Category: Tips and Tools

Business trips can be a little gruelling. Not only might you be forced to endure a lengthy flight, but it also may mean spending many days or even weeks away from your family. Yet, business travel can be an enjoyable experience if you allow it to be. Here are five things all seasoned business travelers do on a trip.

1. They Write a Travel Checklist

It’s easy to forget essential items when packing for a business trip. For instance, you could forget toiletries, beauty products, or even your smart shoes for a meeting. Ensure you never forget one item by writing a business travel checklist to tick them off as you add them into your suitcase. So, you will not need to run to a store once you arrive at your destination.

2. They Drink Plenty of Water

Always carry a bottle of water with you on a business trip. Not only will it prevent dehydration in a hot climate, but it can also fight jetlag, as it can make you feel more refreshed. So, you’ll be full of energy once you arrive at your hotel or attend an important business meeting or conference.

3. They Explore the City

Don’t spend the whole of your business trip at meetings or cooped up inside your hotel. Take to the streets to explore the city and enjoy the experience whilst you can. This might be your only opportunity to learn more about the city, so make the most of your downtime by experiencing different landmarks or you could even attend a theatre show or sports game. Visit Ticket Sales to find great tickets for upcoming events and attractions during your business trip.

4. They Record Their Room Number

Will you be on the road for many weeks for business? If so, you should record your room number – and even the name of the hotel – so you don’t forget it. It’s easy to forget where you are staying when staying in many hotels or prepping for a meeting, conference, or exhibition, as you may have many things on your mind. So, make a note of the hotel and room number in your phone or diary to avoid stress and confusion.

5. They Try the Local Cuisine

Spending time in a city without your family and friends can be a little lonely. Yet, it’s the small things that can make a big difference to your travel experience. Many seasoned business travelers understand they need to find ways to enjoy their travel experiences, which is why you shouldn’t be afraid to try the local cuisines. This will introduce you to new dishes and flavors that will make your business trip much more fun, and you could even recreate them once you return home – so you can share a little bit of the experience with your family.

Have you got any helpful advice on how business travelers can have fun on the road? Please share your top tips in the below comment area.

Image: Gellinger

When it comes to cleaning, you either love it or you hate it. While those that love cleaning will always have a good system in place for keeping their homes squeaky that you can then apply to your business space too. For those that hate to clean, it can feel like a chore. So, let’s see how you can keep your workspace clean and tidy in just three simple steps.

1. Getting Into A Rhythm

First, you need to find a cleaning rhythm that works for you. By this, we mean making sure that you are able to clean or tidy up your office or business space in the most efficient way. Try different tactics for cleaning the floors or organizing your equipment just to make sure that you can find a rhythm that feels right for you.

2. Find A Service

But don’t just feel as if you need to handle all of this yourself. If your workspace is at home, you may feel like you should clean it yourself, but you don’t have to. A cleaning service can help you out. If your business space is away from the home, then definitely think about bringing in a team that can take care of this for you.

3. Creating A System

However if you want to stay on top of things yourself, you’re also going to want to make sure that you create a cleaning and organizational routine that you can stick too. Not only can you avoid major cleaning issues, as shown in the infographic below, this way, but you can also make sure that you stay on top of it going forward too.

Infographic Design By Master Cleaners

Compliance with data storage rules in a digital environment is challenging to say the least. Various state and federal rules, like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, have very strict requirements for personal information, such as medical diagnosis information, payment data, and personal information. The fines for noncompliance are very high.

But there’s more. A data breach has commercial fallout that sometimes exceeds the civil or criminal penalties. Most customers won’t want to do business with most businesses that fail to protect their information. The damage to your reputation could be immense. At the same time, your secure file transfer system must be user-friendly and accessible. Depending on the types of users and customers that your organization has, these needs could be overriding.

Since so much is at stake, it’s important to be familiar with the different types of secure file transfer protocols.

FTPS

Secure File Transfer Protocol is one of the most basic forms of secure file transfer. Basic FTP goes back to the early days of networked computers in the 1960s and 1970s. It’s ideal for both large, bulk transfers and single file movements. FTPS is very flexible and easy to use.

FTPS is not very compatible with certain firewalls, so check it out before you commit. Moreover, without an encryption add-on, FTPS is not really very secure. Highly-regulated industries, like legal and medical offices, definitely need the added protection.

Some FTPS variations include the firewall-friendly SFTP and the somewhat older SCP. Like the mother file transfer program, these offshoots are very easy to use but a little light on security.

Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning

Whereas FTPS simply facilitates file transfer, WebDAV allows secure file collaboration, mostly using HTTPS (a secure website). If your workers are not all at the same location, and they usually are not, and file security is important, WebDAV is usually a good option. Universities and research institutions use this file system a lot.

WebDAV is available with a Secure Socket Link (SSL) add-on. WebDAVS is a lot more secure and only marginally more difficult to use.

TFTP

Trivial File Transfer Protocol is not technically a file transfer system, since it cannot move files outside a network. SInce it has few security protocols, that’s probably a good thing. However, TFTP is very good for internal file movement and network management chores. Many organizations use TFTP, especially if they have lots of data on their networks.

AS2

Applicability Statement 2 is specifically designed for B2B environments. It’s extremely robust, which is why AS2 has recently spread from retail and industrial use to businesses that have serious HIPAA compliance issues. Moreover, AS2 easily handles EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) transfers.

AFTP

Far-flung workforces, like those which are common in many internet-based companies, often have network issues. So, network reliability is an issue as well. Accelerated File Transfer Protocol overcomes a lot of these problems. Film companies use AFTP quite a bit.

To choose the right file transfer protocol, begin by balancing your need for security against your need for an accessible system. Then, carefully consider the other pros and cons.

Image: Lukas

We all understand the importance of good business relationships but rarely do we ever put that understanding into action. Some of the flimsiest relationships we have as business owners are the ones with have with our suppliers. Be it a supplier from China, from your own country or even someone a few minutes down the road from you, it’s important to build good working relationships with the people that supply you with the tools and goods you need in order to be successful.

So to help you out, we’ve put together a few tips on how you can maintain and build better relationships with your suppliers.

Never rush orders

Suppliers hate it when unnecessary pressure is put on their employees, even if it means they’re getting paid more. Be fair to your suppliers and never put unnecessary pressure on their staff because you messed up an order and accidentally ordered too few or too many of an item.

If there are no alternatives, focus on those relationships first

Let’s face it, how many architectural cladding suppliers do you think exist in your local area versus tech equipment suppliers? If you’re in a niche business or you connect with suppliers that are one-of-a-kind (at least in your area) then you need to build good relationships with those businesses. If you don’t focus on these, then there’s a good chance you’ll be out of business or be forced to source your materials from suppliers that are further away or more expensive.

Speak with your suppliers on a regular basis

Even if it’s just conversing over the phone about your latest shipment, you need to build good relationships by taking advantage of any networking opportunities you come across. When you pay your invoices, chat with them and tell them how much you appreciate their business. Consider sending them gifts of your products when appropriate and invite them to your speeches and keynotes to make them feel like they’re an appreciated part of your production chain.

Never make late payments

Businesses hate it when punctuality is ignored. Make sure you pay your invoices on time and promptly to avoid a bad relationship in the future. If you have to make a late payment for one reason or another, make sure you communicate with your supplier or else you’ll find it difficult to mend your relationship in the future. Coordinate with your financial department and make sure you always have the right amount of money to pay your suppliers or else you’ll quickly spiral into a poor relationship and you might find it difficult to work with your supplier in the future. If you manage to always make payments on time and never cause problems, then you’ll easily build a good working relationship with your supplier.

Don’t be afraid to renegotiate

Make sure you’re not afraid to renegotiate the terms of your trade now and then to get the best deal for both you and your supplier. This is especially important when dealing with overseas suppliers from places like China. This is especially important if the quality of the products declines.

Image: Pixabay

As the concept of emerging economies is gaining popularity, more people are considering moving towards such economies for better future and career growth. The market saturation and economic slumps in the existing established economies are making it difficult for many players, especially budding entrepreneurs and human resource to grow at a decent rate and achieve success. Interestingly, as per the new trends, the international economic structure is more supportive towards nee and small economies. Many smaller economies are emerging as the next big thing in the international arena with highly positive outlooks and Singapore is one of the top countries on the list.

Singapore is geographically located in South Asia and is a tiny country that is neighbored by struggling and turbulent economies. Despite that, it has emerged as the continent’s biggest corporate and technology hub attracting headquarters of large multinationals to make Singapore their regional hub. This has made Singapore the latest immigrant favourite and more and more people around the world are considering Singapore for relocation. Unfortunately, limited information is available about the route to get Singapore’s PR. Although any agency that offers Singapore PR solutions can help you find the way forward, here are a few things you will need to know before you consider your relocation plans.

Why Do You Need a Work Permit?

Ideally, in order to reap the true benefits of living in Singapore, you should be aiming for the PR and not the work permit. However, you will only be eligible for a direct PR application if you are willing to bring an investment of over $2.5 million SGD in the country, or if you are married to a Singapore citizen. If none of that applies then you need to be working and living in Singapore on a valid work permit for a certain period of time to be able to apply for PR. Even if you are not aiming for a PR and are considering temporary relocation for career prospects, getting a work permit is your way to go.

Which Work Permit Should You Apply For?

Singapore has exceptionally low unemployment rate and it is not difficult to land a job. However, the prospects of landing a job highly depend on your field of occupation and qualification and skill set. Generally, Singapore is a country that is more inclined towards the tertiary sector and prefers highly skilled workforce. There are 4 different types of work permits you can apply for depending on which category you fall in.

1. Entrepass: You are eligible if you have a startup plan or investment proposal to bring in to the country.
2. Employment Pass: If you are senior level professional with the required set of skills, qualification and income, you are eligible for Employment Pass.
3. Personalized Employment Pass: If you already hold an Employment Pass or if you are senior level professional with a very high pay scale you can apply for this category. This particular work permit allows you to switch jobs in any sector and does not restrict your scope, unlike other categories.
4. S Pass: If you are mid-level skilled professional earning minimum 2200 SGD, you are eligible for S pass.

Image: Cegoh