Working in a nine to five job from the moment you leave school or university can end becoming a chore. You start to ask yourself if this is the best life has to offer. The good news is that there are thousands of people out there that have managed to start their own businesses and become their own boss.

Now hard as this may sound, all you have to do is find the right place to start, the right niche that you know will make you happy and then write down how you believe you would run your business in that niche. After a while of doing this, you will naturally start to research other costs that are involved in the business such as licenses, electricity, tools, software, and so on.

The more you do this, the more you can prepare yourself for what could eventually be a business research expedition that turns into reality.

Here is a list of some of the most successful and stable businesses you can look into opening in order to become your own boss.

• Open Your Own Coffee and Fast Food Brand

Now you might be competing with some big name out there, but the high street English breakfast, homemade sandwich, tea and coffee shop/restaurant is still a very popular business idea. It may not make you a fortune, but you can guarantee as long as you get the right location such as next to a busy bus stop or outside a train station, you will make money and have a stable job.

Tip: Study the 4ps of marketing

• Start an Online Business

One of the key advantages to starting an online business is that you do not need a physical location to begin. You can also play with a number of different ideas and work on which ever idea grows your online business the quickest.

Another benefit to this type of business is that you can start it alongside your current job and build it up. This is exactly what I did. I started with my business by writing content such as this article. At the same time, I was a school teacher. Luckily as I had a teacher assistant to mark homework, so all I had to do is make sure my lessons were planned. Aside from that, I had a lot of breaks between classes.

During my breaks I would write articles and get paid for doing this. One thing led to another and I started to write content for social media campaigns, entire websites, and then I started to get into WordPress web design.

Tip: Visit this website’s homepage where I wrote all the content

• Start Your Own Business in The Niche You Already Work In

If you enjoy your job, but you don’t like the nine to five routine and you would rather be your own boss, then why not look for a way to start your own business within your niche. It won’t be easy, but you can at least begin with a website. Make a list of all the expenses you need to pay out such as printing business cards, having enough money in the bank to survive for 6 months, an overdraft facility on your bank account, credit cards, and a low interest bank loan.

Now one thing I do not want to encourage is debt. However, you can at least make sure while you have a job, you can get all these financial instruments set up. Also, get some kind of insurance that will cover you in case you lose your job if that is possible. This way when you start own business, you will be able to hire yourself and if the business does not succeed, then you are covered.

Getting your first customers is better achieved when you are working in your current job. Use holidays to fulfil customer needs, take unpaid leave if you are able to, and work evenings and weekend. I know a friend of mine did exactly this with his IT business. Now that business is worth over $30,000 a month, and he pays himself $5,000 a month, which is $60,000 per year plus bonuses which come with a tax incentive.

He started that business by paying for all the equipment he needed, licenses, website, business tools, and marketing while he had his nine to five job. He then slowly but surely expanded his business, and low and behold the company he used to work for hires his current company on a retainer!

Tip: Check out Investopedia tips

Wellington is well-known for its nightlife scene with plenty of bars and clubs to choose from in the city. The city is well-known for its DJs, bars, beers, cocktails, and spirits as well as for its array of eating establishments. Whatever it is you are looking for when it comes to nightlife activities, you can nearly always find a venue that suits your tastes.

Red Square All Night Dancing Venue

Red Square is one of the most well-known clubs in the city. For clubbers and night owls alike looking for all-night dancing and music, this club is perfect. Top DJs frequent its line up on the weekends, and if you are looking to meet up with locals as well as tourists that share electronic music in common, then this is the perfect place for that kind of night out. Check out redsquare.co.nz for more information.

S&Ms Cocktail Bar and Clubbing

Another popular venue in Wellington is S&Ms, which is short for Scotty & Mal’s Cocktail Bar. Now this place may sound like it is only a cocktail bar, but you would be wrong in assuming this. Although S&Ms does have a classy cocktail lounge with some extravagant cocktails mixes to choose from, there is also a nightclub here. Much like Red Square, S&Ms takes pride in its DJ line ups. It is also the perfect place to unwind by downing a few cocktails and then hitting the dance floor to dance the night away.

Dreamgirls Female Entertainment

If you are a man looking for some more exotic entertainment, then Dreamgirls is one of the more extravagant clubs in town. This is one of Wellington’s exclusive gentleman’s bars complete with sexy strippers that are always ready to put on a show for their male clientele. While you are there, you should go upstairs and have a look at the Fantasy Club, which is where every mans dreams will come true – hence the club’s name is Dreamgirls. The club is also open until 6am, so if you fancy going to one of the venues mentioned above and then seeking some additional female fun to top off a great night out, Dreamgirls is the perfect place. See dreamgirls.co.nz for more information.

Southern Cross Garden Bar Eatery and Drinks

You can also check out the Southern Cross Garden Bar if you are looking for both food and drinks. This place is the perfect venue to eat out late at night or until the early hours of the morning. On the weekends it is open until 3am, so you can finish up at your chosen nightclub, then head out for some food and a couple more drinks. And, if after you have indulged in the Southern Cross Garden Bar food and drinks menu, you can then pop over to Dreamgirls to continue your night of fun.

Enigma Café Late Night Vegan and Meat Dishes

Another great late night to early morning food and drinks establishment worth checking out is the Enigma Café. This is also open until 3am on the weekend giving you another place to tantalise those taste buds after dancing the night way. This place has become popular because the management have created a menu that caters for all tastes. If you have a vegan or vegetarian in your group, the Enigma Café has several choices on its menu, while for all your meat lovers out there, the menu has an excellent selection of burgers as well as other popular meat dishes.

More Nightlife Entertainment in Wellington

We have only really touched the surface of the nightlife in Wellington here. The city is full of vibrant places to hand out including venues that have live bands, comedy as well as plenty of places to catch a late-night movie. For more information on Wellington and things to do, search in Google or Facebook where you will find a something that will cater for you ideal nigh out in the city. You can also check out the theculturetrip.com for more information on things to do in Wellington city New Zealand.

All companies understand the need for id card printing in order to provide security to their organization through the identification of employees and visitors. The only dilemma they face is whether to get their company id cards printed online or not. To resolve this confusion, let us analyze the pros and cons of online id card printing.

Some companies prefer to print their own id cards. This works for only small-scale setups with 10-15 employees. Even then, the output should be good and you still have to give it for lamination and tagging. Why rack your brains when you can get online id printing at literally the same cost and more professionalism?

If you are still not convinced, take a look at the pros and cons of online id printing.

Pros and cons of online id printing

Advantages

1. Minimum investment, maximum output

For small companies with low turnover and budget, having an id card printer is definitely not viable. For such companies, it is better to opt for online id card printing. Upload your company logo and details online, select the id card design and you can have the id cards delivered within 72 hours. You can order even 1 card for a sample and then order more in bulk.  Get maximum output at minimum investment for your company using online id card printing.

2. No tensions about design and execution

Printing id cards in-house may sound economical to some but it is a headache for many. Creating a design, arranging the details, proofing the details, getting the photographs customized for size and resolution, doing final quality checks- all these are cumbersome and tiresome.

Instead, entrust the online id card printing to professional experts and rest worry-free. No more tensions about the design or execution. Everything’s done perfectly by experts and the final product is delivered to satisfaction within 3 working days.

3. Best quality at the cheapest price.

Even if you have an id card printer in your office, you still have to buy cards, ribbon, cleaning supplies etc. When you consider these costs along with the cost of the printer and software, online id card printing works out cheaper for you. Yes, at a fraction of the cost, you can get your cards printed, laminated and tagged- all at one go.

4. Top quality even for minimum quantity

Even if you order 1 id card, the quality of online card printing services will be definitely superior to the in-house ones. This is because print providers have their own systems and processes for designing, roofing and printing which are hard to match when done in-house.

5. Totally customizable

With online id card printing, you can get the design totally customized to suit your company profile. What more, you have infinite options and design templates to choose from. Select the suitable design, customize it to your taste and have it printed at top quality from expert print providers. Print one batch of id cards, see if you like them else make changes or choose a different design for the next batch. Everything is tailor-made to suit your comfort.

Disadvantages

Online id card printing has no disadvantages literally as you can order even 100 cards at top quality. Precise output with timely delivery is possible only with online id card printing.

Get professional quality output at pocket-friendly prices using online id card printing. Enhance your corporate image with online id card printing to gain more esteem in your business circles.

For centuries, Gold has been thought of and seen as an asset which stores wealth in extremely turbulent times. There is plenty of information about the different forms of gold. Bullion, however there is very little that has been said about how and where you should sell your bullion. People don’t buy gold bars or any kind of bullion and holding on to it just cause this shiny yellow metal is beautiful but because it has a monetary value. People hold on to physical gold in order to survive economic turmoil. Eventually you are going to sell your gold. There are bullion dealers who offer different ways of investing in gold and turning the gold you have into cash. When selling bullion you have three basic options: You can sell to a private individual, a local gold dealer or an online gold dealer.

Selling To A Private Individual

Selling a large amount of bullion to a private individual can be risky. There is always the issue of safety when selling to a stranger. You could sell to someone you know like a personal friend or family member, but there is always the question of whether they will give you the best price or not.

Local Dealers Vs. Online Bullion Dealers

You may want to sell bullion to a local gold dealer or an online bullion dealer. Local bullion dealers and their online counterparts generally offer the same price even though online dealers often claim that their prices are the best or the most competitive. That may be true, but you would have to factor in the cost of insurance and the cost of shipping.

Most online dealers will pay around 4% under the spot price for government-backed gold bullion like:

– The Australian Philharmonics coins

– The Australian Kangaroos

– The Mexican Libertads

– American Eagles

– Canadian Maple Leafs

– The British Britannias

– The Chine Pandas

South African Krugerrands often fetch a higher price. Privately struck rounds generally fetch less.

Online gold dealers make it possible for people who live far from a bullion dealer to sell their gold. If there is no gold dealer near you then you might have to look online.

When you sell bullion to a local dealer you have the convenience of getting cash immediately. You also don’t have to worry about shipping costs or insurance costs.

It is important to shop around. Different bullion dealers will offer different prices for the gold they buy. However, Not all bullion buyers will want to buy your gold. Some bullion dealers will buy gold bullion coins they sold themselves.  Those that buy gold back they have not sold might do so at lower prices. People who bought gold, which is stored at a dealer facility might find it easy to sell bullion to the same dealer at a profit.

The bottom line is that you should research the different options you may have and choose the one that will give you the best price.

Once you have decided which option for elderly care is right for you, you need to look into how you can pay for your care.

Live in care is an attractive choice for those that wish to retain their independence and live in the familiarity of their own home, but electing to have live-in care in your home will usually mean you will have to find the money to pay for it by yourself. Those carers who choose live in care jobs are motivated not by the pay but by being able to provide a more personalised level of care. Nevertheless there is, obviously a cost to having a carer living in your home.

It depends on your needs

The actual cost for home care services varies depending on your needs; some people may need relatively low-level support with maintaining their home, others may have complex medical conditions that require more intensive care.  The cost of live-in care will be somewhere between £500 and £1500 per week – the more care you will require, the higher the cost. You will also need to provide the live-in carer with their own room and internet access.  Care home companies will arrange everything you will need and match you up with a live-in carer that best suits you and your needs.

If you decide that a residential care home is the best option, this is also likely to require self-funding. Residential care homes can be expensive – especially if you expect to be there for some time. If you have a spouse, couples will have to pay per person at the care home making it an even more costly option.

And where you live

Residential care home fees fluctuate depending on where in the UK the home is situated. Elderly people living in the South East will be paying significantly more for their care than those in the North East. The average cost for a care home in London is £723 per week, compared to £530 per week in Yorkshire.

There is some level of local authority funding available to those who have little or no savings, and assets of less than £23,250, but many companies providing live-in care do not accept social services funded clients. An NHS bursary known as NHS Continuing Healthcare is available to cover medical care. This bursary is a way of helping patients fund their care so they are not ‘bed blocking’ in hospitals. Your local authority can also do an assessment of your social care needs and provide advice on your options. In order to assess whether you qualify for funding assistance, all of your assets will be taken into consideration. Assets include the value of your property, the value of any private or state pensions, and the value of any savings including interest.

Plan carefully

If you will be self-funding your care, it is essential to have budgets in place to ensure your care is uninterrupted and maintained at the level you require. Getting advice from an Independent Financial Advisor can help you gain the best level of care for the budget you have. As people are living longer, your elderly care plan could be in place for some time, and you should not have to compromise on the level of care you need.

Introducing an effective staff incentive scheme can play an important part in recruiting and retaining talented candidates and existing members of the team. By rewarding good performance with perks your staff actually value, you can also get the best out of your team for the benefit of your business.

In this guide, we’ll take a closer look at the business benefits associated with incentives and perks as well as exploring some of the different options available.

The benefits of a staff incentive scheme

A ‘carrot and stick model’ i.e. providing a reward for positive behaviour, has been proven to be a successful method of helping a company achieve its short-term goals. However, over the longer term, such an approach is only successful if an incentive scheme is created which links rewards to company values.

Values-based recognition schemes have been found to be much more successful when compared to non-values-based recognition. For example, a report by Globoforce (pdf) found that 90 percent of HR professionals felt engagement was positively impacted by a values-based recognition programme. There was also a positive impact in terms of retention, with 71 percent of programmes seeing a positive impact compared to just 54 percent of non-values-based programs.

There’s also evidence to show that incentive schemes that are created with the collaboration of employees, i.e. by letting employees choose which incentives they want, can motivate employees to reach higher achievement levels. The advantage for the employer is increased levels of productivity and a team that are encouraged to achieve pre-established goals.

How to create an effective staff incentive scheme?

The key to creating an effective staff incentive scheme that will actually be valued by employees is to make sure it is tailored to the particular needs of your business. You should consult with employees to understand what incentives they value the most and work with them to set targets for those perks to be achieved.

There should also be a mix of long-term and instant rewards so that employees feel all their good work, whatever form it takes, can potentially earn them additional benefits which are proportionate to their efforts.

What form can an incentive scheme take? 

There are a huge range of potential incentives employers can put in place. Everything from introducing flexible working practices to providing free fruit work in the workplace has been proven to benefit your team.

A good staff incentive scheme could contain financial and non-financial benefits and ideally, they should be self-financing, in that the benefits of the improved performance outweigh the costs. There should also be incentives to reward individual performance as well as perks to encourage effective team working.

Options for staff incentives include:

• Profit-related and share-option schemes
• Bonuses
• Commission
• Formal recognition and rewards
• Flexible working opportunities
• Extra holidays
• Company vehicles
• One-off gifts and vouchers

What is your experience of staff incentive schemes? Do they work, and if so, what incentives do people value the most? Please share your thoughts with our readers in the comments below.

As mobile technologies continue to improve, more and more businesses become increasingly reliant on smartphones in handling different facets of operations.

And it is not just in the field of communication. Certainly, with the proliferation of apps designed for communication, business owners and their employees now have different platforms to choose from, apart from calls and texts.

Today, you have a diverse range of apps to choose from for practically every type of business operation, ranging from accounting and inventory to project management.

Choosing the right phone for your business needs

But in order to take full advantage of these technological developments, it is important to have the best tools available in the market.

As such, the first order of business is finding the right device that will meet your business’s and your employees’ needs. Here are a few crucial factors to consider:

●      Where will it be used?

To put it simply, users who spend most of their workdays outdoors will have different needs from those who spend most of their days inside the confines of the office.

For one, the former will need phones that can adequately handle the challenges posed by the elements.

Additionally, you would want a phone that meets the demand of the work environment. For example, workers in the construction sector will need phones that can easily withstand a rugged environment, as well as survive drops.

●      Specs and performance

For calls and texts, specs and overall performance may not be on the top of your list of important factors to consider.

But if you are planning to use smartphones for specific types of operations apart from the basics, then paying attention to specs and performance becomes a crucial factor.

For example, if you are planning to replace your barcode scanners with smartphones, you will need devices with considerably better hardware.

●      Security

Whether you are purchasing devices for your employees or you are implementing a BYOD policy, security should be a primary concern especially when sensitive data is an integral part of the conversation.

Check with your IT personnel if the devices on your shortlist can be configured to align with the measures that you are currently using for your business.

Finding the right plan

Once you have settled upon which devices to get for your employees, the next order of business is finding a suitable plan for these devices.

Here are a few factors that you want to look into:

●      How the devices will be used

Before getting postpaid contracts for your employees, the first crucial factor that needs to be considered is how your workers will use their devices.

For employees that are essentially confined to the office or nearby areas, you can opt for the basics.

On the other hand, if you have high performers that need to go out and about to talk to clients and make presentations, you should opt for plans that gives your sales people ample room for both mobility and agility.

●      Roaming

If you or your employees travel abroad frequently, roaming features and pricing are other key considerations to think about when choosing a plan.

As a general rule, roaming charges will depend on where you and your employees will travel to. Many carriers charge considerably lower for popular destinations and considerably higher for the less popular.

●      Carrier

Some carriers focus heavily on end consumers. For smaller enterprises, such carriers can meet their needs adequately.

However, if you have plans to scale up your operations and bring more employees to the fold, finding a carrier that effectively meets your needs is crucial.

These needs may include lower costs for device and services bundles, unlimited data/calls/texts, and better coverage both locally and internationally.

Finding a balance

At the end of the day, your primary consideration should be finding a balance between selecting the right device for the job at hand and choosing a plan the meets the demands of your employees.

As such, you might want to consider bundles offered by the carriers in your area.

AUTHOR BIO

Al-moottil P Antony

Al-moottil P Antony is a C-Suite Executive Support Professional for Zain, a leading mobile and data services operator with a commercial footprint in 8 Middle Eastern and African countries.

A return is a document containing details of income which a tax payer is required to file with the tax administrative authorities. This is used by tax authorities to calculate tax liability. Under GST Registration in India, a registered dealer has to file GST return that include, Purchase, Sales, Output GST (On sales) and Input tax credit (GST paid on purchases). To file GST returns, Goods and Services Tax compliant sales and purchase invoices are required. You can look for companies that offer GST filing services if you don’t feel confident doing this yourself.

In the Goods and Services Tax regime, any regular business has to file three monthly returns and one monthly return. So total returns in a year would be 37. The interesting fact about this is, that one has to manually enter details of one monthly return – GSTR-1. The other two returns – GSTR-2 and GSTR-3 will get auto-filled by deriving information provided in GSTR-1, filled by you and your vendors. There are separate returns required to be filed by special cases such as Composition Dealers (Composition Scheme is a simple and easy scheme under GST for taxpayers. Small taxpayers can get rid of tedious GST Registration formalities and pay Goods and Services Tax at a fixed rate of turnover. This scheme can be opted by any taxpayer whose turnover is less than Rs. 1.5 crores).

Given below is the details of Returns to be filed under the GST law India

GST Online Return filing

For filing GST online in India, you are required to follow these steps,

• Go to GST portal and login with your User ID and Password or visit Company Vakil for expert advice.
• Go to ‘Services’ tab on top and click on ‘Returns’ and then ‘Return dashboard’
• Select the financial year and Return filing period (i.e. April, May, June) and click on search
• Select the return you want to file (i.e. GSTR-1, 2, 3)
• Select prepare online if you want to add an invoice manually, or select upload if you already have GST compliance file.

These were the basic things you need to know about filing GST returns, Company Vakil taxation experts helps you in GST Registration in India and provides consultation regarding all the legal aspects, feel free to contact us to make you Goods and Services Tax ready!

Australia is the second biggest gold producer in the world. People have been finding gold all over the Australian outback for centuries. The country has had a rich history and several gold rushes in the 1800s that have seen a number of notable finds. Prospectors came from all over the world to make their fortunes and a couple were lucky enough to stumble upon gold nuggets that netted them a lot of money. Gold continues to attract people to Australia and people are still finding gold nuggets.

What is a gold nugget?

Gold nuggets are pieces of gold that occur naturally. They are usually formed when a piece of gold is eroded after it has broken off from the bedrock. Nuggets are often carried down by rivers and streams. As the rock tumbles down the stream, it gets cleaned and shaped. Gold nuggets are unique in that there are no two nuggets that can be ever be the same. Nuggets are rare. They are even rarer than diamonds. However, most of the impressive gold nuggets found in Australia like the Welcome nugget found in 1858 and the Welcome Stranger found in Moliagul, Australia on February 5, 1869 have been melted down. Gold nuggets are sought- after by gold collectors. They also happen to have a higher value than the standard international value of gold because of their rarity.

Gold nuggets usually contain 70 to 97% pure gold the rest is silver, copper or iron. Gold nuggets with a high gold content have a bright yellow color. Nuggets that have a high silver content are white. To sell gold Brisbane nuggets, you need to determine the quantity of the gold in the nugget.

Why sell your gold nuggets?

Gold nuggets are a great asset to have. They are very liquid and because of their scarcity they are always in demand. Historically, gold has always been an excellent way to hedge against troubled economies and inflation. Paper currency continuously loses its value. This has been the case since people began using fiat currencies. Gold on the other hand, has always been exempt from the factors that lead to currencies losing value. In fact, the value of gold rises when everything else is on a downward spiral. Because of their rarity, gold nuggets fetch higher prices on the market than refined gold.  

There is a growing community of recreational prospectors who go out with metal detectors to find nuggets. It is believed that less than 2% of the gold found on earth is gold nuggets, this means that they are the most sought after precious mineral specimens. However, there haven’t been a lot of big finds made in recent times. There are still some worthy finds judging by the number of nuggets that one can see on a daily basis on sites like eBay.

Selling gold nuggets

There are different ways to sell gold nuggets. The easiest way to sell gold Brisbane nuggets is to sell to a cash-for-gold company. These gold buyers can be found virtually everywhere. These gold buyers offer spot prices on gold nuggets. You can expect the price to be lower than the prices you would get from a gold collector who buys nuggets for their intrinsic value rather than the amount of gold contained in a nugget. However, if you have a small nugget and you would like to make some quick cash then selling to a cash-for-gold company is the way to go