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Top 10 Tips For First Home Buyers

July 29, 2018 by Reporter Leave a Comment

Buying your first home in any of Australia’s major cities is a difficult task. From getting your finance approval, finding a home that will suit your needs, competing with other buyers and investors at auction and most importantly not paying too much for a property.

For an inexperienced buyer, it is normal for the buying process to take up to six months to a year. We look at the top ten tips to shortening your time on market and getting your weekends back, to save you money.

Tip 1. Finance Pre Approval.
Having your finances in check empowers the buyer to not spend time looking at the wrong area in the wrong price range. It also gives you a negotiating ceiling so you know when to walk away if things get too heated.

Tip 2. Do Your Research.

Understanding what a similar property sells for in a similar area is vital to knowing the market value. When you see something you like, check a similar spec property that has sold in the last three months. This will help you spend your time wisely, on the right property.

Tip 3. Building Inspection.
Once you have successfully completed step 1 & 2 and you have found a house you like. It is important to do a building and pest inspection to make sure your not buying a maintenance nightmare. A typical building inspection can cost anywhere between $550 to $850. It is a worthwhile investment and will help reduce the chance of buyer’s remorse once the property negotiating is done.

Tip 4. Seek assistance in negotiating.

Real estate agents are negotiating pros. An average agent will sell one property each week where an average buyer might only purchase a house once every ten years. Different negotiating tactics apply to different real estate markets.
Buyer’s agents (https://wiserealestateadvice.com.au/home-buyers-agent/) are real estate agents for hire, they serve only the buyer and are employed to get you the best price and selling terms. To save a few dollars, find a buyer’s agent that offers a negotiating-only plan rather than a fully serviced plan. This should save you thousands.

Tip 5. Compromise your criteria for success.

If you keep losing auctions, it is better to adjust your criteria to give you more buying power. For instance, choose a property that may need a light renovation, a three bedroom property instead of a four bedroom property, smaller land allotment or peg back a suburb away from the CBD.

Tip 6. Government Grants.

First homeowner’s grants are a great help to minimizing some of the overheads when it comes to buying a property. To check if you are eligible, visit the state revenue office website for more information.

Tip 7. Conveyancers
You will need to hire a conveyancer to complete your sale. They will ensure all the conditions in a contract are fulfilled and make sure everything is legally signed over into your name. Normally they cost around $1000 per property purchase.
It is wise to get the contract of sale read over by your conveyancer prior to signing any contact of sale. A good conveyancer will provide this service free of charge and warn you of any risky conditions.

Tip 8. Add Clauses To Your Written Offer.
When submitting an offer on a property, every buyer has the right to add protection clauses to reduce their risk when buying. For instance, a ‘subject to finance’ clause or a ‘building-inspection clause’. These clauses can be like a ‘get-out-of-jail-free’ card if something goes wrong.

Tip 9. Don’t give agents verbal offers.
Always negotiate in writing using a Contact of Sale and Section 32’s. This process makes sure the vendor / seller visually sees your offer and responds back in writing using a counter-offer tactic rather than trusting the real estate agent’s story.

Tip 10. Never disclose your budget.
Keeping this secret is your key to saving money on a property negotiation https://wiserealestateadvice.com.au/negotiating-property-price/

Real estate agents highly skilled with negotiating strategies and know how to increase an offer if they know how far they can go. If the agent is kept in the dark they are less likely to empty an unsuspecting buyer’s pockets.

Economic Emergency – What to do When Hard Times Hit

July 20, 2018 by Reporter Leave a Comment

Photo by Noah Silliman on Unsplash

Financial hard times happen to the best of us. Whether it’s a failing economy or the loss of a job, struggling to pay the bills and trying to make ends meet can be exhausting and scary.

While there’s not much you can do to control the economy or even your employment, there are things you can do to improve your financial situation, secure your future, and weather any economic disasters that may loom over the horizon. The list below is designed to help you get through when hard times hit, so you come out on the other side with your financial life intact:

Avoid the Payday Loan Trap

While it’s tempting to head to a payday loan store when you need cash fast, this can be a serious mistake. Payday loans only add to your stress by hitting you with extremely high interest rates and even more outrageous fees if you can’t pay on time.

If you absolutely need cash fast a growing number of responsible microfinance lenders offer small cash loans online with less onerous terms Designed to help you out of a pinch without the astronomical fees, these options can help improve your financial resilience.

Do Away with Unnecessary Things

Many people spend money on non-essential items, leaving them less disposable income for the things they truly need. It can sometimes be difficult to distinguish between which items are necessary and which aren’t. The best way to do this is to write every purchase down along with its price.

At the end of the week, go through the list and decide which items you could do without. When you see the things you buy in a more objective light, it puts into perspective how much money you could be saving by reining in unnecessary expenditure.

Cut Back

Depending on your situation, it may make more sense to cut back on some things rather than cutting them out. For instance, do you really need an unlimited data plan for your cell phone? What about that premium cable package? How often do you actually watch all those movie channels? Cutting back on things you don’t fully use can add up to significant savings each month.

Consider Refinancing Your Home

If hard times have you struggling to pay your bills, but your credit is still in good shape, consider refinancing your home. This simple act could save enough money each month to help you ride out your financial difficulties much more easily.

Re-evaluate Your Insurance Policies

It’s very common to be over-insured, especially when you don’t fully understand complicated insurance lingo. You could be shelling out more money than necessary for more coverage than you need. To find out, and potentially save a lot of money each month, contact your insurance agent to discuss the details of your policies. Be sure you’re getting all the discounts available to you, including good driving record, theft deterrent devices, and safety equipment discounts.

Continue Saving for Retirement

Retirement will come, whether you like it, or not. You have to be ready when it arrives, and that means continuing to save for it no matter what your financial situation. Barring a complete financial loss, don’t stop putting even a small amount each month aside for your golden years, and don’t borrow against your 401k if you can avoid it.

Financial hard times can hit anyone. However, it’s how you react to them that makes the difference. Keeping a level head and using smart tactics like the ones mentioned above will help you ride out the storm with the least amount of stress and frustration.

Travel Tips: The Importance of Lockers in Airports

July 19, 2018 by Reporter Leave a Comment

Why airport lockers are the unsung heroes for mega travellers everywhere.

I travel, a lot. When I do get the time and funds together to pull off a really epic trip, I go all out. This means that I’m bring home a mass of rare finds, flea market jewels, and- yes, I know it’s lame- a ton of souvenirs for friends and family. On top of the fact that my baggage has baggage, I also like to make sure that I book flights with extremely long layovers (sometimes up to 48 hours) in cities that I want to lounge around in for a few hours.

This works great for me, I get to see everything and more, and I really get to make the most of the time and money I have available to me. The only part of it that was starting to get a bit worrisome was what I was going to do with bags upon bags of necessities, gifts, and all those fantastic items that make my house look like an 18th century museum. I wasn’t ready to sacrifice any of my luggage, but I also wasn’t wanting to sacrifice my travel time either. The simple solution to my perceived travel woes? Airport lockers.

This brain child came to me as I was lugging a small pachyderm and six of it’s friends worth of bag weight around Sydney Airport. I had booked one of my famous 48 hour power tours of the city, complete with museums, walking tours, discos, and bar crawls. Sydney is known for its wild nightlife as well as as for being city that is steeped in history and class. I had booked a cheap overnight in a crowded hostel near the city center. While this is a tactic I rely on more often than not, I also use websites like couchsurfing when I can and stay with locals I don’t know. This is fine by me and I’ve never really ran into any issues with it, but it does feel a bit awkward busting into someone’s home with seven giant bags and two large suitcases- just to snag a nap for the night. So there I was, standing in the middle of the airport, amongst a sea of overstuffed luggage, with a plan that absolutely did not include toting those bags with me. Right on the verge of mental breakdown, I look up and what do my wondering eyes spy? A line of airport lockers.

The lockers in the Sydney airport are brilliant. They come in a number of shapes and sizes, and are great for overnight storage. I ended up having to hire about six of them, but even then it didn’t break the bank. I kept one of my favourite messenger bags stuffed with essentials and set off. Feeling the freedom and confidence of running around the city, only armed with a fresh pair of underwear, cocktail dress, and a toothbrush, was incredible. The lockers enabled me to run around without having to concern myself with the safety of my artefact’s, or the safety of my health.

Running around with a mass of luggage isn’t just awkward and embarrassing (no one wants to be that tourist) but Sydney is hot, and I am not exactly in my prime health. I mean, I’m fit, but I’m not running any marathons any time soon. Pack on seven huge bags, heat, and several miles worth of walking tours, and I would have ended up looking like the back end of a baboon. Only extra sweaty.

Leaving my bags in the airport lockers kept me looking fresh as a daisy while I spent all day and all night experiencing this great city. Not only that, but I didn’t lose any sleep over worrying about whether or not my purchases were safe from any prying roommates.

I always find it surprising that lockers aren’t utilized more often. They’re spectacular for packing away your baggage while you have an overnight romp in an unknown city- but their usefulness doesn’t stop there. Travelling with kids? Lockers are a great way to store a bunch of luggage for a few hours while you bustle around the airport, making sure that you have your hands free for feeding, changing diapers, and general wrangling. They also work really well for stowing things away while you use the bathroom to freshen up between flights, or slip into the bar to relax before hitting the plane again. Lockers are what keep you from looking like a harried sentinel, desperately attempting to keep one eye on your charge at all times.

The peace of mind that you get from knowing that your items are safe and easily retrievable is something that you can never get enough of when your living out your travelling dreams. Lockers are definitely the things that keep these dreams from turning into nightmares.

Smoke and Mirrors – 5 Secrets to Making Your Small Business Look Great

July 15, 2018 by Reporter Leave a Comment

Photo by William Iven on Unsplash

Every business has to start somewhere. Even with a limited budget you still need to make your business appealing to customers. Without a façade that screams “I’m successful,” you risk appearing unprofessional and inexperienced. Here are five secrets to making your small business look the part even as you’re finding your feet in your chosen market:

Think Smart with Offices

Where you work can make a difference to the appeal of your business. Therefore, there’s every reason to consider serviced offices or virtual offices when you’re looking for suitable premises. A serviced office in a premium location can offer a sense of professionalism while still being affordable. The best part about a serviced office is you can utilize WiFi, reception services, office furniture and more, all built into one convenient weekly or monthly cost.

Virtual offices, on the other hand, are perfect for small businesses operating from home. You can benefit from an official business address and phone number, with forwarding services directing it to your home. No one need ever know you don’t work in a premium location.

Go Professional with Design

The worst thing you can do when you’re trying to launch a business is skimp on design. As IBM president Thomas Watson Jr. once said, good design is good business. If you create a logo on your own, you risk plastering your business with an unprofessional image that you can’t shake. The result? Wariness from potential customers who may otherwise have purchased your products if your image appeared more appealing.

Get Creative with Marketing

When you launch a new business, it can be challenging to get the word out. While you may have hoped that by merely by opening your doors the customers will come flocking, that’s often not the case. To put your business in a league of its own, you need to get creative with marketing. Offer your customers a solution to their problems in an “out of the box” way and ensure your business branding is everywhere.

To do so professionally, you may need to call upon the expertise of a marketing consultant. They can help you to understand where you need to market yourself, how best to approach your audience, as well as whom you should target. Hitting the bullseye with a killer campaign can be all it takes to get customers rolling through your doors.

Know Your Competition

There is a high chance that you are entering the world of business with a fair amount of competition. For example, if you’ve opened a new restaurant, there’s a good chance there will be at least a handful of restaurants nearby. Therefore, when you hit the market, you need to watch your competition like a hawk.

Find out what they are doing successfully and where they’re weak. By doing so, you can establish your business model with a competitive edge. Do it differently, do it better and your business is going to look far more successful to the general public.

Encourage Online Reviews

More and more people are turning to online reviews as their primary source of information about a new business. The more positive reviews your venture has, the better it is for your image. As a trickle of customers slowly comes through, encourage them to review the service you provided. You can even offer incentives for them to do so – such as discounts on their next purchase.

Your business isn’t going to look the part without a little effort and planning. While you might have a limited budget, there are so many things you can do to present your business to the public in a favorable light without breaking the bank.

Tighten Your Belt – 5 Secrets to Creating a Stable Financial Future

July 15, 2018 by Reporter Leave a Comment

Photo by Vitaly Taranov on Unsplash

It can sometimes seem impossible for low-income households to get ahead in today’s economy. Financial pressures can have a debilitating impact on your life. Too many families are familiar with the pattern of purchasing only the bare necessities, putting off replacing broken appliances, and spending all their time commuting to and from jobs that pay too little and ask too much. The economic hamster wheel leaves little opportunity for saving, or to enjoy your daily existence. The following are a few creative, yet simple ideas to help you get a handle on your financial stress and get back to loving life.

Wiggle Room

Unfortunately, lower-income families can find it nigh impossible to access credit with mainstream lenders. Locked out of the market, many turn to high-interest options such as payday loans for a lifeline that ends up being a deadweight around their necks. Fortunately, a growing number of government agencies and not for profits are offering interest-free loans for people on low incomes, to spend on necessities, like home appliances, or car insurance. Sometimes that wiggle room is all you need to ease yourself of some of that stress.

Master Chef

The ease of ordering takeaway in our modern society means a lot of money can quickly disappear on food. Yet it’s cheaper and healthier to cook your meals at home. All you need to do is change your perspective on meals preparation. Instead of a chore, transform it into a fun-filled activity. Numerous celebrity chefs that have a wealth of cheap, easy recipes that turn into delicious meals. So, get a quick recipe online, put on some music, and turn it into a joyful ritual. Get your family involved, and make preparing the meal just as enjoyable the meal itself.

Saving Grace

It’s hard to think that a small amount of money set aside every day can make a significant difference in the long run. However, with a bit of discipline and patience, you will be amazed at how much it can add up to over time. Even as little as 50 cents a day, or 10 dollars a week squirreled away into a dedicated savings account you don’t regularly check, your long-term savings can really start to grow. If you can’t get yourself into the habit of putting the money aside, there are apps that can do it for you, all at a rate you’re comfortable with.

Free Entertainment

Just because the budget is tight doesn’t mean you have to skimp out on cultural activities. You can spend hours wandering around free museums, markets, and historic buildings. Your local backyard is someone else’s tourist daydream. Check out the tourism travel page for your local city and see what they recommend is a must do for free. There are always plenty of ways to entertain the family without having to fork out hundreds.

Au Naturale

Whatever the weather, whether you feel like lazing around or getting active nature has you covered. Plan a trip to the beach, and spend the day lazing on the sand. Alternatively, plan a trip to the hills and go for a hike. Getting out of your four walls and enjoying nature has many mental health benefits, and it doesn’t cost a cent. Even if you end up doing precisely what you were planning on doing inside, such as relaxing with a book, or tapping away on your computer, if you do it outside, you’ll feel much better for it.

Having money problems doesn’t have to take the joy out of life. Cheap activities are still fun activities, and clearing your head of stress can help set you up for a financially stable future.

The Lightbulb List – Understanding the Benefits of Solar Energy

June 26, 2018 by Reporter Leave a Comment

Image: http://sustainablebenefits.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/solar-farm-panels.jpg

Solar energy has become increasingly popular over the last three decades. With consumers becoming ever more eco-conscious, we are seeing a huge rise in people wanting to live more sustainably and contribute to a more energy efficient planet. Considering the benefits of solar energy is now more essential than ever in adapting to a sustainable, environmentally-friendly lifestyle.

Nowadays, there are many different ways that we can lower our carbon footprint on a daily basis. From recycling to upcycling, from hydro to hybrids and renewables to new ways of thinking, there are a plethora of ways that we can lower our impact on the environment. Harnessing the energy if the sun through solar energy is the fastest growing source of new energy and is having a big impact on how Australians are making positive changes.

Continue reading below, to find out more about the advantages of solar energy and how using solar energy could positively impact your life.

Renewable Resource

The first and most well-known benefit of solar energy is that it is taken directly from the sun’s radiation. As sunlight hits the Earth, we can harness this natural energy resource to power homes, buildings and even cities. Of course, solar is a renewable resource as, although night falls and there are cloudy days, each and every day the radiation from the sun will reach the Earth’s surface and can be collected until the sun burns out, millions of years from now.

Solar Vs Grid Electricity Costs

Solar energy offers two types of resources for energy used in the home and workplace: thermal energy and sunlight converted directly into electricity.

Due to the rise in investigation, research and interest in solar power over the past 30 years, prices for solar energy facilities and installations have dropped considerably and are now much more affordable than in the past. There has also been a rise in grid electricity supply prices. As both thermal and solar panel energy fixtures are becoming cheaper and the investment return is being repaid so much quicker, it is unsurprising that more and more people are being persuaded to use solar energy because of the long-term economic benefits.

Additional Economic Advantages

As well as the savings that people experience from switching to solar energy, there are also various tax advantages and rebates from solar energy installations. These extra economic advantages are offered through regional and national governments, organisations with renewable energy goals and even electricity companies when extra collected energy is filtered to the grid.

Remote Access to Solar Energy

Even in the most remote places, the sun will be able to benefit those who are well prepared to receive solar energy. Not only in the capacity of solar panels on homes of rural-dwellers but also in ways that are not so evident. Solar energy can be used to heat water in areas with no access to hot running water or distil it, in areas with no drinking water.

Solar Energy’s Environmental Footprint

Although there are some negative environmental effects that come from the manufacturing and transporting of solar energy equipment, the overall consensus is that solar energy has far less damaging effects on the environment than other energy sources.

In addition to this, once solar thermal equipment or panelling is installed, there is no noise pollution or environmental contamination produced. Solar energy produces no greenhouse gas emissions because there is no burning of fossil fuels involved as the sunlight is converted directly into electricity.

Infinite Solar Power

From these benefits, it’s easy to understand that solar energy, as a source of renewable power, can help us in many ways. The sun is not likely to disappear in the near future, nor can it be monopolised by large corporations. The advantages of solar energy far outweigh any initial negative aspects of solar power, making it one of the best choices for both homeowners and businesses to make positive changes for the future.

How to build a small business website with wordpress in 25 minutes

May 2, 2018 by Reporter Leave a Comment

Article updated 02 May 2018

If you’re selling online services or products, or just have a small business – then having a website today is essential and wordpress makes this easy. But even if you don’t sell anything directly online, the website can be useful just like a business card of yours on the internet to get more customers in touch with you, with information about you, your business, and the services offered.

What we will show below in short ( summary )

1. Pick and purchase a domain

2. Set up hosting ( 1& 2 are both covered together with bluehost hosting)

3. Install WordPress and a Theme

4. Add content and set up your site (part2)

Well for many of you who possibly don’t know what is wordpress, it’s one of the most popular website building software on the internet and its easy to use. This Website software is being used by tops brands like BBC America, Sony Music, FORD Social, Ourselves and Beyonce.

Latest Bluehost Website starter 2018 Offer

You can easily build your website for a small business in 25 minutes flat and it can take a bit longer than that if you’re not as computer savvy as some. With the wordpress easy set-up, you can be up and writing for your website the same day after it’s installed.

You will need to sign up with a hosting company to set up your website. Installation of your website is made easy in this process with the 1 click install available from bluehost hosting which also provides a free domain with their 36 month plan. More details below..

This software is so versatile and flexible you can use it to create a professional looking website or just a personal blog, in-fact you can create a many different kind of websites with it – be it a Ecommerce shop website, A fashion blog , a photography webpage, a gadget showcase or a personal story blog.

You get hundreds of free designs from within word press ( wordpress themes) to change and customise the look of your blog. Free is good, but I always recommend that you purchase a paid theme from a good wordpress theme provider (I have good experience with elegant themes-Great designs at an affordable price and a large number of themes to choose from) to ensure your blog is always upto date and secure and doesn’t break.

What is wordpress themes ?

It’s a skin that you can put over your blog to change its look or design. You get pre-made designs for a word press website that you can get free or then purchase from a wordpress theme provider.

All you need to do is, to download that design and upload it to your blog and click install. It will change the whole look of your blog and this can be done in less than 5 minutes

Having a well-designed website can also be an effective way to market your business and compete with larger brands in your industry.

Whether you’re creating your first website or rebuilding an outdated one, here’s a step-by-step guide to help you design, market and maintain a great professional site.

Below is a quick Step by step procedure on how to get your wordpress website installed and started in 25 minutes

I have provided bluehost hosting for this tutorial as I have used them before and I am happy with them and they also provide a domain name with your hosting which makes the whole process easier and quicker to do.

Here is the step by step guide

1. Go To bluehost – Click here

( or click on the get started now button image)

2. Get your Domain Name

It It will tell you if the name is not available and you can search for another name

3.Enter your details for sign up,once you find and appropriate domain name

4. Choose what additional options you need with your website like privacy ,backups etc (as you can notice below the domain name is free with the 36month plan,which gives you a discounted price of $3.49 a month)

5. Enter your credit card details on the bluehost secure site and click submit.

You will get emailed your receipt and login details and You can access their 1 click install set up after login into the admin panel to set up your word press website by following the prompts.

Here are the steps you should follow after logging in ( this should be similar/same on all the major web hosting companies):

Log in to your hosting account.
Go to your control panel.
Look for the “WordPress” icon.
Choose the domain where you want to install your website.
Click the “Install Now” button and you should get access to your NEW WordPress website.

Your wordpress website should be ready now

Choosing a Design Theme or Template for your site

Once you have successfully installed WordPress to your domain, you’ll see a very basic yet clean deafault site
But while default design is basic ,you need a good looking site – a design template that tells people that you mean business and attract people to your blog/website. Once you have found a good looking theme you like, installing it is as simple as clicking “Install” followed by “Activate” to change the look of your site

Pros: Of building your own website

· No technical skills needed. You can create a website in minutes.

· Affordable. Also, reduce costs by making your own site changes.

· Often includes, free integrated hosting.

Cons:

· Advanced functionality is limited to number of plugins available in the website builder program
Small business offer from godaddy

A$1.99 per month Website Builder™ with Free domain

Some other website building options

Moonfruit

Moonfruit is a free website host and editor with a plethora of fresh designs and detailed editing options.

Weebly

Weebly’s online website designer is a little easier to use than Moonfruit’s. Quite a few of Weebly’s themes are the same as those offered by WordPress, though Weebly optimizes your site for mobile devices.

Why wordpress ?

I chose WordPress for this guide because it was the easiest CMS or (website platform) I found that non-web savvy people could get installed and work with. There is lots of free web-site automatic software and websites out there that let people build a website for free.

The problem with this being

1) it only works on their hosting so you don’t really have full control of your own site

2) When it comes time for you to have a designer come in to add functionality you need to or improve the site according to your needs, they won’t be able to use that software, and likely ask you to start all over again.

Don’t procrastinate and get your business online and give it a good chance to get more customers to your business. Good luck!

Jeff is an avid blogger and website builder and writes about website creation when he is not blogging on start-a-website.info or talking about technology at digitalgrog.com.au his Australian blog.You can get in touch with him here on twitter and G+.

Employee Engagement – 5 Ways to Keep Staff Feeling Motivated & Appreciated

May 1, 2018 by Reporter Leave a Comment

Image Source: Pixabay

It can be hard enough in today’s fast-paced world to keep your finger on the pulse of day-to-day business operations. Throw disgruntled or unhappy employees into the mix, and your life as a business manager or owner just became that little bit harder. Keeping your staff happy is a priority in business, if not for their happiness in their job, but for your bottom line. If you want satisfied, productive and long-term staff, here’s how to get them:

Tokens of Appreciation

While you might believe that paying their salary every week should be enough to keep them happy, in many cases a non-monetary gesture in the form of corporate gifts and rewards can be even more effective in letting employees know how much you value and appreciate them. Whether in recognition of professional, personal or performance milestones, holidays or acknowledgement of a job well done, a thoughtful gift or reward can say much more than money.

Measure Employee Engagement

If you’re a business owner or manager, a certain degree of arms-length from the coalface of business can leave you unaware of complaints, staff unhappiness, or discontent. All you might see is low productivity that leaves you scratching your head. Disengagement costs organization up to $550 billion per year, so there’s every reason to find a solution. It pays dividends to look into software that provides a platform for staff to speak their mind in a safe and non-threatening medium. In doing so, you’re able to identify areas of employee dissatisfaction and lost productivity and develop strategies to address them.

Provide Opportunities

While you may have hired your team to do a specific job, that doesn’t mean they won’t feel the need to upskill. By offering educational and training opportunities to your staff, you have a higher chance of retaining valuable employees. Almost half of the millennials surveyed left their last job because there was no opportunity for growth. Help your staff to feel appreciated and motivated by actively encouraging education and upskilling. The long-term benefits to your business of the increased skill levels will likely far outweigh the short-term costs.

People Not Numbers

In large corporations, it can be challenging to see your team as more than just numbers. After all, if you have several hundred employees, knowing them all on a first name basis would be tough for anyone. However, viewing your team as more than just numbers can help to make them feel appreciated and motivated.

For smaller businesses, this process is simple. Arrange meetings with each person to find out what their goals are in life and business, and what they require improve their experience on the job. In larger corporations, assign the task to department managers. If you show personal interest in how your staff operates, they are more likely to feel appreciated in their job.

Incentive

Most people love a little bit of healthy competition, particularly when it can involve team bonding, camaraderie, and improved productivity along the way. Therefore, you may find that including contests, incentives and milestones into your workplace dynamic could help your staff’s motivation levels, while simultaneously boosting your bottom line. It’s important that the competition doesn’t lead to unhealthy rivalry and animosity. However, when structured wisely, most employees will thrive when such an option is available, making for better levels of motivation and engagement.

You can’t expect your staff to feel motivated and appreciated through regular income alone. It takes thinking outside of the square and being a responsible leader. Any of these five tips above can more than help to improve your workplace productivity while benefiting your employees at the same time.

The Top Australian Sporting Events You should attend in 2018

April 25, 2018 by Reporter Leave a Comment

Sport lovers have got the best hang-outs worldwide. But it takes money to fly overseas on holidays.Do you love sports? I bet it is a yes. Sporting tournaments are not only fascinating but also captivating.

Australia is slowly becoming a popular hub for major sports events. Sports enhance socializing which is essential for psychological and emotional development. If you have been trying to look around on upcoming sporting events, look no more. Here they are:

Starting with the latest games

Commonwealth Games 2018

From 4 – 15 April, the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018) will welcome more than 6,600 athletes and team officials from 70 Commonwealth nations and territories to the Gold Coast and event cities Brisbane, Cairns and Townsville, to share in the celebration of sport, entertainment and culture. The largest sporting event to be staged in Australia this decade, GC2018 will feature the largest integrated sports program in Commonwealth Games history, comprising 18 sports and seven para-sports. For the first time at a Commonwealth Games, an equal number of men’s and women’s medal events will be contested.

Website: https://www.gc2018.com/

Australian Open 2018

The 2018 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played at Melbourne Park between 15–28 January2018. It was the first Grand Slam tournament of the 2018 season. The tournament was the 106th edition of the Australian Open of all-time and 50th edition of the tournament in the Open Era.

Roger Federer was the defending champion in the men’s singles event and successfully retained his title, defeating Marin Čilić in the final, won his 6th Australian Open title and historic 20th Grand Slam title

The Australia Open 2017 was a tennis tournament held at Melbourne Park on 16th -29th January 2017. Being the 105th edition of the Australian Open, It was a splendid first Grand Slam event of the year. It consisted of events for men’s and women’s professional players in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles play. The junior and wheelchair players battled in singles and doubles tournaments, the tournament’ title sponsor was Kia.

The contest was regulated by International Tennis Federation being a piece of the 2017 ATP World Tour and 2017 WTA plans under Grand Slam Category. The tournament was played on hard courts taking place over a chain of 25 courts that comprises the three main show courts; Rod Laver Arena, Hisense Arena, and Margaret Court Arena.

The defending champions were Novak Djokovic and Angelique Kerber who were both unsuccessful in the defense of their title. They lost to Denis Istomin and Coco Vandeweghe in second and fourth rounds.

Melbourne Cup 2018

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melbourne_Cup

The Melbourne Cup Day or just “Cup Day” is a local holiday in the state of Victoria and in theAustralian Capital Territory that is celebrated each year on the first Tuesday of November

The Melbourne Cup 2017 was one of its kinds. The 2017 Emirates Melbourne cup was the 157th running of the Melbourne, a high-status Australian Thoroughbred stallion race. The race covered over 3,200 meters (1.988 mi) held on 7th November, made a public holiday in the state Victoria at Melbourne’s Flemington Racecourse.

John Vermeer ran second and Max Dynamite ran third, far-fetched performance from the nine-year-old who ran in 2015 second. The fourth was Big Duke, the first Australian horse to wind up. Melbourne businessman, Lloyd Williams, who has now won his sixth Cup as an owner, purchased the winner a yearling.

Reviving, which began at 15-1, was ridden by Corey Brown, the Sydney-based rider initially from the little town of Wingham, on the NSW north drift. Brown rode 2009 Melbourne Cup champ Shocking and has ridden far and wide from that point forward, before moving back home prior this year.

Cupday 2018

Melbourne Cup 2018 field, odds, tips, nominations, form and past winners. Race start time is 3:00pm on 6/11/2018 at a distance. The 2018 Melbourne Cup will be run at 3:00pm on Tuesday, 6th November 2018 at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Wimbledon 2018

http://www.wimbledon.com/index.html

Dates: 2 Jul. 2018 – 15 Jul. 2018

Location: All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, United Kingdom

The 2017 Wimbledon was a Grand Slam tennis competition that occurred at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom.The timeframe for the main draws was 3 July 2017 to 16th July 2017.

The Gentlemen’s Singles title winner was Roger Federer for a record eighth time surpassing Pete Sampras and William Renshaw. The Seven-time champion Roger Federer, straight from winning his fourth title of the year at the Halle Open, was still observed by numerous as the man to beat. The 35-year-old Swiss won the Australian Open in January – a record eighteenth Grand Slam title. On the Ladies single title, GarbineMuguruza won the title.

The 2017 competition was the 131st version of the titles, the 50th in the Open Era and the third Grand Slam competition of the year. It is played on grass courts, sorted out by the All England Lawn Tennis Club and the International Tennis Federation and is a piece of the ATP World Tour, the WTA Tour, the ITF Junior visit and the NEC Tour.

AFL Footy Season 2018

http://www.afl.com.au/

The Australian Football League season is the 122nd season of the elite Australian Rules football competition. The competing teams are 18 in number in the league as other previous seasons. The first game was played on Thursday, 22nd March and the season ends with the 2018 AFL Grand Final to be on Saturday, 29th September.

More details here – www.afl.com.au/fixture

On 17 November 2017, the AFL attested that the pre-season would incorporate an AFLX competition. The match is played on a soccer-sized pitch in excess of two ten minutes parts. Each group features seven players on the field and three exchange players. Teams are part of three groups of six, with a fantastic last to be held for each gathering. The matches were played from 15– 17 February 2018. The champs of the opposition were Adelaide, Melbourne, and Brisbane.

The pre-season arrangement of games returns in 2018 JLT Community Series. The number of games will be diminished compared to the past season, with groups playing two games each. The games are to be remaining solitary, with no overall winner of the series. Each group plays two games, numerous at rural or regional venues, while all games are broadcasted on Fox Footy.

These are simply the best sporting events we are looking forward to this year but there could be more out there too.

Is Genesis Studiopress Websites a good choice for small business

April 25, 2018 by Reporter Leave a Comment

When you have 20 + websites that you manage for yourself, you end up learning a lot about web design, wordpress themes, installing and fixing websites and practising SEO.

Today I am reviewing an awesome wordpress theme provider. I signed up with them, earlier on last year and since then, I have used their themes on five of my new and existing websites.

Yup I actually removed the old wordpress theme and installed the Studiopress – Genesis themes. Why because I noticed a good change (increase) in traffic and speed after swapping the old theme with the new studiopress theme on one of my websites.

I will even show you an example of one of my sites – check it out

I used to use solostream wordpress theme for my blog website and also continue to use elegant themes on some other websites, but I can tell you that studiopress is my new go to for the professional looking wordpress design and inbuilt SEO.

Why studiopress themes for WordPress?

I can sum it up in just one word, because they are “Awesome”, but I am sure you would want more than that fi you are also looking to change to something better – so here is a list of what I liked.

Professional looking design

All thier themes look slick and professional to the eye. The theme/template design potrays a website with quality and professionalism.

_{Maipro Lifestyle and wellness theme by studiopress}

Multiple themes available

I purchased the lifetime membership which is the best value in my humble opinion. You get access to many different kind of themes, recipe theme, agency theme, portfolio theme, news theme, fashion blog theme and many more.

The themes are provided by studiopress themselves and many themes are now also by approved third party theme makers.

Quality and speed

A well coded theme means quality and speed and that is what studiopress gives you. Thier WP themes have been coded by the best programmers specifically focussing on speed and clean certified code without any errors. This also ensures that your website theme does not slow down your hosting servers.

Modern html markup

The theme structure is streamlined and the design uses php and also the latest html 5 to bring out the best in design quality.

WordPress plugins support

When you purchase a theme from them, you automatically get free custom plugins to support and further enhance your theme design with sliders, featured posts and more.

They also have some custom paid plugins if you need to do in-depth customization of your templates.

Genesis framework and child themes

If you dont know much about the concept of child themes, then this is how it works – You have the main theme which is the base theme or framework (Genesis) in this case and then you have the child theme – the studiopress wp theme templates.

The base theme or genesis framework holds the basic information/structure of the website and so even if you change design/templates you dont lose much information due to your themes being the child theme for the framework.

In simple terms you get a robust base framework and less chances of losing data with change in templates/themes.

Modern and responsive

All the themes provided are fully responsive and work well on desktops, tablets and mobile. The designs are made using modern concepts and trends to display fluid design and flow.

Inbuilt seo

Who doesnt like a template with good inbuilt seo. I have been using these themes for a while now and I do know you can rank websites based solely with the inbuilt seo functions, with no need for third party SEO plugins. This one is a prime example of this. This framework reduces your load of work for onpage seo.

Genesis isn’t cluttered with unnecessary options either, which can often cause slow load times with other standard wordpress themes.

To get their lifetime pro plus package, which is what I recommend even though its a bit pricey – Its worth it . Check out the deal here

If you are on a budget then you could just go with the single theme that costs anywhere from $99 to 129

Frequently asked Questions about Genesis Themes

Is it easy to download and customize studio press themes?

It is easy to download and upload a theme to your wordpress blog. For customising your theme they provide you detailed setup guides to make your website just like the demo theme. They also provide extensive code snippets guides with code samples which you can copy and paste to further customise certain sections of your website. In certain cases you might need a coder to change things, but you can always contact their support in the first instance.

Can I use the purchased theme on multiple websites?

You can use any theme package you purchase as many times as you’d like, on as many websites as you desire. The purchase of theme packages allows you lifetime use of the themes and lifetime support for the original purchaser. In other words, they do not restrict your use to a specific number of sites, or a specific period of time in which they can be used.

Do I have to repurchase genesis framework for buying second theme?

The genesis framework theme is a onetime purchase if you purchase it by itself. You get this free anyway if you purchase a studiopress child theme. Once you have it, you are free to use it with any third party compatible theme.

Studiopress genesis launches hosting with wordpress

Now you can get the best of both wordpress themes and webhosting with genesis studiopress entering the hosting business. The first bonus that caught my eye had to be the free lets encrpyt (https) and the free migration of your website, but they do have more bonuses. Studiopress Genesis themes have long been known for thier robust fast loading and superior quality wp themes. That is also the reason why you pay more for them.

Their budget hosting plan starts at$24 a month (with bonus 24 studiopress premium themes included)

With thier new hosting plans, you can get both the theme and website at the same place, and get your website started quickly and easily.These plans are best suited for serious bloggers, affiliate marketersand people starting new small business websites.

You could try studiopress by purchasing a single theme (anywhere between $99 to $129 with genesis framework) or get the plus package including all the themes. But, there’s something to be said about buying the Pro Plus All Theme Package because you don’t have to pay again. Ever.

Summary

The best thing I like about the themes is you can just download a theme in minutes, upload it to your server in a flash and get it all set up in half an hour with thier free set up tutorials and plugins. Now all you need to do is focus on writing content for your good looking website. This is a real time saver possibly not only for developers who do this regularly, but also for bloggers like me.

Review by Jeff for http://www.wordpressaustralia.com.au/blog/