associated with having staff on the payroll. This is federal taxes, medicare taxes, and social security taxes.

3.   Email Marketing

In case your business is associated with email marketing, there are various regulations that you will have to comply with under CAN-SPAM Act.

There are many things that this Act regulates. Let’s take a look at some of the primary components.

Do not use any deceptive headlines;Do not use misleading or false headers;Include the name and address of the company;Declare that a message is an advertisement;

In case there is an email violation, it is going to lead to a big fine. Hence, you have to make sure that you know the ins and outs of the law.

4.   Advertisement

Sure, a good advertising strategy can do great things for your company. However, before you use it, you have to make sure that you are playing by the rules of the government. For instance, you need to ensure that the ads aren’t purposeful or deceptive. Remember, if you advertise wrongly, it can lead to unrest and police violence and misconception.  If you are using testimonials in the ad, it will come with extra regulations. If you violate these rules, you might have to pay fines.

5.   Permits and Licensing

All the above points pertain to federal laws but that does not mean that there are no state regulations that you need to consider for your company. Several local and state governments come with their own needs for entrepreneurs. You need to understand them as well as federal laws.

In some states, you might have to get a business license to operate. This is particularly important if the business is related to health or childcare. If you don’t have a proper license, the state can find your business or revoke your operation authority.

6.   Insurance

When you hire the first employee, you have to buy worker’s compensation insurance. Every state, except for Texas, asks companies with employees to buy workers comp insurance.

This can protect you, as well as your employee when there is an accident on the job. The employee is going to receive health care and it will compensate for the income that they lose when they are injured. The insurance company is going to defray the cost of a lawsuit that has been filed by the worker.

Another kind of insurance is not usually required. However, it depends on the circumstances. For instance, if your business gets a loan guaranteed by the government, you will have to give them proof of a certain kind of business insurance.

There is always a debate on whether these regulations are good for businesses or not. Some people might think it’s too much but it actually protects the consumers. Also, it makes sure that every company is treated equally. Sure, excessive regulation can affect a company negatively. It can keep it from contributing to the economy and creating jobs.

However, it is better to stay updated when it comes to national and federal law. If you are finding it difficult to keep up with the different regulations, you can get in touch with a business lawyer.

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7 Tips for Young Entrepreneurs to succeed

Everyone dreams of being successful and conquering their dreams and aspirations. The goal to stand out, make yourself heard is a difficult one, but with hard work and determination, you sure to get to places. But, these things don’t just require your hard work. Apart from this, you need to take care of yourself and other small aspects of the dream. 

To be successful at a young age and aspiring to be an entrepreneur, you have landed at the right place. I will act as your mentor and guide you through success tips. All you have to do is sit comfortably and read the rest of the article to understand what it takes to be successful as a young entrepreneur. 

Tips for Young and Aspiring Entrepreneurs to the path of success



Challenge yourself – Challenging your self is one of the critical points in the path of success; the motivation to push yourself through problems and challenges thrown at you. But, when we talk about challenging yourself, we mean a sense of learning. Find a way to learn more every day; push yourself further every day. No one is a better critique than you; its time to take on challenges and throw them at yourself to help grow and learn along the way. 



Do work you care for – The most crucial advice anyone has ever said might have heard it many times, but we shall repeat it. Make work that you genuinely care about and love. If you do not love a job, you not pushed or motivated enough to do it. Work and success take time, and this journey with the time you also need a lot of love for the work to drag you through the period. You love what you do and do what you love. Success is sure to follow you. 



Take Risk – We will never know what our actions would be like if we do not proceed to try it. Take the leap and trust your gut; you need to take risks in your company to see how the outcome would paly out. 



Plan for raising capital – It takes time to raise capital and harder to build it as well. Hence it would help if you planned to work on it. Venture into your capital and your companies capital.  



Know your goals – Set goals, manage them, but also know them. The first step to achieving your goal is by identifying it and moving towards it. 



Complaints and criticism – Always be open to complaints and criticism; they will help you understand and rework yourself and your work. Please take it in a good stride as it would genuinely change outlook at things around you. 



Spend wisely – As an entrepreneur, you can not afford to squander your money. You need to budget and know where you have spent it. 



Final Thoughts 

It takes a lot of work to succeed and make your mark; you need a vision and perseverance, and the spirit never of giving up. Keeping pushing and striving with your business plans and outlook until you reach the mark you created. 

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Video Marketing Tips: How To Create An Appealing Video To Attract Customers

If you’re using video marketing as one of your marketing strategies, the key to success is creating an appealing clip that attracts customers and captures their attention. Producing videos for the sake of releasing regular content won’t yield any positive results. Instead, you’ll just end up wasting time and money on redundant content.

Fortunately, there are numerous ways to create appealing video content that attracts new customers. Here are eight tips:

1. Tell A Story

The art of effective video production is achieved through a number of techniques, but among the most important is narrative structure. Start by brainstorming ideas and choose some that complement what you’re selling. For example, if you’re selling clothes, gather concepts that’ll showcase your garments in a creative way, such as a mock fashion show or dancing clip.

Just make sure the concept you choose is related to your company and your overarching marketing goals, whether they be sales or brand awareness.

2. Make Your Introduction Stand Out

Just as a subject line often dictates whether you open an email or click delete, a video introduction should capture the audience’s attention immediately. If viewers aren’t engaged or interested in the first few seconds, they’re likely to tune out, stop watching or exit. Ideally, you want people to watch your video content through to the end. Thus, make sure your marketing video introductions are entertaining to hook your viewers and encourage them to finish the whole clip. Some examples of interesting introductions are the use of music, bright lighting, eye-catching colors and captions—more on the last one later. 

3. Audio Quality Matters

Many people watch videos with the sound turned off—particularly on their social media feeds—but this doesn’t mean you should underestimate the importance of good audio quality. Bad audio may kill the enjoyment of those who do watch with sound, and cause them to exit the clip. To capture good audio, make sure to record in a place that’s quiet and away from any ambient noise. You should also use a quality microphone.

If you’re planning to include music, choose a track that suits the mood and style of the video; purchase it if necessary and if your video marketing budget allows. The impact of music can be significant, and may come in handy when changing scenes or transitioning. 

4. Keep Your Videos Concise

As you may already know, most people have short attention spans. It’s rare that they have the patience and time to watch long videos—particularly while scrolling social media. 

Rather than overloading your video with excessive details and too much information, always keep your video short and simple. Containing the content length will make it much easier and more enjoyable for your viewers and potential customers to digest.

5. Take Advantage Of Captions

Adding captions to your videos is essential in video marketing, as your audience may not always listen to the sound and many would rather read subtitles.

However, don’t rely on automatic captions generated by YouTube or some applications. It’s best to add the captions yourself, to ensure they’re accurate. If you’re planning to use automated tools to provide text, have somebody to revise them before you publish the video. 

6. Follow A Color Scheme

To create a more visually appealing video, you should try to incorporate a color scheme. This isn’t just essential for aesthetic purposes, but it can also be useful psychologically. Behind each successful company is a carefully-selected color scheme that’s the result of extensive marketing research. For instance, colors like pink are considered tranquil and relaxing, while red tones are more energetic and exciting. 

7. Don’t Forget To Include A CTA

No matter how visually appealing your video is, it won’t serve your business without a relevant and clear call to action (CTA). Including a CTA in your video is an effective way of interacting with audiences, and grabbing their attention. The main goal of adding a CTA is to encourage your customers to do something that serves your brand, whether it be to sign up to your mailing list, or click to visit your product page. 

8. Hire Video Content Experts

If you’re having a hard time making videos that attract customers, maybe it’s time to get in touch with video content experts. You need to invest in your videos if you want to maximize their impact. Research some production companies that specialize in video marketing, and ask your friends for recommendations they may have. The best video content professionals will work towards what you want, provide suggestions, and can help you achieve your goals while helping you stay within your budget.

Conclusion

It takes effort and time to create appealing and quality videos. However, if you incorporate video into a strategic marketing plan, and follow the above tips, you’re likely to attract many new customers. Just remember, you don’t need to spend a huge amount of money when creating videos. Sometimes keeping them short and simple may attain the best results. 

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The Do’s and Don’ts of Managing Debt

Knowing how to tackle your debts can be challenging. There are many options and weighing up their various advantages and disadvantages can be confusing to say the least. On top of this, there is a lot of contradicting information out there from different sources.  

Considering the average total debt per household is £60,363, managing debt is a problem the majority of us are facing – often without clear guidance! We’ve distilled the best tips to give you clear do’s and don’ts which should help you get back in control of your finances.  

Do’s  



Do develop a spending plan  

Often when you find yourself in a lot of debt, it’s unexpected. The way to turn this around is to find out your total amount of debt, your monthly wage, and typical monthly spending. Then enter it all into a budgeting app which gives you limits and notifications when you’re overspending. These are often free and can be linked to your cards. By being more aware of your money, you should make better decisions.  

Do consider a consolidation loan  

Consolidation loans are a great way to simplify debts and reduce the number of creditors you have. Through this loan you borrow the total cost of your debts to pay them all off, then you only have one lender to repay. If you can find lower interest rates with the same length of repayment as your original debts this could save you money.  

Consolidation Express is a well-known broker which could help you find a consolidation loan between £5,000 and £75,000. Your loan should have lower interest rates and not take longer than your original debts to pay off for this to be the right decision.  

Do seek professional help  

If it’s getting difficult to pay back your debts at the end of every month, it could be a good idea to seek professional help. Fortunately, many financial advisors give free initial consultation calls to identify what support could be available. There are a lot of different solutions including debt management plans, individual voluntary arrangements, and debt relief orders. By talking about your situation with a debt specialist, they can help you make the right decision.  

Do prioritise your debts  

The consequences of ignoring some debts are more serious than others. The first debts you should pay off are your priority bills. This includes rent, mortgages, council tax, gas or electricity bills, phone bills, TV license, court fines, overpaid tax credits, hire purchase goods, unpaid income tax, and unpaid child maintenance.  Your non-priority debts might include credit card debts, catalogue debts, unsecured loans, unpaid water bills, overpayment of benefits (except tax credits), and unpaid parking tickets.  

Don’ts  



Don’t miss repayment deadlines  

Late payments will make it harder to pay off your debts as every time you miss a payment you will have to pay a late fee. By setting automatic alerts on your phone reminding you when a payment is due you are less likely to miss these. If you do miss a payment, don’t wait until the next month to pay it off as the sooner you sort it out the less significant the damage to your credit score will be.   

Don’t keep it to yourself  

If you’re suffering with problem debt you might not be able to pay all basic outgoings (such as mortgage, rent, energy bills, and other outgoings) Many people in this situation hide the severity of it from their partners and family. However, this can make things worse and could affect them negatively if they’re making plans for the future without knowing your real circumstances.  

Before telling them, investigate possible debt solutions. This way you can give them an idea of when and how the problem will be resolved.  

Don’t ignore the problem  

Thinking about tackling your debts can be scary. However, by not opening statements or acting on final notices the situation will only get worse and more difficult to manage. No matter how hard you think the debt is to tackle, no debt problem is unsolvable. 

Don’t be intimidated by creditors  

This is easier said than done when you have creditors relentlessly contacting you – sometimes with scary letters and calls. However, there are a few ways you can feel more confident when dealing with them. Make sure you know your rights – for example, ensure they are complying with the Consumer Credit Act. Most creditors also give you ‘breathing space’ of around 30 days if you can show you are trying to sort out your debts.  Find out more about your rights here.  

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How Daniel Snyder Became the Owner of the Washington Football Team

In 1997, Jack Kent Cooke, owner of the Washington Football Team, died at the age of 84. His last will and testament, however, was not a simple document, and instead of outlining a clear path forward, it threw the organization into a prolonged and complicated sale process.

John Kent Cooke, his son, inherited $10 million, but the majority of his estate was directed to be given to a foundation in order to pay for college scholarships. At the end of this process, the stadium that bore his father’s name, as well as the Washington Football Team itself, were sold to Daniel Snyder. Daniel led an investment group interested in purchasing the team when it was auctioned, and he successfully did so in May of 1999.

Initial offers and momentum

The sale of the Washington Football Team and its accompanying stadium started to see attention in 1998, when a financier from New York named Andrew Penson made an offer to purchase the assets before bidding. Penson was backed by Lehman Brothers, and he offered $450 million to purchase the team and stadium. At the time, this was the most anyone had ever tried to spend to purchase a football team; it also proved to be only about half of what the team ultimately sold for.

By November of that year, lifelong fan Daniel Snyder had expressed interest in purchasing the Washington Football Team. He joined the bidding process after being given an offer memo from Morgan Stanley Dean Witter.

About Daniel Snyder

Dan Snyder was the co-founder of Snyder Communications with his sister Michele. Together, they grew their marketing services company from $43 million in 1995 to $333 million in revenue by 1997. In 1996, Dan Snyder had made a remarkable achievement, and at the age of 31 was the youngest leader of a company with a listing on the New York Stock Exchange.

Opposition and Coalition

Cooke’s son, John Kent, wanted desperately to keep the Washington Football Team within the family, but there was stiff competition. 10 bidders had made very serious offers to purchase the team by the initial deadline of November 23. These including Peter Angelos, majority owner of the Baltimore Orioles, Sam Grossman, a hotelier from Arizona, David Bonderman, an investor from Fort Worth, John J. McMullen, a shipbuilder and the owner of the New Jersey Devils, and Howard Milstein, a New York real estate investor.

Sam Grossman’s investment group included Joe Gibbs, a former coach of the Washington Football Team. David Bonderman’s group included Ted Lerner, who would go on to own the Nationals. Many expected the team to sell for over $500 million. Snyder built a coalition with Howard and Edward Milstein, who also owned 45 percent of the NHL’s New York Islanders.

The trustees overseeing Cooke’s estate were to make a decision over whose build would be chosen by Christmas, at which point NFL owners would have the opportunity to approve the transfer of ownership of the Washington Football Team.

Fast moves

The next round of bidding was opened up to eight investment groups and was due on December 22. The Dan Snyder-Milstein alliance offered the trustees over $700 million in cash for the team, but stipulated that their offer expired on December 23. The trustees rejected this bid, but ultimately signed an agreement in early January with Milstein and Snyder to purchase the Washington Football Team for around $800 million. While Cooke aimed to keep the Washington Football Team, he simply did not have the money.

The transfer of ownership complicated operations. With the approval not yet completed, the team was not able to recruit quarterback Trent Green, with whom they were negotiating a four-year deal. The NFL wanted the Cooke family to keep the team, and made a number of exceptions to ownership rules, including waiving financial and personal wealth requirements, to allow Cooke to keep the team.

The NFL then spent months looking over Milstein and Dan Snyder’s agreement. They asked for more documentation and requested that Milstein restructure the loan at the center of the deal, with concerns that it required taking on too much debt. They also expressed concerns that Milstein was overly litigious.

Milstein and Daniel Snyder asked the NFL to delay voting on whether or not they could purchase the team, and then worked in what they called overtime to address the NFL’s concerns and satisfy their fellow team owners.

Before April 7, Milstein received a loan from his father, and though this helped to satisfy some of the financial concerns team owners had in theory, it also didn’t create the support that the duo needed to bring the sale to a close.

Wrapping Up the Deal

This is when Daniel Snyder began pursuing a deal on his own to purchase the team for $800 million. He received backing from his family members, Mortimer Zuckerman, and Fred Drasner, and neared a deal, eliminating competition from Cooke as well as Grossman, who attempted to purchase the team with FedEx founder Fred Smith.

The trustees were now legally obligated to Daniel Snyder, and the deal closed on May 25, 1999. Dan Snyder’s ownership of the Washington Football Team was unanimously approved, and he paid over $250 million more than anyone had ever spent on an NFL franchise to do it.

After this happened, Milstein sued John Kent Cooke and Charley Casserly, manager of the Washington Football Team, for undermining his deal, but the suit was thrown out. Cooke called the family losing the team a tragedy, but said that he looked forward to the future of the team regardless.

About Daniel Snyder

In addition to owning the Washington Football Team, Daniel Snyder is also the Chairman of the Board of Six Flags Inc., owner of the Johnny Rockets restaurant chain, and the primary investor in Red Zebra Broadcasting. He is married to his wife Tanya and has three children. His father, Gerry, was a freelance writer who wrote for UPI and National Geographic.

His first successful business involved leasing jets to fly college students to spring break parties in Fort Lauderdale and the Caribbean, and he says that he earned over $1 million operating the company out of his parents’ bedroom with just a few telephone lines.

In April 2000, shortly after purchasing the Washington Football Team, Dan Snyder sold Snyder Communications to Havas, a French advertising and marketing group, in an all-stock deal valued at over $2 billion. He earned over $300 million from this, which became the largest transaction in the history of the marketing industry to date.

Since purchasing the Washington Football Team, the team has earned up to $100 million annually, making them the NFL’s second-highest-grossing team. Other sports franchises have followed in Dan Snyder’s footsteps by selling naming rights, creating a better experience for fans, upping capacity, and selling club seats that had been sitting empty for years while the Cooke family owned the team.

Daniel Snyder is also the current Chairman of the Board of Ventiv Health, a board member of McLeod USA, and was the owner of Dick Clark Productions from 2007-2012.

Click here to learn more about Washington Football Team owner Daniel Snyder.

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How to Comply with Cosmetics Labeling Requirements?

Cosmetics labeling requirements in the US are governed by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). The organization issues a detailed Cosmetics Labeling Guide explaining how to comply with the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (or FP&L Act), as well as the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (or FD&C Act). The main reason cosmetic labels are so crucial is that they constitute the written representation of the product itself, misbranding is therefore not tolerated.

What are the Cosmetics Labeling Requirements in the US?

As any oversight is understood as mislabeling, it is important to have a clear idea of what the FDA’s requirements are and how to incorporate them in a product’s labeling. It is worth noting, for instance, that the expression “cosmetic label” does not only refer to packaging or to a sticker. Instead, any written, printed or graphic information pertaining to the product is considered labeling, including content the brand shares on their social media pages, online or on their own websites. This mostly applies to additional details and marketing campaigns which must not be misleading or false in any way. As for the packaging itself, it should contain very specific details, which can be subject to change as cosmetics labeling requirements evolve. To help manufacturers stay on top of these constraints, cosmetics labeling compliance software constitutes a highly reliable solution as it ensures every piece of information is present and displayed exactly where it should be.

The label’s Principal Display Panel (the most prominent portion of the label) should display the product’s identity statement, along with the net quantity. The former should clearly indicate the nature of the product itself and its intended use. As for the latter, it should be expressed by weight in avoirdupois ounces or pounds if the product is solid, semi-solid, viscous, or part solid part liquid. Fluid quantities can be expressed by volume in fluid ounces or US pints, quarts or gallons. Metric units can be included but are optional.

Cosmetics labeling requirements span other mandatory information, though it can be displayed elsewhere on the label, on portions known as Information Panels. These should mention the name and place of business, along with a distributor statement in the form of “Distributed for …” or “Manufactured for …” statements. Cosmetics labels should also include material facts, which feature directions for safe use. These vary based on the type of product. Any warnings or precautions associated with the use of the product should be clearly stated, as any oversight will result in it being classed as misbranded. Finally, all ingredients must be listed in descending order of predominance, with a number of exceptions that, once again, depend on the product itself. US cosmetics labeling requirements also imply that all information should be displayed in English.

Software Solutions to Ensure Perfect Compliance

In addition to these basic obligations, cosmetics manufactures should observe any applicable state regulations, making matters significantly more complicated for nationwide distribution.

Industry standard software provides dynamic solutions to cosmetics labeling requirement issues by automating every aspect of data management. From formulation development to traceability, INCI listings and every single component of cosmetics, beauty and personal care-related communication, including drawing up PIFs or cosmetic labels, all regulatory considerations are covered.

By using tools developed with the cosmetic industry in mind, manufacturers benefit from a perfectly tailored solution to ensure all legal requirements are met and can instantaneously generate up-to-date, compliant documents for their products. They can also improve their testing and general management efficiency by keeping track of raw materials and processes. Implementing such a solution facilitates the creation of an invaluable database that every member of their research and development team can use.

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