Category Archives: Online Services

Preparing Early for the Holidays

It’s the first day of August and I’m experiencing that feeling again like I’m getting a fresh start. Some people may wait for New Year’s day before they come up with new resolutions to break (oh, c’mon! I know you’re guilty too!), but I have my own list EVERY month. And to be quite honest, it does help me make some much needed improvements in myself and get rid of old, negative habits.

Holiday vacation

This month though is different. If most people wait ’til the BER months to prepare or feel the holiday spirit, I am a little advanced in that department. I feel Christmas is near as early as August. It’s when I usually prepare or plan for Christmas and New Year celebrations. Each year, I try to make it as different as possible, but it’s saddening that in my family, they don’t seem to be that much interested. They feel like these holidays are overrated. :(

Maybe it’s that side of me who loves to shop for gifts during these holiday seasons who wants to be all merry. I’m one of the few people who prefer to buy others gifts than to receive. I love personalized or well thought-out presents.

A holiday gift checklist

The holiday season is a great time to take advantage of a wide variety of discounts, sales and even freebies! Finding popular voucher codes online can save you a lot of money too. There are hundreds of websites out there such as Net Voucher Codes Online that provide shoppers with promo codes that we can use to purchase almost anything we want online. There are Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals around Thanksgiving, a month before Christmas, which means you can plan and buy gifts ahead of time.

I know, the weather this week might not put you in the mood, but I always focus on the bright side. I’m hoping tomorrow, the sun will shine brightly again because I’m sure we all miss her. :)

Streamline your Operations with these 3 Online Services

Small business owners, most especially startups, find that keeping their businesses streamlined and running efficiently may not always be a low-cost undertaking. This is because majority of the tools in the marketplace can sometimes cost a lot, with prices running up to thousands of dollars. However, tools do not necessarily need to be expensive to get you the results you need. A few but effective tweaks to the way you’re running your business can make a huge difference. And if you’re like a lot of business owners who want to improve quality while reducing costs, then the three online tools listed below may just be what you need:

1. PickyDomains.com

An excellent business name can mean advertisement that is virtually free. A name that resonates with consumers is a name that’s most likely to stick in their minds. For just a fraction of the cost paid by some companies to branding agencies for the same results, PickyDomains relies on the power of crowdsourcing. In business since 2007, PickyDomains has a pool of thousands of contributors, 50,000+ in all registered to date. Confidentiality is assured and you also get a money-back guarantee if none of the suggestions you receive fits into your naming needs.

All you need to do is to register first as a client, pay a downpayment of either $50 for a name or domain and/or $75 for a slogan, and then submit your list of naming requirements.

2. Bitrix24.com

With its numerous functionality and the support services offered for free for small businesses comprised of 12 people or less, Bitrix24 is an essential tool which you may want to explore. No longer do you need separate tools in order to streamline tasks and communications in your office and when running your business. Simply put, Bitrix24 acts as a CRM and an office intranet in one. It has a free task management feature which allows for more effective collaboration. For instance, document management becomes easier with Bitrix24, where access, comments and discussions can be kept to relevant parties while, at the same time, ensuring a real-time type of discussion.

Privacy configurations can also be done on features such as forums, limiting who can have access to certain portions of the discussions regarding projects while also making it available to a broad set of participants – employees, project group members and even clients. With Bitrix24, tasks and schedule adherence are now made more transparent.  An upgrade to unlimited users is available for only $99 a month.

3. JetRadar.com

At a certain point, air travel may become part and parcel of your business operations, and the cheap airfare low-cost carriers offer can be a big help. JetRadar makes information from 728 airlines, hundreds of ticketing and flight sites readily available for public use in one central portal. This can save you a lot of time when searching for deals for airfares, particularly if you’re a frequent traveler. The service guarantees that prices shown on the site are final and comprehensive. No need to spend hours hopping from one airline site to another. With just one click, booking your flight is just minutes away, leaving you more time and energy to do other stuff that are far more important.