Month: October 2021

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Team building has long been known to help improve workplace relationships and bring team members together. The shift to remote work has helped many workers find enhanced work-life balance, but remote work has also increased the demand for team-building activities. Whether your team is working remotely due to health concerns or if you are separated by distance, virtual team-building activities can bring you all together and help your team work together. Here are some of the benefits of virtual team-building activities. 

What is Virtual Team Building?

Team building is the practice of getting everyone together to complete activities, attend an event, share a meal or just enjoy one another’s company. The activity helps coworkers connect outside of work, which can prove beneficial when working together and taking care of business. Virtual team building is a type of virtual corporate events that comes in many forms, allowing team members to connect and share an experience without being together in person.

Due to the time and cost involved, team-building activities are often overlooked. It may seem crazy to bring everyone together and to purposefully not work. However, team-building activities can provide long-term benefits. Selecting a virtual event that is already organized will save team members time and allow everyone to enjoy the event as an involved and engaged participant.

Team Building Benefits

Team building events can come in many forms, but similar results can be expected from whatever type of event is organized. Getting everyone together to share an experience can help coworkers connect, translating into improved working relationships.

1. Improved Communication

Team building activities create a more relaxed and fun environment separate from demanding and sometimes stressful work situations. The laid-back team-building event can allow coworkers to learn more about one another and give people something to talk about besides work. This increased communication can help team members connect and better discuss and take on work-related issues.

2. Increased Productivity

Improved communication leads to increased productivity. When employees are comfortable communicating with one another, they are more likely to reach out, discuss concerns, and troubleshoot possible issues. Improved communication and collaboration lead to increased productivity.

3. Keep People Connected

Remote work has proven to be a great experience in many regards, but it can be isolating. Many people find themselves lonely after working from home, especially for an extended period of time. That regular interaction of chatting with someone after running into them in the kitchen or passing in a hallway is gone. Getting everyone together, even if it is over Zoom or some kind of virtual meetup, replicates the experience of working in the same physical location. Virtual team-building events provide an opportunity for coworkers to catch up and interact with each other outside of the requirements of work.

Team building is also a great way to bring people together who may not usually have a reason or a chance to talk. Getting people together can help strengthen bonds across departments and may prove helpful for future projects and endeavors.

4. Build Moral

Team building activities can create excitement about working together and being part of a team. Employees will also appreciate the effort taken by management to organize a team-building event. Organizing a team-building event shows employees that their bosses care about and value them and that their supervisors want to invest in the team.

5. Mental Health Improvement

Work can be stressful as deadlines approach and unexpected problems surface. Also, the past couple of years have been stressful for team members in different ways, so it is possible and likely that some people may be dealing with more anxiety and worry. Increased stress and uncertainty can take a toll on individuals and can negatively impact the team.

Taking a step back to enjoy time spent together without the responsibilities of work weighing on everyone can help team members clear their minds and improve mental health. Taking a mental health break can help each individual, which will build a stronger team.

6. Have Fun

Virtual team-building activities help strengthen a team by bringing everyone together, which is undoubtedly good for the team. However, team-building activities are also an opportunity for individuals to have fun, relax and take a break from the demands of their job. Enjoying one another’s company or sharing an experience can simply be an entertaining way to pass some time.

Help Your Team

Planning a virtual team-building activity will keep your team connected even when distance keeps them apart. Team building activities have also been practical and helpful in creating a solid and effective team, and as remote work becomes the new normal, there is an increased need and demand for virtual team building. Team building activities provide a host of benefits that will ultimately help each employee and the team as a whole. If you are looking for a way to help improve communication and productivity while building morale and relieving stress, then a virtual team-building activity may just be the thing.

So, you’ve come up with an idea to build a multi-vendor marketplace, and you want it to be successful. But how can you make it reliable and desirable for selling goods and services? Before we go any further, you should ask one crucial question: what is the best way to make money in your particular case? 

To start with your online marketplace, you should look into other platforms. Consider both large and small, close-to-home online marketplaces. They’re likely to be the websites that show how you can make a profit. No matter the scale, most marketplaces have adopted very similar solutions.

This article looks at the most successful business models in e-commerce that make money for the marketplaces.

Commission Model

The commission model implies charging a fee or percentage for each transaction made on the website. The commission is also called transaction fee, take rate, or rake. A marketplace can take a commission from sellers or buyers, or both. That depends on which side is a priority for the marketplace owner.

Many successful platforms use the commission model, such as Amazon, eBay, Etsy, and Uber. Most transaction fees fall between 5% to 20%. Service platforms vary from 15 to 25% as the service will be lost if not sold, for example, a night in a hotel.

The commission model has many advantages. It saves the seller’s efforts to get as much traffic as if they were selling through marketing. It also eliminates the need for the seller to spend time building up their customer list and developing other sources of income.

The challenge here is that your platform needs to provide enough value for the users. Install a secure, easy and flexible payment system. This will build trust in your platform and encourage buyers to purchase more.

Subscription Model

The marketplace owner can offer access to the products and/or services on their website by subscribing users for a periodic fee. For example, after paying the subscription fee, sellers will have access to a database of buyers on the platform.

A great deal of marketplace success has been based on the subscription model. For example, such a model is used in home switch sites (Love Home Swap, Home Exchange) and dating sites (Tinder, OKCupid). LinkedIn and StackOverflow Careers use this approach for giving access to their talent base.

Another example is Docplanner. This is an international website that covers the countries of Europe and South America. They charge doctors for access to software solutions available on the platform. Their premium subscription includes online consultations, online payments, keeping medical documents, etc.

The subscription model is popular among service providers. They join the platforms that suggest easy handling of booking and activity planning (Eversports). At StyleSeat, the subscribed providers get paid even if their clients don’t show up.

The subscription model provides sellers with ownership and a sense of continuity. It eliminates the problems associated with trying to collect payment from an unknown, anonymous person. For buyers, this model is helpful because they can pay the sellers directly or in smaller amounts that are more manageable.

To be successful with the subscription model, offer discounts or free use for early adopters. Gaining enough user base leads you to a more profitable commission model.

Listing Fee Model

Here the website owner does not charge users for access but instead collects a fee for listing their products. The website takes this fee from the sellers for letting them post their products on the marketplace. The listing fees are useful when providers want to sell particular items without a permanent subscription.

A prominent example of a marketplace with this model is Craigslist. This is a selection of local websites. Vendors and service providers put their listings for free on this website. But in particular categories, as job and apartment offers in some cities, Craigslist raises a fee for each listing.

This model suits the marketplaces where articles are special and valuable. The sellers want to get more revenue from each item that they have listed. So they care about the quality and uniqueness of their products. For example, Etsy ensures that the vintage items listed by sellers are more than 20 years old and charges vendors $0.20 per item per 4 months.

The only drawback of this model is that it is much harder to measure the success of a website. For example, if your website sells something cheap like e-books, it is easy to tell how many sales you had. But with a listing fee model, it’s hard to know for sure. You could have 10,000 unique offers and 2 sales, or 100 uniques and 20 sales.

Freemium Model

Freemium monetization is a way to make money online by offering a free version of your service. This version includes limited features for everyone who visits your site. Upon gaining enough users for your website, you then offer a premium version with more features to those willing to pay.

For example, Hootsuite offers 30-day trials and demos. To access more features, users need to make monthly payments. Also, the platform offers custom solutions for separate prices.

How do you know if your users will respond to this approach? The only real way to find out is to test.

However, there are a few guidelines that can make the process easier. First, make sure that your free offer is very compelling. If you offer email but only deliver three messages free, you won’t make any money with this model. But if you offer unlimited email delivery for an extra charge, you may find success with this approach.

The problem with the freemium model is that the paid services need to be valuable enough and entice a broad audience to pay the fee.

Conclusion 

You have many choices when it comes to making money from online marketplaces, both today and in the future. Choose a model that suits your platform best, or combine the approaches. What you decide to do now will influence your marketplace for years to come. I hope this guide has inspired you and given valuable ideas.

Egypt is a destination that attracts many tourists from all over the world. Regardless of whether you want to visit the country for its historical importance, architectural wonders such as the pyramids or the local food, it can be useful to know some tricks to save on Egypt vacations .

Organizing your vacation can become extremely complicated, especially if they don’t know the right tools, ending up paying more than necessary or not being able to visit all the places you want. Let’s see below some tips for a stellar Egypt vacation, spending less.

Which cities to visit in Egypt?

Before seeing how to save, let’s talk about the places to visit in Egypt. These are so many, which is why you may have uncertainties and doubts about what to do. Plus, you often don’t have enough time to do everything you want, which is why it’s even more important to have clear ideas about what to choose.

Here are some places not to be missed in Egypt:

• Luxor. Defined as the largest open-air museum in the world, following its location near the ancient city of Thebes, Luxor is undoubtedly a destination of great historical and cultural value, where you can see the Karnak complex and the Kings’ Valley.
• Aswan. A key city for the defense of ancient Egypt, Aswan has played a key role in economic and political terms for thousands of years.
• Marsa Alam. In the past a small fishing village, today Marsa Alam is a tourist destination bathed by the Red Sea where it is possible to admire various marine beauties, such as the coral reef.
• Dahab. Definable as a lost jewel in the desert, Dahab is the right destination for those who want to immerse themselves completely in Arab culture.
• Sharm El Sheikh. Undoubtedly one of the most visited destinations in Egypt, Sharm El Sheikh does not need many introductions. Hotels, restaurants and luxury resorts are the masters and are the reason why many decide to spend their holidays here.
• Cairo. Impossible not to include in the list the heart of Egypt, Cairo, the capital with over 10 million inhabitants. Despite the modernization of recent years, the city still allows you to breathe the Egyptian culture, especially if you go near the pyramids.

It should be noted that there are two possibilities to visit the places presented above. The first is to stay for at least one night each city, moving around the country using public transport or private shuttles. This option is suitable for the more adventurous people.

The second option is dedicated to those who prefer to have a more relaxing holiday. Several Nile cruises companies make a week-long journey stopping every day at one of the locations listed above.

How to save money for a trip to Egypt.

Book your vacation in advance. The first rule to save for your trip to Egypt is to book in advance. Despite this, how early? Usually, it is recommended at least three months in advance, however it is possible to find affordable offers up to two weeks before departure.

Pay by card. Most locations in Egypt allow you to pay by card. The local currency is the Egyptian pound. The euro has a higher value; however, it is not recommended to exchange cash. The best exchange rates are those accessible by paying directly with your credit or debit card.

Choose an all-inclusive package. The last option to save is to opt for an all-inclusive vacation package. Usually, these packages include various guided excursions and overnight stays in different locations, at a lower price. Some of these special packages can be booked via the following link with full assistance and a free itinerary. Customize your trip now: with Luxor and Aswan Travel.

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, some people discovered that staying at home was beneficial. They were able to work from home without making a long commute. Some people have been able to help their children with school in more ways while others have taken time to connect to their family and friends in creative ways.

For some people, they stopped liking the idea of staying at home during the first few weeks of the pandemic and have struggled to continue making adjustments. Fortunately, there are a few hobbies that you can try to make a difficult situation a bit easier.

Movies and Television

Although it might not be a hobby, you could spend time during the pandemic watching your favorite television shows and movies that you haven’t had the time to enjoy. You can skip through commercials with streaming services and fast forward through parts of movies that you don’t want to see. You could even enjoy a movie night or two with your family as a way to spend more time together.

Learn a New Skill

One way to better your mind during the pandemic is by learning a new skill or new subject. If you have friends or family members who are in another country, you could start learning a new language and find lessons online for university students so that you can communicate through emails and video calls. You could also brush up on other subjects, such as math and science, especially if you plan to go to school and so that you can help your children with their work while they are in school.

Pick Up a Book

When you’re busy with work and taking care of your family, it can sometimes be difficult to find the time to enjoy a good book. With some of the free time that you might have during the pandemic, consider starting a book series or reading a book that you’ve always wanted to try. Some of your friends can read the same book so that you can discuss it through a video call, giving you a way to do something that you like while also talking to your friends. If you don’t want to keep a physical book in your hand, you could always use a Kindle to enjoy stories as well.

Exercise

Even though you might not be able to go to a gym, you can still exercise during the pandemic. This could be the best time to get started as well if you find that you have more time at home instead of going to work or school. You could set up an area outside to exercise so that you get fresh air. Get the family involved as well so that you can spend time together while staying healthy.

Crafts

From holidays to decorations, there are numerous reasons to make crafts. This can be a fun hobby for all ages and one that can keep you busy when it seems as though there’s nothing else to do at home. If your hours have decreased at work or if you’ve lost your job, then you could begin making crafts as a way to make money to support your family. 

It’s also a way to take your mind off of some of the things that take place pertaining to the pandemic. You can send your crafts to friends and family for special occasions if you’re unable to see them to let them know that you’re thinking of them. If you don’t have the supplies that you need, you could always subscribe to a craft box so that you get something new each month.

Games

From board games to video games, there’s an assortment that you can play to keep you busy. Start playing the latest game online with your friends, or spend an evening playing board games with your family to see who can come out victorious. There are games for all ages to enjoy, and there are options that are educational so that you can help your children learn while they aren’t in school while having fun at the same time.

Projects

Even if it’s painting the cabinets in your home, you can use the pandemic to your benefit by completing a few projects around your house. This could be beneficial since some companies might be booked out for a few months after needing to restrict the number of appointments that are made or because some workers aren’t able to enter homes to complete projects that they once performed. Aside from painting, you could replace the flooring in a room or change a few doors so that there’s a new look in your home.

Gardening

This is a hobby that can get you outdoors instead of staying inside all the time, especially if everyone is at home at the same time. Take the time to learn about the plants that you care for and how you can make them grow better instead of just putting a few flowers in a pot and watering them.

In 2020, Americans’ consumer debt rose to over $14 trillion, but in 2021, it appears that the situation many experts expected – a full on debt crisis driven by the pandemic, actually didn’t happen. Despite record high unemployment and many other financial woes, credit card balances and other types of debt went down instead of up. This isn’t to say that debt went away completely, of course as we navigated unprecedented times, there were financial difficulties that did require people to get into more debt to survive, but the outlook isn’t as dire as one might think. 

So if credit card debt went down, what drove this? Let’s explore the reason why consumer debt was surprisingly lower than expected. 

A Cautious Society 

The looming and eventual crisis that was the pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns made everyone understandably nervous about spending, so during the pandemic spending on certain things went down. People knew something significant was coming, so they prepared by cutting back on spending. There was a lot of panic about a Great Recession type crisis, and people braced themselves for a difficult time. When people expect a crisis they change their habits, and make decisions that are good for the wallet in order to get through it, and that could have been why there was less consumer debt than expected. 

Real Estate

If 2020 was a crisis, it was a different flavor of crisis, and it didn’t look the same as 2008. One big difference is that real estate was not the reason for or a victim of the pandemic, actually real estate boomed and thrived through 2020. Homeownership increased, most markets reported low inventory showing that there was high demand and of course, the interest rates were really low so the factors that usually led to a collapse in real estate weren’t present. That meant people could take advantage of real estate to prop themselves up. Some people use the proceeds of selling their home for more money to consolidate or even reduce debt, other people were able to renegotiate their mortgages, and the people who had an understanding of the different reverse-mortgage pros and cons, were able to leverage their home equity. 

Less Lifestyle Spending 

The usual things that drove consumer debt were out of reach thanks to stay-home orders. Things like clothing, travel and other leisure activities can drive a lot of credit card spending. With everyone stuck indoors, things like clothing started to feel quite unnecessary so that kept spending down for a few months. Lifestyle spending definitely contributed to people being crippled by debt, so when those things weren’t present, it kept that part of borrowing down. 

Stimulus 

Another reason why we didn’t see such a massive increase in debt is definitely the stimulus. The government stimulus helped a lot of people endure the hard part of the pandemic, and others used the money to pay off debts or invest into other ventures. Because lifestyle spending went down as a result, whatever money people got from the government either went to expenses or to finding a way to better their financial situation.

Savvy Consumers 

Consumers haven’t just become more cautious in times of crisis, they are also more savvy about how they spend their money. For many people, the lessons of 2008 are still heavily resonant today, and there’s a lot more people who are focused on making sure they escape debt and potential financial ruin. People have a keen interest in learning about personal finance, and ways to build wealth, and they’ve become intensely aware of just how costly it is to maintain large amounts of credit card debt. People also use debt intelligently, to make their lives better in a meaningful way. This is also why people didn’t ramp up credit card spending because they are clear on the downsides. 

Credit card and consumer debt has been considered a crisis in America for years, and one only has to look back to 2008 to see the catastrophic effects of it. Surprisingly, the credit card catastrophe that people anticipated in 2020 actually didn’t happen. For many reasons, Americans were able to stave off complete collapse, and even though it was a challenging time, it really could have been a lot worse. There’s still a few months left in 2021 to see how the situation will shape up, especially as the economy is now starting to recover. The lesson is, it’s not all bad news and there have been some encouraging trends that show that the economic fallout of the pandemic is one the nation can recover from. 

Cravings to try CBD products? It would be fair to say that they are on every corner of the Internet, and you can easily place an order and get them now. Yet, those who have never tried them before puzzle their heads with the types of CBD products, and dispensaries. This article will speak of the recommendations on such goods, and where to buy them without trouble. Off we go!

Buying CBD Near Me Locally vs Online

When shopping you always have two options – either to go for a walk to the shopping mall or sit on your sofa and scroll the Web for the best stores. Everything depends on your comfort. Let’s compare both.

1. When you choose local stores, you have the ability to see CBD goods on the spot, and even speak to the sales associate. It fits those who do not trust online shopping where you literally buy a pig in a poke;
2. Online shopping is designed primarily to help you access the utmost comfort. You do not go anywhere. You scroll the websites, overlook the products like CBD oil near me, prices, and learn about the delivery terms;
3. The CBD near me shops won’t be very favourable in terms of prices. Compared to online stores, they may charge you more. Beyond that, they rarely feature any interesting promotions or discounts;
4. Online shopping will be powered by discounts, and special deals that can help you buy more but at a reduced cost;
5. Both parties can be chosen for a wide assortment. So, here is a draw game.

Then, with both, you can potentially access information about lab tests, and other quality certificates. Note, if the store does not reveal this information, you should not buy with them any CBD goods. 

How to Choose the Best CBD Near Me Dispensary?

First off, let’s offer you the opportunity to understand how a reliable store should look like. Black Tie CBD is a shop that offers a myriad of CBD products. You can find CBD oil near me smokeable, edibles and topical for any liking, and paying capacity. Black Tie CBD has a responsive customer support where you can address your inquiry and get prompt help on your orders.

What about other dispensaries apart from Black Tie CBD, how to choose them?

#1 Research Information Online

On most occasions, local stores that sell CBD oil near me have their own websites, so you can both order online or go there to pick your goods. Do also focus research on understanding the ratings of the shop. For instance, what people say about it, how they rate the pricing policy or just the quality of CBD products. Be very suspicious regarding only positive comments. There should always be a golden mean that can hint you at real clients’ feedback.

#2 Speak to Your Healthcare Provider

Normally, CBD products should be always discussed with your doctor. It especially concerns the events when you have medical conditions and want to boost your health or wellbeing. A doctor may first recommend the CBD product for your particular case, as well as share advice on dispensaries where you can buy it.

#3 Talk to the Store Representatives

Either on the spot or online, you have to speak to the representatives to understand what their store just stands for. It can be a seller that offers a wide range of health, beauty products, or a party solely for CBD goods. Beyond that, you should ask about permits to sell such goods, or lab tests again to rest assured knowing about the quality.

#4 Ask Test Results

As was hinted above, this step is crucial. Trustworthy dispensaries do always distribute products that are third-party lab tested on their purities and potency. On some occasions, you can also scan the QR code found on the labelling to scan the results. When you shop locally, you can also ask for the results, and receive on the spot consultation.

#5 Learn the Guarantees

Yes, you cannot return the hemp flowers after smoking because you did not like the quality, however, there should be a money-back guarantee for unforeseen occasions. For instance, if you receive a wrong product, or there are issues with the delivery. Normally, online stores will definitely come up with some kind of refund, or just resend your order with some treats to not lose a client. With local stores, such events are very rare.

#6 Speak to Cannabis Experts

If you did not know such experts do exist, and they work by providing information on CBD products, and medical marijuana. If not with an expert, you can find online blogs. For instance, the Black Tie store has its own CBD blog where you can learn the basics about such goods, and understand how to take edibles, topicals, smokeable among others. After familiarizing yourself with such information, you will be more knowledgeable about how the industry works.

#7 Understand the Shipping Policy (When Buying Online)

If you choose online shopping, ensure the store delivers to you, and understand how the shipping works with them. For example, with the Black Tie, all the orders are shipped within 2 business days after receiving your request. The average delivery takes 3-7 business days. And, they cover all 50 states, unlike many other stores that exclude Hawaii and Alaska. On some occasions, some stores may also take longer for the delivery due to holidays. If there are issues with delays, again refer to the refunds or re-selling.

All in all, the CBD near me can be shopped locally and online. It is up to you to choose the most comfortable option, however, never run for prices only. CBD products are markets where you can be rigged with low-quality goods. If you see that, for example, a tincture is too low in price, it should arouse suspicions. If you see that a smokable is too expensive, there should be explanations for that. Refer to the Black Tie for your acknowledgement, and high-quality CBD products first, and understand what good products stand for.