Personal Finance Blog – Tips & Advice from UnitedFinances.com

If you are running a business, there are few things as important as a well-oiled accounting system. Sure, you need to make sales and have great products and services, but you aren’t going to get far if your finances are not under control. Only when you know exactly what money is going out, and exactly what money is coming in, you can truly make the hard decisions that will help your business grow.

With this short article, we’d like to provide a few tips on how you can improve your accounting and finance systems. Obviously, the use of these tips will depend on the type of business you run, as well as the system you already have in place. So, read through this list and think about how each tip may be applicable to your operation.

Put a System in Place

Hopefully, you have already done this first one. The world of accounting is not a creative field – rather, it is one which is all about details and efficiency. You need to have a detailed system in place which has everything mapped out from top to bottom. For instance, if you are using fix and flip loans to invest in real estate, you need to have your books completely in order. The employees working in your finance department should not be trying to make things up as they go along – they should simply be executing on the system that you have in place.

Work in Batches

This is a great tip for many workers, even those outside of the accounting office. As it relates to accounting specifically, working in batches makes a lot of sense. For instance, when one bill comes into the office, it probably isn’t necessary to stop everything else in order to pay that bill. Instead, it should be filed appropriately and paid at a specific time with other bills. By working through all the bills in one batch, your team can be more efficient.

Look Outside for Help

Depending on the size of your business, it may make sense to outsource certain functions rather than hiring a full- or part-time employee to do the work. This is often the case when it comes to using a Certified Public Accountant. For small businesses, it probably isn’t necessary to hire a CPA as an employee but outsourcing to one for certain tasks is a nice solution.

Don’t let poor financial controls be the undoing of your otherwise promising business. Make sure your accounting department is functioning properly, so you can focus your time and effort on serving your customers with the best possible products and services.

One of the most common mistakes first-time entrepreneurs make is the assumption that subject-matter expertise is all you need to build a successful business. Yet, technical knowledge and business sense are two different skill sets. You can be a great lawyer but terrible at actually running a law practice.

That being said, you don’t have to be an Ivy League MBA to run a successful law practice.(Check this site:https://battafulkerson.com/practice-areas/car-accident-lawyer/). It’s all about mastering the basics of business management. There’s no better way to do that than developing and adhering to a well-thought-out business plan. The following are some of the key elements to think about when writing a personal injury law practice business plan.

1.    Outline the Problem, Opportunities and Your Abilities

If your goal is to set up a law practice, it may seem pretty obvious what problem your business seeks to solve. Nevertheless, write it down including the gaps in the market. Define the geographical area you intend to do business in, the typical profile of your client, and what skills you have to offer.

All these are the very foundation of your business. Essentially, this outline should be similar to what you would tell a friend over a casual conversation over dinner.

2.    Analyze the Target Market

It’s one thing to identify your target market but it’s entirely another to assess it in detail to determine the exact opportunities you can take advantage of. Gather as much data and statistics as is available. As a personal injury lawyer, you’ll certain be keen on the number of road and workplace accidents that take place in the area each year.

Find out what is the median income, average education level, the most common occupations, and the proportion of blue collar workers. Pay attention to the competition as well. How many personal injury law practices are there and who is the market leader?

3.    Outline Your Marketing Strategy

Your marketing strategy should start by engaging people in your social circle. That includes family, friends, neighbors and former work colleagues. This is important for two reasons. First, it requires little to no expenditure. Second, these are people who already know you and can therefore vouch for your credibility to third parties.

It’s best to reach out to your social circle via a phone call or physical meeting so you can explain your plans in detail. Social media and email should be a last resort since they are more harried and impersonal.

Once your social circle is out of the way in terms of marketing, map out your wider target audience and explore marketing techniques that will work best for that audience. That includes both offline and online marketing methods.

4.    Develop a Financial Plan

You have to spend money to make money. There are costs that come with setting up and running any kind of business. A personal injury practice isn’t an exception. The financial plan can determine whether you should go into business or would be better off working for someone else.

Start by documenting your personal expenses. At a minimum, the practice should cover your living costs. To avoid missing anything, develop a detailed inventory of your daily, weekly and monthly personal expenditure including leisure, emergency and mortgage costs. Use this to calculate the minimum profit the practice needs to make.

Next, examine your business expenses. These will largely be the costs of setting up and operating the office and will typically comprise furniture, equipment, systems, rent, salaries and utilities. Just like your personal expenses, calculate how many personal injury cases you’d need to handle per year to cover these costs.

A good business plan will lay the groundwork needed to build a thriving personal injury practice. As long as you carefully think through and execute on the above four elements of a good plan, you’ll be well on your way there. That being said, a business plan shouldn’t be cast in stone. As your knowledge grows and as the market itself evolves, your plans should be flexible enough to evolve too.

Starting a new business can be an expensive endeavor, and unless you have plenty of investors or money in your own bank account, you might be looking for ways to save a little extra cash and to mitigate risk. It’s not always easy, but there are ways you can cut down on expenses when you are first starting a business and still give it the runway to be successful.

Here are 4 ways you can save some of your hard-earned cash and still open the business of your dreams.

1. Consider building social media pages

While any paid advertising you do on social media can cost more than you might like, building social media pages on your own and developing a community is free. It can take a considerable amount of time and research in order to know that you’re reaching the right people, but the rewards can be extremely beneficial to a brand-new business looking to find new cliental. You’ll want to determine which platform is likely to attract the most clients and which you feel will target the buyers you want looking into your product or service.

2. Consider networking

Networking isn’t just for those looking to get a promotion. Word-of-mouth is still the best way to spread awareness of a business and to encourage new clients to check out what you’re doing. When you’re looking at businesses for sale in Los Angeles, then you’ll want to make sure that there’s a community there who would be interested in what you have to offer. Networking can give you an idea of the best way to reach the right people, what they are looking for, and how you can brand your business in order to create interest.

3. Consider your site

As more and more marketing moves online, your website is going to be crucial to developing the audience you need. While you might have the initial investment of paying for a quality design, the rest is up to you. Establishing yourself as an authority in your industry can be rather easy when you already have a platform in place. Blogging is free, and it can go a long way toward creating customer trust. Take a deep look at where you can establish yourself as an expert on your site and offer to share your knowledge with other publications, as well.

4. Consider your Google accounts

While it might seem essential to run ads on Google, there are a number of different ways you can utilize the tools given to you without spending money. Analytics can tell you a lot about who is coming to your website and if you are on track with your demographics, or whether you need to change your branding strategy. You can also take a look at the various keywords that might serve you and bring the right kinds of buyers in without paying a dime. Just as in traditional advertising, you want to be positive you’re reaching the right people—and the good news is that you don’t have to pay money for this information.

A new business can be a big financial investment, but it doesn’t have to take up all of your resources. There are plenty of things you can do with little to no money that can help your new business get off the ground.

For people like Ara Chackerian, they grow up and find themselves very passionate about something in particular. For Ara, he has a great love and passion for the preserved future of the wilderness and forests. He believes they play a vital role in the future of our society. While the actual role of our forests are a little complex, the areas are important for resources, recreational roles and more.

While Ara Chackerian has been working in the world of forestry preservation, he has given enough tools and knowledge to his partners and clients for them to work alongside him in working towards saving our forests and wilderness areas.

It is to no surprise that our wilderness areas are very important to our planet and are needed for much of our resources. Because of this, it is extremely important to work hard preserving and protecting these areas. Protecting the curation of trees and ensuring that wildfire do not destroy our wildlife is to the benefit of everyone on the planet. Ara Chackerian believes that the ultimate key to the preservation of our forests and our wilderness areas is to pass down this belief to our future generations.

Mr. Chackerian is an expert in the field of forestry and is one of his biggest passions in life. He is good at knowing how to protect certain areas of wilderness and is quick to show how each forest or wilderness area is unique and will require different planning measures and managing of resources for its survival.

He is also an expert in other fields beyond forestry. Along with other experts he works with around the world, they are all working towards a goal of trying to find a way to extract specific resources and revenue streams from forests and other wilderness areas. They want to be able to do this while also caring for and preserving the area for many years to come. They want to use the resources without destroying the areas permanently.

Beyond Forestry Passion

Ara Chackerian is more than just a forestry expert. He is also an avid entrepreneur, philanthropist and angel investor. He manages a holdings company which uses funds to invest in the beginning stages of healthcare companies that share his commitment to reinventing the way the healthcare system works in the United States. He has worked for more than 20 years at building different healthcare companies. Along with his decades of experience, he has also co-founded a variety of companies such as PipelineRx, BMC Diagnostics and TMS Health Solutions.

His whole family has a deep feeling of commitment towards giving back to the community. In the last 10 years, his family has supported and founded many non-profit organizations which are focused on education and development opportunities for young kids. They have organizations located here in the United States, Nicaragua and Armenia.

Education

Ara has a Bachelor of Science in marketing. He earned his degree from the prestigeous Florida State University. He has also served as a senior leader for many programs in the healthcare field, such as a leading position at World Medical/PSS.

These days, there’s no shortage of options when you need a landing page for your digital marketing campaign. Sites come at you from all angles, promising to make your landing page generation as easy as possible, and for the most part, these sites help. If you’re not a web designer, and you need to get value from your AdWords campaign, landing page creator programs can help you build and manage landing pages for your campaigns that are easier to manage than trying to organize them alone.

While landing page software is important, it’s more important to present the best possible user experience to maximize your conversions. Running a detailed UX audit will help uncover gaps which any landing page software can fix up.

But which service is the best? Today, we discuss this by comparing three of the industry heavyweights: Rallymind v. Clickfunnels v. Instapage.

Instapage

We’ll start with Instapage first because it’s basically your standard landing page builder. Instapage is for clients who have experience with ad campaigns and landing pages and simply need a faster way to build them. If it’s your first campaign, Instapage might be a bit confusing for you, since it focuses on marketing software integration and the ability to add custom code more than simply generating and organizing landing pages.

The service boasts up to 200 templates and plenty of images and custom personalization to make your landing pages stand out.

ClickFunnels

On the other side of the spectrum, ClickFunnels is clearly marketing its service to business owners without much experience on the digital side of things; people without web design experience who may be frustrated that their ideas aren’t being conveyed in theirIt landing pages.

For this reason, ClickFunnels makes it very easy to set up landing pages for your campaigns, even if you have very little experience with digital tools. It boasts features such as simple drag and drop page organization and the choice of classifying landing pages as squeeze pages, reverse squeeze pages, and more.

RallyMind

RallyMind is a landing page service for businesses that run campaigns on a large scale. Let’s say you own a sporting goods store and you have a different AdWords campaign for every individual item in your store. That means that you’ll have to have a landing page for each item. But if your store has multiple locations, you might opt to build a landing page for every item and every location. Depending on the number of permutations with items x locations, this may be hundreds or even thousands of landing pages.

RallyMind gives marketers the ability to build landing pages according to a template and manage them via a simple Google Spreadsheet.

So Which One is the Best?

The answer isn’t as straightforward as simply crowning one landing page builder over the others, as different builders can be optimal for different uses. For example, if you’re not experienced in digital marketing campaigns and you want a simple way to build a landing page for your first few campaigns, ClickFunnel is probably going to work better for you. If you’re a little more experienced, InstaPage will give you the features that you’re probably looking for.

If you’re building landing pages on a large scale, RallyMind is the only page builder that supports hundreds, even thousands, of pages on one platform. While other services struggle to manage more than 10 or 20, RallyMind makes it extremely easy to manage any quantity of landing pages for countless campaigns in a single spreadsheet.

Small business owners typically wear many hats and adding accountant to that long list of responsibilities probably isn’t feasible. But as the Bureau of Labor and Statistics notes, nearly half of small business fail in the first four years, primarily due to financial reasons. It’s even worse among realtors, for example. If you’re thinking about a career in Boston real estate, statistics show 87% fail within the first five years.

No matter what industry your business is in, having a well-running accounting system (no matter if it is outsourced) is a must to increase the odds of success.

The good news is that are area multiple innovative accounting software solutions that have been designed to simplify the process of business accounting, so you can concentrate on building your business and other essential tasks.

FreshBooks

This business accounting software makes life simpler for the small business owner by automating tasks like tracking time, keeping expenses organized, following up with clients on unpaid invoices and the like. Living in the cloud, it can conveniently yet securely be accessed from multiple devices. It offers lots of flexibility that allows invoices to be customized to suit your particular brand and business requirements.

While there are several different packages, the Plus version is usually the best way to go, allowing you to bill up to 50 clients per month. Those with more than that should choose the Premium edition that allows for billing as many as 500 clients. A free trial is offered, including the chance to create your first invoice without paying a dime.

QuickBooks

Just about everyone is familiar with QuickBooks, one of the most popular accounting software options for small businesses. If you do have an accountant, it’s easy to share your books for seamless collaboration too. You’ll be able to capture photos of your receipts, keep them stored using the mobile app, connect with your bank account and create all sorts of reports so that you know just where your business stands at any given time. You can also access QuickBooks remotely using QuickBooks Pro Hosting Services on Cloud Windows Desktop. Learn more about it from Apps4Rent.

Xero

Xero is very similar to QuickBooks, offering nearly all of the same functions as QuickBooks Online. It may be the ideal choice for those with a business that has just five or fewer employees as it’s one of the only software programs of its kind that includes full-cycle payroll processes for up to five employees with no additional cost. You’ll also be able to process payroll checks, submit payroll tax payments and file payroll tax forms. In addition to the free payroll option, you can even invite an unlimited number of users to access your data without paying any extra fees.

Wave

Wave stands out from the rest in that it’s totally free. This software aimed for small businesses will let you send invoices, track expenses, get paid and keep the books balanced. If you want more, you can choose the premium payment service that will allow you to accept credit cards on invoices and provide automatic recurring billing.

Zoho Books

This business accounting software isn’t free, but the basic level starts at only about $5 a month. An easy-to-use software program, it connects to your bank account for real-time updates on cash flow, monitors transactions and categorizes them instantly. You’ll easily understand where your money is going and coming in as it tracks, categorizes and bills clients from one convenient spot.

The AdSphere awards are an emerging advertising campaign award for the direct response television industry (DRTV). DRMetrix is the DRTV leading research company responsible for presenting the AdSphere awards. Divided among four classifications, the awards ceremony recognizes over 7,700 industry brands and advertisers, including network cable companies. Therefore, it’s humbling for U.S. Money Reserve to have won two “Best of” awards during the 2018 event.

As the company’s followers know, U.S. Money Reserve is one of the leading distributors of precious metals in the country. Coins, bars, and metal valuables are available to help customers achieve their financial goals. Founded by Phillip K. Diehl, a former U.S. mint director, U.S. Money Reserve has been in service in Austin, TX, since 2001.

U.S. Money Reserve has some of the most qualified experts in numismatics, inventory, customer relations, coin research, and order verification. With over 400,000 satisfied customers, the company takes pride in customers recommendations to their network. U.S. Money Reserve’s exemplary customer service, stellar products, customer feedback, knowledgeable staff, and fifteen-year existence separates it from competitors.

For the AdSphere awards, the four classifications, or categories, are lead generation, brand/direct, short-form products, and 28.5-minute infomercials. Furthermore, the sub-classifications differentiate by industry. Examples include (but are not limited to) finance, education, insurance, public service, transportation, travel, communications, appliances, home & garden, health & fitness, personal care, and online shopping.

U.S. Money Reserve won the Best of Short-Form Products and Best of Infomercials Awards. This is the second straight year the company has won in the financial categories for both short-form and infomercials.

The win doesn’t mean that U.S. Money Reserve is ready to relax. The awards encourage the company’s team to work harder at keeping customers happy while informing new customers about products.

U.S. Money Reserve has recently been announced as the exclusive distributor of the coin set marking the 65th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation from The Perth Mint. Only 203 complete three-coin sets are exclusively available for purchase in the U.S. through U.S. Money Reserve. Each set contains one 2oz. gold proof coin, one 1/4oz. good proof coin, and one 1oz. silver proof coin. Each coin is made from either 99.99 percent pure silver or 99.99 percent pure gold.

U.S. Money Reserve is built on trust. The company provides transparency about the purchasing process as well as the products it sells. Additionally, U.S. Money Reserve tailors recommendations to specific individual needs for each customer as they work with a personal Account Executive.

To learn more about U.S. Money Reserve, visit the company’s website.

This is all you need to know about guarantor loans from the experts. Including what they are, how they work and how to apply for a Guarantor loan.

Back in the late 20^th century, before the creation of digital credit scores and computers, loans were given to individuals by banks based solely on trust. Whilst a lot has changed since then, guarantor loans have made a comeback – with traditional lending put at the centre. Guarantor Loans can be ideal for people with bad, poor or no credit history. All you need is someone who can be your Guarantor. These type of loans give people a chance to apply for a loan without paying the ridiculously high interest rates of payday loans or some store cards and credit cards. A leading Guarantor Loan company – TFS Loans, offers guarantor loans for those with bad credit, the chance to borrow at a Representative APR of 39.9%.

There are significant differences between different loan types that you need to be aware of before taking one out.

This blog post will go through everything about Guarantor Loans. From what a guarantor loan is, to how to qualify for one. Our aim is to provide potential customers the essential information they need before making a decision. By better understanding a loan, you’ll be able to make the call on if it is right for you, or not. Welcome to your free guide to guarantor loans.

What is a Guarantor Loan?

We’ll be breaking down what guarantor loans are in this section. In short, guarantor loans are personal and unsecured loans. Personal loans are granted by banks and other lenders to be used for almost anything – as long as it’s legal. The term unsecured, regarding loans, means that you don’t have to put up collateral against the loan. Unlike mortgages, which are secure loans, where your house is the collateral for the loan – failing to make repayments on your mortgage can lead to your home being repossessed. This usually means that unsecured loans are for smaller amounts of money, usually between £1,000 and £15,000. This means that personal loans are used for weddings, car loans, debt consolidation etc. they’re ideal for smaller things that you need but can’t afford to pay in one go.

But how do guarantor loans differ from other kinds of small personal loans? Well, they’re designed to disregard the applicant’s credit history – yes, you read that right. Your credit score has very little impact on your application for a guarantor loan. In fact, guarantor loans are really only ideal for those with bad credit. Guarantor loans have considerably lower representative APRs than other bad credit lenders. The loans that TFS offer, have a representative APR of 39.9% – but it’s dependent on how much you want to borrow, and how long you want to borrow it for. Rates vary from 29.9% to 69.9%. Using their loan calculator, you can see what your interest will be on the loan amount you want to borrow.

Is a Guarantor Loan Right for Me?

Everyone’s individual financial state is different. Different credit scores, different bills to pay, and different options available. As we’ve said before, guarantor loans may only suit those with bad credit. There are more lending options available to those with a good credit score, so you can afford to look around for a loan. Banks and other lenders judge their loan applicants based on their credit score. Then, they’ll offer you a loan at a rate that reflects your credit score. 39.9% APR Representative.

However, there are not a lot of options available to those with bad credit, especially for larger amounts. Payday loans are costly methods to borrow smaller amounts of money, but there is not a lot out there for mid to large amounts of money. The maximum amount that most payday loan companies pay out is around £1,000, not ideal for a wedding or car loan. However, with a guarantor loan, you can borrow larger amounts of money, even with bad credit. TFS Loans currently offers the largest Guarantor loans in the UK – up to £15,000.

Whilst guarantor loans are ideal for those with bad credit, if you take out a loan you cannot afford to repay, it can cause you serious money problems. At TFS Loans, we advise you seek independent financial advice before taking out a loan.

What can I use my loan for?

Guarantor loans are personal loans, meaning they can be used for almost anything – as long as it’s legal. Many of our customers use them for whatever purpose they see fit -including debt consolidation. Using your loan to consolidate any outstanding debt makes managing payments a lot easier. If you’re struggling with repayments on multiple loans or credit cards, a debt consolidation loan can help merge those costs into one manageable monthly payment. Making it easier to keep track of and stop your interest charges increasing on other loans.

Some find themselves using their loan for a car, to put towards a wedding or to use for a holiday. The loan is yours to use as you see fit. Self-employed business owners even use their loans to put towards new ventures or to finance them through a tough patch. A guarantor loan is yours to use, for whatever you need. Just make sure you’re in the right position to borrow money and more importantly, you can afford to pay it back.

Who can be a Guarantor for a Loan?

If you’re looking into taking out a guarantor loan, you’re probably wondering what the catch is? The clue is in the name… You’ll have to provide a guarantor with your loan application. For the lender, this guarantees the loan is going to be repaid. Your guarantor will sign to agree that should you be unable to meet a monthly repayment on your loan, your guarantor will cover it for you.

As for a guarantor’s criteria, TFS ask that they are:

• Between the ages of 18-78 at the start and end of the loan
• A UK Homeowner
• Have good credit
• In receipt of a regular income
• Can afford to pay the loan back, if the Borrower cannot.

Your lender can be a friend or family member, a partner, your landlord or even a colleague. Borrowing money with a guarantor ensures a loan company will have their investment returned. It allows TFS Loans, and other bad credit lenders, to operate without relying on credit history or credit scores, making it easier for customers to borrow money. TFS has produced a useful page about how you can find a Guarantor that is worth taking a look at. They have also created a Guarantor hub for Guarantors, to answer all the questions that they may have, from what a Guarantor loan is, to what they will need to do as part of the application process. 

How does it work?

When you apply for a loan, with a guarantor to support your application, once approved, the funds will be transferred into your guarantor’s account. Sometimes within 24 hours of applying. If you have a guarantor who has agreed to help before you sign up for the loan, then your application will move along a lot faster. Once accepted and the loan is granted, you’ll pay back the loan in monthly instalments over a selected period of time. The TFS loan calculator allows you to choose the amount to borrow and over how long you want to borrow it. It couldn’t be easier to apply and be approved.

Pros and Cons

As with anything, there are positives and negatives to guarantor loans. Whilst the good outweighs the bad, it’s important to outline what both are, before you take out a loan. Whilst guarantor loans are great for those with bad credit, they can be costly. With a Representative APR of 39.9% for a TFS Loan, you will be paying back significantly more than you would for some other lending products. However, these options are for those with good credit. So, whilst costly – if you need a loan and have bad credit, then a guarantor loan is one of the fairest options available to you. Another issue that might arise from a guarantor loan is the potential of damaging relationships. If you do not meet repayments frequently and it falls on your guarantor to pay, they may become increasingly displeased with this. So, be aware that you, and you alone, must be responsible for repayments. Being a guarantor does not have to be a huge ask and most people would be happy to help you out – as long as you meet your repayments. Taking out a guarantor loan can improve your credit. By repaying your loan in full and on time every month, your credit score will slowly improve over the loan term, as long as you are also continuing to pay everything else.

 

Whilst borrowing money may not be ideal for everyone, if you have bad credit and are in need of a loan then guarantor loans could be the ideal option for you. To see how much you could borrow, at what cost, use the TFS loan calculator. For more information on guarantor loans, TFS has a comprehensive FAQs section that is worth a look.

Author: Robert Smoker joined TFS Loans as CEO in September 2014 having been with Brown Shipley & Co Ltd a prestigious UK Private Bank for over 36 years. Robert joined Brown Shipley in 1977 as a Management Trainee in their lending and trade finance division. He was appointed Head of Lending in 1990 and restructured their lending activity prior to a number of business acquisitions in 2001 as the Bank focused on providing wealth management and private banking services.

He was appointed as an executive director in 2002 with board responsibility for Compliance and Risk Management and latterly Audit in 2004. He was responsible for ensuring the Bank maintained an exemplary regulatory reputation following the transition to FSA in November 2001 and the introduction of the PRA in 2010 following the Banking crisis.

Robert remained at Board level until 2014 and following the acquisition of Brown Shipley by Qatari investors in 2012 was given responsibility for the investment management, banking, financial planning and pensions teams in the London office to help implement the group’s growth strategy.

Find out, that your business doesn’t move as quickly as you want? Or had a boring day spent with the laptop answering the letters and making orders? The biggest mistake of the businessmen is that they ignore automation, which makes your ordinary work much easier and save your time for new ideas about development and future plans. Here you will get an important knowledge about making your business easier.

Why do you really need to automate your marketing on the Internet?

Automation gives you a great chance to move business passively while you will work on more important things. For the first time, it is pleasant for you to communicate with customers and to give orders to them yourself, but in time you will be tired of this routine and will not have any time to grow up your business. Change your priorities to find new profits and to generate more sales. Automation can do a lot of everyday tasks without your touching:

1. Sales your products and services 24/7.
2. Quick responses to your customers, which grow your reliability.
3. Increase of sales by answering your clients instantly.
4. Provides great customer support.
5. Immediately confirm or fulfill orders of electronic products, which gives you positive feedback from your customers.

The earlier you provide your business with automation, the more time you will have to concentrate on the future of case.

How to get started?

Firstly, automate your fulfilling and confirming services, which will make selling easier. There are a few types of autoresponders, which will ease your life:

1. Confirming orders. Usually customers are nervous about shopping online, especially when it costs much money. Provide an automatic response to assure them that everything is alright and their order is in processing.
2. Inform customers about shipping. A small e-mail about the movements of the order will protect you from lots of calls from your clients and save your time.
3. Perform orders. If you have electronic services or software, you need to automate selling. When people order such products, they usually need them to use immediately. Autoresponders can provide them with link or password right after the payment to make your customers satisfied with the service.
4. Follow-up e-mails. Have you ever received a thankful letter from the company you shopped? Wanted to continue shopping there? Satisfied clients means quick growing of your business, so do not forget about after-sales support.

Secondly, you need to provide excellent customer support. It will not be convenient for clients to wait for 1-2 days for your response and they will refuse from your services. Automation gives you opportunities to support your customers 24/7. It helps with:

• • Automated FAQ. Just create a new e-mail and invite your clients there. Then answer the most widespread questions, and the system will mechanically send responses to customers.
  • Provide people with information about your products. Write useful articles and send them to all your customers to remind them about yourself and provide them with new services.

Thirdly, you need to build a perfect advertising campaign. If you have a website, advertise your other products/services or provide customers with information about discounts on their favorite products with automatic letters. In case you provide your business in social nets, for instance in Instagram, you need different bots to make your products widespread. One of the bots provides you with several services at the same time:

1. Auto follow bot. Automatic system will find out the necessary clients for your business and will follow them to advertise products.
2. Auto like bot. Also a great opportunity to attract new customers.
3. Auto Instagram Unfollow.
4. Daily limits. They can organize the everyday activity of your page in the Instagram.
5. Scheduled posting. Helps to post information when the coverage is the biggest.
6. Multiple accounts.

Now, you know why automated marketing is so convenient and even small business needs it to be provided. Do not do what machines can do!

When you start your own businesses, you become so much excited because you think you are bringing your dreams into reality. There are no proper instructions that will help you achieve in your business as every business has its own way to work and that different way is what helps in achieving what he desired.

Although there are not the certain set of rules yet there are different elements that will help you become a big achiever.

When you start understanding the aura of your business, you get to know what you should do but there are some basic things that you must know before starting a new business setup.

Desire:

The first thing that you should have in you is the desire. A desire to achieve, desire to be better than the rest of the people, desire to come up with great things. If you have it in you, you can achieve anything you want.

When people have the desire to achieve anything, they put their heart and soul in it. They serve day and night to get what they actually want. All it needs is a desire. When you do something just because you are getting pressurized for it, you never come up with creativity. This is why having the desire is really important. if the work you are doing makes you happy, it is worth it no matter what other people say about it. If something is not making you happy, you should quit it as soon as possible because there is no use of doing anything that doesn’t tempt you and takes out the best in you.

How to do what I want?

The second most important thing is you should know what exactly do you want. Scattered thoughts need to be brought up accordingly so you can generate a whole business plan for you. if you do not have a business plan, how will you execute your idea? How will you make it all happen that you wanted from years? 

Not only that you should know what you want to do but also you need to have skills for it as well. for instance, if you want to bake a cake, first of all, you need to know how to bake it. If you have no idea what it takes to bake a cake, how will you bake it? So, having skills for what you want to do is necessary as well. work on it!

Expenses

Cash is the main thing that you would be needing in order to start a business. Before starting your business, you must have a thorough look at how much money you have. If you think you will be able to bring your idea into reality with the money you already have, go for it or else raise the finds for it.

Raising funds these days is really easy. All you need is proper planning for that as well. without proper planning, there is nothing you can do in a proper way. If you keep on moving haphazardly without knowing about your first step, you will not be able to do what you exactly want. So, you better have enough cash and enough mind to spend the money without going out of the way. if you think you have fewer funds, you can go for a Free zone company formation. Business setup in Dubai free zones will act as a partner for you and you will ace it all. MAF Consulting Middle East help you for any other business setup.

Any entrepreneur will tell you how they toyed with many business ideas, how they employed trial and error because they did not know which one cold actually work out for them. In many cases those ideas that looked like they were the brightest end up failing and not seeing the light of day. The one important thing that most people have learned is that they did not have to reinvent the wheel in order to make it great in the world of business.

You can think of great businesses such as McDonald’s that did not have to create something new in order to be successful but instead found ways to improve what already existed.

Profitability: Whatever idea you have that you want to try, you must do your math well such that final cost of your product or service will be reasonable and at the same time ensure that you retain a profit. You must have seen many initial inventions that are so expensive it actually limits their entry into the market. Your key to success therefore is getting the price right; plan your production carefully so you can sell your stock without much ado.

Insist on quality: There are cases where small business people get temped to make compromises on quality especially when figures begin to stack up. One thing you must remember is that when it comes to business, your product or service is your lifeline and its quality will have a direct bearing on your reputation.  You need to test your product or service thoroughly and whatever you come up with; you must ensure that the quality is at its best.

Creative versus practical: There is a delicate balance to be maintained during the production especially regarding the creative process. There are many times when the initial flash that actually set the entire ball rolling gets lost when people are trying to balance creativity and practicality. If you have been endowed with an idea, you will be better off getting a qualified technical person who can create the balance between what and how. Having a great idea is one thing and having the necessary expertise to bring it to existence is another; you may want to create a partnership with the person who can link your idea with reality.

Perseverance is crucial: One thing is for sure, Rome wasn’t built in a day. You will need to spend sufficient time before your idea becomes accepted even by the most brilliant minds, including the people that it is suitable for. This means that you don’t just give up because nice things have this habit of coming to only those people who can wait. If you have dome your bit in researching the idea and you have taken it through all the necessary checks, stand your ground and  don’t throw out your idea because someone you really had built hopes on did not accept it.

Be open to change: Remember that even the best ideas have been developed over time. Don’t rest on your laurels because your idea was accepted but keep researching so you are always one step ahead; talk to your consumers and keep an eye on competitors with business software as you move along.

If you want to have a great financial future, you may have bought real estate, put money into mutual funds, or have a retirement plan like a 401k, a Roth IRA, or a pension. But did you know that life insurance can potentially help you with financial planning? In fact, having a life insurance policy is one of the keys to good financial planning.

Here are some of the ways life insurance can help with financial issues:

Paying off a mortgage

If you have a mortgage with your spouse, life insurance on both of you can be extremely helpful, especially if you need both of your current incomes to pay the mortgage. Think about what would happen if one of you were to pass away. Chances are, you might not be able to pay the mortgage without the other person’s income. That’s where life insurance can help. You can get a medlife insurance policy that could be worth enough to potentially pay the mortgage off, or at least help with the payments. If both of you have children, and life insurance policies on each other, if you were to both pass away, your children could potentially stay in the house, thus giving them some stability. Without a life insurance policy, your family may have to end of selling your house if you were to pass away.

Paying for a burial and funeral

What would happen if you were to suddenly pass away? Did you read about what happened when reality TV star Shain Gandee died, along with his uncle and cousin, due to carbon monoxide poisoning? The 21-year-old star of MTV’s show “Buckwild” did not have a life insurance policy, and his West Virginia family initially said publicly that they would need help from donations for funeral expenses. After a bit of public outcry over the situation, MTV finally agreed to pay for Gandee’s funeral, but not for that of his uncle and cousin, and the family faces $16,000 in funeral and burial expenses for them.

Anyhow, this should be a life lesson to think about. What if you were to pass away? Funerals are more and more expensive these days. Does your family have enough money around to pay for your final expenses? In many cases, they do not, which means that they could go into debt in order to be able to take care of such expenses. Or even worse, you may not get a funeral; just a burial in Potters Field or a cremation with no ceremony. If that how you want your family to say goodbye to you?

Paying to support your children or spouse

Not having your income could hurt your family. It could mean that your children won’t get to go to private schools or college, or that your spouse may have to get a job that means more money, but less time with your children. That is another reason to consider medlife insurance.

Most businesses have their own attorneys or lawyers on salaried basis, and they specialize with the accounts of the company. However, there are times when individuals and businesses that need help from professional bankruptcy lawyers. You need someone or a team of experts that would be proficient in handling all concerns with regard to bankruptcy. This is true whether you’re trying to file Chapter 7 or Chapter 13. One of the most important and very essential assistance needs for anyone would be gaining help on which bankruptcy chapter to file. It is also important that you understand how this process works. When you have all of this information in hand, and with the eminent experts helping you out, you wouldn’t be stripped of everything you have while bankruptcy charges are pressed on you.

According to the United States Court site, bankruptcy in March 2013 was down. This study looked at a 12-month period of time. Many are experiencing better financial times, whether they are business owners or not. There are instances, however, when bankruptcy is the best case scenario. Having a qualified lawyer to walk you through the process is essential. This process is often referred to as debt settlement. Although it comes with some negative connotations, bankruptcy can provide you with the new start that you need.

There are many different reasons that someone files for this option. Debtors have sometimes faced rising medical bills due to illness. Business troubles are another common reason for bankruptcy. Although there are benefits related to both Chapters 7 and 13, there can be damage to your credibility. Depending on the state that you live in this filing will remain on your credit history from 7 to 10 years. At the end of the process, you can start to rebuild your credit and to come out of your financial troubles. Keeping an eye on your creditworthiness often means filing for bankruptcy. To do this efficiently you will need the assistance of a qualified bankruptcy attorney.

Search for the Right Attorney

Many people try a number of things before they file for bankruptcy. They try traditional debt settlement steps like paying smaller payments. Not all debtors will accept this type of process. In these instances, you will need to find a qualified bankruptcy attorney to assist you. Your search for an attorney will likely include using the internet. Take a look online, search through reputed engines; look at the yellow pages or even the paperback telephone index as well. Even personal referrals from family and friends can help search for the right bankruptcy attorneys too.

Most firms these days offer potential clients a free consultation. This is helpful to individuals and business owners. A consultation will help you to learn exactly what the process is and what it involves. Clients will also use this time to ask questions of an experienced lawyer. The Administrative Office of US Courts reported that more than 1 million filings for bankruptcy took place this past year. Included in these were both individual cases and business cases. Having an experienced lawyer is the best way to smoothly get through a bankruptcy. 

Choose between Chapter 7 and Chapter 13

As you search for a bankruptcy lawyer, you should check the credentials of each firm and its lawyers. Do this by checking with the American Board of Certification. They have a website which would have a list of bankruptcy firms and lawyers, experienced and accredited sources you can bank on for your needs. You may tailor your search for a lawyer based upon the type of bankruptcy you’re filing. Some firms specialize in Chapter 7, while others specialize in Chapter 13. There are firms that work with client of both of these chapters.

It is very important that you understand the difference before making a decision. Chapter 7 is commonly associated with the elimination of unsecured debt. Some clients will be able to rid themselves of most of this debt through this chapter. Chapter 13 on the other hand, involves both secured and unsecured debts. It is possible to prevent foreclosures and car repossessions with this particular filing. Your lawyer will help you to determine which chapter is best for your case. Before you meet any of the bankruptcy lawyers or the firms, please ensure that your paperwork is in place and you do not hide the real state of your financial ways. Do not wait for the future to unfold, because time is money here, both for you and the bankruptcy firms too.

What to do afterwards?

There are many different things that you can do after filing for bankruptcy to make life better. These are common tactics that people use to not end up in the same situation again. Here are some of these tactics:

• Live on a budget

• Pay bills on time

• Pay off credit cards monthly

• Contribute to savings

• Wait for big purchases

Using the right financial steps needs to become a habit. People who are faithful to these steps not only avoid going back into bankruptcy. They gain the experience that they need to be better financial investors when it comes to viewing money.

There are many financial advisors and counselors that assist people with their budgets. You will even find classes that show people how to wisely handle their finances. These are useful resources to not only avoid future bankruptcies. They teach life skills that show how to best use and handle money.

Many of the lessons related to this process come from understanding bankruptcy. Your legal team will be instrumental in teaching you how to maneuver through this journey. At the same time you will be able to use this experience for living better in the future. The process of filing bankruptcy can be stressful, along with the period afterwards. Most people, however, feel relieved in knowing that they are on the right track with handling debt. Your legal team will play an important role in getting you through the struggles of filing. It is essential that you confide in them fully and provide them what they need to get you in a better position.

Some founders may hold the view that the time necessary to keep the venture capitalist in the loop is better spent on the pressing tasks of acquiring customers, running the business or upgrading product offerings. This is a misconception. Developing good lines of communication with venture capitalists is vital to ensuring that any partnership that may materialize is the best possible fit. In short, it can save time, effort and grief down the road. Transparent and effective communications will give you a positive image and may result in side benefits, like introductions to potential partners, clients, even employees. Remember, venture capitalists are well-connected people.

Making the effort to communicate positively with your venture capitalist doesn’t really require large chunks of your time, won’t cost you money or require a lot of effort and by doing this you won’t have so much of your attention drawn away from the nuts and bolts of running your business during a capital raise because you have already established the relationships and communicated your goals with the VCs. This frees you from a last minute scramble and allows you to remain focused on running things.

Having an organized approach and keeping a few notes when talking or meeting with your VC or prospective investors will save you time in the future. Here are some tips to set you on the right path:

Have a purpose driven conversation and take notes

These are things you should note:

* Contact information

* When does the firm invest, what sectors, at what stage (and why?)

* Is the firm value-added beyond capital?

* What is their location?

* Do they insist on a board seat?

* Is their participation limited to lead investor in a round?

* Does their portfolio include companies in your space? Who are they?

* What level of interest does the firm hold in your business–now and later on?

This doesn’t consume a great deal of time and deliberate fact-finding can serve you well in several ways:

* Time is saved by avoiding repeating the same questions if you decide to pursue follow-up conversations later.

* If the firm should contact you later and your business no longer meets their criteria (example: they do Series A investments and you need a Series

B) you have that information prior to scheduling a second call.

* You create a positive impression by remembering the specifics from prior interactions.

Post conversation; enter your notes into a spreadsheet so they can be easily updated in any subsequent conversations. When your board decides the time to raise money is now, you’ll be grateful for having done this. 

Establish a point person within your organization

In the same vein of staying organized, designating a point of contact, ideally your CFO, to receive the calls from interested investors, both introductory and follow-up, will serve you well. The person chosen should also bear responsibility for aggregating information from other team members who may have had informal chats or spontaneous conversations with investors. This information should be included in the spreadsheet mentioned above.

Remember, this is not overly time consuming considering its value as a resource. 

Publish a newsletter

Very few Founders/CEOs have started a newsletter dedicated to the interests of potential investors. I’m not talking about a newsletter for customers; this is a very different audience. If you are doing it! Super! If you haven’t found the time, I would encourage you to, at the very least, pull together a tailored quarterly or biannual note to send out to a “friends’ list which includes potential investors. Here are things you might include:

Revenue/Growth

Founders tend to keep these numbers close to the vest and I get that … investors get it too. That doesn’t prevent you, however, from putting something out there to ramp up investor interest.

Consider: We ended the first quarter of 2018 with revenues in 7 figures, a 22% increase over the year-ending 2017—though not overly specific, it can really help readers visualize the direction of your company and it is also helpful if you are trying to do a raise.

New Customers/Clients

If you’ve recently boarded an interesting client this is a great place to brag! It can also remind investors of the reasons your product is being chosen ahead of your competitors’. Keep any legal disclosure limitations firmly in mind.

New Employees

New hires can serve a similar purpose, especially if you’ve hired someone away from a high profile competitor. Or, for example, that you have hired a new sales manager to oversee your new team of inside sales reps, this tells potential investors that you are growing. Expects some phone calls!

Job Openings

Never lose sight of the fact that investors are well-connected people. They cast a big net. If you have some critical vacancies in your organization that need filled, you couldn’t find a better place to let that be known.

Company Culture

Does your company or do your employees participate in startup competitions or charity events that you could highlight? Did your company receive any form of local, regional or national recognition or award? Investors are interested in these sorts of things. It’s telling of your enterprise and your employees.

I’m currently in the accounts receivable factoring industry and I engage with more than a few founders, entrepreneurs and businesses. Many of us have been down this rocky road of raising capital and I appreciate the opportunity to share with you some of what I’ve learned along the way.

No matter what type of investment you have made, it is always beneficial if you have some kind of surety that it will be saved and you will not lose it. Most of the things we own are insured by some insurance policy. We have purchased health insurance, auto insurance, property insurance, and other insurances. Most of the insurance policies are a burden on us because we are bound by the state laws to purchase them. What about your important personal stuff like your precious cell phone or any of your gadgets? Aren’t they a huge investment too? What if they get to be stolen or broken? Once you have purchased the gadget, then will you have enough money to get the item fixed or re-purchased in case of lost of theft.

If you are worried about your Apple iPad then there is a relief, as you can get the iPad insurance for the protection of your gadget. Apple iPad can play the role of your tablet PC. As it is light weighted, you can carry this piece of technology anywhere you go. One bad thing is that it is quite costly. If mistakenly it gets damaged, stolen, or misplaced, it can also cause death to an average person, who has saved money for buying this gadget to ease his life. Thus, you can get your iPad insured to save yourself from such heart aches.

Increasing use of the iPad

Technology has flourished a lot. Gadgets like iPad have become the need of time for many people. Owning an iPad is more than just a craze, as there are many such individuals, who have purchased this gadget for their convenience and need. If you are a student, you would need one for sure now. Pen and paper has started to be replaced now. Even carrying a laptop can be heavy but if there will be something as light as an iPad is then all your educational needs can be fulfilled at ease.

These gadgets are being used by students to study during the lectures too. Besides this, the small gadget can save your precious educational data too. There are even some of the schools that are providing iPad to the students themselves. It is good that you have got an iPad for free but the school will not pay for any repairs or loss of the gadget. You can protect your iPad by getting insurance from £4.79 per month.

Need for the iPad insurance

The insurance is meant for everyone who owns an iPad and to be honest, it is the need of every individual.No matter how careful you think you are, if something happens to your iPad you will be at huge loss. For many, loss of money is not that painful than loss of data. All your important data and your credentials will be lost if the iPad breaks or the manufacturer says it can’t be repaired now. Many of the individuals even have saved their credit card info and other such personal information if they use it for business purposes. If your iPad is stolen then each credible piece of information will be stolen too.

Many people question that why is the insurance worthy? Isn’t it similar to warranty? How can the insurance help if the iPad is lost? How can I protect my credentials and other important stuff? Well, the insurance may cover everything. It can even provide you the facility to lock your iPad, secure all the data, and even create backup of your important data. With this approach, your business documents, credential emails, passwords, credit information, educational stuff, and other important items will not be lost. Thus, you won’t let anyone else get hold of your secret information even if you iPad will be lost.

Some benefits of the iPad insurance

Here is the list of benefits you can get from the iPad insurance:

• Your iPad will be saved from liquid damages. Even if you have dropped water on your iPad or something similar happened in which water is involved in ruining the iPad then it will be protected. 

• The insurance will provide protection against breakage, accidental damage, mechanical fault, and similar other issues that involve technical fault.

• iPad replacement will be provided in case your iPad is stolen. Your data will be protected and you can even lock your iPad as per the assistance of your insurance company.

Every individual will need the insurance on the basis of the importance he gives to his iPad. The insurance cost will be much less than the cost you will have to bear if something bad happens to your iPad. You can even pay the annual premium so that you will not have to pay the amount of the insurance each month. However, it would be important to check all the terms and conditions of the insurance so that you can get the best coverage for your iPad.

Yacht Insurance – How Important Is It?

Yacht owners have a big financial investment in their yacht. It makes sense to insure your seafaring property adequately. The old saying is “What the sea, wants, the sea takes.” This has been proven true in recent years with the increase in storm damage to some of the most expensive yachts. More than ever, a yacht owner needs the confidence and security of yacht insurance. There’s really no insurance cost too high when you consider the amount of damage and destruction to your yacht.

What Will Yacht Insurance Cover?

The coverage for yacht insurance depends on your choice of insurance agents and underwriters. Look for an agent who specializes in yacht insurance. This is one way to be certain your yacht is fully covered. The expert yacht insurance agents and underwriters inspect your yacht before offering the very best coverage. This is an important part of purchasing yacht insurance. After a thorough inspection, the professional agent will assess the possible cost should damage occur. Then, the customer is provided with several insurance options from which to choose. Compare the value of your yacht to the value of the insurance. The agent can help you choose the insurance coverage package best suited to protect your interests. There will be a difference in the structure of yacht insurance for those who live aboard their yacht year round, than for those who own a yacht for sport or pleasure use. This is just one of the variables to discuss with your yacht insurance agent. Be sure to inquire about limitations of the policy as well as any deductibles in place. Check with your agent whether loss of furnishings and other cargo aboard ship are covered.

Personal Injury While Aboard Ship

Your agent will advise about coverage for injuries for crew or passengers that occur while aboard ship. It’s important to know the extent of this type of yacht coverage. Not all insurance policies for yacht cover this potential risk. Yacht insurance is all about possible risks. As a yacht owner, make certain you know all the potential risks involved before you choose yacht insurance coverage. If you are uncertain of the best coverage, consult with your yacht insurance agent.

Many of you might have heard about the offshore banking, which is commonly known for hiding money. If you don’t have a clear idea on this matter, you can get the ideas here.

Offshore banking is one kind of financial service which has been made via offshore banks. Those banks are known as offshore banks which are located outside the resident country of the depositors of the banks, have a low tax jurisdiction or tax haven.

The term “offshore” has been used as almost all the offshore banks were located in Island nations. But now this idea has been changed, landlocked banks which have those facilities are also known as the offshore banks, it includes Swiss banks as well.

There are many advantages of offshore banking, some common advantages are:

• Really strong privacy

• Almost no taxations

• Secured from any local or political problems

• Protection against financial instability

• Quick and easy access to deposits

Though offshore banking is famous for hiding money, but this isn’t its main purpose. This is a perfect banking system for the businessmen who travel a lot abroad. There are many countries where people don’t like to trade with the foreigners, so if a businessman creates a bank account there, this problem will be solved. One can solve this problem via offshore banking.

Another problem that often the businessmen face is the delay money exchanges in international accounts. They can’t run their accounts as smoothly as it’s available via offshore banking.

It’s true that you can hide your money via offshore banking. Well, if you want to hide your money, you can do it in any other way like in hard boxes buried in the field, so this isn’t a big deal. Rather, most offshore banks require a full declaration of your assets in your home country. It will be best if you hire a tax advisor to help you get the maximum facilities from offshore banking.

This article looks at suggested routes for buying your ideal home in Belfast, a city packed with culture, great shopping, entertainments, history and excellent employment prospects.

Why Belfast?

Northern Ireland is an excellent place to live and Belfast is the city of choice for young professionals looking to live close to their place of work in the city, whilst taking advantage of the wide range of amenities available. House prices soared in the city in the run-up to the credit crunch in 2008 as Ireland enjoyed its rapid growth as a new economic tiger, spurred on by the growth in its service industries. However, since then, the global economic crisis has taken its toll and house prices have begun to become more affordable again, particularly for first time buyers who are keen to get their feet on the property ladder.

A Wide Range Of Properties

The good news is that there are many    excellent houses for sale in Belfast and affordability is good. Salaries in the city may be slightly lower than for the UK as a whole, but Belfast and its surrounding areas also enjoy a slightly lower cost of living, meaning that affordability overall is good. There are a wide range of different property types too, with recent investment in the city meaning that high quality new builds are very much in evidence, as well as older home renovations and classic terrace houses.

Terrace Houses

Terraces have long been favourites for first time buyers because they are solidly built, often spacious inside and offer a good balance of space for cost, with good construction, original features and attractive designs. They are easy to maintain and manage and cheaper to heat too than bigger detached houses. Smaller back gardens or yards are also desirable for young working people, who lack the time needed to tend a garden and terraces in Belfast also tend to be very well positioned for local transport, shopping, the city centre and other amenities. If you dream of owning your own terrace, then you will find excellent houses for sale in Belfast of this type.

New Builds

Other buyers prefer new build properties and there are plenty of development projects within the city offering high-spec and yet affordable new build apartments and homes. These are great for people who don’t want to spend money updating or refreshing a home and want to move in immediately and benefit from its new construction, energy efficient features, compact space and community environment. Most new builds are stylish and well thought out and designed for modern working people. They are often offered with stylish kitchens and bathrooms already installed and incentive cash payments may be offered to help with deposits or initial furnishings. There a number of highly recommended developments in and around the city and your estate agent can advise you further.

In conclusion, Belfast is a great choice for a city to settle in and to get your foot on the property ladder as you will find excellent houses for sale in Belfast to suit all tastes and budgets.

New figures have revealed that the UK’s car leasing and sales industry continues to defy the difficult economic conditions. New car registrations in the first six months of 2018 increased by over 10 per cent on last year’s total, with the availability of cheap car leasing and a drive for more fuel efficient vehicles boosting car sales.

With some stunning car leasing, contract hire and finance deals available, it’s rarely been cheaper to buy or lease a new car. Keep reading to find out more about the UK’s booming new car market and how car leasing deals are helping drivers get a great deal.

Drivers looking for fuel efficient cars and cheap car leasing deals

Auto Express reports that new car sales so far in 2018 have reached 1,163,623 units. The UK new car market also saw its 16th successive monthly rise in June, growing 13.4 per cent to 214,957 units.

Retail sales saw a substantial increase in market share with a 21.3 per cent increase over last year, taking total sales up to 96,931 units. However, it was ‘alternatively fuelled vehicles’ (AFVs) which saw the biggest change in market share. 26.2 per cent more AFVs were sold in the first six months of 2018 than the equivalent period last year, representing 3,131 sales. And, although falling by 3.4 per cent, fleet sales still retain overall majority of the market with a 50.2 per cent share.

Experts have identified two main reasons why car sales continue to rise. First, drivers are increasingly keen to switch to more fuel efficient cars to combat the rise in fuel prices. 20 per cent more fuel efficient petrol engine cars were sold in the first six months of 2018 than in the same period in 2017. And, the average CO2 output has fallen to 129.1g/km in the first half of 2018, down 3.7 per cent over this time last year.

Second, cheap car leasing and car finance deals are offering new car customers excellent value. In many cases it can be cheaper to lease a new car than buy a nearly new used car and these great contract hire and hire purchase deals have proved attractive to buyers.

With car sales rising, what are the most popular brands? We look at the figures next.

Ford continues to dominate car leasing and sales

According to the latest new car sales figures, Ford is continuing to dominate the new car market. The Ford Fiesta topped the UK new car sales charts in the first half of 2018 with 63,040 sales while the Ford Focus was in second position with 47,675 sales. The Vauxhall Corsa came in third position with 46,147 sales.

Other top 10 finishers include the Vauxhall Astra, VW Golf, Nissan Qashqai and VW Polo. Auto Express reports that ‘premium brands like BMW are also proving to be popular with the 1 Series and 3 Series also making the top 10.’

A newcomer to the new car leasing and sales lists in 2018 is Dacia. The Romanian based car manufacturer has been owned by Renault since 1999 and offers the lowest cost new car in the UK. So far in 2018, Dacia have sold 6,994 units which means they are already selling more cars than more established manufactures such as Alfa Romeo, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Lexus, Mitsubishi and Subaru.

The BP oil spill is an unprecedented event in the history of industrial disasters and an event that will be remembered for a long time, hopefully, as the largest environmental catastrophe in the U.S. history. During the 67 days that the spill was active, more than 200 million gallons of oil were released into the ocean and much of this oil has reached the Gulf coastal areas over the years. The immediate effects of the BP oil spill have been devastating, but the truly worrisome news is that the worst effects may yet to be seen. We would, therefore, like to look at the potential and factual long-term effects of the BP oil spill.

First of all, we cannot help but think that it will take significant amount of time before the fishing and the tourism industry in the area fully recover. For example, when asked in 2012, the local fishermen in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama said that they are worried that fishing will never be the same in the Gulf. What is certain is that the fishing industry has taken a huge blow and that people are still mostly worried about buying stuff that comes from affected areas. The tourism is also struggling, although it is in a somewhat better position than the fishing industry. However, the number of visitors is still significantly lower and the jobs are being lost.

Environmental effects of the BP oil spill will continue to haunt the area and the entire Gulf. Some scientists and experts even say that the entire chemical balance in the ocean has been disrupted by so much oil and that we might be seeing some global negative effects in the future. What is sure is that the wildlife and marine life in the Gulf will never be the same. We are only in the first few years and we are already seeing mutations to fish and shellfish, which is something that will only become more pronounced as time goes by. The oil as well as the dispersants has also entered the food chain and there is no way to foresee what this will do in the long run.

There are also the long-term effects on the oil industry and the BP and its partners in general. They have lost huge amounts of money, deservedly so, and they are still continuing to pay out on various claims and settlements. The oil industry will be burdened with new regulations and inspections and if we had to give our opinion, we see this as a positive, a single long-term positive that has come out of all this.

It is very difficult and even near impossible to be upbeat about the long-term effects of the BP oil spill on the Gulf of Mexico and the people living in coastal areas. We need to keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best. Still, due to the unprecedented scope of the spill, it is difficult to be optimistic about it.