Website Accessibility Benefits Everyone – accessiBe

Business

There are companies out there, companies like accessiBe, that are taking on the challenge of making the internet accessible for everyone. They are helping people around the world make sure that disabled people don’t feel left out or left behind as the internet continues to grow. Because sadly, this has been the experience of some. Many disabled internet users have been left angry, frustrated or upset by the lack of support offered by some companies. 

What is being done?

Fortunately, the issue is being addressed. Many governments have made laws to ensure that websites are accessible to the disabled. Over the last few years, the number of lawsuits that have been brought forward regarding this issue is continuing to grow. Companies have ruined or damaged their reputations by not making their websites accessible. 

Also, as mentioned above, there are companies that are helping to make big strides in this area. This is with the use of a website accessibility overlay. This means that you can add software to your website that will then scan code to find any potential problems for a disabled person. It will the automatically correct those potential problems and there you have it – an accessible website. This has taken so much of the work out of it for companies and made it much easier, cost effective, and fast, to get an accessible website. 

What are the benefits of an accessible website?

Some of the benefits are obvious. You will be making sure disabled people have equal rights on your website, as everyone else does too. This also results in peace of mind for you, knowing that you have done the right thing. Although that isn’t the only benefit for you and your company. 

As mentioned above, you will avoid breaking the law and a possible costly, reputation damaging lawsuit that follows. But even aside from all of this, you will be giving your website the potential for many more visitors. Did you know there are approximately 1.3 billion disabled people in the world? Think what that could mean for you and your business to give 1.3 billion more people the opportunity to look at your site. And yet another benefit to your site is that it isn’t only governments that want you to be accessible. Search engines also approve of accessible websites and will rank you higher for making sure you are.

There are also benefits to your existing website visitors or anyone new as your site will be simpler and easier to understand and follow.

Summary

Website accessibility benefits everyone and there is no excuse for not getting your website fully accessible now. So, what are you waiting for?

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Why are CFDs so risky for new traders in Singapore?

Business Finance

Contracts for Difference (CFDs) are a popular investment tool in Singapore, but they can be very risky for new traders. This article will explore the risks involved in CFD trading and why it’s essential to do your research before investing.

What are CFDs?

They are derivative products that allow investors to trade on the price movements of various assets, such as stocks, indices and currencies. They offer a high degree of liquidity and flexibility and can be used to speculate on markets’ movements or hedge against risk. Why are CFDs risky?

CFDs are a high-risk investment and can be especially risky for inexperienced traders. Here are some of the risks involved in CFD trading:

CFDs are a leveraged product.

It means that traders can control a large contract size with a relatively small amount of money. This leverage can work both ways, though, magnifying profits as well as losses.

Lower margins

The margin required to trade CFDs is usually much lower than traditional investments such as stocks and shares. It makes it easier for traders to enter into trades without committing a lot of capital upfront. However, it also means that losses can be incurred more quickly.

Price

The prices of CFDs are based on underlying assets such as stocks, commodities or currencies. These assets can be very volatile, meaning that the prices of CFDs can rush up and down. It makes it difficult for traders to predict where the prices will go, resulting in losses if they are not careful.

No physical delivery

CFDs are a derivative product, which means no physical delivery of the underlying asset. It can be a disadvantage if the trader wants to take delivery of the asset, for example, if they are trading gold CFDs and want to take delivery of gold bullion.

Counterparty risk

CFDs are traded on margin, which means that the trader only has to put up a small amount of money to open a position. When the market moves against them, they may be required to post additional funds to keep their positions open. If they cannot do this, the broker may close their positions and lose their investment.

Limited order types

CFD brokers usually offer a limited number of order types, making it difficult for traders to execute their trades in the way they want. It can lead to frustration and poor trading decisions.

No protection against losses

Unlike traditional investments, there is no protection against losses when trading CFDs. It means that if the trader loses money, they lose all of it. There is no option to claim back any losses from the broker.

High fees

CFD brokers usually charge high fees for trading CFDs. It can eat into profits and be a disadvantage for traders who are not making a lot of money.

Liquid markets

CFDs are traded on margin, which means that the trader only has to put up a small amount of money to open a position. When the market moves against them, they may be required to post additional funds to keep their positions open. If they cannot do this, the broker may close their positions and lose their investment.

No regulation

CFDs are not regulated in Singapore, meaning there is no guarantee that the broker will honour their trades or that the trader will get their money back if the broker goes bankrupt. It can be a considerable risk for traders unfamiliar with how CFDs work.

No Dividends

CFDs do not entitle the trader to any dividends from the underlying asset. It can be a disadvantage for investors looking for income from their investments.

Gamification

Many CFD brokers offer trading platforms that are designed to look like games. It can make trading feel more like gambling than investing, leading to poor trading decisions.

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Is Your Business Attractive to the Outside World?

Business

Having a business that proves attractive to the world is a thing all owners should strive for.

That said how would you rate your company when it comes to attracting business?

If you are doing all that is necessary to field a good business, the hope is everything falls into place for you.

So, what steps should you be taking if not already doing so to field a more attractive business?

Customer Service Can Never Be Overlooked

One of the big mistakes too many owners overlook is providing top-notch service.

With that thought in mind, is there more you can and should be doing when it comes to the level of service you offer?

By showing your customers how much they mean to you, you’ll stand a better chance of keeping the majority of them.

Make sure if you have employees that they too go out of their way to keep customers happy.

Given many consumers have many options when it comes to their shopping; you want to be their choice.

Also look to your use of technology.

Keep in mind that many consumers use a lot of tech in their daily lives. As such, odds are many of these people will expect you to do the same.

While some businesses manage to get by with little tech, most find it nothing short of essential.

So, this means you want to be sure your employees have all the tech they need to get their jobs done.

From being productive in the office to when they are out on the road, supply your team with whatever tech they need.

Speaking of needs, imagine for a moment if your business was not very good at managing money. Could you expect to be in business for very long?

Not only do your customers want a prosperous business to deal with, investors look to this in a company too.

So, you’re not going to attract too much interest in your business from investors or buyers if finances are a mess.

Do your best to not only keep adding revenue, but to think about what your business looks like should you opt to sell.

There can be one or myriad of reasons why you look to sell your business at some point.

That said you want an attractive business to put out in front of potential buyers.

You also want to know how to value a startup, namely yours should you decide to sell.

By knowing the true value of your company before you put it on the market, you’ll be in a much better spot. That is to get what you want for it.

Finally, you want to be sure your company’s reputation and your own for that matter are as good as they can be.

Whether you stay with your current business for years or move on, your reputation must stand out. That is stand out for all the right reasons.

In looking at how others may view your business, will you be happy with what you see?

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Top 10 Tips For Being An ADA Friendly Company – accessiBe

Business

Running a company can be a difficult task, no matter what industry you’re in. There are many things to take into consideration when building your company from the ground up, and this will only become more difficult once you’ve been given the responsibility of hiring employees or opening up a new branch of your business. However, there are ways to make your website more accessible to people with disabilities by using available tools on the web, such as accessiBe.

1) Be proactive – The lawsuits are just starting to come in because of changes made by the Department Of Justice regulations which went into effect March 15th, 2012. Don’t get caught off guard, and never assume that the changes made to your website will be enough. Have a plan in place so you can update your site quickly should you find that there are areas for improvement.

2) Determine what measures need to be taken – The next step after assessing whether or not your company is ADA compliant is determining which changes need to be made to improve your site. You can get the assistance of someone familiar with disabilities, but you want to make sure they’re not part of the problem (ie; Not using flash elements).

3) Get some help – If you don’t have the skills or staff necessary to address these issues, it might be time to hire an experienced web development company. Make sure you vet companies carefully, so they’re not just throwing out buzzwords about making websites more accessible.

4) Know that it will take time – You can’t go into this with the idea that everything will be fixed by the time your site goes live. This is an ongoing process and can lead to additional costs down the road if you have a large company with many branches.

5) Not everyone will be reached – Just like any other market, there are some people that will never purchase from your site, and this is especially true when it comes to disabilities. You may never see an increase in sales of certain products, but at least you’ll know that you’ve done the best you can to meet your requirements under the ADA.

6) Avoid using marketing – While it may be tempting to use buzzwords like ” Accessible Website Design ” and other phrases, this is not the best way to go about it. Using terms that are too fancy only confuses customers when they’re searching for companies online.

7) The future – As time goes on, you’ll start to see more changes to the ADA regulations, which will affect your business. These are typically not large scale, but you want to make sure that everyone is up-to-date with these changes so they can adjust accordingly.

8) Stay current – There are many organizations and events that help to keep people informed of the latest news. For example, National Disability Rights Network has several seminars that can be beneficial to businesses and is a great way for you to network with other companies in your area.

9) Resources online – There’s an abundance of information on this topic available online. From the ADA website to other sources, there’s plenty of information for you to read and sort through so you can find the solution that works best for your company.

10) The bottom line – You’ll always come across opposition when you do something to better your business, and in this case, this means finding a web design company that understands the needs of its customers. Keep an open mind and remember that there’s always more than one solution to any problem or issue.

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Is Client Satisfaction Your Main Focus?

Business

When you run your own business, it is safe to say you have a lot of things going on at one time.

With that in mind, how much time and effort do you put into client satisfaction?

It is important to always keep in mind that you would not have a business to begin with were it not for your clients.

So, is there more you need to do when it comes to satisfying the most important folks in your business world?

Never Overlook Customer Service

In doing what it takes to satisfy and keep clients happy, here are some things to hone in on if not doing enough of:

1. Customer service – How would you rate your level of customer service? If it is adequate at best, chances are some or many clients will go elsewhere. That is especially true if they have choices when it comes to your industry. So, make it a point to go above and beyond in the area of customer service. Make sure you talk to your clients and get quality feedback from them. That feedback can go a long way in improving the customer service you provide. You want to be sure you’re a good listener. Given your interactions with many clients can be rather short, be sure you make the most of them.

2. Equipment you offer – Depending on the business you have, you may offer a lot of goods and services to clients. The key is to make sure anything you offer is top-notch. If you run a spa, salon or similar business, the facility itself and the equipment you have needs to be first-rate. If it is not, chances are some of those clients will go elsewhere at some point. From a professional facial steamer to other products, review equipment. That is do so on a regular basis. If some items appear to be on their last leg, do your best to replace them. Not only is this practical from a service standpoint, you do not want to have injuries. That would be due to bad equipment. Such injuries could happen to either clients or your staff.

3. Providing updated tech – It stands to reason a fair number of your clients use a fair amount of tech in their lives. As such, chances are some or much of the tech they use is newer. So, do your part to keep your technology updated. Not only does is this items in your business clients will be exposed to, but also like your online presence. It is critical in today’s tech world to be up to speed on your technology needs. For example, do you have a small business app? Have you put together a first-rate online store to sell goods and services? Such things can make a big difference. Of most importance, they give you a 24/7 connection with current and prospective clients.

As you look to focus in on client satisfaction, where will your priorities end up being?

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Will Your Company Take Flight When You Open up?

Business

How excited are you at the prospects of your new business opening up?

Having a business to call your own can prove to be both an exciting and anxious thing.

So, what steps must you take to better ensure your business does well from the day you open to when you move on from it?

Put Your Company in Position to Succeed

In improving the odds of having a positive company outlook, here are a few pointers to consider:

  1. Your company setup matters a great deal – Having the right company setup is something you never want to overlook. With that in mind, are you confident you will have this area of your company covered? From where you work out of to structuring your company in the right way and place and more don’t take such things for granted. When it comes to structuring your business, you may want to take time to research what the best option can be for you. From starting an LLC in Wyoming to other options on the table, think things through. With your research, see if having an LLC in another state makes sense for you. You may in fact discover it does when you find a business friendly state to set up in. When it comes to your personal setup, will you need outside office space or work from home regularly? Much of this will of course depend on if you will have employees working for you and if you have customers coming to see you.
  2. Be smart when it comes to money management – You will not get too far in the business world if you have issues managing money. That is why it is critical to be a good handler of money. From paying company bills on time to avoiding running up significant company debt, be smart how you handle funds. You also want to look for and take advantage of all small business tax breaks you can get your hands on. Finally, look at what you pay for any supplies and services you get from vendors. If you are paying too much for some of these things, look elsewhere. As long as the quality does not suffer, there is nothing wrong with shopping around for the best deals for your company.
  3. Get your message out to the public – Last, you can’t expect your company to do too well if not many people know about you. With that in mind, be sure you do all you can to get the message out to folks. Doing so will make it easier to attract sales and revenue your way. If you are in a competitive field, making sure the public sees and hears you takes on added importance. Use all disposable resources you can to be seen and heard. From your website to social media options to a small biz app and more, you do have resources you can turn to.

As your company takes flight and you hope for good things, be smart in how you run things.

Remember, you’ve worked too hard for your company not to become a success as time goes by.

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Risk Management – Are Your Employees Really Making Your Workplace Safer?

Business

Effective risk management is vital for every business, large and small. Without it, you constantly run the risk of something escalating into a major problem. Risk management is more about prevention than cure, as it’s much more desirable to prevent an issue from occurring than having to go into damage control to solve a problem once it’s unfolded.

As a business owner, you can put as much focus and attention on risk management as you like, but if your business relies on employees to operate, your risk management efforts are only as good as the effort your workers put into it as well. Are your employees helping to make your workplace a safer environment, or is the opposite actually taking place?

Employees Need To Be Screened and Monitored

Employees can only be screened so much at the job interview phase. After a worker is hired, it’ll be a matter of monitoring their workplace behaviour to truly determine if they are a positive team player or detrimental to the workplace.

When it comes to the issue of risk management and maintaining a safe, secure and hygienic work environment, all employees need to be on board.

Anyone with the wrong attitude and someone who doesn’t want to follow the rules is ultimately going to put your other workers and your business at risk, somewhere along the line.

Risk management isn’t just about monitoring business processes, but also everyone who works in the business.

Regular Meetings and Training Sessions Should Be Held

Even if all of your employees have the right attitude and are on board with maintaining a compliant and safe workplace, everyone needs to both be aware of what’s required and be informed of any changes in the rules or procedures to ensure a risk-free workplace as much as possible. The easiest way to keep everyone informed is to conduct staff meetings regularly, perhaps once a month. With everybody gathered together, it’s a relatively simple process of informing all employees on the latest information.

These meetings also present the perfect opportunity to seek feedback from everybody. Ask your workers if anyone has noticed a potential problem area that needs to be addressed. Also seek suggestions for improvements in general. This is both good for risk management and will also improve business operations and profitability.

A third component of these meetings could include some staff training. Whether this training relates directly to the latest risk management initiatives, or is focused on updating workplace skills, this all bodes well for establishing a safer workplace, a more efficient work environment and improved risk management protocols.

Put Someone In Charge of Risk Management

Having an employee tasked with risk management is an effective way of ensuring your business operations are in good hands. If no one is tasked with focusing on this all-important aspect of successfully operating a business over the long term, risk management might inadvertently be put on the back burner. Having an employee in the role of risk manager, or hiring a professional risk manager with experience, will virtually guarantee that proper risk management will be taking place at all times.

To help your risk manager in this vital role, you could arm them with dedicated enterprise risk management software, also commonly known as ERM software. The software can assist in monitoring your business and alerting the risk manager to likely problem areas. These suspect areas of operation can then be rectified before they result in an issue that affects the business.

Your risk manager is also the one who will regularly monitor your staff, interact with all members of staff and ensure everyone is up to date on what’s required. It’s a team effort that’s made easier with someone constantly overseeing risk management.

In Conclusion

Effective risk management is only as effective as the quality of staff you have on board. Ensure everyone has the right attitude towards business risks and is willing to do what’s required to ensure ongoing success.

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Should Your Company Hire That Prospect?

Business

Hiring the right talent for your company is not as easy as you may think.

Whether you have been a business owner for years or are the new kid on the block, it is important to get the right hires. That means hiring the right people and putting them in the right positions.

With that in mind, should your company hire that prospect?

Too Many Bad Hires Can Be a Problem

In deciding if you should in fact hire the next person whose resume you come across, here are some ways to go about it:

  1. Do your research – You want to take as much time and effort as needed when it comes to researching each prospect. This will oftentimes mean the Internet is going to be involved. That said you can do searches online to get more info on the prospective candidate. For instance, say you might be looking to hire a delivery driver. You want to make sure they have a clean record at the wheel. Not having such a thing can make them a danger to others on the road. They could also prove a liability to you should they get into one or more accidents while driving for you. You can go online and find out how to look up the driver’s license number of the individual. Getting any solid background info on their driving record could sway you one way or the other. Also look to see if there is any criminal record involved with the prospect. While something minor may not scare you off, something major could easily make you take a pass on them.
  2. Know what needs are – It is key you know what your company needs are before hiring the next person to work for you. If you are short in specific departments, you may well look to fill those roles first. In the event your company is growing, you could have many areas in need of more talent. The key to any successful company is providing consumers with the best service. With that in mind, be sure you have all that you need. One or more notable shortages in manpower can lead to reduced sales and revenue at the end of the day.
  3. Will they be a good fit in your company? – Finally, even if one’s resume screams talent and experience, will they be a good fit at your place of business? You have to consider the other people working for you now. How would a new employee potentially fit in with them? It is important to remember that personalities do not always click. As such, you have to try and fit the right pieces of the puzzle together. This will better ensure a smoother operation within your company. This is one reason it is good to have some people the prospect would work with sitting in on interviews. The former can get a better sense of if this person could work out.

As you think about hiring your next employee, what will be your focus and are you confident you will get it all right?

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How Does a Credit Union Work?

Business

The first thought of many people who need to take out a loan is to turn to banks. But there are other institutions in the financial system that you can apply to for a loan, such as Payday Depot or a Credit Union.

Brief Credit Union History

The first Credit Unions appeared in the 19th century. In 1934, president Franklin Roosevelt adopted the Federal Credit Union Law, thereby creating more favorable conditions for their development and dissemination. It stated that a credit union could be established under federal or state law. The adoption of this law was followed by the creation of the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund regulated by NCUA, and their deposits have become insured at the federal level. Now that you know a bit of history, let’s try to understand what the credit unions are and how they work. 

What Is a Credit Union?

Credit Union services are quite similar to bank services, but with one significant difference. Banks attract customers and provide them with their services, whereas a Credit Union is а member-owned, member-controlled financial cooperative. Serving millions of people, Credit Unions are managed by a Board of Directors with a principle of one participant – one vote. Credit unions are open to everyone, and all members can participate in the elections of the Board of Directors. According to federal laws, these people serve credit unions as volunteers and don’t get compensation.

Credit Union vs. Commercial Bank

While commercial banks operate exclusively based on the profit received from their customers, the goal of Credit Unions is to provide their members with the necessary financial resources at more convenient conditions. Credit Unions work on the not-for-profit principle, but this doesn’t mean that they are charitable foundations. Credit Unions still need to provide some profit for themselves to cover operating expenses. The services provided by Credit Unions include:

  • Deposit accounts and boxes
  • Debit and credit cards
  • Consumer loans
  • Car loans
  • Mortgages
  • Home Equity Loans and many more

Thanks to the Credit Unions’ business model, many of these services will cost less. 

Types of Credit Unions

Credit Unions can be classified based on the level at which they are registered. This classification has two types:

  • Federally Chartered Credit Unions, regulated by the NCUA.
  • State-chartered credit unions, regulated by the government. It is worth mentioning that not every state has a state-chartered Credit Union. 

Besides, Credit Unions differ depending on who can become members of the Credit Union in question. Here are some examples:

  • Local Credit Unions
  • College Credit Unions
  • Military Credit Unions
  • Employer Credit Unions
  • Group Credit Unions

Bottom Line

Along with reasonable prices for services, credit unions also have restrictions. Firstly, it is necessary to be a member and make contributions to benefit from them. Secondly, the Credit Union network is not as widespread as the banking one. In addition, they do not own large assets like banks, and because of this, they may have stricter limitations when it comes to providing services.

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3 Changes You May Make for Your Business

Business

Do you have any thoughts to making significant changes to your business anytime soon?

In the event you say yes to such a question, what might those changes be?

Making one or big changes to something you’ve worked for over the years can seem a little daunting.

That said it is important to have faith in any big decisions you want to move ahead with.

Changing the Status of Your Business

When considering changes for your business, here are three that may come to mind and why to consider them:

  1. Organizing in a different way – Have you given thought to the possibility of changing? That is how your business is legally organized? For example, what about the notion to convert C Corp to an LLC for your business? Doing this can allow shareholders to take proceeds. They can then make contributions with them to the LLC. Such a conversion can also mean tax benefits over time. Be sure you do research and speak to pros familiar with the conversion process. Do what it takes to avoid a big tax bill you want no part of it. Organizing in a different way can also mean you will expand beyond your present base. If you only have one office or other sort of workspace, any thoughts to expanding? This can lead to more business. It may mean going outside the town or city you are in now. By knowing when the proper time to grow your business is, you could set the stage for a boom. This is one that will take your company to new heights.
  2. Changes in management – Depending on the size and scope of your business, might it be time to shake things up? That is with your management if you have people in such roles? Such changes are big and should not be taken lightly. That said you may be at a point where you sense such a move can better propel the business forward. One of the keys to having a successful business is having the right people in the right positions. So, take stock of those individuals you have now and what they are doing. You may well decide that some change is needed and can’t wait.
  3. Go in a new direction – Although it is a big move, would you consider taking your aspirations in a new direction? This can mean selling what you have now and starting fresh. Even though such a move is a big one, you may feel it is in your best financial interests to do this. So, before you make such a move, sit down and think it over from start to finish. Do you have the financial means to sell your business and open something brand new? That of course depends in part on what kind of offers you may get for your current business. You’d also need to think if you have employees about how such a move would impact them. Finally, what are the trends showing in the industry you are thinking about going into? Doing all this research is key before considering a move. Remember, it will have a major impact on your life in more ways than one.

In making changes for your business, are you confident you will make all the right decisions?

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