Startups

Do you own a business? Importance of Funding

on October 29, 2018

Many dreams to start a business but don’t have an adequate amount of funds, so the dream remains as a dream. Business is nothing but a platform for the exchange of products or service with respect to money or any other service but starting a business is a huge decision because we invest lots and lots of money in it.

The main motive of a business is to delight the customers and try to acquire more customers along with a proper plan and strategic management. According to Michelle Dipp, a life sciences investor and venture capitalist, “There must be an appropriate vision or goal for starting the business. If you plan to pitch to investors, you must understand that investors don’t just put money on products, they invest in the future. The best way to foresee the future is through company’s vision or goals”. Like humans, the business also undergoes various stages such as:

Budding Stage

This stage is the starting stage of any business. Here the businessman or the entrepreneurs need to define the pathway like where they want to take their business after a certain period of time. This is one of the crucial stages. The budding stage defines the initial stage of the business. The businessman needs to water it every day with efforts, hard work, and other factors to make it strong day by day.

Growth Stage

The growth stage is otherwise known as Survival stage for the business. The times come when business face cut-throat competition from the competitor, here the team should perform really well and generate their unique selling proposition.

Maturity Stage

In the maturity stage, the growth of business tends to be in the break-even point, no profit no loss. Here a new strategy should be implemented, and business should re-enter with new product and service so as to earn a profit and acquire customers.

Decline Stage

In this stage, business is in the position of winding- up. The ideas don’t work, the customers are retained by the competitors, or maybe they don’t have funds for further proceedings.

Be it a start-up or a renowned business; there comes a certain period of time where every business requires funding or loan. Various business websites and vendors provide funding and loans for starting a business.

There are various types of investors like angel investors, venture capitalist, personal investors, peer to peer investors, etc. The investment can be a purpose for assets, capital, furniture, etc. Financing is required in every arena like employee’s salary mostly running the payroll, maintaining the inventory, etc. A business owner or entrepreneurs fear from borrowing money, so they start and accelerate the business but due to lack of lump-sum amount they need to shut down the same.

What are the necessary points which should be taken care of while searching for a funder or a lender?

Terms and Condition

When an investor invest in your company, he/she will obviously enter into the contract with certain terms and condition, make sure you have properly read out all the conditions and have made all the points clear and the agreement is made in a way that both the parties are mutually benefited.

Make sure you are aware of the history of the investor

Partnering with someone is a big decision, make sure you have proper communication regarding the same. Try to understand what all other companies in which he/she has invested are? Was the investment for a short period of time or a long period of time? Why the contract got over? What is the type of industries he/she has invested?

You can check out with this popular financial institution https://www.libertylending.com/ to get funds for your business quickly.

What is important?

To maintain the working capital

The foremost important part of a business is to maintain and keep consistency in respect to capital. The working capital includes furniture, employees’ salary, office equipment, and other administrative responsibilities. If the business is in the mode of expansion, it will require extra workforce and space and this will increase cost and if the business is in the constraint of only loss, this will require amount and can be raised considering market trends.

Recovery or meet the accident expenses

Accidents can happen at any time or any moment like fire in the building or certain asset brokerage or short-circuiting. This will again incur a cost. No doubt there is an option of business insurance but this will just help in making the burden less, but still cash flow is required. Consider a factory outlet where workers are always prone to accidents, machines often break down, this needs proper care and safety measures, and these factors cannot be fueled without money.

Maintaining a relationship with Key account manager

Every firm requires a key account manager for the investor, to hire an experienced professional so that investors can be backed-up for the same. Key account manager helps in maintaining a good relationship with clients helps you in financial terms and helps in accelerating the growth of the business as well.

Introducing a new product

New product development is usually becoming forte for the firm. But product development again requires huge money because it will involve testing, workforce planning, digital marketing service, etc.

Mode expansion

Sometimes when the business is growing at a faster pace and is able to acquire the customers, and the team decides to expand in different corners of the cities or PAN India, money is the first and foremost thing which will be required for the various purpose for financing, increasing the inventory, etc.

Small projects

There various companies which undertake projects on a contract basis or cloud software, basically here the companies tap the investors known as crowdfunding.

Conclusion

Business is an ongoing process. Funding can be required at any point in time, but finding the correct and appropriate ways of funding and finding the investors must be chosen wisely. There is a big market of investors and loan providers, but everyone cannot be trusted. Firstly, understand the benefit of funding; what are the risk involved along with the Pros and cons of funding. Why is the investor interested in your company?  Most importantly make your strategy strong so that the funds are used in a smart way, and you incur profit from the same. Funding can be on the basis of profit sharing as well.

Insights

Best And Proven Ways To Save Money Designed For Single Parents Only

on October 22, 2018

It is true that raising a kid is not an easy feat, especially if you are taking up this task as a single parent. So, if you have to due to unwanted circumstances, then kudos to you! It is no doubt to state that handling finances as a single parent is a major challenge. But, there is one major point of handling finances alone. It is perfectly alright as you are making all the financial decisions on your own without anyone poking you. So, you are free from the tasks of comparing or bickering budgets for sure.

Even after this point, it can finally be stated that maintaining a family’s complete budget as a single parent is no joke. As per one recent report by the US Department of Agriculture, the primary cost of just raising a child right from the birth to age of 18 will be around $233,610. With such a hefty expense for you to deal with, single parents might find it hard to just get by. Apart from that, the idea of saving money is also quite impossible it seems, at some point or time. Saving always stays right at the back due to other pressures of financial priorities. During such crucial economic conditions, going through debt settlement reviews can be a helpful solution for all the single parents out there for sure. Yes, it is true that saving money is not easy but single parents can often put money in a bank with some help. Some tips in this regard will work magically.

A plan creation for working your way out with bills

In case, you are struggling to find enough money for paying bills, this might be the first business order for you. For that, you have to head start by creating a schedule of each form of the regular monthly bill which is due. Then you have to compare that with the paycheck you get at the end of every month. Do you have enough money for making the payments?

  • It is really impossible to schedule bills due-dates to match with the paydays. So, it is always up to you for creatinga plan for ensuring that you have enough cash for bills.
  • One simple way to work on that is by creating separate bills pay savings account. You will have money automatically withdrawn from a regular savings account and then put into bill payment account.
  • By following this way, you can actually settle money aside for ensuring that the bills are paid always and right on time. Always be sure to update information and automatic drafts that you have for a setup.
  • Always remember that bills are going to be the first priority for not just you but for your kids as well. In case you are lacking money continuously and cannot pay bills, then you have to cut right back on some unwanted expenses for sure to avoid falling into some mishappenings in near future.

Have to adopt that minimal lifestyle

Minimalism helps in improving financial health quite easily. Living with less or minimalism means considering every purchase seriously before investing in it. Do you really need to add that item in your shopping cart list? Will it be of any use later or is it worth the money? You have to be sure of these points first before you can actually invest money in any product. If you can cut short your expenses that will be great for you.

Well, minimalism does not mean that you have to reside in a nearly empty place just to give you this title of a minimalist. By just adopting this minimalistic lifestyle, you can always reduce expenses greatly. You can always cut down anything in life that no longer serves the purpose that well or cannot bring the joy in your life. You can always find joy in living a rather simple life. In this article, you can read more about earning some extra money to reach “joy in your life” goal.

Have to prioritize emergency fund

Everyone is in need of emergency fund. And that calls for the single parents out there as well. These funds are perfect and quite necessary for just protecting the financial wellbeing of every individual.

  • Tragic things can happen anytime and even without any prior knowledge. For example, your car might break down or you may forget to pay a bill or might get laid off.
  • Avoid these events from ruining the finances you have right now. You have to prepare by just starting emergency fund right now and that will help you big time for sure.

If you can then sell items

Hosting a garage sale once in a while of the items that you actually don’t need it always a clever idea to earn some bucks and add those in your financial budget. In case you are unsure of how you can find some extra money for paying bills or adding into the emergency fund, then you can sell some household items, which you don’t use anymore. However, the items must be in good condition.

  • This step will definitely help in jumpstarting finances really well. Most of the people can easily have at least couple of dollars’ worth of the sellable items, which are just sitting around. You can easily host garage sales or just sell these items on Craigslist, FB or OfferUp.
  • You can use this money for saving some goals for sure. On the other hand, as an added bonus, by just cleaning out your space, you are already starting off with the idea of minimalism in full force!

Plan some special low cost celebrations

Just because you are cutting down expenses that does not mean you won’t have fun like you used to previously.  Whether it is your birthday party or any special occasion, you can celebrate it with the same zeal and energy, but by just lowering the expenses for it. Contact only very close friends and family members for the party and cook food for them at home. It will help you to have fun and save bucks too. Following these steps are really amazing for single parents out there in saving money.

Insights

13 Common Problems for Small Businesses and How to Fix Them

on October 22, 2018

If you are looking to start a new business, then now is the best time. There is so much possibility in today’s world for new ideas to become a hit and with advancement in technology, it has never been easier to start a new enterprise. Setting up a new business requires many things like an idea you trust in, the right opportunity, resources, meticulous research and understanding of the field you are entering in and a detailed and exhaustive study of the market. These are a few things that you will require while venturing in the business world.

But it’s not a smooth sail after you enter the ocean of opportunities. Starting a business comes with a fair share of challenges which will require skillful tackling. Your company’s growth depends on how well you handle these opportunities disguised as challenges.  But to be able to turn any challenge into an opportunity for growth, you must be prepared for it. 

Mentioned below are a few challenges that you might face while running a business. Understanding them will give you an advantage over them and will help you in your company’s growth by neutralizing them at an early stage.

1. Creating a Plan for Your Business

It all starts with a plan. You have to make sure that you have pre-planned how you are going to run your business even before you have any resources. Build an early plan for how much space you need for your business, the number of employees needed, the rent you might be paying, what amount you should be spending on your furniture etc. An early plan will help you in getting an idea about how much money you might be spending monthly. This will assist you in collecting money for your business and in taking a loan.

2. Time Management

Managing time can be a hard task for some people. But when you enter in business, it becomes essential that you manage your time efficiently.

While doing business, you have to pay attention to many things like finances, supplies, delivery, employees, etc. Failing at them can be a disaster for your business. Having a schedule will let you perform every task efficiently and will improve productivity over a period of time.

3. Customer Services

Providing excellent service to your customer is what should be your primary objective. Every business is customer dependent, and its success and failure depend on the kind of services it provides to its customers. If you lack behind in delivering your customer with a great experience, then it may work against your business. An unsatisfied customer can always leave a bad review. Avoid this by understanding your customer. Always promise what you can deliver and always deliver more than what they expect.

For example, this business insurance resource center includes:

• How To Manage Your Commercial Property Risks
• Office Insurance
• Consultant Insurance
• Videographer Insurance
• Top 11 HVAC Contractors Risk Exposures
• Legal Expense Insurance
• Why Personal Trainers Should Require Questionnaires From Clients
• Hair Salon Insurance
• Accountants Insurance
• Farm Insurance
• and many more

4. Choosing a Location

Having a suitable location for your business is very important. You can select a location based on the kind of services you are going to provide. If you are planning to be a restaurant owner or a florist, you should be looking for a location that is accessible and crowded; a market that will suit you well.

And if you are looking for a place to set up a warehouse or factory, then a discrete location out of a city which is connected to a road is what you should be looking for. You can easily select a location based on your business and the type of services you would be providing.

5. Targeting the Right Customer

Your customer base depends upon your product and the kind of services you would be providing, and after you have decided the services you would be offering, you should focus on reaching the targeted customer. Let us say if have decided your product and you know your preferred consumer base; your next move should be to contact them. If you have decided to own an ice cream shop, then your preferred customer should be kids, and if you have decided to run a sports equipment shop, then your targeted customer should be young and athletic people.

6. Keeping in Touch with the Latest Trends

Keeping a close eye on the market and the ongoing trends will help you in enhancing your business and making a profit. Staying in touch with the trends will reduce the chances of making any decision that can be against the market. This will save you a lot of money.

7. Being Innovative and Creative

Creativity and innovation will always keep you ahead from your competitors. Being creative will help you in standing out from the rest and in gaining new customers. You should always try new and bold ideas that are distinct from the league.

8. Keeping Your Competition Close

Watch every move of your competitors. Keep a track on what they are doing. You should not always try to follow them and do what they do, but watching their move can teach you something. Sometimes they may know something that might work fine for you.

9. Improving Your Sales through Marketing and Advertising

You can always improve your sales through proper advertising. In fact, seeking the services of a good marketing agency will give a boost to your business by increasing your visibility and helping you attract more customers.

10. Keeping Your Employees Satisfied

By keeping your employees content, you will ensure the smooth functioning of your business. Understand your employee and pay them well. This will improve their efficiency and will create a better work environment.

11. Managing Your Investment and Finances

While starting a business, you might need financial support. You can always take a loan, but make sure that all of your investment should not come from loan alone. It would be a bad idea to depend upon the loan solely. Whether it’s small business accounting, mid-sized or large-scale, it is essential to keep track of your finances at all time.

12. Choosing the Right People

Be it, employee or customer; make sure you work with the right people. The people you work with should share the same work ethics and principles. And the people you work for should value your product and the services you provide. Working with like-minded people will take your take company to new heights.

13. Keeping Track of Your Performance

Always track your performance. Whether you perform good or bad, always keep a record of your performance. There is always something to learn from your past, and there is always a room for improvement.

These are a few key points you should remember before you start a new business. They are guaranteed to help you in making your business a hit.

Author Bio

Tracy Watson is a business development manager at Accounting To Taxes- a well-known company offering complete finance and accounting services. She has always been a great contributor to the accounting industry and also responsible for branding and lead generation. And being a passionate writer as well she helps businesses with her informative articles.

InsightsMartechProducts

4 Apps that will help you stay away from any and every brain related problem

on October 19, 2018

Studies conducted by various institutes have proven the importance of brain stimulation. It’s no secret that cognitive functioning declines as the brain ages. An active brain has a higher chance of surviving against age-related neurodegeneration than a slouchy one. Keeping your mind busy is vital when it comes to fighting off diseases as damaging as dementia.

Your brain needs the right nutrition and stimulation to keep working at its best. The human brain strives on challenges. It requires complex situations and problems to solve. Research reveals that problem-solving makes the brain healthier and assists in strengthening nerves. It helps generate new brain cells and makes the present cells stronger.

Similarly, people exercise to develop physical strength. Maintain their body, eat healthily and try to stay fit not only to look good but to also satisfy their self-esteem. The food you eat has a direct impact on your brain and the body. Lack of essential vitamins could be the main reason why you don’t feel like yourself. Longterm depression leads to a decline in cognition if left untreated.

Source

Brain fog, lethargy, and an inactive lifestyle are the problems faced by many adults. Sitting at a desk for long hours or staying immobile for more than 55 hours a week could cause mental problems. Minimal movements lead to a drop in oxytocin, a hormone that generates happy feelings and makes you lose your focus. The several hours spent in front of phones, televisions, and laptops is discouraged not only by ophthalmologists but also therapists. Continuous scrolling on social media apps can leave you isolated and cause feelings of depression. All these factors can eventually lead to brain damage.

Your brain is technically a supercomputer that performs multiple tasks per millisecond. It is the command center, and the tiniest malfunction could lead to a drastic change in your life. So how exactly can you keep your brain functioning properly and block the development of any brain-related problem?

You use the apps that improve your mind instead of those that damage it!

The claim that mental stimulation leads to enhanced neuroplasticity is the basis of the concept of brain training. Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to change and adapt according to the stimuli available. Human evolution from the hieroglyphs to algorithms is proof of how vital neuroplasticity is to us. Working on this surreal ability of the brain is precisely what you need. Here is a carefully curated list of 4 apps that will help you stay away from any and every brain related problem and keep your brain functioning at its best!

Lumosity

source

Lumosity, a colorful and fun app, is thought of as the original brain trainer. The app has millions of user who can’t stop singing its praises. It focuses on the five, central cognitive functions of memory, speed, flexibility, problem-solving and attention.

The app was developed with the assistance of more than a hundred researchers who helped in the designing of each of the games. According to a citing on their website, 4700 people participated in a study, and their cognitive progress had improved monumentally by the use of this brilliant app.

Dementia statistic state that better cognitive functioning delays the onset of dementia. Crosswords and Sudoku are great games for your brain. But apparently, Lumosity is better for your mind than the said puzzles.

Duolingo

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Duolingo is a creative app that helps you learn different languages. The cute bird themed app helps stimulate language, memory, and attention. A boost in these cognitive functions can help you focus today and prevent brain damage in your later years. Learning multiple languages is closely linked with a higher level of intelligence and quick decision-making.

Being multilingual in the globalized world of today would benefit your image too. You could probably impress that french girl you met online with your stellar command on her language. And, you could get brownie points for being poetic in the language too!

Elevate

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Elevate is the app for everyone. It helps you improve comprehension, makes you solve mathematical problems and helps you speak and write. This app was voted the best iPhone app for 2014. But what makes it stand out is the ability to boost productivity, earning power and self-confidence. It has an overall adult feeling due to the focus being on text instead of captivating visuals. The serious tone and goal-oriented nature of this app have made it a favorite among its millions of users worldwide.

Braintest

Braintest is a scientific app that helps detect early signs of Alzheimer’s disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and dementia. It is a cognitive screening app that saves you from the hassle of visiting a doctor’s office when you’re doubtful about your mental health. The SAGE-based app provides an assessment and not a diagnosis. You have the opportunity to test yourself in the privacy of your own home. The results can be printed and used as the starting point of your conversation with doctors.

Wrapping up

People over forty should be vigilant with any changes in their behavior. Subtle signs of behavioral changes are the earliest sign of mental decline. Forgetfulness, irritability, hypersomnia or insomnia count among other signals.

Sharpen your mind with brain training and practices of productivity to have a better life today and also reap the benefits of this mindfulness when age-related neurodegeneration threatens you. Focus on your diet and try to consume foods rich in brain-boosting powers like berries, leafy vegetables, and nuts. Try to move around as much as you can.

source

Set reminders on your phone to drink water at regular intervals. This will give you the opportunity to not only stay hydrated but also walk to the restrooms. Waking up at an earlier hour keeps your mind focused for longer. If you manage to limit your use of social media apps, then you are surely on your way to achieving all your health goals!

So, download these awesome apps and start testing the limits of your mind today!

About the Author:

Alma Causey is a Freelance writer by day and sports fan by night. She writes about tech education and health-related issues. Live simply, give generously, watch football and a technology lover.

DevelopmentInsightsMartech

Can You Tackle The Web Design Trends For 2019?

on October 19, 2018

Withthenever-ceasing tech revolution, we will see many new Web Design trends in 2019. This web design company shares the expert tips to tackle them.

It’s coming to the end of 2018, and we have been facing a lot more new in the Web Designs and the related trends.

2018 has been the year of many revolutions in the digital trends, and when it comes to website trends, they are never ceasing.

A website is an online presentation of a business and helps to bring new customers to the business.

Thus, it is entirely necessary for any business to have a website design that creates a lasting impact on customers and helps to convert the prospect into potential ones.

However, having a beautiful web design is not pleasing the visitors if the website takes long enough to load.

Google stats say that if your website takes less than 3 seconds to load the visitors will be staying, but if it is increasing then 3 seconds, they are supposed to quit the site.

Stats say if it takes 1 to 3 seconds, the bounce rate increases by 32 % and when it takes up to 5 seconds, the bounce rate hikes up to 90% and it is only going higher with the increasing load time.

The stats will only give you a nightmare, and if you still don’t wake up and understand the trends, you may fall behind the track.

Here, I come up with some of the known, but highly essential trends to tackle with web design in 2019.

1. No Compromise on the Speed

We read it earlier that the load speed of the website is not tolerable by the users.

They only wait for 3 seconds to check if they can visit the website; if it takes longer than that, the chances are they quit the site without seeing anything further.

It seems like centuries passing through the time of visitors if they have to wait and couldn’t get anything by that time. Which, in the result, leaves the worst user experience.

Whether you are a beginner or a completely settled business, it is entirely necessary for your business to maintain the best user experience for your users.

You cannot afford an attractive website if it is not helping any users to stay on your site and bother to see your services.

The websites with beautiful but heavy graphics are going to make the web page load slower and irritate the visitors because they will have to wait long.

It is going to cause a significant loss to the business if your visitors have to wait for the website to load and eventually leave your site with no fruitful experience.

Being an entrepreneur, you need to work on this aspect to shine among the competition in 2019.

If you don’t understand how to accomplish it, take assistance from a reputed web design agency for your website project.

2. Keeping designs flat and simple

Wait, what? Am I asking you to keep the design simple?

Well, Yes and here I will tell you why to adapt to this trend.

It can be seen from the recent past years’ experience that the web design created with heavy and beautiful graphics makes the website slower to load.

Also, it is visible that web designs with neat and straightforward graphics draw more traffic because of two reasons:

  • It is quicker to load for the desktop as well as mobile browsers
  • They help to get high SEO value

However, it does not mean that the flat designs are only limited to two dimensions. It is sheerly related to the austereness and usability.

It is an aspect that focuses on making your design clutter-free and increasing the reliability of the website.

However, simplicity doesn’t make it uninteresting. You can get the website design development service that is smart enough to make a web design which is simple but elegant at the same time.

You can get the graphics design services those understand the best contrasting colors and appropriately visible and beautiful fonts and settle them as per your business website requirements. You can use this free sunflower svg bundle to create vibrant yet quick loading graphics.

3. Making Mobile Responsive Websites

It is only unnecessary to describe how much have the mobile phones taken over the technology.

No matter what the age of a person is, he or she is engrossed in the mobile phones more than the desktop computers.

Thus, pointless to explain how important it is for the businesses to get the Mobile Responsive Website Design Services for their business.

This has been an ideal trend now that every business chooses to have responsive website design services to be able to cater to the vast population group regardless of the type of devices they use.

Responsive website design means that the site can adjust as per the size of the device screen from which the user visits it.

It adjusts the website to be able to perform with the same efficiency even on mobile with which it delivers on the desktop.

If you are a start-up business and are not keen to invest highly in the design, you can take assistance from many of the best website design companies for small business.

4. Grid Layout

Grid layouts are the ones that we have been using since ages of the outdoor ads.

A grid system helps the website design company to maintain the alignment of the images, content, headlines, CTA irrespective of the medium they are working in.

Grids were kept out of the web designs for a long time making them more sloppy. It made users only to focus on the essential parts of the page.

However, later with the time, Grids came more into trends because of their look being different from other websites and at the same time not appearing as sloppy.

The designers at any responsive website design company can achieve this by breaking the grid pattern and cleanly planning the asymmetry.

Smart web designing company sites use the grid layouts differently by unusual placements, different colors & textures, irregular patterns, white space, and creative content.

These designs easily catch the users’ eyes and keep them engaged with the website with the delightful user experience.

5. Shapes

When it comes to designing, how can we forget about shapes on the web design?

In the tug of war between the flat designs and grid layouts, we see a simple yet an elegant trend of shapes shining out.

While keeping the design simple, the geometric shapes still give it an essential beauty to differentiate from a simple flat design and not making it a heavy loading design.

It is like a bridge between the flat design and grid layout giving the users an eye-soothing experience yet keeping them on the track with the website to focus on the essential aspects.

Smart website design development service providers know how to use this design element and fit them according to the personality of the business.

Like colors, shapes also represent emotions which the best website builder for small business also understands and delivers the design that looks like the complete online representation of the company.

6. More Advancements

The first advancement I will talk about is Video Backgrounds.

You might be thinking that just a minute ago you read that load speed is such a significant issue in the website conversion, but again I am discussing the videos on the websites.

However, regardless of the speed issues, Video backgrounds have shown up as more promising to boost up the conversion rates.

Videos have proven to be more interesting than text or images ever and hence if you design a website with an impressive video background, it is going to break those glass ceilings for your business in 2019.

Second, I would discuss Bots on your website. This feature is a very new yet useful element bringing a huge curve on the Web Design graph.

A chatbot on your website is always intriguing and bringing high conversion rates.

These chatbots encourage the visitors to talk to you or submit their queries on your website; which in return can bring your business a potential customer.

The top 10 website design companies across the world have mastered this skill and are up with innovative ideas to include in this design trend always.

Conclusion:

Well, these are some handful of the trends that we will see in the coming year 2019.

No one knows what the future is about to present to us. However, being future ready is what a business should always do.

Thus, it is quite advisable to hire a responsive website design company which can help you with the required website design development services.

Here, we come up as one of the Best Web Design Company in India providing effective web designs at the competitive website design India price.

Author Bio:

Manan Ghadawala, the founder of 21Twelve Interactive – one of the top Web design and Development Company in India and the USA, himself, is a seasoned Web Developer along with the extraordinary leadership skills which he applies to every project. He is a fantastic leader who stands as a backbone to his team and the company to achieve the desired success.

SaaS

How The Cloud Helps FinTech Companies Disrupt The Banking World

on October 15, 2018

For the average person, the cloud is a relatively incomprehensible service that lets them store files and photographs online. For the FinTech startup, it holds the key to their rise in popularity. It transforms the way they can store and share financial data, making it faster and easier to do both than ever before. As a result, cloud technology gives FinTech the edge it needs to disrupt the traditional banking world.

Data storage that affects speed and flexibility

Traditional financial services are so named because of their long history as the primary provider of banking products and services to customers. It’s also an apt name because of the way they store data. In the past, the typical branch was built around old-fashioned IT silos. These legacy systems made it difficult to make universal changes or share information between branches. It required a dedicated team of IT employees willing to put in the hours to merge this data using conventional methods.

The cloud represents a newer alternative to data storage and data sharing. It relocates data from siloed, on-site devices accessible only in person to a network of off-site servers accessible to anyone with Wi-Fi. The cloud connects these networks (or data farms) with the Internet, giving its users fast, easy, and affordable access to data.

Why does the cloud favor FinTech?

Unlike traditional services that are stuck with their legacy systems, FinTech startups are fresh to the market. Many of them are younger than cloud technology itself, so they don’t have to retrofit their data storage at all. They can start from scratch with just the cloud.

The cloud is also the reason why they could challenge the traditional banking system. Old-fashioned silos relied on expensive equipment that took up a lot of space and money in maintenance. Its size and costs out-priced fledging startups that didn’t have the capital needed to invest in these legacy systems.

By comparison, the cloud is relatively inexpensive. Startups don’t need to provide the same investments upfront to cover the space and equipment involved in department silos. That’s covered by a third-party provider, which also covers its ongoing maintenance. This has given startups the chance to provide alternative financial services that offer a faster and easier way to bank.

FinTech offers a different way to bank

Convenience and simplicity are two major features consumers expect from their financial experience, and FinTech wouldn’t be able to deliver on these promises without the cloud. Cloud technology helps FinTech companies achieve scalability with rapid data sharing. They can be flexible and nimble when launching new products or maintaining services that solve existing issues.

Though data-driven, FinTech is a broad term for customer-facing services that put value on user experience. Traditional banks, by comparison, put less value on a personalized and adaptable user experience. Even now, as it’s trying to recapture the market share stolen by FinTech, it’s failing to mimic FinTech’s rapid scalability. They’re having to partner with existing FinTech startups or they’re buying them out right to achieve the same responsivity.

So what are these alternatives?

FinTech describes a wide-ranging group of services just as varied as those found in the traditional financial world. If it already exists in the bank, then a FinTech company has moved it online. That includes simple things like cashing a check or transferring money. A mobile bank like Chime offers these services only through their website and app; they don’t need a physical branch for their customers todo these things.

Another FinTech sector without a physical presence is the growing number of online lenders. These lenders facilitate online cash advances that lack the complexities of traditional loans. Their digital platform makes it easier for companies like MoneyKey to process online loans at every stage of the borrowing experience.

Other companies are solving old problems with new online features. The founders of ChangEd leverage FinTech’s automation to help graduates pay down their student loans faster. The app syncs with their bank account and automates savings by rounding up purchases made on these accounts. For example, if you spent $35.01 on gas and $3.45 on coffee, it would charge your account $36 for gas and $4 for coffee. It would then invest the difference into your debt payment.

According to the latest data, FinTech has made massive ground in the market, while the traditional banks are struggling to retain customers. They’re trying to make up for their loss in many ways, including adopting the cloud for themselves. In the meantime, FinTech has a competitive advantage. The cloud lets them make fast changes as their customers need fluctuate.

DevelopmentInsightsProducts

The Constant Evolution of Voice Search

on October 12, 2018

Technology is all around us, and there is no escaping it. The best thing is that it is continually evolving as technological breakthroughs are seen almost on a daily basis. One of the technologies which are getting better every day and making our lives easier is voice search.

When Did It All Begin?

More than half a century ago, IBM introduced IBM Shoebox which was the first speech recognition tool. The father of voice recognition devices was able to recognize 16 words and the digits from 0 to 9.

Mostly implemented by mobile device manufacturers, today’s voice technology gives users the ability to do online searches, find information about products, ask questions, ask for directions or for the weather forecast, and many other things just by talking to a device.

How Does Voice Search Work?

First of all, it processes and transcribes the human speech into text before analyzing it in order to detect questions and commands. After that, it connects to external data sources such as search engines to find the relevant information and translates that information into a digestible format to fulfill the user’s intent.

What Are The Best Voice Search Engines?

There is a continuous battle between big players to make the best voice search engine. This is good news as voice search assistants are becoming more and more sophisticated, thus making our lives easier. Let’s take a look at the top brands manufacturing these devices.

  • Google’s Google Assistant is powered by AI and is primarily available on mobile and smart home devices. It was launched in 2016, and the thing which makes it different from its predecessors is that it can engage in two-way conversations.

  • Microsoft’s Cortana was released in April 2014. Available in multiple languages, it has the ability to set reminders, recognizes a natural voice, and answer questions by using the information found on Bing.

  • Amazon’s Echo has many capabilities, such as voice interaction, music playback, creating to-do lists, and streaming podcasts, to name just a few. The best thing about it is that it can be extended by installing other functions which are developed by third-party vendors.

  • Samsung’s Bixby is a voice-powered digital assistant introduced in 2017. It is a major reboot for S Voice. Aside from being used on smartphones and other mobile devices, Bixby is included in Samsung’s Family Hub 2.0 refrigerators, which are the first non-mobile products to include a virtual assistant.

  • Apple’s Siri is part of its iOS, watchOS, macOS, HomePod, and tvOS operating systems. It works by using voice queries and a natural-language user interface to do actions such as answering questions, checking for information, navigating, and many other things.

What Lies Ahead?

As of January this year, around 1 billion voice searches were made per month, and in the next couple of years, 50% of searches will be made using the voice-enabled technology.

It is also predicted that in the years that follow the voice recognition market is going to experience huge growth, with an estimated $601 million in 2019 only.

Conclusion

We can definitely say that the future of voice-enabled technology is bright. The constant need for improvement is the driving force that makes companies produce the best voice assistants out there. Both the companies and their customers bear the fruit from it.

Products

The Positive Aspects of Highly Associated With USB C

on October 10, 2018

Right now, you might have noticed something odd about the latest tablets, phones, and laptops at the company. The familiar form of rectangular USB A ports are long gone and replaced by some smaller oblong connectors. This is the era of USB C. Even though iPads and iPhones have stuck with the proprietary lightning connection, USB C seems to be a major portion of phones, laptops, and notebooks today. Even the latest MacBook Pro is known to have this port.

More about USB C

USB C is a new form of connector, designed for delivering data and even power from and to computer devices. This plug is designed in a symmetrical manner so that you can it, either way, to eliminate frustrations of earlier USB ports, and working at par with Apple’s connecting ports. This service alone is a major success among the lot, but now it can be integrated with USB power delivery and even USB c thunderbolt hub, for enhancing the value and power usability of this service even more.

Focusing on the features

Most of these USB C ports will have USB 3.1 data transferring standard. Then you have the second generation protocol of the USB 3.1 which can deliver data speed theoretically by up to 10 GBPS. It is twice faster than USB 3.0 and first-generation USB 3.1.

  • Then you have so many desktops and laptops, which have been supporting this USB C specification with the Thunderbolt 3 from Intel and its data transferring technology.
  • USB C Port is well-equipped with Thunderbolt 3 for pushing data speed to the theoretical limit of around 40 GBPS.
  • To be sure how enhanced this service is, it is around four times faster than the USB 3.1 and can also be around 3000 times faster than original USB 1 specs of 12MBPS.

Increased capabilities by your side

Other than the increasing data transfer speed, there is the ability to push video over the same connection. The Alternate mode of USB C for video enables the adapters to actually output video from same USB C port to the HDMI, VGA, Display Port and other types of video connectors on YV, displays, and projectors.

  • Another interesting point about this form of USB C port is that it helps in supporting the USB PD specifications. The USB 2.0 port can always deliver around 2.5 watts of power, which is enough to charge a phone.
  • Then you have the USB 3.1 which ups the figure by around 15 watts. But with the introduction of USB PD, you can deliver a power of 100 watts! It is 6 times more than what USB 3.1 used to offer you with. It can further open up the potential for the laptop based projectors, depending on the USB C port.

You will only come to learn more about the USB C port once you start working on it. Once you have done that, there is no looking back for the next response. The more you come to check out the port, the less you will get towards other deals at all.

About the author

Trudy is a Business Tech Analyst. He is very responsible for his job. He loves to share his knowledge and experience with his friends and colleagues.

DevelopmentInsightsProducts

Ways To Prevent Mold Formation In HVAC Unit

on October 9, 2018

If you fail to maintain your HVAC unit, the chances are high that it will grow mold. This bacteria and fungus then might get pumped out right into the air that you, along with your loved ones, breathe. This could result in you being the unwanted victim of respiratory problems and allergic reactions. So, it is time to learn how you can actually prevent mold from growing in the first place. If you have already been a victim of such an issue, you should consider getting professional cleaning booked in, be it via Willard Power Vac or any other service provider. But, by following the following simple and easy steps on a daily basis, you can prevent the formation of mold and avoid this issue altogether.

Make sure to clean your system whenever you get time:

The first step in this regard is to check on the cleanliness of the current HVAC system. Look for any of the areas which are damp or leaking. And then you have to confirm it by placing the right air fitters in those areas. The experts from reputed centers are here to help you with the cleaning of the air duct in case you are completely unsure of where you might want to begin with the unit. To prevent the formation of mold in air ducts, you have to keep a note of this point for sure.

Get yourself the best humidifiers as available online:

The addition of some terms like humidifiers, standalone heaters in homes and fans can help in regulating humidity in the air. It can further help in cutting back on the mold growth to a great extent. You have to buy the best humidifier, which will match your requirements well. Purchasing the best one can cut back down on how much you might have to spend on the cleanup services otherwise.

Keep the windows and doors closed:

Whenever the weather remains warm or damp, avoid opening doors and windows all the way around. Giving chance to the outside elements to enter your place can increase the level of moisture inside your house and that will affect the HVAC system to a great way. Shutting down the doors and windows will help in minimizing the air duct cleaning ordeal and will also help the system to remain clean and free from molds, if not more. As the products are not getting way too exposed to elements, so things are designed to act in your favor for sure.

For the concluding note:

Once you have learned the easiest ways to keep the molds from forming, you should start working on it now. To be on the safer side, keep the numbers of the experts handy. These professionals are licensed and they have a certificate to prove their worth. They know what they are doing and always ready to help you in the best manner possible. Once you have contacted the team for help, there is no need to look for any other secondary service. If the mold infestation is way too much for you to handle, then let the experts be your guide for the day.

Mobile
DevelopmentSaaS

3 Ways Mobile Apps Are Revolutionizing Entertainment Industry

on October 8, 2018

In last five years, Mobile apps have dominated the world with its powerful solutions and superior services. From live cricket scores, food and online shopping to games and health management, there is rarely something where mobile apps would not help. Prevalence of mobile app technology has swept through the smallest corner of our life, creating digital solutions even in the entertainment and media industry.

With consumers expecting easy-to-use and seamless apps, entertainment domain is also experiencing an unforeseen transformation. It is evident that by now different entertainment segments relies on the mobile app revolution mainly due its convenience and usability. So how exactly mobile apps are revolutionizing entertainment industry?

Discussed here are 3 primary ways mobile apps have significantly changed entertainment space.

Updates and trends

Social media has developed a virtual hub of realities that eloquently displays the expressions of global communities. In the absence of social media platforms, it was quite a challenge to monitor and discover the latest hot trends in the relevant market. With a powerful disruption of social media, human society realized the importance of digital technology and began to share their mind with the world, which in turn resulted in honest valuable trends.

Social apps have a dedicated, most updated space for suggesting trending topics. Entertainment apps keep popular movies, music, shows and games embedded in a trending section for users to view what is making a rage. Due to such instant updates and recommendations, entertainment is accessible and available anywhere for anyone. This is why entertainment app development companies are working passionately to optimize user experience within apps.

Information-driven engagement

Mobile users are predisposed to interacting with social media platforms for a daily dose of news, updates, life hacks, and tips and more. It is not a surprise that people quickly check the homepage wall of Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram as they are the best reliable source of authentic information. Entertainment apps integrate social posts to enable users to share useful media information on the platform.

Apart from these, video content leader Youtube also facilitates a unique, highly engaging and visual platform for exploring creativity, information, and entertainment. It has innovative features with individual channels, vlogs and more. Engagement is the crucial essence of entertainment mobile apps that allows users to interact with their favorite artists and idols and know more about them. Businesses can thus interact with their customers and address their requirements with more confidence.

The scalable capabilities of platforms

Many YouTubers make videos to show off their product or to review one for example a fitness blogger selling their fitness program, gamers reviewing games and certain pranksters using different tools for pranks such as a prank call app, loaded with pre-recorded voice lines. This proves to be an effective way to educate and entertain their subscribers.

Entertainment app platforms are equipped with the superior capability to suit business needs and user perspective. Today’s apps are integrated with movies, music, live streaming experience as well as gaming to deliver exceptional user experience. Scalable platforms complete with all the vital features also create a potential opportunity for artists to bring their talent in public and reach the audience.

Application development is less complicated with many readymade platforms introduced now and then. Due to many incredible features in place, users have a lot to gain by leveraging the scalable app platforms focused on enabling users to share their content online on any platform to exhibit their flair. These entertainment applications set a comprehensive flow of content including articles, videos, blogs, and other rich media, which further enhances app’s usability for entertainment purpose.

Most popular Entertainment apps

NETFLIX

NetFlix has risen to be one of the most sought-after entertainment platforms for a viewer who rely majorly on their mobile devices for distraction and amusement. It is enriched with unlimited fun movies, dramas, and comedies and also connects with TV. It has quickly changed the satellite TV market, is the world’s 10th largest company.

SPOTIFY

Spotify is another phenomenon in the world of music services and allows users to browse through songs and listen to their favorite music from favorite artist legally and save them offline. The app is highly successful with more than 24 million existing users.

Future promises

Like all other industries, Mobility is something that has swept deep through media and entertainment, bringing a new shape and dimension to its sphere. Technology translates into opportunities, especially for businesses that look to capitalize greatly on digital solutions to develop consistent growth potential. By integrating IoT and Wearable technology, entertainment mobile apps are likely to experience a much brighter future. Businesses should adopt more capable technologies such as VR and AR to make entertainment more engaging and influential.

Conclusion

Mobility has become the need for any business to reach expected growth target in the relevant market. Entertainment and media market has transformed its structure in the last couple of years by shifting to digitalization and enhanced user engagement based on the precise understanding of user behavior. We hope entertainment mobile apps will continue to amaze and fascinate more users in the coming days.

Author:
Helena Spaculus
https://www.spaculus.org
info@spaculus.org

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