Anthony Pusch talks about personal injury law challenges

Christian Woods
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Anthony Pusch talks about personal injury law challenges

If you are in a car accident or are otherwise harmed through someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to financial compensation from them under personal injury law. To get it, though, you’ll need to speak to a lawyer – and that’s where Anthony Pusch comes in.

Anthony Pusch is one of the founding attorneys at Texas law firm Pusch & Nguyen, which specialises in personal injury law. He is an expert when it comes to compensation and litigation law, and has helped many people to claim the money they need to overcome injuries caused by negligence.

Pusch helps his clients to work out who they can claim compensation from, and goes after those with the deepest pockets – typically large commercial entities and insurance companies. He is a Texan through and through, having been born in Houston and gone to college and law school in the state.

We spoke to him to find out a bit more about his background and why he started working in personal injury law.

How did you first become involved in personal injury law?

My first experience with personal injury law spurred from my mother’s totalled car accident that resulted in very serious injuries. My mother and I struggled to find a compassionate practice that could help dispute her commercial case and were met with stingy lawyers who were only interested in money. Our hardship inspired me to pursue law school and become a personal injury lawyer in hopes to alleviate the hardships that we faced.

What are some of the more common types of cases that your firm sees?

Our firm see cases ranging from minor liability cases to commercial automotive collisions.

How do you judge if a case is likely to be successful or not?

We take an objective stance when evaluating our clients’ cases. We treat all cases with the same degree of care, minor or commercial.

What would you say are some of the major challenges in a car accident case?

The largest challenges we face are dealing with the greedy insurance companies that not only want to underpay a 3rd party, but their client as well. We take pride in working uphill to bring justice to our clients.

If someone were to be involved in a car accident where they have been injured by someone else, what steps should they take?

Their first line of action should be to ensure the safety of all individuals involved in the wreck. If you, or others are injured, don’t move that person. Should everyone be safe, and it is safe to do so, take pictures of the accident before moving the car, then call officials to help.

Your firm boasts a very impressive 99% success rate – what do you think are some of the factors that contribute to this?

Our firm’s success rate is backed by our hard work and unending pursuit of bringing justice to our clients.

What are some of the aspects of personal injury law that a layperson may not know about?

Many are unfamiliar with the concept of litigating damages which is very important when disputing a personal injury case.

Is there a single case or achievement that you are most proud of in your time at Pusch & Nguyen?

We are proud of all of the work we do on across all of our cases. Helping our clients is our main mission.

Things to consider when buying bedsheets

BEDDING N BATH
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Things to consider when buying bedsheets

If you think it is just the nice mattress and the cosy blankets that give you the kind of sleep you consider the best, then think again. The kind of bedsheets you use play a vital role when it comes to quality sleep, given that they come into direct contact with our skins when we sleep. For this reason, one needs to be keen when buying bedsheets, and should only buy the best sheets he can get. This article looks at the things that one should consider when purchasing bedsheets.

Material of the bedsheets

There are many reasons why cotton has always been the best material for bedsheets. Think of the durability, breathability, its fabric, and many others. And it is not just these qualities that make cotton the best material for bedsheets. The material can retain heat during cold weather and allow air out during hot seasons. This makes it most suitable for any condition. When buying a bedsheet, it will be nice to feel it using your hand to ensure it is made of cotton, as this is the best material for bedsheets.

The weave

When it comes to the weave of your bedsheet, it will entirely depend on your personal preferences. There are those that will go for percale while others will choose sateen. Honestly speaking, there is little difference between the two, but it is good to choose the one you love the most.

It is essential that you consider the weave of the bedsheets, given that they will determine whether or not you will have a slip-less and slide-less sleep. Sheets like the Jersey sheets are more characterised by slipping and sliding, making them not so good for those who can easily slip and slide in bed.

Do the bedsheets fit your mattress?

Perhaps those who have ever tried fitting a tiny bedsheet to a big mattress will understand this more. Before you set out to buy a bedsheet, you should first know the size of your bed. If your bed is a standard-size bed, then you should choose bedsheets like the twin, queen or king, which are made to fit on almost any size of the bed. Also, features that will help the bedsheet to fit such as elastic edges should be considered.

Patterns of the bedsheets

This is purely based on your preferences. And it is noteworthy to mention that there are various types of patterns from which an individual can choose from. Among the most known patterns are geometric, solid, stripes, floral, and many others.

Cost

While most people would expect the cost of the bedsheets to come first, it should actually come last. Why would you buy a cheap bedsheet which will only help to ruin your sleep? Haven’t you ever heard of the saying, “Cheap is expensive?” the cost of losing your sleep due to buying a cheap bedsheet can be too high. Thus you would rather buy an expensive but quality sheet.

But again, buying a bedsheet that is far way out of your budget is not prudent. Instead, try to find a comfortable and quality bedsheet that is within your budget. While a good sleep is essential, getting it at the expense of other pressing matters will not make things any better. Thus before buying, make sure you have looked at the price tag, so that your credit card is not overcharged without your intention for that.

There is more to buying a bedsheet than just visiting the shop and paying for it. And it is not always about the cost of the sheet, but rather its ability to give you value for your money. It will be quite hard to get it right the first time when you go to buy a bedsheet. And repeated wrongs will make the whole thing quite expensive. But with this guide, you can get the right bedsheet for your bed the first time you visit the shop.

 

How to find the right app development team

Mary Charli
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How to find the right app development team

When starting on the mobile app development journey, a lot of questions are swimming around in your mind. How do I get started? What do I hope to achieve with this app? Who will develop this app for me? These are all important questions, but for our purposes, let’s focus on that last question.

Determine the type of help needed

You have a big app idea and are ready to get started! Fantastic! Now you are ready to decide how much help you need to develop an app. Here are the choices you have:

  • End-to-End: From the app idea to the launch and maintenance of the app, this type of development company will be with you every step of the way. This type is especially useful when you are just starting out with a brand-new app idea.
  • Design and Development: If you already have documentation on marketing strategies you wish to implement, how you would like your app to function, and features you are wanting to include in your app, then this is the type of development company you need. The design and development companies take your research/app outline and bring it to life in an app built to your specifications.
  • Design Only/Development Only: If you need just the design step or just the development step completed, this is the option for you. This type of developer will complete only the step you request, whether it be design or development.

Selecting

Be picky when it comes time to select the right mobile app development company to build your dream app. Think about it like this: If you are spending thousands of dollars for a custom car to be built to your specifications, would you hire a small garage to do the job? Absolutely not! You would hire a professional that specialises in such a task. Be ultra-selective when choosing an app development company! Read reviews, do research on the company, and take a look at past projects. Compile a list of companies that meet your expectations and projected budget. If they look like good fits for your app, go to the next phase of selection!

Sharing plans

After you have a list of prospective partners in your app development, share as much detail as possible with them about your app and what you hope to achieve from its development. If you don’t want an idea stolen, or if it is a security issue, then ask your prospective development companies to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) prior to your meeting with them. This will prevent any leakage of app ideas by companies you decide not to hire for the app’s development. After the companies have an idea of what your app will involve, then carefully consider their “bids” for your project. These bids are budgets that outline what will be done on their part and for what price. These bids should also include a timeline so that you will be able to make an informed decision.

Moving forward

Now that you have your bids, make your final selection. Contact the company you have selected to inform them that you would like to enter into a business partnership for the purpose of developing of your app. As a professional courtesy, also send letters of thanks to the other companies that placed bids on your project, but who you did not select. This is a gesture of professionalism and also leaves the bridge intact for possible future partnerships with these companies.

You are now ready to begin bringing your app to life! So, what’s next? Consult with your development team every step of the way when they are completing the job you hired them to complete. Make sure you are kept informed of any positive or negative developments and that you are involved in any decisions that need to be made. Congratulations on finding and selecting the right mobile app development company to build your dream app!

The top 10 ways to make your apartment seem larger

Mike Smith
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The top 10 ways to make your apartment seem larger

There are some ways to make a small area feel spacious. Here are ten style tips to help create a more significant feel.

#1 Flooring that flows

Too many flooring styles can make a room shrink to the eye. A singular flooring that flows between areas makes small rooms seem like they are one large space. Consider these options to make the room feel bigger:

  • Rugs: Round rugs are the best option for small spaces as they connect furniture but avoid more rectangular shapes in the room, also ensure the rug doesn’t finish under the sofa, this makes it look like things don’t fit in the room
  • Floorboards: the wider, the better, light colours for smaller rooms, and run timber towards the longest wall
  • Tiles: Large-format design with minimal grout lines

#2 Colouring

To make a room seem bigger and brighter, it’s best to use pale shades. By having light colours on the walls, natural light will reflect. Aim for a low contrast between various surfaces, and make the floor and walls similar tones.

Paint skirting boards and door trims in a slightly lighter shade than you have on the walls, this will make the surfaces recede creating a more open feel.

Not only does colouring have the ability to make a room appear larger, but it also has the ability to make your apartment feel more expensive without breaking the bank.

#3 Blinds and shades

Aim to cover any windows in a similar colour to the walls and hang curtains as high as possible so that they fall all the way to the floor. This will give an illusion of height in your small area.

If possible mount the curtain track to the ceiling as opposed to the wall and try to make it reach right across the room giving the appearance of a fabric wall.

#4 Mirrors

Use mirrors wherever possible (without creating a house of mirrors) as they will bounce sunlight around the room. Cover one wall in mirrors or have some oversized mirrors resting on the floor which is a more portable and changeable option. Try to ensure that your mirror placement reflects a window for extra light.

#5 Lamps

Opt for slim floor lamps that have the same finish for the base and shade. If they are floor lamps, choose ones with a small base to have minimal impact on the floorplan of the room.

#6 The fewer doors, the better

If you have internal doors that swing, get rid of them! You can even remove some cupboard doors if appropriate. Another option to eliminate things swinging around the room is sliding doors. Every centimetre of the room counts so reduce where possible.

#7 Shelving

There are two benefits to floor-to-ceiling shelving:

  1. It gives a sense of scale and height while drawing the eye upward
  2. It means even more storage, which you can never have too much of

Opt for a mixture of closed and open shelving as there are drawbacks to only using one kind. Only open shelving creates a sense of clutter, only closed takes all of the personality out of the room. It is also a good idea to put shelving in unexpected places like over a door or under the arm of the couch.

#8 Furniture

You need furniture, try not to be so minimalist that you are sitting on the floor! There are, however,  ways to approach furniture that save and create space.

Couch: Choose a couch that is on legs with low arms so that it doesn’t crowd the room

Table: Go for a round shaped table with a light or reflective tops (marble or glass)

Chairs: Ensure the legs sit under the seat and keep the backs low, so they don’t obstruct your view of the room.

Small tables: Avoid having a coffee table and opt for side tables instead

#9 Art

Absolutely fill your room with art, blank walls are horrible BUT consider the size of the piece and how it will affect the scale and proportion of the room. Big pieces are great but try to position them above the eyeline to create height and space. Mix up the size and materials, go for a collage wall with a big piece that has smaller works around it.

#10 Stuff

Your substantial collection of souvenir spoons may be your guilty pleasure, but it is cluttering up your room. It is good to have some things to give personality, but too much makes you seem like a hoarder.

Choose a few items and focus on their placement. Your aim is a balance between the display of your prized collection, and the spacious, calm room. Feel free to rotate, so everything gets its shot in the spotlight!

Apartment living is rising in popularity as property development continues to soar. People are opting for minimalism, the convenience of location, and fewer rooms to clean. However, for many, downsizing takes some getting used to as you acclimatise to a smaller space. Hopefully the above tips can make the difference!

Trade tensions escalate further with China and America

Daniel Baguley
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Trade tensions escalate further with China and America

The hypothesised trade war between China and America is getting closer with every day. Trump has implemented a new scheme to put America first by increasing an import tariff on aluminium and steel to the country. Australia among other nations have already been exempt from the tariff increase however China was not one of them.

In retaliation, China placed tariffs on US goods such as fruit, nuts and pork products. The increase on the tariffs could see America paying an extra $3billion USD to export their products into China.

What seems to be a back and forth display of who the tougher country is, Trump has threatened to place more tariffs on Chinese products that range from ball bearings to bakery ovens. The proposed retaliation to the retaliation could cost China $50 billion USD on their imported goods.

On the 22nd of March, the Trump administration took action against allegations that Beijing is forcing companies in the US to transfer their technology as a condition for doing business in China. Earlier this week the list that is proposed will subject 1,300 products to new tariffs.

The total value of the tariffs on these items is said to equal the amount that US businesses have to pay for doing business with China. All of the products on the proposed list are said to have a 25 percent tariff increase with a specific aim of targeting Chinese manufacturing sectors that have been accused of supporting companies and programs that are backed by the state.

A lot of the major US business groups expressed their opinion that the tariffs placed by China however they also recognise the need to improve trade relations with the Country.

Myron Brilliant, the head of international affairs and Executive Vice President, stated that imposing taxes on products that are used regularly by American businesses and consumers is not the right course of action to amend the trade relations. He also stated that the US chamber is looking forward to working with the Trump administration to work through the current issue of the China economic relationship.

Cui Tiankai who is China’s ambassador to the US stated earlier in the week that China will definitely take countermeasures to the new tariffs that are being put in place. As the nation was so quick to respond to the aluminium and steel tariffs, it is no surprise that they will act on the same scale with the same intensity as the US.

External graphics cards: Turn your laptop into a gaming machine

Christian Woods
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External graphics cards: Turn your laptop into a gaming machine

Laptop computers are some of the most frequently used and purchased pieces of technology in today’s world. The core of the laptop’s appeal is that it gives you some (if not all) of the functionality of a desktop computer while being extremely lightweight and portable.

However, one big issue has plagued laptops since day one; their internal components can’t be upgraded. This is because laptops are prefabricated with a certain spec that can’t be altered, only replaced with a whole new device.

While this isn’t an issue if you only use you laptop to send emails and create spreadsheets, it can be particularly tricky if you’re a gamer. This is because the latest and greatest game software requires more powerful computer components to run them optimally.

This means that while some games will run okay on a laptop, they won’t run optimally and are often simply unplayable because of computer lag. This is happening because the laptop’s internal components aren’t high enough spec to run the software properly.

Games that aren’t very graphics intensive, like those with 2D artwork, will normally run fine on a laptop. Bigger games that have in-depth 3D environments naturally require much more power and are normally unplayable on laptops.

This is because three-dimensional polygonal spaces require the graphics processing unit (GPU) to work harder in order to draw the image that displays on your screen. A bigger GPU means better graphical fidelity.

The problem is; GPUs have always been considered internal components with no mechanism to connect them to a laptop. This is now changing with the rise of external GPUs that can be plugged into a laptop to give it an instant performance boost.

Before you start looking for the the best external GPU, you should learn a little bit more about how they work. This technology is still relatively new and as such there is still a lot of room for improvement as manufacturers continue to innovate.

How do they work?

An external GPU operates just like any other graphics card, except it is housed in its own chassis separate from the rest of the computer. This is known as external GPU ‘housing’ and can be quite expensive depending on the quality you desire.

The external GPU is connected to the laptop via a Thunderbolt 3 (TB3) high speed input/output connection that is attached to a compatible USB-C port. The speed of this connection between the laptop and the external GPU plays a big role in how good a game’s performance will be.

In the early days of external graphics cards, the available docking mechanisms were very expensive and inconsistent. Intel’s TB3 manages to level the playing field with many manufacturers offering Thunderbolt 3 compatible docks complete with lots of additional features.

This means that in order to use external graphics power, you’ll need a relatively new laptop that has a compatible USB-C port.

Who are they most suited for?

External GPUs are definitely a very attractive option for people who want to get better software performance out of their laptop. Naturally, external GPUs are most suitable for people with laptops who are unable to currently experience the latest games.

Keep in mind; an external GPU will negate the benefits of the laptop’s portability, so they are only really suitable to use at home. This is why external GPUs are most commonly used as a stopgap measure short of buying a dedicated gaming desktop.

In truth, an external GPU won’t perform as well as a dedicated desktop tower and those who are serious about PC gaming would probably prefer that option. However, an external GPU gives you the ability to easily convert your portable laptop into a fully functional gaming device that allows you to enjoy the latest games.

This makes external GPUs perfect for students who use their laptop routinely in different locations but want something more powerful for when they get home. External GPUs effectively let you plug in and play games your laptop would otherwise struggle to run.

They are also great for non-gamers who use 3D drawing programs that can also be particularly graphics intensive. Basically anyone who needs a quick boost to their laptop’s graphical power will love the convenience of an external GPU.

External GPUs are a common-sense solution to an age-old problem for laptop users. While they aren’t necessarily a replacement for a dedicated gaming PC, they provide an effective in-between solution for those who need something right away.

Westpac to pay $35 million penalty to ASIC for irresponsible lending

Christian Woods
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Westpac to pay $35 million penalty to ASIC for irresponsible lending

Major banking chain Westpac has reached a $35 million settlement with ASIC as a penalty for approving over 10,000 illegal home loans.

The bank is set to pay the penalty in order to put the case to rest, which has been pursued by Australia’s corporate regulator; the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).

ASIC has said that this marks the most expensive civil penalty given under the National Credit Act.

Westpac has admitted that it used the HEM (Household Expenditure Measure) to calculate the living costs of potential borrowers in an automated loan approval process. Basically, the HEM is considered a low estimate of basic living expenses, leading people to agree to loans they could not realistically pay.

Instead of individually investigating the applicant’s declared living expenses, Westpac admits it opted to rely on the HEM. The bank has admitted its actions were in breach of the National Consumer Credit Protection Act, designed to protect consumers from predatory lending practices.

The case was launched by ASIC in March 2017 and used seven individual case studies to demonstrate how the bank used the HEM benchmark instead of evaluating the customer’s declared expenses.

In 2015, Westpac changed its lending policies, meaning that all applicants have their loans assessed by whichever is higher; their declared expenses or the HEM.

The action from ASIC also alleged that Westpac did not make an attempt to assess whether interest-only applicants could continue to repay without financial hardship after the end of their interest-only period.

ASIC stated that Westpac had used the automated home-loan system for about 260,000 loans between December 2011 and March 2015. Of that number, roughly 50,000 used the HEM benchmark despite the applicants’ declared expenses being higher. Another 50,000 were found to have used the incorrect repayment calculation for interest-only arrangements.

Of the total, ASIC says that around 10,500 of the loans should not have been approved.

Luke Bakhuizen talks about his passion for aerial photography

Christian Woods
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Luke Bakhuizen talks about his passion for aerial photography

Everytime you see the amazing, sweeping landscape shots in movies and television; you know an aerial photographer had to take them. These highly talented individuals brave incredible altitudes or pilot advanced drones that allow them to capture the breathtaking, birds-eye shots that we take for granted.

Luke Bakhuizen is one of these adventurous spirits and has an impressive portfolio of past work having undertaken drone photography for Tourism Australia and Sony.

We asked Luke some questions about his background and experience with aerial photography.

How did you get started in photography and filmmaking?

My father was an artist, so I’ve always had an interest in art and photography. At the age of 13, I bought my first DSLR camera and used it to photograph everything from wildlife on my African safaris to my travels across Europe.

One of my biggest interests in life has always been aviation and along my journey to become a commercial pilot and paraglider pilot I used my camera to capture the views from above. This was long before drones and every image from above had a different perspective and a wow factor that engaged my following over social media and inspired me to pursue filmmaking and photography as a career.

Your most used equipment?

Apart from my camera and trusty action cameras my most used piece of equipment would be my DJI Mavic 2 Pro. The image and video quality pared with the compact travel size allows me to use it on almost any trip!

Your top travel destinations? Your travel essentials?

South Africa, Japan and Italy are some of the most picturesque and unique countries I have visited! Travel essentials? – Bose noise cancelling headphones, DJI Mavic 2 and my trusty paraglider.

How did you grow on social media and what are your tips?

I persisted to capture as many unique perspectives as possible, I love creating something that has never been seen or done before. Before I uploaded anything to my social channels I made sure that it had some sort of wow factor and I would be happy with the content on my profile for years to come. I had the approach of quality not quantity for my social channels and never uploaded something that I wasn’t 100% happy with, resulting in plenty of video and photo edits that have never been uploaded.

After tagging similar Instagram pages and relevant hashtags I started to get noticed and with the assistance of large profiles with millions of followers reposting my content such as @australia, @queensland I started to build a following.

Gold Coast
Gold Coast. Photo: Luke Bakhuizen

My advice to others is, try to be unique, capture what you love, be a perfectionist and most of all persistent! You will start to get noticed and most of all enjoy what you do along the way.

How do you edit your content and how long does it take you?

I edit all my content on the Adobe CC apps; Lightroom and Premier. I enjoy the easy to use and well-built products Adobe creates. For photos I usually spend 30 mins – 1 hour playing around and for short 60 second Instagram videos, it can take anywhere from 1-2 days before I am happy with the final video. I know this is longer than most spend editing, but I am a perfectionist and keep adjusting things till I am 100% happy.

This normally takes forever and drives me crazy but in the end it pays off!

How have you managed to work with large brands like Tourism Australia and Sony?

I was contacted by Tourism Australia to produce content for them as they liked the style of the content they reposted of mine. I obtained the contract to promote Sony’s 4K action cam through my agency Born Bred Talent who have worked alongside me to reach out to relevant brands.

How using a parental control app can benefit your family

Christian Woods
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How using a parental control app can benefit your family

In today’s interconnected world of smartphone and tablet devices; there’s as much opportunity as there is danger. While we love the convenience of having access to the internet at our fingertips, this ease of access works both ways and has the potential to be especially harmful to younger members of the family.

This is because in the online world there is a vast underbelly of immoral users who seek to exploit or even directly harm children any way they can. Luckily, parental control products like Family Orbit help parents to easily keep track of their children’s device usage so that they can quickly and easily eliminate threats to their online safety.

Technology and the internet are great things that we shouldn’t be afraid to let children benefit from. Parental control apps are great because they allow you to safely manage your child’s use of digital technology so that you can ensure they have a positive online experience.

Let’s take a look at how using a parental control app can benefit your family.

What is a “parental control app”?

A parental control app is exactly what it sounds like; a digital application that allows you, the parent, to exercise greater supervision over your children’s use of internet-connected technology. Basically, this means that you’ll have access to an all-in-one suite that allows you to set boundaries for how your children interact online.

The best parental control apps have features that enable you to monitor your children’s text messages, call logs, photos, website history, instant messaging history and their address book. They also give you the means to set controls for how they use the device, such as making certain apps unavailable during school or sleep hours.

There are even settings that enable you to get a notification when your child searches for a certain keyword. At their core; parental control apps give you a huge range of options for how you can supervise your child’s use of digital technology.

How can it benefit your family?

Ultimately, the greatest benefit of using a parental control app is that you’ll be able to more than adequately protect your child or children from online threats. We have all heard the horror stories of children being targeted by online predators who seek to exploit their naivety for money or worse.

When children are given access to computers, tablets and smartphones they are also given access to the internet. While internet services have many rudimentary control mechanisms like ‘safe search’, which filters out adult content, they cannot be relied upon to protect your children from those seeking to exploit them.

Many potentially dangerous online interactions children have can be prevented from occurring in the first place through the use of a parental control app. The app allows you to make sure that your child never has the ability to visit certain websites or can only visit specific sites under specific circumstances.

In this way, parental control apps can be used not only to protect your children from online predators but to help curb their dependency on technology. If you have ever struggled to get your child to put down their phone during dinner time, a parental control app will let you set it up so that, for example; their phone is unusable between 8 and 9 every evening.

Options like this enable you to be strict but fair in how you apply rules to your children’s use of technology. With a parental control app, you can set clear boundaries for what is and is not acceptable while also protecting your children from threats they don’t fully understand.

Why is this important?

Everyone knows that children are the most impressionable members of our society and therefore they need to be protected and nurtured as they mature. Until they reach adulthood, even older teenagers are liable to make extremely poor decisions in the spur of the moment of because they were lied to.

With the online world now more hostile and predatory than it ever was, the need to protect children has become paramount. While we want children to benefit from the positive impact of the internet and global information sharing, we also want to protect them from being exploited or harassed online.

In a world where it’s simply too difficult to try and directly supervise every app and service your child is using; parental control apps are the perfect solution. They give you all of the control and supervision you need to enjoy peace of mind knowing that your children are protected online.

5 things you need to think about when starting a business

Max Greene
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5 things you need to think about when starting a business

If you’re looking to start a new business, then there are lots of things that you need to think about. As well as coming up with a unique product and brand, you need to find ways to capture the attention of potential customers – and make a profit doing so.

Below, we’ve put together a few of the most essential elements when starting your own business. Read on to learn more.

Marketing

Perhaps one of the most important things to think about when starting a new business is marketing. Unless you’re promoting your products and services and getting eyeballs on your brand, then the chances are that you won’t be successful.

In order to truly break into a market, you need to have a presence on social media, have a well-designed website, and write content that your potential customers will read and want to interact with. You could hire a marketing agency to do the work for you, or you could consider using a freelancer, which is often cheaper.

Finding staff

The next thing to consider when starting your own business is staff. If you’re running an online business, like an ecommerce store or you’re selling software, then the chances are that you will be able to get by on your own.

However, for bricks and mortar businesses, having a member of staff or two that you can depend on will serve you well, and allow you some time to relax and unwind after a busy day in the office. Don’t hire your friends and family – hold interviews and look for the most qualified and reliable member of staff you can find in order to achieve success.

Tax

When you’re in the early days of running your own business, it can be easy to forget about things such as finances. Sure, you’ll be keeping an eye on how much money you’re spending, but if you’re not correctly keeping tabs of your incomings and outgoings, then you might struggle when it comes to paying tax.

Make sure that you’re looking after your accounts, and consider researching into Australian tax brackets so that you can consider the Low and Middle Income Tax Offset and make the most out of your money. Alternatively, you could hire an accountant.

Growth

Now that you’ve started your own company and you’re making some money, you might be thinking about how you can grow your brand and take your business to the next level. Indeed, all entrepreneurs want to make as much money as they possibly can, but it’s important to avoid growing too quickly.

If you’re taking on lots of new customers and you don’t have the time, staff or skills to manage them, then you might be left feeling stressed or, even worse, delivering a poor service to your customers and developing a bad reputation within your niche. Be sensible.

Competition

One final point to consider is competition. You will have no doubt taken the time to research your industry before launching a business, but getting to grips with your competition is about much more than knowing their target audience and address.

Small businesses and startups can become more competitive by taking nods from their successful competitors; if a competitor is writing lots of high-quality content, for example, then you could take their content marketing ideas and expand on them for your own blog. Equally, on social media, you can follow your competitors’ followers in bulk, in hopes that they’ll follow you back and make the switch to your business. Just remember to play fair, and always be on the lookout for your competitors.

Wrapping up

Starting a new business in 2018 isn’t easy. Sure, the internet has made entrepreneurship more accessible than ever before, but it’s essential that you weigh up the pros and cons and ensure you have the right product before you enter the market.

Whether you’re starting a new business as a side hustle to keep you busy, or you’re quitting your job and launching a new company full time, we wish you the best of luck!

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