Technology

How Outdated Phone Systems Are Killing Businesses

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Thriving in today’s economic climate requires unified communications

Yes, those old traditional landlines are about to disappear. In 2017, almost 90% of phone numbers were connected to mobile devices or phones with Internet access. And some experts have predicted that 2020 is the year that landlines will finally become obsolete. (To be honest, they probably won’t go away that Quick. After all, there are still people who use analog modems, believe it or not.)

However, even with landlines in disgrace, many businesses rely on traditional private branch exchange (PBX) telephone systems for day-to-day operations.

Your reliance on these systems makes sense – landlines are not susceptible to remote hacking (although analog lines can still be hacked locally through old wiretaps), they usually still work when power has been lost, and are facility-based, giving the owner full control. Owners love full control over anything that affects their business, especially things that affect bottom line.

But the world of work is changing rapidly, and for any business to be successful right now, it needs a better alternative: unified communications.

How Old Phone Systems Hurt Business

Older PBX phone systems in today’s business environment have some pretty serious limitations. Some of them have a commercial impact and result in:

  • Bad customer service: Leaving a voicemail and waiting for a response is so 90s! In fact, most consumers expect to communicate with businesses online, be it through online ordering, email, text messages, or live chat. If the only way to reach your business is by phone, you are probably missing a great opportunity to handle service issues quickly, retain customers, and improve your reputation.

  • Lack of internal communication: Legacy phone systems can be frustrating for office workers. Imagine leaving a voicemail about an urgent issue for your boss and not receiving a response for hours or days. Relying on outdated technology makes employees feel less productive, which can lead to other problems. According to a 2018 Unisys Corporation study, these frustrated employees are 450% more likely to quit than employees at companies with better technology solutions. Although this study sounds pretty far-fetched, it is quite possible that the presence of outdated technology is an indication of a larger problem with the business. However, this questionable study supports the narrative that old technology can cause serious problems within a company. Therefore, it is worth mentioning. Clearly updating your system and improving communication for everyone is better than recruiting and training new employees.

  • Less versatility: As many companies have made the switch to remote work, they have found that landline phone systems are much less versatile than VoIP-based PBX systems. Landline telephone systems are tied to a specific geographic location and connect to the company’s separate telephone network through the telephone hardware (eg, telephone cables, telephone wall ports, etc.). Therefore, they cannot be easily integrated with computer software applications, SMS and MMS messaging, video calls, chat applications, and other cool features needed to do remote work. easy. In contrast, a unified communications system supports all of these tools, making it much easier to onboard remote employees.

  • Difficulty diagnosing problems remotely: Diagnosing and troubleshooting problems with traditional PBX systems requires troubleshooting from the IT department (if they have one, sure) or a technician from the phone system vendor. The process involves testing the connections, evaluating the internal and external parts, and probably fumbling for the equipment outside of your building. This means scheduling a day and time for repair, and in the meantime your system sits idle, causing you to lose revenue. On the other hand, to address issues with cloud-based systems, you have access to 24-hour technical support that can access your system and get things back to work quickly. No appointment is required.

  • Difficult to grow: When your business grows, it is quite difficult to expand your old phone system. Typically, with each batch of new users, you will have to add a ton of new hardware. This hardware is often proprietary, expensive, and will likely need to be installed by a qualified technician. Web-based phone systems are much easier to expand.

Why Your Business Needs Unified Communications

As an alternative to your old phone system, it’s time to embrace unified communications. Generally speaking, this is a comprehensive service that enables all employees in your company to communicate in a way that delivers the best business results. Most unified communications components are based on Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), which gives you the ability to communicate from any location using the same phone number, extensions, and features.

And looking more specifically at the benefits of a VoIP PBX system over an older phone system, there are several advantages. You have the option of using both physical phones and “softphones,” which are computers or mobile devices that use specialized communications software. VoIP PBX systems also connect to all your business locations, allow you to respond to messages and requests in a timely manner, and can be easily scaled up or down at any time. In short, a VoIP PBX system moves and grows with the changing needs of your business. Your old phone system limits your options for serving employees and customers, ultimately reducing your profits.

Configure your virtual PBX system today

Work with us to introduce cloud-based phone systems into your day-to-day business operations. Our VoIP PBX system helps you reduce costs, connect all your business locations in a communications domain, send free SMS messages from phones and desktops, and access free 24/7 technical support. week, 365 days a year. Contact us today to discuss your needs and explore the best options for your business.

Business

Hindu Funeral Cost in Singapore

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Funeral Cost in Singapore

Hindu funerals are very special, and costs can be high. The deceased’s family will be left with lots of costs that they will have to pay for their beloved’s funeral. This is because the deceased’s family members will be required to pay a hefty amount of money as expenses for the funeral service, officiating the ceremony, the casket and other related items. The family members who cannot afford to pay such high costs are advised not to go ahead with the service. On the other hand, if a family member wants to go ahead with the service but cannot afford to pay all the funeral costs, they can take help from Singapore Funeral Cost to provide them with financial assistance.

There are many different types of financial options that the family members can choose from when they are planning a Hindu funeral. They can decide to get money from their respective banks to pay for the entire funeral costs. Or the family can save money by looking at various online financial companies like Better Business Bureau or the government-sponsored Joint Fundraising Program to help them raise money for their loved ones’ funeral cost. Another option that can be taken is to have a payment plan for the family to use when they die.

When choosing the plan, the family has to make sure that it will help them deal with their current financial crisis better. Also, the family must check the eligibility criteria of the company. They should check whether the deceased had enough beneficiary. If not, then it would be a good idea to have a double check done so as to ensure that the money can go to the right intended recipient. Some companies also offer an early payment option which is one way of helping the family to get through the tough time without emptying their pockets unnecessarily.

Hindu Funeral Cost in Singapore

Since Hindu funerals are a time of grief and celebration for the family members, a good memorial is also important. This is where the photographs of the deceased can be used as the wall paper of the funeral casket. These photos can be displayed on the funeral homes walls in a nice frame format. Pictures and religious artifacts are also some of the other traditional gifts that are given to the deceased’s friends and relatives.

An inspirational quote from any religion is also an ideal gift that can be presented to the family. The family can have the quote printed on a durable piece of paper. Pictures of the deceased can also be placed along the quote. It will serve as a beautiful memento that will remind them of the great sacrifice that their loved one made for the world.

There are many ways of helping the family during this difficult time. There are also many gifts that are available that will help in the preparations for the funeral. The family can also take advantage of the Internet. Online stores offer a wide array of items such as prayer cards, place card holders, bookmarks and even cremation urns. Purchasing these items online is more affordable and convenient than going to a local store.

Business

Discount Grocery Store Elevator Tickets: King Soopers, Costco and Safeway Ski Deals

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On the hunt for elevator tickets at grocery stores

In the 1990s and early 2000s, there was a huge movement in the ski industry to partner with grocery stores and local ski rental locations to sell discounted lift tickets. Today, passes are still sold in grocery stores, but unfortunately the fees are no longer discounted. Even off-peak, prices at King Soopers, Safeway, Costco, and Albertsons grocery stores are the same as at the ski resorts.

It is common knowledge within the ski industry that buying your tickets in advance can save you a lot of time. With the advent of online brokers, discounted ski passes and deals are easily found online. A simple search for discounted rates at your favorite ski resort will lead you to many options that you may not know are available to you. Before spending your precious time in the car searching for deals at grocery stores like Safeway, King Soopers, or Costco, check online first.

1. Discounted tickets to the King Soopers ski lift

King Soopers is the grocery store best known for selling passes. This is especially true for Colorado skiers or those visiting while on vacation. In previous years, King Soopers had good rates at all major Colorado stores. This has changed in recent years, especially during peak season periods. Discounts at King Soopers no longer exist during peak season (Thanksgiving, Christmas, President’s Weekend and most of March). In the off-season, ticket rates at most grocery stores are the same as what you would find at the ticket window.

2. Safeway discounted ski passes

Safeway ski pass specials are very similar to King Soopers and the price you pay depends on the time of year you plan to ski. It is advisable to book your elevator tickets online in advance, rather than waiting until the last minute.

3. Costco discounted skiing

Costco reportedly has deals for skiers in California and Utah, but the discounts don’t exist in Colorado. The price of various ski resorts in the Utah and California region varies greatly depending on when you want to head up the mountain. Check your local Costco store for options. Or if you prefer to save gas, money and time, look for better deals online. Most online travel portals that sell discounted ski tickets will email you the confirmation. After that, all you have to do is print your confirmation and bring it to the ticket office to redeem your passes.

4) REI Stores

Some REI stores sell elevator tickets through their connection to Ticket West. Prices vary according to the season.

Arts Entertainments

Dance Classes in Singapore for Kids and Adults

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Dance Classes in Singapore for Kids

Music and dance lessons for toddlers in Singapore are a great way to get your kids involved in the fun and educational process of learning music. In fact, it has been proven that children who are exposed to music perform better in school as well as in their daily lives. This is because music and dance are able to hone and teach them their most basic and even advanced skills such as coordination, rhythm and timing. Moreover, they are able to develop emotionally. Therefore, if you are looking for a fun and interesting way to spend some quality time with your kids, enrolling them in music and Toddler Dance Classes in Singapore is definitely a good idea.

There are several toddler-friendly music lessons in Singapore. For instance, Music Gardens are ideal for toddlers because they make the most out of nature’s beautiful soundscapes. Here, your toddler will be taught how to interact with his environment by playing and interacting with the many different types of sounds in the garden. If you want to take your toddler on a musical treasure hunt, then hire a local expert at a Music Garden.

If you are looking for a fun-filled but more educational music lesson for your toddlers, then you should definitely opt for Chinese Language Arts. Here, children learn the Mandarin Chinese language while enjoying fun dances and games. Moreover, they will also learn to speak simple Mandarin Chinese sentences, as well as the names of common Chinese household items such as the television, refrigerator, washing machine, chopsticks, and many more. Besides, these lessons are also designed to teach children how to read and write Mandarin Chinese. However, you need to enroll your child in an intensive course because these lessons usually last for just a couple of hours each day, and that’s enough to expose them to the Mandarin language.

Dance Classes in Singapore for Kids and Adults

Then, you can also enrol your toddler in a Special Needs Children’s Dance class. This is ideal for children with special needs such as physical disabilities, cognitive development problems, hearing disabilities, and other problems. These classes are especially designed to bring joy to the life of these special kids by allowing them to express themselves through dance. Moreover, these dance performances are made possible through the help of professionals in the field who have musical talent, and their experience and expertise will allow these toddlers to develop true talents in the art of dance.

If you are worried about the safety of your toddler while he is learning his new dance classes in Singapore, you don’t have to be. Since these dance classes are done inside a studio and not in a public venue like a dance club, there is no problem on safety for your toddler. All the instructors here have received special training to safely teach ballet and music to toddlers. Furthermore, all the equipment used in the studio is very state of the art, and it is constantly being updated so that the students will be always interested in learning new things. All the students here belong to low income families, so you do not even have to worry about your kid getting sick or getting hurt while taking a class.

Music and dance classes for toddlers in Singapore provide a perfect platform for your little toddler to unleash his creativity and imagination. At the end of the day, he will be able to show his talent to you, and you will be proud of your kid. When you are looking for the right kindergarten for your child, always keep in mind that you should never compromise with his learning ability. Moreover, make sure that the teachers here understand the capabilities of your toddler, so that he does not face any difficulty later on. Music and dance classes for toddlers in Singapore are perfect solutions for all your toddler’s educational needs.

Gaming

The benefits of buying a home in Atlantica online

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In the September 2010 update, the Home addition was introduced to Atlantans. Houses can only be purchased through the NPC called Caitsith, found in Rome in the “My Home” area. You can quickly access the My Home area by clicking on the Rome icon and you should now see a menu list for “My Home”.

When you are ready to buy a home; You will see that there are 3 different houses to choose from. The house plan is the same for all homes; the only differences are the roof colors and the layout of the front yard.

After purchasing your home, the next thing you’ll want to do is choose which facility you want to add to the front yard. The facilities offer elements necessary for decoration and home furnishings. The facilities to choose from are a farm, a mine, a garden, and a lumber yard. Each of the facilities offers its own items that can be purchased there. A lumberyard produces Ginko lumber, and to gain lumber skill, you will need to visit the NPC named Jack Lumberman in the Rome My Home area. For each of the facilities, a specific skill is needed, so you will need to locate the various NPCs in My Home before you can acquire the skill.

You level up your facilities by using them and by other people who use them. As your facility is used, the percentage of return on the items purchased will decrease. You can view your installation information by right-clicking the installation and selecting “manage” from the menu. As yields drop below 100%, you can water and transplant it, helping you level up the facility. Once your facility reaches level 30, you can occasionally collect high-quality items. The higher the level of the facility, the greater the possibility of obtaining high-quality products and the possibility of collecting more of them will also increase.

One of the best benefits of owning a house is that you can place up to 3 mercenaries to stay in your house. To place a mercenary in your home, you must first visit your home and you must place the mercenary of your choice in the mercenary room and then you will see an option that says “send home”. There is no level limit for a mercenary to be sent home. Every 2 hours exactly at the even hour mark, your mercenary will ask you for a gift. Sometimes they ask for atlas fragments but almost always ask for items. If you give them the gift they ask for, they will receive experience. Experience is much less for mercenaries below level 80, but they can still level up quite quickly through the house gift method. To increase the amount of experience they receive, you will need to furnish your home. It is still speculated that the more comfort you have in a home, the greater the experience your mercenaries will receive. I think it is not based on comfort, but depends on a balance between culture and comfort.

Another benefit of having a home is that you will get an experience benefit from resting in your bed and this benefit lasts for an hour. You can receive this benefit up to twice a day. It is also speculated that the more comfortable you are at home, the greater the experience bonus you will receive when resting. Housewarming furniture only offers a 1% experience bonus, but as you place more furniture in the house, that percentage will increase.

The houses are quite expensive and can only be purchased through Caitsith for 500 million gold. Although they are expensive, they are definitely worth the cost.

Lifestyle Fashion

What is a paradigm of reality?

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A paradigm of reality is our concept of what is real and how reality works. It is much more effective and changeable than most of us believe. It is affected on many different levels of our experience.

On an individual level, your experience of reality can change radically from day to day or even moment to moment, depending on the particular experiences you are having and the state of mind you are in. For example, if you have just been fired from your job and your boyfriend has just quit, you may feel like life is against you. And then maybe several weeks later, you get a great job offer, and someone you have a crush on calls you and asks you out on a date. Then you might feel like life is really for you, after all.

And then there are differences between the general paradigm of reality that one person has and that of another. For example, a person who generally has a negative attitude towards life and fails in everything he or she tries, has a very different paradigm of reality than someone who generally sees the positive in life and is successful in everything he or she does.

There are also very strong cultural definitions of what is real and how life works, which have been passed down from generation to generation. And in general, there is great pressure from older generations to younger generations to adjust to them.

And then there are the paradigms of reality held by humanity in general. For example, most of humanity holds the belief that we are at the mercy of people and circumstances outside of ourselves, and that physical power is stronger than any other kind of power.

Each of us holds a particular paradigm of reality in place. Every time we speak or take some action, or simply are, we are expressing and holding in place the way we define reality, and we are modeling that paradigm of reality for those around us and influencing our environment accordingly. Our paradigm is formed according to the experiences we have had; how healthy or unhealthy we are physically, emotionally, and spiritually; and the evolutionary stage in which we find ourselves. The question is: How close is your paradigm of reality to undistorted truth, and how much is it distorted by the limiting decisions * you have made, or limited by the level of evolution you have reached?

People are generally very interested in maintaining their particular paradigm of reality, even when it is highly distorted and dysfunctional. It is where we really live and it is our source of stability. It is the ground we are standing on. This is how we define what is true. The objective is to move towards an increasingly positive and undistorted paradigm of reality.

*Limit decisions: An NLP term used in NLP TimeLine counseling sessions to refer to unconscious decisions, made in early childhood, that are some way of life that is not working and that there is usually something inherently wrong with you , such as “I am powerless,” “bad”, “unworthy of love”; “You can’t trust people,” etc. Limiting decisions are never true.

Pets

Leopard tortoises as pets – right for you?

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The leopard tortoise is one of the most popular types of tortoise to have as a pet, primarily because of its attractiveness due to the patterns on its shell, from which it gets its name in the first place. The pattern becomes less pronounced as the tortoise ages, but the adults still look pretty good, even if they are not as conspicuous as the young.

These are large tortoises and there are very few larger species that are commonly kept as pets. This can create some problems, since obviously not everyone has room for one of these animals in their garden. They also don’t hibernate, so if you live in an area that is cold during the winter, you will need enough space to keep your pet indoors for a few months out of the year.

Once you’ve gotten over the temperature issue, most of your requirements in an outdoor enclosure aren’t too difficult to meet, but a common obstacle is hiding. At night or during bad weather, the turtle will retreat to the fur box to sleep or take shelter, and it needs to be warmed, insulated, and not let in any light. For an adult leopard tortoise, one of the best options is to convert a garden shed, although if this is done right and is large enough, you could also house your tortoise in this shed for the winter.

It goes without saying that buying one or more leopard tortoises is a serious undertaking. For starters, your new pet might outlive you, and many people will survive for more than 70 years. It is also not a cheap pet. In reality, buying one is not too expensive, although they obviously cost a lot more than what a hamster would cost. The main costs come from their care, especially for people who live in colder climates. Prices for UVB lamps, a safe heat source, insulation for the leather box, and the energy to make use of all of these things can add up very quickly and make owning one of these animals prohibitively expensive for many people.

This all sounds pretty negative, but if you have the space and the money, owning a leopard tortoise can be surprisingly rewarding. They are more entertaining than you think and they have clear personalities. They will even become noticeably more affectionate towards their owner than they are towards strangers, making it possible to bond with one of these creatures, which can only be a good thing in a lifelong companion! If you’ve never had a turtle before, then one of these is a good option, but first you need to be sure that it’s ready and has everything you need.

Shopping Product Reviews

Do you want to join a Boffer group?

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So would you like to find a buffer or LARP group near you? Well, first you have to choose what type of group you would like to play with.

There are many groups that you can join there:

  • Amtgard
  • SCA
  • Belegarth
  • NERO

That is not to say that there are not many more, but these are the main groups.

There are also three different genres of buffer groups.

  • LARP, (live action role play)
  • If you like acting or you love playing Dungeons and Dragons then you will love playing with these groups too. You choose a race and a class (as in the popular game WOW)

Once you’ve sorted out who you are and what you do, you can dress accordingly, in chainmail, plate armor, and period clothing. With your group you will go on adventures, (usually in parks) earning money and experience, killing monsters and completing missions and missions. These groups are usually floor oriented. NERO is considered a LARP and so is Belegarth.

  • Boffer groups
  • Boffer groups are more simplistic and battle oriented. These groups are the type of groups that go to a park or a large backyard and can start playing with very little setup.

These are the types of fun games where you get your adrenaline pumping and you can keep fighting from dusk to dawn. The weapons in these groups are always different. The stain on weapons can be very different from one group to another because in most cases they make up their own rules or borrow them from other groups. These groups are a lot of fun and can be started with just a few boffers and a couple of friends.

  • Recreating groups
  • Recreation groups are like the people you would see at a Renaissance Fair. These people are rigorous for their authenticity. Recreation groups are also battle-oriented groups and are generally better connected to each other by having more widely followed kingdoms and rules than simple buffer groups. These groups must also register to join a kingdom, before they are considered an actual group. Sometimes these groups will don homemade plate armor and use rattan swords (solid and hard bamboo) and other weapons. These would be groups like the SCA and Belegarth.

So now that we’ve talked about some of the types of buffer groups, you can now decide the type of group you would like to join. Start by looking for colleges near you. They are almost always good places to meet groups of friends. It may take you some time to search and find a group that is right for your interests.

If you look around and ask questions, you can usually find someone who knows what to ask about. Another great way to find a group is to ask some of your friends if they have already married. Believe me, they are always looking for more people who want to join in and play. If all else fails, go to Google or Yahoo or whatever your favorite search engine is and search for the boffer group in (your area) and you will usually get a couple of good results and a lot of information. Craig’s List is also a great way to meet and find groups. You can usually also find someone who knows about reenactment groups at local renaissance fairs.

Don’t let the fact that there is currently no group in your area to be a deterrent! If all else fails, you too can take matters into your own hands. You can gather a group of your friends and, depending on the type of group you want to form, create your own group. If it’s just a dating group, you could actually try to get your school to start one. If you already know a LARP, you can find ways to make groups with them. Or you can start your own LARP group, with your own careers and stories.

Sports

Improve recovery times with flotation therapy

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The Golden State Warriors are the winners of the 2017 NBA playoffs. Stephen Curry, one of the team’s most popular players, helps help the team to victory. Without a doubt, fans around the world are interested in everything the player does; However, many are unaware that Curry uses floatation therapy as a way to help his body recover from basketball season.

Curry is not the only athlete who uses floatation therapy to recover. Tom Brady of the New England Patriot and countless UFC fighters use sensory deprivation cameras as part of their training and recovery. More and more professional athletes of all levels are turning to this alternative wellness to help their bodies recover faster. Why does flotation therapy have such a significant impact on recovery times? Let’s take a look at the science behind it and how the sensory deprivation technique can help improve recovery time.

Physical recovery with flotation therapy

Floating therapy essentially combines two widely known recovery techniques, Epsom salt baths and meditation. For years, Epsom salt baths were used to heal the body of aches and pains, while meditation was used to heal the mind.

Floating therapy magnifies the benefits of Epsom salt baths and meditation alike. When someone enters a float chamber or tank, their senses are deprived. Also known as sensory deprivation, because you are locked in an isolation tank or chamber that is free from outside distractions. This includes light and sound. This sensory deprivation makes it easier for a person to enter a meditative state.

The water used is in a flotation tank that is filled with a thousand pounds of Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate). Only a few inches of water are used, making the salt concentration extremely high. The high concentration of salt allows the body to float effortlessly.

Athletes have been soaking in Epsom salts to relieve sore muscles and stiff joints for years. Floating in an isolation chamber only works to increase the effectiveness of this known technique, making it effortless with more benefits.

Recovery benefits of floatation therapy

Float therapy has been established to aid in rapid recovery from sports injuries, aches and pains. The following are other benefits of floating therapy for physical recovery:

-Reduces muscle fatigue

-Improves blood flow and circulation.

-Reduces stress caused by cortisol levels

-Reduces inflammation

Even if you are not a professional athlete, your body can benefit from floatation therapy. Have you been in a car accident or suffered a work-related injury? If so, you can use floatation therapy to help speed up your recovery time.

Arts Entertainments

Save Your Small Business: 10 Crucial Strategies To Survive Through Tough Times Or Close And Move On

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If ever there was a timely business book, “Save Your Small Business: 10 Crucial Strategies for Surviving Tough Times or Closing and Moving Forward” by Ralph Warner and Bethany K. Laurence it certainly is. Touted as a roadmap for small business survival, Warner and Laurence provide simple, sensible steps that can make a big difference in managing, saving, or, if necessary, closing your small business. Running a small business has always been difficult, but these days it can be brutally agonizing, if not downright terrifying. This guide can simply give you the information to make today’s bad economy, or tomorrow’s bad economies, opportunities so that in good times your business is ready to prosper.

The book begins by saying that it will be your small business companion and recommends that you create a business survival plan, prepare a current profit and loss statement and cash flow analysis, and establish an advisory board. It delves into the chapters that will provide you with the tools to help you decide whether it makes sense to continue, hibernate, close, or sell your business and offers some strategies you can implement to get your business back on track.

Chapter One: Can It Save Your Business? This chapter covers topics such as planning for the short and long term, selling your business, putting your business into hibernation, and saving your business. It also discusses some special considerations for retailers, services, construction, restaurants, wholesalers, and importers and franchises.

Chapter Two: Don’t Ignore Bad News. They address why you can’t wait, cut costs, change direction, quit, and sell. There are also strategies to determine how much to reduce expenses and act slowly to reverse the cuts.

Chapter Three: Control Your Cash Flow. This area can be one of the most important, especially for small businesses. Topics include: Keep paying your bills on time, how to make more cash and what not to do, how to use merchant cash advances, maximize credit cards, and borrow against your home.

Chapter Four: Minimize Liability for Your Debts. Are you personally liable for business debts? Liability for jointly owned debt. What can creditors do if you don’t pay? Prioritize debt payments, including payroll, taxes, utilities, and many more.

Chapter Five: Focus On What Is Really Profitable. Face it, the goal of a business is to make a profit. This chapter looks at how to get a quick profit plan on paper, make money in a service business, and make money in retail or manufacturing. It’s a short chapter, but if it makes you think about making a profit, you’ve done your job.

Chapter six: Innovating with little money. This chapter covers invention, copying, serendipity, and making innovation a continuous process. This chapter may inspire you to think of the next great gadget that every home should have. Depending on your business, this may be what you need.

Chapter Seven: Identify Your Customers. Before you can create an effective marketing plan, you must know who your potential customers are. This chapter is about how to aim for the bullseye and complete your objective. Topics include current customers, need, price, access, and experience.

Chapter Eight: Don’t waste money on ineffective marketing. If only we knew which of our marketing efforts is producing the best results. This chapter helps you determine things about your marketing, such as: marketing the right products or services to the right people, not spending a lot of money on advertising, asking for long-term customer support, encouraging customers to recommend your business, use checklists effectively, market on your own website, and make a sale to “try to stay in business.”

Chapter Nine: Handle Layoffs Fairly and Keep Your Best People. Laying off people is often one of the most feared tasks of business owners. This chapter provides guidance in this area by looking at: Making a smart layoff plan, the logistics of a layoff, and keeping the great people you hire. Very good advice for this unfortunate part of the business.

Chapter Ten: Don’t work too hard. That? If your business is failing, you have to work harder, right? This chapter addresses the importance of a healthy schedule and how to work less and earn more. Priorities and delegation are the keys that the authors discuss.

Chapter Eleven: Work With Your Best Competitors. The four areas this chapter covers include: Treating your competition with respect, winning business from your competition, working for your competition, and working with your competition.

Chapter Twelve: How to Close Your Business. Most people never want this to happen, but the reality is that it does. This chapter offers some good strategies if you decide it’s time to go out of business and do something else. Topics include things like creating a closing team, analyzing contractual obligations, dealing with owners, collecting invoices and selling inventory, notifying and paying employees, liquidating assets, notifying creditors and clients, paying your debts, paying taxes and dissolve your business entity. . This is not a pleasant topic, but unfortunately it is important if you have to go in this direction. The book provides a guide in the process.

Chapter Thirteen: Debt Management: Bankruptcy and Its Alternatives. Introductory chapter on these topics with some good advice, but you will need more resources if you decide to go down the bankruptcy road, or better yet, seek the advice of a qualified professional.

Appendix A provides guidance on how to prepare a profit and loss forecast and a cash flow analysis. There are undoubtedly more comprehensive references on these, but these short, basic basics about them will get you started and at least help you determine where you are.

“Save Your Small Business” is a good guide for the struggling small business owner, and it also provides information for the small business owner who doesn’t want to fall through hard times. Educating yourself about business is crucial to the success of small businesses. This is one more title from Nolo that will hopefully help small business owners survive, but also liquidate and close with less pain if that’s the course they need to take.