Month: August 2021

5 Ways To Reduce Your Carbon Footprint as a Business

Published by Will Chatham on 8/23/2021

Reducing your carbon footprint is a great way to be eco-friendly and give back to the environment. Of course, we all must do our part, but it can be hard to know where to start. Luckily, there are plenty of ways you can reduce your business’ carbon footprint while making sure you’re still operating at maximum efficiency!

What is Your Carbon Footprint?

A carbon footprint refers to the amount of greenhouse gas emissions a business releases into the atmosphere. Your company may be releasing more CO² than you think! The first step in reducing your carbon footprint is understanding its size and then taking steps to reduce those amounts. You might find that this task was more complex than expected because you had too many choices: if so, choose one strategy for now and come back later with another idea. Keep working on writing long-form content until all tasks are complete!

The Three R’s: Reuse, Reduce and Recycle

We often think of recycling as the only way to reduce our carbon footprint, but other ways are:

Reuse items whenever possible; if you can’t reuse an item, try reducing its use or disposing of it in a more eco-friendly manner than just throwing it away.
When you need new supplies for your company, choose products with minimal packaging and recyclable materials when possible.
Never buy something disposable!

If every person on Earth stopped purchasing single-use plastic bottles, we would stop using all oil from fossil fuels by 2050. So start making changes today and see how big your difference can be!

Implement Renewable Energy

The good news about renewable energy sources is that they release little to no emissions into the atmosphere. The bad news? They can be more expensive than traditional forms of power, and it may take a long time for them to pay off in terms of cost savings. If you’re sure your company will stay in your current location for at least five years, then it might make sense to go ahead with this option; but if not, try one of the other recommendations on this list first.

Fuel Cell

A fuel cell is a device that converts hydrogen and oxygen into electricity. It’s more expensive than solar power, but it doesn’t emit any harmful chemicals or greenhouse gases as part of the process – just water vapor! The only downside is that you need to purchase your fuel cells for this option. However, saving money on energy bills will be worth the initial investment in five years or less for most businesses.

Solar Energy

One way to reduce emissions is by adopting sustainable forms of renewable energy sources like solar power; because they take advantage of natural resources rather than releasing CO² from fossil fuels. This can help offset some costs associated with traditional electric use while reducing carbon dioxide emission levels at the same time.

Invest in Appropriate Waste Disposal

One of the easiest ways to reduce your business’s carbon footprint is investing in a waste disposal system that doesn’t emit any harmful chemicals or greenhouse gases. Make sure you choose a company that recycles as much as possible and don’t be afraid to ask about how they dispose of their trash. The goal is to reduce emissions, and by following the Electronics Recycling Guide, you might just play a vital role in doing so.

The best option is one that recycles as much as possible – but if this isn’t feasible for your business yet, then it’s better to recycle what you can in-house before disposing of anything else. Invest in Reusable Containers: Food containers aren’t just cluttering up our space; they also contain toxins that seep out from Styrofoam and plastic products over time. If you want to make a real dent in your company’s carbon footprint, invest in reusable containers made from glass or metal that will last for years and can be washed with everyday soap and water when they have food residue on them. Regardless of what you choose, remember: if it’s not recyclable, don’t buy it!

If you’re not careful when selecting a waste disposal company, they might create more pollution than your company would on its own. For example, sending organic trash to landfills can release harmful methane emissions and other chemicals into the atmosphere while polluting groundwater supplies used for drinking water or irrigation purposes.

Implement Greener Commutes

If you’re lucky enough to have a remote work-from-home setup, then congratulations: your carbon footprint is probably close to zero. For everyone else who needs to commute into the office every day, try these tips for greener commutes and see how big of an impact they can make!

Carpooling

Companies are reducing their environmental impact by up to 25% by implementing a carpool program, which means two or more people share one vehicle daily. Not only does this reduce emissions from cars idling in heavy traffic while waiting for passengers, but it also makes sense financially because not many people want to own both gasoline and parking spaces at home. The downside? You might need to make some new friends.

Biking or Walking

Another option for your company is a bike-to-work program. If possible, offer incentives and discounts for people who arrive at the office by bicycle and those who walk in regularly. While this takes more time than driving (or even public transit), it also requires less energy! And there are plenty of perks that come from investing in bikes like these: they’re cheap to buy and maintain; you have an increased chance of meeting interesting people on the way into work, and you’ll be staying healthy too – which will pay off in terms of cost savings! Stick with biking during warmer months, though, because not many commuters want to start their day with frostbite.

Partner Up With Green Companies

It’s always better to work with other people who are on the same page as you regarding sustainable living. Partnering up with one or more companies in your industry can be an excellent way for everyone involved to reduce their carbon footprint at no extra cost: whether that means exchanging items like business cards, new food and beverages, papers and supplies; or even swapping office space, so there’s less commuting time required.

If possible, try partnering up with someone from outside of your company – this might sound counterintuitive but could make sense if they have expertise in areas where your team needs help! For example, let’s say you need an expert on Google Analytics? That person would save you hours every day by managing your website data and bring new insights into the company that you might not have been aware of otherwise.

Educate Employees on Renewable Energy

If you’re not already familiar with this topic, now’s the time to get educated! It’s vital for all of your employees – including front-line managers and executives – to understand why investing in renewable sources is so crucial. It also might be necessary for them to learn how it works: many different energy sources fall under this category. Each one has its unique pros and cons, but if you want more information on what they entail, here’s an overview.

Companies are constantly looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint – and with organizations like the World Wildlife Fund, they have plenty of resources at their fingertips. From implementing greener commutes to partnering up with other environmentally-conscious companies, these tips can help your company make a big difference in the fight against climate change without much investment on your part!

Simple Shielding Efforts Against Cyber Threats

Published by Will Chatham on 8/18/2021

As more and more business is done online, personal information, company data, and IT systems become prominent targets for malicious hackers. Ransomware being one particular concern. Ransomware locks you out of your IT system until you agree to pay a set amount. Payment is usually requested in untraceable Bitcoin. This method is predicted to cost the business world over $260 billion over the next 10 years.

Get Some Outside Help

Some might argue that it is impossible to completely secure an internet-connected IT system. Still, whether this is possible or not, there are steps you can take to make the job of malicious intrusion very difficult for even the best cyber-criminal. It’s probably safe to assume that you aren’t a cybersecurity expert, so one of the first steps you can take is to get some help.

One of the most effective methods of preventing unwanted intrusion is employing managed IT services. These companies can protect yours for a relatively small monthly fee by providing an extra layer of cybersecurity. This is done using a mixture of techniques, including malware prevention, data backup, software updating, and proactive network monitoring.

Educate Employees

Even in 2021, a company’s employees are still a frequent target and access point for hackers. Social engineering is still alive and well. It isn’t uncommon to find employees and network administrators alike using invalid username and password combinations. Although social engineering no longer involves using the phone, hackers have developed sophisticated phishing techniques to gain unauthorized access to company systems.

Therefore, the onus is on you to ensure that your employees are aware of phishing and how to spot it. Email security, password management, and interdepartmental remote device security should also be considered. Good anti-malware will help secure online access and email, while password managers like LastPass are excellent for password security. You could also consider using a VPN for extra protection.

Consider SaaS and Haas

Hardware and software also provide a gateway for those skilled in exploitation. Time and time again, outdated software has been the cause of severe vulnerability intrusion. Microsoft’s multiple vulnerabilities and Flash are prime examples. Until vulnerabilities like these are patched, they pose a severe threat to the integrity of your online security. Subscribing to software services ensures that you always have access to the most up-to-date apps.

Hardware can also provide opportunities to hackers. Outdated technologies develop vulnerabilities as they age. And cybercriminals may become aware of these. Fax machines, printers, and video conference systems have been used as entry points. As a business, it can be expensive to stay ahead of the game with the latest hardware. Still, hardware-as-a-service will provide you with the latest available tech.

Use Encryption Whenever Possible

Of course, an effective method of ensuring the privacy of data is encryption. Unfortunately, it is now known that encryption isn’t 100% effective as previously thought. Still, military-grade GCHQ and NSA software aside, encryption is a tough challenge for any cyber-criminal. Encryption essentially prevents a file from being opened by unauthorized personnel. Therefore, maintaining the security integrity of anything contained therein.

Examples of sensitive information are confidential medical records, company finances, employee personal data, or patents and designs. However, for complete security, establishing a company-wide policy of encrypting all data is becoming a trend in business. Additionally, hardware encryption is available for laptops, mobile devices, and USB flash drives. Upcoming Windows 11 also requires a motherboard with a TPM encryption chip.

How To Re-inspire Yourself At Work

Published by Will Chatham on 8/17/2021

It is common to lose inspiration at work. Whether you have been there a long time, feel overwhelmed with tasks, or are waiting to climb the ladder, don’t panic yourself when you lose inspiration. It happens to everyone from time to time.

If you are looking to reinspire yourself at work, here are some tips.

Change your setup

Installing control room consoles in your workplace will help you get more use out of your space. They are specifically designed for control room setups and will help you feel more comfortable and focused at work.

Adding new furniture and improving your setup will make your office a more exciting place to work. With new surroundings, you can feel inspired again.

Read books to learn new skills

Reading books to learn new skills is a great way to re-inspire yourself. You can find new strengths and passions that you never knew you had.

When you have mastered your new skill, it can be time to learn a new one. The more skills to achieve, the more you can offer in the workplace. Whether you want to learn new languages or problem-solving skills, there is plenty of skills out there to learn and use in the workplace to motivate yourself.

Volunteer to help out

Offering someone a helping hand is a great way to feel good about yourself. If a person or team at work needs an extra hand, it won’t help to volunteer your skills.

When you offer someone your time, you will feel great about yourself and also earn some help yourself. When you need help in the future, those that you helped will likely help you.

Spend time visualizing your goals

Everyone has goals at work. It is how to keep motivated. If you do not have goals, then you might want to think about making some.

When you have goals in mind, it can help to spend some time visualizing them. When you visualize your skills, you will recognize how to achieve them. If you spend five or ten minutes a day visualizing your goals, you can create a clearer path. You can stay on track and stay focused on achieving your goals, which will help keep you inspired.

Get some extra training

If you lack skills in a certain department or have lost your confidence in general, it can help to get some extra training to reignite your knowledge.

Likewise, a coach will help you hone in on your strengths to utilize those and feel more confident at work.

Extra training in the workplace means that you can challenge yourself and develop your self-awareness. You and your coach can help you identify your weaknesses and work on those to outweigh them and turn them into strengths.

Re-inspiring yourself at work is key to boost your productivity and efficiency. Being more efficient at work means you can achieve your goals and attain better results. Simply changing your setup and learning new skills could be what you need to find new inspiration.

4 Tips for helping your child master a musical instrument

Published by Will Chatham on 8/12/2021

If your child shows an interest in music, it’s a wonderful feeling to be able to assist them in learning and pursuing a musical path that will only benefit their future career prospects.

However, supporting a child in learning an instrument can often demand striking a delicate balance; we all want the best for our children, but forcing an instrument on a child can often result in a youngster resenting playing and a lack of enjoyment from learning the instrument. another issue to consider, depending on your child’s age, is making sure they pick the proper instrument. often, a youngster will pick up an instrument that they think is cool but isn’t the right instrument for them.

Children under the age of six should learn the piano or violin first, then decide if they wish to switch as their physical development advances.

Choose the ideal instrument for your child

parents must realize the physical constraints that come with a child learning to play an instrument; even Mozart had to wait until he was physically ready. It’s worth noting that the instrument should be appropriate for your child’s size, and wind instruments aren’t recommended until their lung capacity has improved. Meanwhile, motor functions will not be fully developed, making playing an instrument difficult for a youngster.

Ensure your child enjoys playing the instrument

Make sure your child enjoys the sound of the instrument; if they don’t enjoy the sound they’re making, they won’t have the drive to practice and may even grow to despise music, which defeats the purpose of learning an instrument in the first place. Finding the ideal instrument for your child is the ultimate goal, but it’s vital to keep an open mind and be prepared for any unexpected setbacks.

Set up a rigid practice schedule

once you’ve chosen an instrument, it’s vital to add some discipline to the learning process. Be careful not to impose learning on your child, as this might backfire and cause the child to lose interest in playing, which can stifle musical development. Ensure that your child enrolls in music lessons or after-school clubs if they are available at school. Make sure that this does not become a chore or considered homework; if your child truly wants to learn, they will want to attend the sessions. Remember to use a sound level meter since they can really help your child to hit the right notes during practice. You can find high-quality sound level meters at Scarlet Tech.

Listen to your child play as much as possible

Inquire about what they’re playing, how they’re playing it, and what they like about the music. constantly strive to make practicing enjoyable for your child, and stop when he or she loses interest; you don’t want them to become burnt out. It’s preferable to do a little bit of practice every day than to do a long session once a week, so try to establish a routine.

Striving To Be a Streamlined Solopreneur? You Need These Tools!

Published by Will Chatham on 8/2/2021

The modern solopreneur has to be a jack of all trades. And as solopreneurs need to have an abundance of knowledge at their fingertips, this is where the right toolbox becomes invaluable. You may think that when you are trying to make sense of your business, find somewhere to store notes, improve communication, and solve problems big and small, the number of tools you have at your disposal will make short work of these. But with this in mind it’s worth noting some of the common solopreneur problems, and what the right tool can do for that problem.

Minor Technical Problems

A nightmare if you are in the middle of an important deadline and you find that your computer is not playing ball. You may not be technically inclined, but this means you’ve got to have the right information to hand, whether this is for clearing the cache or cookies, or dealing with the dreaded black screen of death. A solopreneur needs these best resources.

There are some amazing guides out there to fix tech problems quickly, but while a simple Google search can find a lot of these things, you need a tool like Slack, because it can incorporate a number of files in one easy-to-use package. Slack is one of those tools that integrate with the vast majority of programs out there.

Typing Problems

We are in the middle of a number of tasks, we can get into the flow with regards to typing, but sometimes, some things take so long to type that it becomes painstaking. If you find yourself hunched over your computer for 12 hours a day, this is not going to be good, and your fingers will inevitably cramp, and this is if you have amazing typing skills in the first place! We can spend all day trying to write an effective email, that we inevitably type draft after draft thinking that we need to slave over it. However, sometimes we are not able to get our thoughts onto an email properly without typing it a number of times. This is why it would be quicker to do a draft and come back to it later.

The solution? Voice typing. If you need to get the salient points onto a draft document, having a program like Dragon Dictation, or even the voice typing function on Google Docs means that you can get all of your thoughts out onto a document, focus on another task, and come back later. The great thing about modern voice typing is that they are adaptable and will learn your accent, your manner of speaking, and this means it makes very quick work of typing out an email. You will be able to speak faster than your typing skills, but it also listens to you incorporating grammar. And with programs such as this, you can use them to dictate into your phone while you are on the go, meaning that you can effectively multitask. Sometimes, we can feel that a drive to a meeting is an unproductive one because we have to focus on the road. However, setting up a way to dictate on your phone, as long as you’re safe, will mean that you can get a lot of thoughts out while you are doing something else.

Note-Taking

It’s not easy to take notes when you’re trying to multitask, and while this means that voice dictation can help you dictate notes onto your phone, you need the right program to help you. And this is where Evernote steps in. When we need to be in full flow and reel off idea after idea, we need the right program to absorb our notes, but also can sync with other devices. When we are trying to capture information, we have to access it from anywhere.

There are a number of Evernote packages that can operate as a notepad while you are on the go. It’s so important that when you are collaborating with other clients that you all have the same canvas to operate from. Collaboration tools like on Google Drive are invaluable, but Evernote goes one step further and allows you to capture notes, as well as text, images, and becomes a way for you to come up with ideas remotely, and collaborate on these things effectively.

Remembering Passwords

When you have to access so many different programs, laziness can creep in, and you end up using the same password. However, using the same password means that you’ve got to have an incredibly complex one, but this doesn’t mean you are protected forevermore. The same applies to your credit cards and account information.

You will be spending a lot of time paying for items and inputting sensitive information. A tool like 1Password is perfect for this, because it stores everything in one handy-to-access place, and you will never need to remember another password again. It also comes with a browser extension.

Keeping Control of Your Finances

As if you didn’t have enough to do! If you are trying to push your business forward, but you’ve also got to keep track of every financial component, it is important to be aware of your finances at every step.

The resource Mint is an excellent way for you to link all of your credit cards, accounts, and loans, giving you a comprehensive view of your finances. If you struggle to keep track of your expenses, this is a great tool for peace of mind.

Booking Accommodation

Another part of the solopreneur’s lifestyle is checking in and out of hotels, however, it’s an experience that soon wears thin, especially if you need to get a good night’s sleep and the person in the room next door is not intent on sleeping anytime soon!

You need to stop getting hotels when you travel and go through a site like Airbnb so you can get yourself an apartment or room so you have more privacy, not to mention freedom. It’s nice to have those tastes of home, so you can go to the local store and put food in your fridge, and cook, rather than having to dine out!

Keeping Relaxed

It’s high pressure all of the time, and when we are out and about, in and out of people’s lives, we can feel the stress creep upon us. However, this is where a tool like Headspace becomes invaluable. It’s important to learn how to relax when you are on the go. You may be someone that immediately relaxes into a place, or you may find that you operate on little sleep, but if you are firmly the latter, this soon catches up with you!

Headspace comes in a handy app and provides a multitude of resources, so even if you are not of the meditating mindset, you can easily learn to relax. You may think that being on edge gives you the edge, but you will age pretty quickly. Make sure that you incorporate periods of important relaxation. You may find that you thrive on working 18 hour days, that this won’t be good for you in the long run.

There are a number of ways that solopreneurs can benefit from streamlining their lives. There are so many out there, but when you are a solopreneur, you are spinning so many plates. Solopreneurs need to operate with a more streamlined mindset, and you will find that these tools won’t just help you in the short term, but they will help you to be a better business person.