The Importance of a Vision and Strategy to Reach Your Goals

One of the most satisfying moments as a human being is when you have a clear vision and a goal, and you then achieve it. It is a wholesome, addictive experience, but remarkably few people actually complete what they want to achieve.

There can be a million excuses as to why people don’t reach their goals, but, essentially, there are three reasons why people miss out. The first is that the vision is not clear enough, which is a massive problem as it’s almost impossible to find your way somewhere if you don’t know where it is in the first place. The second problem is that they don’t have a clear strategy, they might know where the place is, but they don’t route there. And the third issue – and most common – is that they may be on there way, but they don’t have any definable targets to ensure that they keep up the pace and get to where they want before it’s too late.

Your Vision

Everybody has visions. It could be scoring the winning goal in the World Cup, wooing the person of your dreams, becoming a rockstar, getting fit, or creating your own business.

The trouble is, visions are often vague and, if no action is taken, they’re nothing more than a pipedream. But that’s not to say visions are bad. On the contrary, they’re invaluable. But the important thing isn’t to merely have a vision, it is to have clear vision. The clearer the vision, the more likely you are to make it a reality.

If you’re serious about your vision, you need to think about it in such detail that it is effectively reality. Nothing should be inexplicable in your vision. How did you reach your vision? What steps did you take get there?

Detail is key, and the best way to create detail is with numbers. How much, how many, when.

Your Strategy

If you have a clear, definable vision in place, you next need a strategy. How do you make your vision a reality?

Again, just as was the case with your vision, your strategy needs to have as much detail as possible. A strategy without detail just won’t succeed.
Say, for example, you want to buy your first house. Merely imagining the house won’t land you the house. But it’s a start, as you can picture what type of house you want. So, with this image in mind, you need to calculate how much this house will cost. Let’s say it costs 500,000. Now you know the cost, you need to figure out how to get the money. Let’s say you earn 50,000 per year and can save 10,000. That means it will take you 50 long years to pay off the house, forgetting the interest. So how can you gather the money you need? Maybe you get a second job, maybe you start a business on the side. But what is important is that you start thinking about the how – and exactly how – your strategy can make your vision a reality.

A vision, goal and a strategy is the key basis for achievement, but in order to make them a reality, you need clearly defined targets.

Your Targets

Once you have a vision, and strategy to achieve it, you need to set some targets in order to keep you on track.

One major mistake that people make when they set targets is that they are too big, too vague and too distant. Ideally, your targets should impact your daily life. You should wake up with them in your mind, ready to make happen, and go to bed thinking about how the next day can go another step to achieving your overall vision.

You should see your targets as a ladder, and the only way to reach your overall goal is to go up your ladder step-by-step. Make the steps to far apart or too high and you won’t reach them, so make sure you’re comfortable with every target you set and that you fully understand how you will reach that goal. Don’t overwhelm yourself.

Your targets are key to implementing your strategy, which, itself, is key to realising your goals.

The Beginner’s Way into Forex Trading

If you are new to the online forex trading world, you might be feeling overwhelmed, confused and lost. A simple search online on how to trade forex will bombard you with loads of information and tips. If you want to trade forex successfully, the first step is to take it slow; take the time to learn about the forex market and how to trade, and then step into the trading arena with confidence and the right tools to succeed.

  1. Education is Key

Many new traders simply jump right in, and within a very short space of time, they have lost their trading capital and they then walk away feeling disappointed and disillusioned. As with anything in life, if you want to succeed, you need to educate yourself and understand how the forex market works and what factors impact price movements. To build a solid trading foundation, make time to follow the financial news and get a solid understanding of the trading terms as well as the tools that you have available to trade with.

  1. Choose a Reliable Broker

In order to trade online, you need to be able to access a trading platform. To find the best forex brokers in the industry, only look at regulated brokers. In this way, you can have peace of mind that they are operating within a regulated framework monitored by the necessary authorities. Ensure that the broker offers a platform that is easy to use and take the time to check their educational resources. The more knowledge and skills you have before you start trading, the more successful you are likely to be. Check the broker’s terms and conditions and test their customer support. Remember that a forex broker is your trading partner and it is important that they offer an all-inclusive trading platform that meets your trading needs and style.

  1. Demo Trading Account

As part of educating yourself and familiarizing yourself with the forex world, start your trading activities on a demo account. Not all brokers offer this service, so selecting one that does, is highly recommended. A demo account allows you to test the trading platform and its features as well as experience trading in a live setting without the risk of losing any money. Once you feel more comfortable with the trading process and the trading tools that can finetune your analysis, you can then move to a real trading account.

  1. Automate Your Trading

Some of the best forex brokers offer automated trading. This means that you can simply copy the trades of top traders on their platform. This is an excellent way to learn trading skills and strategies and to eliminate emotional trading. Auto trading may also involve setting specific parameters before a trade will be executed. You can use auto trading as you learn the ropes of forex trading.

The first step in forex trading is education. Once you understand the market you are trading and the price movements that always occur, you will be better positioned to make the right trading decisions. Keep records of your trades and make sure to record both your successes and your failures.

The Shocking Truth About Gift Cards

Everyone loves gift cards. They’ve rapidly become a favorite way to give presents; they’re classier than cash but offer the flexibility of letting recipients pick out their own gift. Sales via gift cards surge incredible around major holidays. Here are some gift card facts that may surprise you.

Gift Cards Aren’t Just for Enormous Chains

If you thought only international corporations had the ability to create their own gift cards, think again. With many cutting-edge payment systems – the Clover POS system for example – you can brand your own gift cards and even add funds to them with the touch of a button.

Gift Cards Are Inexpensive

If you’re already partnered with a merchant payments provider, there’s a good chance incorporating the equipment needed to offer gift cards either won’t cost you a dime or will be very price-friendly – expect around $1.00-$1.50 max per card.

Gift Cards Boost Your Brand Loyalty Significantly

Many POS providers, such as Revel Systems, allow you to create custom gift card designs that show off your brand name prominently. They also help you create everything from periodic sales to special promotions, point rewards and other exciting deals customers love.

Clients Spend More When Paying With Gift Cards

Gifts stimulate people psychologically to want to spend. They willingly reach towards big ticket items. It’s rare that customers will find an item matching their card’s value perfectly, so most overspend. They don’t feel guilty about going $15-$20 or more over the limit because they view it as free money.

You Can Accept Gift Card Payments Online

Some POS systems come integrated with mobile payment options that allow you to handle all types of e-commerce and even set up your own website. When customers can shop your store without leaving the house, and pay with a gift card, it’s win-win for them and you.

Take the plunge into setting up your own gift card rewards system. Gift cards make customers happy and deliver free advertising – not to mention word-of-mouth promotion from those happy customers. The best part is that there’s only one place they can spend it: that’s right, your store.

Summer Day Trips

When summer rolls around, everyone has the same thought. What can we do? Summer is the time to enjoy time off, enjoy the weather, and enjoy going places. When you are trying to find places to go it can either be visiting family/friends, going on vacation or even just day trips for new experiences. When kids are involved you especially want to do what you can to make their summers memorable. Day trips can be perfect for this because they allow you tackle multiple locations in a short period of time making summer time buckets of fun. Below are some options of day trips that you can do with your family.

Beaches

One option for a day trip are beaches. The beach (if you are fortunate to be within driving distance to one) is always a good time and can be done in a day if planned properly. It can be a day of relaxing if you don’t have kids or a day of fun if kids are involved. Be sure to explore where you can have a homebase like a bathroom or such for you to change and rinse off before heading home. Some beaches offer chair and umbrella rentals to make the day trip planning even more easy. It will allow you to relax and enjoy reading a book, play a game on your phone, or read a magazine. You can also visit restaurants for breakfast, lunch and dinner before heading home.

Parks

Parks are another option for day trips. Not only are there national or state parks that can offer you a good time but you can also simply look up well known playgrounds in the driving area that are worth the trip. State parks are often a good option if you would like to hike or take in the beauty of waterfalls or landmarks. Kids often like to try out new turf and take in new playgrounds as well.

Amusement Parks

Amusements parks are also a fun option. All throughout the country you can find various forms of amusement parks, water parks, zoos, aquariums, etc. that can be fun to drive to and visit. All are different in their own way. They often offer discounts as well in the summer. Some local libraries offer discount tickets or even free tickets for you to reserve.

Shopping

There are often good shopping venues  to explore. There are a lot of outlets that are outside so you can walk around and enjoy the weather as well. There are also malls that may be worth the drive to explore on a rain day.

Take these tips to start planning your summer bucket list and have the best summer of your life!

Places to visit in Sacramento: Tourist Attractions in Sacramento:

If by any chance, you happen to be in California this summer. Then you can definitely have a great time if you know where to go in Sacramento. But fret not; we have done a thorough research to bring out the best places worth visiting in Sacramento.

Fairytales Town where your childhood is back:

This park should be on your bucket list. It will bring your childhood back to life again. This park is full of different sections; each representing a different fairytale or nursery rhyme play-set. This park has a total 25 play-sets which consist of different fairy tales and nursery rhymes; taking you back to the good old days when you were a kid. Fairytale Town has been educating and inspiring children for more than 50 years. It is located on the Land Park drive near the Sacramento Zoo.

Take a trip over the Tower Bridge:

It is one of the oldest bridges in the U.S built in 1935; it is definitely a place worth visiting while you’re in Sacramento. It is also known as the Sacramento River Bridge as it connects Sacramento country in the east to West Sacramento in Yolo County. It’s a great place to drive to but when you’re driving, make sure that you are following the traffic rules otherwise you’ll be caught and then you’ll be requiring the services of traffic ticket lawyers to bail yourself out. On this note, you can always rely on ticket lawyer Sacramento to help you.

The Abandoned Sutter’s Fort:

This fort was constructed in 1839 by John Sutter. It was the main centre of attraction in California before the start of the Goldrush. The gold was discovered 45 miles away from the fort and after the start of a Gold rush, the fort was abandoned. Now this fort has been declared as a National Historic Landmark. The fort is a place worth visiting, with its two storey adobe structure building.

California Automobile Museum:

This museum was founded by a group of volunteers in 1982. At the starting, the museum was the house to the biggest collection of Fords but now all sorts of automobiles can be seen in the museum. It is one of its kind and a major tourist attraction in Sacramento because of its truly diverse and exciting collection of cars.

Reliving the old times in Sacramento State Historic Park:

This 28 acres park covers all the area of old Sacramento business centre of 1850’s. It consists of all the buildings made during the Gold Rush including the famous Eagle Theater. These buildings at the Waterfront have seen history including floods, fire, to the political ups and downs. This area has become a massive tourist attraction for those who are keen to study the history of California.

The California State Rail-Road Museum:

We know that Sacramento is the home to fascinating attractions and museums. Out of all these, the California State Rail-Road museum is one of the most popular ones. Each year more than 50,000 people come over to visit this museum. This museum will take you back in time, to the discovery of train. You can find many used locomotives and railroad cars that were in use throughout the State in the past. There are six buildings in this museum; overall the museum covers an area of 225,000 square feet.

California State Indian Museum:

This museum was opened in 1940’s to tell the people about the native Indian tribe that used to live in the State of California. The museum has three sections showing different themes like; family, nature and spirit which were important to the Indians. The museum is full of photographs and artifacts showing the lives of native Indians and how they used to prosper in this State thousand of years ago.

How to Get Business Loans with Bad Credit

If you’re a small business owner, having bad credit can feel like a prison.

You need financing to pump much-needed cash into your business for growth and expansion…

…but not having good enough credit to obtain financing from a bank or traditional lender means you’re stuck in place.

Fortunately, alternative lending has exploded over the past decade and now offers small business owners with bad credit several great options for obtaining the funds their business needs, whether to pick themselves back up after a slow season or to expand into new horizons.

Business loans with bad credit: Your options

So, what are your options?

It might be a little hard to believe that there really are options available to small business owners with bad credit, but it’s true.

In fact, there are several:

  • Unsecured business loans: An unsecured business loan is typically based on cash flow, gross annual sales, and your business’ credit score (typically scores ranging 540+), up to as much as $2,000,000.00 and does not require collateral.
  • Business line of credit: A revolving credit balance you can use as the need arises (similar to a credit card).
  • Split funding: Also known as a merchant cash advance, split funding deducts a percentage of your credit card sales each business day to repay the loan, making them perfect for businesses whose cash flow fluctuates due to heavy and light seasons (such as Christmas).
  • Term loans: A quick chunk of cash typically used for a specific purpose such as to buy materials, new equipment, or hire new personnel before a busy season.

Now that you know some of your options, let’s take a look at everything you’ll need to get a small business loan even with bad credit.

What do lenders look for?

The first and perhaps most important thing to know is what lenders are looking for when they receive an application.

If you know what they’re looking for in advance, you can position yourself to be much more likely to be approved for a business loan even if you have bad credit.

Here are a few of the most important things that lenders are looking for:

1. Debt is low and under control

First, lenders want to see that your debt is not only low but under control. Are you on time or do you have late payments? Also, is there collateral on any loans involved? These are all important factors to look out for when preparing to apply for a business loan with bad credit.

2. Revenue is high and growing

Revenue helps lenders forecast your ability to pay back a loan. In a nutshell, it’s best if your revenue is not only high but also on an upward trajectory. If you’re currently growing, you’ll be in good shape to lenders (on paper, at least).

In addition, revenue helps decide what size of loan you’re approved for, so it has more than one purpose.

3. Cash flow is abundant and well managed

Cash flow is another very important metric because businesses want to see not only how you manage your money, whether you overspend and pay late or never stretch beyond your limits and pay on time, but also how much cash savings you have in case something goes wrong.

The reality is, no one ones what’s going to happen tomorrow. For that reason, lenders want to see that you have a nest egg you can use to continue paying off your loan in case business suddenly takes a dip.

A note on credit

While great credit isn’t necessary, it still helps to do everything you can make your credit look as good as it can.

If you have any tax liens, foreclosures, or bankruptcies on your credit, do whatever you can to take care of them and get them off your personal credit. This will go a long way in getting approved for a loan.

Clearly, not every business can fulfill each of the above points we just mentioned perfectly. In fact, very few can.

Simply use the above information as a marker for placing yourself in a position to have the highest chance of being accepted for a loan.

What are the minimum requirements to qualify for a small business loan with bad credit?

In addition to there being certain things that lenders look for when they review an application, there are also typically minimum requirements to even be considered for a loan in the first place.

They tend to be pretty easy qualifications to meet, however, they’re nonetheless required before your application can even be accepted.

Each type of financing is different, but here are what the basic requirements tend to be for many bad credit business loans:

  • Be in business for at least X months or years (typically, somewhere between 6 months to 2 years)
  • Have X amount of monthly gross revenue (typically $10,000 or more)
  • Must be in good standing (In other words, can’t currently be defaulted on a loan with another lender, etc.)

On top of those basic qualifications, you’ll also need a few documents to verify and proof certain information.

What documents do I need?

Every lender and loan product is different. However, the documents needed to apply for each tend to be pretty similar. And, regardless, it’s a good idea to have this stuff in order anyway.

Here are some of the documents that may be required by lenders for you to complete your application and get approved:

  • Business licenses
  • Proof of ownership
  • Property lease agreement
  • Personal and business tax returns
  • Voided check
  • Drivers license
  • Bank statements
  • Profit & loss statement
  • Debt schedule

Get a small business loan even with bad credit

Obtaining a small business loan with bad credit has never been easier.

And it’s not just possible, you have several great options to choose from in unsecured business loans, business lines of credit, term loans, and merchant cash advances (AKA split funding).

You don’t want bad credit to hold you back from getting the funds your business needs to grow. Now, it doesn’t have to.

7 ways to manage your money better now

Managing money is somewhat of an art form and in this day and age it’s difficult to hold on to. Our economy is based on relentless consumption and instant gratification, which makes saving and living within your means a difficult challenge.

However, there are ways you can manage your money better right away. Here are seven tips to help you get on top of your finances quick:

1. Sell unnecessary stuff

There’s a good chance your clutter is worth more than you think. Listing an old device to sell on eBay or signing up for an online pawn brokerage could help you get instant cash for stuff you no longer need. It’s probably the most convenient way to inject cash back into your pocket.

2. Cash Loans

A short term injection of cash could help you manage your finances better. You could apply for a cash loan from a service like Cash Stop to pay the bills, meet business obligations, and buy necessities before your pay check arrives. A small loan you can easily pay back will help you cover the gaps in your finances efficiently.

3. Track your spending

Downloading an app takes less than 30 seconds, and that’s all you need to start tracking your daily and weekly spending. Mint is probably the best app for regular budgets, but you could take a DIY approach and create a spreadsheet on your phone. The trick is to make the tracker automated and easily accessible, so that you never miss a dime of spending. Tracking your spending is a great way to become instantly conservative and more analytical with your spending habits.

4. Join your accounts with your partner

A joint account doubles your resources and gives you a better base to manage your cash flows. If your partner is better at managing cash than you, just delegate all your financial responsibilities to them. A joint account makes it easier to spend on household bills and children.

5. Consolidate your debts

The average person deals with various forms of debt with different rates of interest. Probably the best way to manage your finances is to bring all your loans and credit card balances together and pay them off with a single loan. By consolidating your debt, you make payments easier to manage and reduce the overall interest rate on your borrowings.

6. Get rid of recurring payments

Recurring payments are a drain on your bank account. Most people sign up to many unnecessary subscriptions and memberships, and eventually keep paying fees years after they’ve stopped using the service. Weed out these frivolous expenses and cut your recurring bills down to the basics.

7. Create an emergency fund

Every family needs an emergency fund. This is a pool of cash that’s big enough to sustain your family for six months. An emergency fund can help you meet sudden medical expenses and deal with professional hiccups without denting your lifestyle. As a parent, it is your responsibility to keep this emergency fund well-funded and secure.

8. Use cash

Using cash instead of bank cards is a great way to control your urge to spend. If you give yourself $50, you can stick to a budget more easily. Try to take a fixed amount every time you go grocery shopping or redecorating.

By using cash, selling old stuff, and modifying your debt, you can instantly take a step closer to financial freedom.